Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Closure

We just closed out 2008. Simple as that. One minute it is 11:59 PM on December 31, 2008, and two minutes later, it is 12:01 AM on January 1, 2009. Wouldn't it be great if life were that simple?



Closing out relationships with people is more difficult. Whether it is by choice or by circumstances, closure in realtionships can be tricky. We try our best to be careful with the other person, but in the end, someone always gets hurt.

I had to hurt a friend like that this month. I didn't want to do it, but circumstances required that I end a friendship. I feel awful about it. I hope one day, my friend can and will forgive me for ending the friendship. I think the friend will because the friend is that type or person.

Be careful out there with your friendships. They are sweet as honey, but fragile as glass.

Living and Learning,
Beth

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

O Night Divine

Tonight my family went to Christmas Eve services at my church. It was one of the most emotionally and spiritually moving worship services I have attended in years. As I lifted my voice to join the choirs of angels worshiping the newborn King, I felt Heaven come down and the Christ child dwell in my heart. I have known the Lord for years, and tonight was one of those special nights where HIS presence was palpable.



Listening to the choir and the congregation sing about the Light, Immanuel, the Babe in the manger and the coming of our Savior was a moving experience, but more moving than that were two people I in the congregation. The first was my daughter. Her eyes lit up and her sweet voice sang the praises of our Lord. Charlie, who has a beautiful ear for pitch, sang with her to help her with pitch, but her sweet voice didn't quite make the notes. It didn't matter. She was singing with all her heart and soul to her Creator! Our Creator met Grace where she was in worship, and I know it was pleasing to Him. The second person in the congreation was a Hindu woman. Yes, the Lord brought a Hindu woman to a Christian service. I know it must have seem odd to this woman watching us celebrate the Life. I hope that He reached down and touched her so that she is never the same again.

I love Christmas Eve worship. God is good.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

OOOPS, I Did It Again

Those of you who know your Bible, forgive these generalizations. For those of you new to the Word, let me share about a group of people: Israel.

At one point in ancient history, God had enough of the Israelites messing up. They kept making big mistakes (worshipping gods other than Jahovah God, comes to mind) that were not what God desired for them. At one point, God had the the Israelites wondering the desert for years. God kept forgiving each time the Isrealites messed up; He never abandoned them. It took so very many times for the Israelites to learn who their God was and that He was their salvation. He stayed faithful to His people through it all.

So many times I am like the Israelites. I do the same thing over and over, though in my innermost being I KNOW it is not the right thing. Yesterday, I did it AGAIN! I had two glasses of Mountain Dew yesterday. I was up unitl 6 AM or so this morning. You would think I would have all ready learned my lesson. I had told myself that the previous incident *really* didn't happen, but in my innermost being, I knew better. I knew better.

Paul says in Romans 7 "...When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war agianst the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

The Mountain Dew incident is but an insignificant speck on the body of sin I do daily. The only way I know to deal with this sin is to take it to the cross. Jesus is the One who washes spots, big or small, significant or insignificant, ALL of our spots, away! That's the essence of the God News!

On this December 23 Christians all over the world prepare to celebrate the arrival of our Salvation some 2000 years ago in a stable in Bethlehem. How can we not rejoice for the one who redeems us? We can not ignore the one who says, "Forgiven," when we...ooops..do it again, or in my case, DEW it again!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government wil be on hsi shoulders. And he wil be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Celebrate the Christ! Merry Christmas to One and All!
~Beth

Thursday, December 18, 2008

DON'T do the DEW!

Sometimes I just don't get it. Those of you who went to junior high and high school with me realize that I really didn't get into a whole lot of anything growing up. The friends I have made as an adult did not think that people like me really exist. Sometimes, I wonder how I managed to get to be 40 without knowing a few things. Take Mountain Dew for instance...

I work two nights a week really late hours. I usually have a diet coke about 8:00 or 9:00. That one diet coke seems to work just long enough for me to finish my work (about midnight) and drive home safely.

One night back in October, we had some the A2C (middle school aged kids) over for a fall party. They left, and I started cleaning up. I saw there was a bit of Mountain Dew left over, so I poured a glass. It was so good! I haven't had Mountain Dew in YEARS. I poured another two glasses to finish out the liter.

After I cleaned up, I went to bed. You guessed it. I couldn't sleep. I could not figure out what was happening. I seemed to be quite awake.

I don't recall now whether it was my 15 year old son, my husband, or my best friend that told me the next day that it was the Mountain Dew that kept me up. Whoever it was could hardly believe that I didn't know the large caffeine content of Mountain Dew.

Here was my thought process that night...I wanted a little soda. There was some Sprite, but there is no caffeine in Sprite, and I needed a little pick me up. There was Diet Coke, but I thought that would be too strong. I needed something in between... Since Sprite is clear and Diet Coke is dark, I thought the yellow Mountain Dew would have just a hint of caffeine.

Needless to say, that is another cultural lesson that I should have known, but did not. Where was I when they held classes on things like this???

Living and Learning,
Beth

Lost Friend

Well, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I joined Facebook. I intended to join, check it out to see if I thought it was OK for my teenager, and then deactivate my account. It just hasn't worked that way!

I found a friend, R.A. He and I went to high school together. We had some classes together and knew one another - sort of. He was this extremely smart guy. One of the things that really stuck in my mind was that he had the nifty hand-held computer thing. (We are talking WAY back in 1987. ) We joked around some and were friendly to one another, but nothing that stands out for either one of us, I think. He was a computer guy; I was only interested in Charlie...yes, even at 16!

A time lapse of 21 years has passed since high school graduation. No surprise he is out running around the world working for our military doing something with lasers...I am not doing his job justice here; just take my word...its a very modern techie job with travel benefits. He and I both married spouses we adore. We both are living lives we really like, and we are having a good time catching up on facebook. It is like we are being the friends we should have been in high school.

Ah, high school....maybe I should restate that last sentence....It is like we are being the friends we could not be because of who we were in high school. Time is cool....R.A. is cool...It is fun to have a high school chum again!

Living and Learning,
Beth

Happy Birthday, Mary!

Today is my BFF's 35 birthday.

She is so young, sweet, and fun. We get into all sorts of silliness together. We joined Facebook together, only to have her husband join to "keep an eye on us". We laugh at funny or silly things easily; we cry at chick flicks readily. I just love her!

She is simply amazing! She knows the Lord and seeks His face. She is a loving, loyal wife, a loving, steadfast mother, and a loving, caring friend. She is a gentle one with a light, fun laugh.

I don't call her before noon, and she returns the favor by not calling me after 10pm on nights I'm not working.

Happy Birthday, dear one!

Living and Learning,
Beth

Work

I have been working part time outside the home for a few months. Who knew work could be such fun?

My boss is my BFF. She's a nut! She cracks me up everytime we are together....wait, maybe I'm the nut and she's the nut cracker? Anyhow, I can't imagine there is another job that is as fun as this job anywhere else in the world.

I work about 4 hours or less twice a week. We clean two car dealerships. You might think it is mindless, boring work, and well it could be. However, we make it our mission to entertain ourselves.

The salesmen working late, hunched over their desks, lift their heads and smile the biggest smiles when we walk in. Granted, the salesmen may be laughing at us and not smiling at us....um, let me explain. For holidays or other days that are deemed important, I dress up for work....hair in buns on either side of head (think Star Wars) with ribbons flowing down over them and/or a tiara, a magic wand (knitting needle with ribbons and lace), and a cleaning bucket (I do Special Services....more later). During this season of Christmas cheer, I also wear jingle bell ear rings and a jingle bell necklace. For those of you who know me, this is a little out of line with how I normally dress. It is rewarding to be greeted every night as I start work with a warm smile from the people whose offices I will be dusting (Special Services).

Some nights get to be long, especially when the younger staff decides to blow off work and the rest of us pick up the slack. On those nights, Mary and I get slap happy about 11:30 or so, IF we still have energy left. We have been known to sing at the top of our lungs, songs from the 1980's. I've done a bit of mop guitar. We have so much fun.

We end our nights at a building where we have access to tea and hot cocoa as well as the internet. We play games, check facebook, and chat while sitting there next to each other.

Silly, huh? I think that's why I like this job. I get to hang out with my very best friend, be silly, AND get paid! I can't think of a better match for me!

~Beth

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving Eve

God has given me so much. The Bible tells us that we are to declare the works of the Lord. Today, I am writing this Thanksgiving list. I know it is only partial, and I am bound to forget something or someone. Nonetheless, here it is:

I am thankful....

....that God provided a way for me to be restored to fellowship with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that one day I will live with Him and enjoy and worship Him forever.

.... for my church home and friends at the church, including all the women in the Deborah Circle and friends in my posse. What a wonderfully warm church! These women are special women...forgiving, open, and welcoming.

.... for the parents of the cub scouts in my den on Monday nights.

.....for the friends I have made in the homeschool community. You all are awesome, and minister to me on so many levels.

....for the privilege of raising Andy, Joshua, John, and Grace. I adore all of you, and I am so thankful to be your mother. What an amazing gift each of you is to me!

.....for the gift of marriage. Charlie is amazing. He is warm, caring, helpful, encouraging....I could go on and on, and I do in a previous post. We have this amazing marriage. I love him very much, and I am so thankful he is the spouse the Lord had for me!

.....for our founding fathers and those who have walked before me in all areas of life....whether blazing the trail for American government or stepping out for the Lord, making my walk with Him that much sweeter.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving! My hope is that you, too, have more blessings than you can really count!

Blessings,
Beth

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

High School Days

Wow! Andy is in high school this year! It happened so fast!

One day he was this little toddler who went around saying, "Gubba, Gubba, Gubba." (means "good boy, good boy, good boy"), and today he is Senior Patrol Leader in his boy scout troop, taking a full load of high school subjects, and becoming a wonderful young man every day.

Recently, I joined Facebook to check it out because Andy asked permission to join. After checking it out, I gave him the go-ahead, and he is enjoying it much with his friends. He enjoys having his own space, and that is a good thing.

My facebook experience brings up memories of high school. I am seeing people on facebook that I often wondered about.

Leslie F. was one of the first people from my past that I contacted. I was in school with her from Kindergarten through our 12 grade year at high school. She always seemed so hip to me, and she seemed to know who she was very early in life. She was outgoing and self-assured. It did not shock me at all to discover she is working in a job she likes with people who are fun.

Andy H. was also one of the first people I contacted. He was my chemistry partner in high school. He works with college students, and from his pages, seems like he is having the time of his life. That's how I would have expected to find Andy! He made high school chemistry interesting.

I wonder how they see me? Wouldn't that be interesting? I am not the same person I was in high school. In high school I was shy, awkward, and not one to jump in. I studied like crazy to achieve top grades. I did not do many social things with my high school mates because of other issues going on in my life at that time.

What a surprise my old school chums would discover if they knew all the things I have been up to in these last 20 years! Maybe as I get re-aquainted with some of them, we will once again become friends. That would be cool.

Here's to you, my friends, both old and new! I treasure every one of you!

Living and learning,
Beth

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Joshua just finished making Pumpkin Pie Cake for the guests at the Ronald McDonald House tonight. They will enjoy this cake with their dinner. This is one of the most requested recipes that I have. So many enjoy it at the annual Chili cook-off, and I am often asked to make this a favor for this or that person. It is easy enough for a kid to make, but rich enough that you will only want to take a small piece! Sorry, friends....this is NOT part of WW!!

-Beth

Pumpkin Pie Cake

4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 - 16 oz can of pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk

Mix all the above ingredients and pour into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1 box of yellow cake mix. Drizzle 1 cup of melted butter on top. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans or walnuts.

All of Our Babies

Since I started blogging a bit ago, several of you have asked me to blog about our years where we lost children. I will confess up front that this is a most difficult topic for me. Although the years have dulled the pain, the ache still is in my heart. It won't hurt my feelings at all if you skip this post, but some of you wanted to know, and I thought I would go ahead and try to share today. Here are the facts:

1992 - I finished my college degree. Charlie and I had been married 5 years, and we decided to take a month-long trip to New Zealand. Just before we left, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Two weeks into the trip, I started having difficulties with the pregnancy, and I ended up miscarrying in New Zealand. It was a terrible end to our get away. However, God provided. The family friends we stayed with the last week in New Zealand helped us to negotiate the government system of health care. God also provided that the man of the house was an OB/GYN and he actually did a D and C so that the remaining placenta would not cause infection on the 23 hour trip home. We returned to the USA heartbroken.

1993 - Andy was born with little fuss.

1995 - Joshua was born with minor fussing.

October 1997 - We lost at 16-weeks a beautiful baby boy that we named Peter.

Early 1998 - We lost a boy at 14 weeks that we named Christopher.

Late 1998 - After genetic screening and procedures to assure my uterus was hospitable to a growing baby, I became pregnant. We lost a girl at 20 weeks a girl we named Amy.

Fall 1998 - We sought the help of some perinatal specialists. With heparin shots and other medications, they predicted we would have a 70% chance to carry our next pregnancy to term.

1999 - We finally decided to try again, and with the help of the specialists John was born in late 1999.

2001 - Grace followed in 2001, and our family was complete with the four children.

Why four? We don't know. Maybe my body was tired. Maybe it was some of the issues that surrounded John and Grace's pregnancies, but it was clear to both of us that our family was complete.

Friends were the hands of God that saw us through those terrible years of losing our babies. In this blog, it is impossible to convey the deep, deep pain that losing a baby causes. Each time, a piece of me died with those babies.

Today, Charlie and I are especially in tune with young families having difficult pregnancies. We have walked through difficult pregnancies with many friends and Charlie's co-workers over the years, encouraging them to not lose hope.

I'll never understand why God allowed me to lose my babies, but I do know that nothing happens to us without God's knowledge. He knew the pain and hurt we had to endure. He knows us completely, and that is a comforting thought.

Living and learning,
Beth

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A Reasonable Amount

John, as I have mentioned in my other blog, has much to say. He is 9.

Last week as we were eating at the dinner table, John decided to pour himself another glass of Koolade. There was just enough left in the pitcher for John to have about a half of a glass, but he poured maybe two sips. We all stopped eating and looked at him.

I spoke first. "John, why don't you just go ahead and pour the rest of the koolade into your glass?"

John, "Well, I took what seemed to be a reasonable amount considering the circumstances."

It turns out that John was thinking of his brothers and sister remaining at the table. Since there was only about 4-5 sips of koolade left, he did not want to take all of it. What a kid!

Pulling back....not taking the last bit....thinking of others before self....I am sure there are more lessons in John's sweet gesture. He's a sweet guy, and he is going to be a great man one day!

-Beth

Monday, June 16, 2008

Visit from the Past

How time flies! It seems like yesterday I was picking up a teen-ager named Heidi at McDonald's and bringing her to our home for a visit before taking her home. That happened nearly 20 years ago!

This past weekend we were blessed to have Heidi, her husband, Brian, and two of their four children in for a visit. (They were heading on a long trip and had left the 2 year-old and 5 year-old boys with Heidi's parents.) How God has blessed that family!

We were delighted with the two older children, both girls ages 10 and 8. The girls played so well with our children. They all ran through the back yard, jumped on the trampoline, rode scooters, and played on the play structure in the back yard up until the late evening. Grace, in particular, was so sad that they had to leave the next morning.

I would have loved to take Heidi to Starbucks and catch up, maybe do some shopping or sight seeing. Heid has turned into this amazing mother and wife. I still have images of her at 16, excited that she was driving, and other images of her participating in Bible study at our home with the youth group.

The last conversation I had with Heidi while living in Springfield was that she and Brian were getting engaged, probably married in the near future. I did not know Brian, but God did! Brian and Heid are a lovely, godly couple.

We hope to see them again!

Beth

The Waning Days of Summer

Here it is mid-June and it seems summer is picking up speed and racing to its close.

John and Grace are off at my folks doing basketball camp this week at my folk's church. Andy and Joshua are babysitting for my friends and helping Charlie complete our bathroom downstairs.

Charlie's summer is a mix of work (3M), scouts and camping, and working on completing the downstairs bathroom.

I am in stream-lining mode. I am tossing and giving away this summer anything I don't love, that doesn't have a place, or doesn't have a functioning purpose.

School starts for us in only 6 weeks. Where did our summer go?!?!

-Beth

Monday, May 26, 2008

The Taylor Children



They are growing so fast! Clockwise from the left, Andy is 14, John is 8, Joshua is 12, and Grace is 6.

This picture was taken during a recent trip to the beach. We were all having such a fun day!