Prayer Request....Immediate

Please each of you that stop by today go to
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rachaelkligmann

and pray fervently for Rachael Kligmann today and her family of Corinne, Pete, and siblings (family of 12 with married siblings with children). As a community of believers their pain is great right now and they need or helping lifting their arms for strength. Thanks.

Password

I remember tons of passwords, user names, account information, last log in, where the dirty socks got hidden, why is there a banana under the edge of that furniture, what will I do about the blender, what happen when I was 12....I remember a lot good and bad and some just mundane. I wonder sometimes how I remember it all, I often get overwhelmed with all that circles in my head in a day. Like today, I have to remember to go and pick up 4 of my kids in one place and the other two at another place...for 14 short hours I will have had time with just Donnie and now just all by myself. I don't remember how to do this, in fact I don't think I like it. I am the only one in the house I feel like crying, but I won't. My life has drastically changed in the last few years, weeks, DAYS. My lifestyle has been turned upside down, mostly for the better, but I am not sure of the Passwords for this new stuff. It doesn't come quick and easy like logging on to my email. I am unsure of my footing. Yesterday I was looking around, seeing people all around me, a few who even knew how my life would change this morning, weirdly, and just don't get it. I don't get it. I will find my routine, I will figure it out, we will all thrive and continue in gratitude for this change, probably more once we adjust. I think that God sometimes mixes things up a little for me. I have a tendency to get complacent, even lazy, I pray and read the bible, ask for a new day and He in all his wisdom, gives me this day. I experienced days much like this one a few years ago, the spirit of those days weren't joyful, or with gratitude, at least not initially. This day, season, came with a different set of circumstances and reasons. But learning something new always seems hard. I hate change. Change is inevitable in our lives. Even this, good change, hopeful change, feels too familiar and too different all at once. I feel like humming....
Seasons...turn, turn, turn....
Change is okay today, even if I do hate it.
What can you embrace that you don't enjoy today?

MUM is the Word

MUM, Memphis Urban Missions, is the word this week in our family.
http://www.memphisurbanministry.com/summerdaycamp.html
Today, I had the awesome opportunity to drive a van full of 4-6 graders down town to the Downtown Church and help out at the Summer Day Camp. Our children, cozied up next to the Downtown Church kids, we played 'duck, duck, goose', sang songs, learned songs and learned about the Armor Of God, after that we did word puzzles. I was move to tears as I sat and was taught how to teach, again today, with a simple, sweet little boy, who needed help reading, and a hug. In the morning my teenagers will leave with our youth group from Highland Street and go down town for what they fondly call 'Power Hour', it is more like 4 hours. They will play games, do skits, serve food and eat lunch with kids with very different lives than them. On the way back to the meet up spot with a van full of kids, I was reminded by the Lord that the only difference between those children and our on is opportunity.....for education, safety, hope....JESUS. I have the awesome responsibility every day to teach my children, I often wonder, especially about my special needs kiddos, what would have happened if they fell through the cracks, how their lives would be different. Know more children through the cracks. That is a high hope, some may say an unattainable goal. It is the goal for every kid in my life. I want to fill their cracks. I want my on children to fill cracks with the solid mortar of the truth of Jesus Christ every day, in every life they come into contact with. God has been good to us, let's all be good back. Let us remember it isn't what we think it is the opportunities we have been offered....go offer some.

Housekeeping

It has been pointed out by my sweet Grandma that I have some spelling errors...I would like to say I use to spell well, now I just spell wrong and use spell check...if it is a word, even the wrong one however, it doesn't catch it...oooops...Please forgive me. As I am teaching this year and writing I am going to be diligent in my spelling skills getting re-sharpened, after hanging out with a bunch of kids with little sleep for the last few years. ON the bright side, you all love me and know me and mostly how I speak so you can just guess....maybe I am testing you.

Inspired and Tired

I am both tired and inspired. Here in the great city of Memphis, I just witnessed a miracle. Just over 300 teen age kids, paid money to come and work in over 90 degree heat, painting homes of low income families in a neighborhood who wants hope. I watched, my almost 15 year old son, rise early every morning, go and sweat. In our case, Zachary, raised money for Memphis Work camp, while raising money for a second mission trip to Atlanta. During Workcamp week, in our home, I would leave early to drop of Zach, return home and love on a few sick kids, leave to pick up Zachary, return back home, give Sarah a pep talk, return back to the church, prepare drinks and set up food for all of the kids and leaders, and finally serve food and clean up afterwards. I was blessed, I had more "thank you Mrs. Suzanne's" and "oh, that's just Zach's mom" than I can count. During the week my sweet Donnie was out of town working, one night I melted down, late after returning home a sweet lady married to one of our leaders, talked me down. We are the church, we are people, without a permanent location, we are tired and often underfunded, God is in us. Next week, my littles will attend VBS at another church (the church who loaned us a building this week for Workcamp), the week after that my 4 oldest will go to camp two hours away.....the summer is busy, and I am tired. God is moving in our family, in our church. For the record I have always hated summers in Memphis, staying here as an adult in the early adult years was tedious and upsetting to me. For most of my life I spent summers in the home of my Grandparent's a safe haven for the weary, just outside of Chicago. When I was all grown up facing Memphis summers meant dealing with some pain as well. I praise God today that I am not just tired of the Memphis heat and Memphis memories, I am inspired by what God can do with a willing, often exhausted momma of six. Thank you Lord, thank you for letting me pour your drinks, serve your food, love your children. Thank you.
For more information about Memphis Workcamp follow the link below. I promise I will have personal pictures soon.
http://www.memphisworkcamp.com/?view=home

good day

It has been a good day...we joined the Y, went swimming with friends, saw more friends, came home, I layed out in the pool alone at home, while children napped, (deep breath) Martha sorted EVERYONE"S laundry from all the rooms and is helping catch us up from illness, the kids are happy....it has been a good day. I don't think most people care what we do everyday, I think they care how. I have talked about this before and received tons of private mail, but today I watched so much hard work pay off. Over the years I have trained the kids, just like a job, to help the whole family, even when you don't feel like it. Today, at the pool, everyone was getting hungry, my girls, all four of them, got everything neat, got themselves dressed and we headed out to the van with no chaos, baby in tow. Once at home, they made sandwiches and Martha set forth on the laundry, while I went to the back yard alone. I don't have exceptional kids(meaning anyones kids are able of course they are exceptional), I haven't been a great sweet, feel good parent, I have gotten a lot wrong, but along the way, we have helped each other even when we didn't feel like it. In the early, young, young years I wondered if it would ever be worth it as I felt like the queeny meany as I had my little ones doing things that no one else asked their children to do, as I often not so patiently had them RE-do a job...again. Today, I smiled, and realized that in spite of my on bad attitude and lazy spirit often, my kids are good, no great kids. Not because they are helpful, though they are, but because they put up with me, they smile at me when I am fussing and help ME, do my jobs better, they make me a better momma, a better person. I have 3 or so more kids that are on the little kid side, who some days may be the death of me, but then Donnie reminds me of the early years. The 5 under 7 then 6 under 10, when I thought it would never end...I saw no light, and didn't want to, I was tired. I miss those days, I know it is cliche, I thought I never would, some things were simpler. But all and all, these days, great days and I hope that I will cherish them even more, because now I know how fast seasons change in our home. The Pike Home, dirty laundry, stinky garbage, naked 4 year olds, more visits to the neurologist than I can count, I love all of it....all of it.... all of it....except maybe the smells.

I have come a long ways with these babies.
Take a look back and see how far you have come.