first kiss or first car?

Which of the two do you have stronger memories of - your first car or your
first kiss?


Regis Philbin asked this question to Kelly Ripa yesterday on their show. I decided to post and answer this question because some day I hope my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will read my posts in this blog. And by what they read, they will come to know who I am and what my life was like.

So, to answer this question... I would have to say that I have stronger memories about my first kiss - but I'll tell you about my first car, too.

My first kiss came right after I entered ninth grade from a boy name Keith L*** (who knows who might be reading this). He was friends with one of my good friend's brother. I actually thought my friend's brother and all of his friends were cute. Hmmm... I think I was a little boy crazy. Anyways, there was an obvious mutual attraction.

I don't think I'll give you all the details (my father reads this - hi dad!), but tell you that it came swiftly and unexpectedly. But it wasn't just a peck - it was long enough to have my head spinning and my heart pounding.

What I also remember is that right after it happened, my mom picked me up for soccer practice and I felt like I was in a daze, like I was floating on air. It was hard for me to concentrate on pre-game drills or hustling for the ball during a scrimmage game. But guess what!? I scored two goals in that scrimmage. I had never scored a goal before, either in a scrimmage or real game. Like I said, I was floating :D

My first car - a red 1971 Chevy Nova. I paid $500 for it in 1976. It had obvious problems and didn't last long. But that didn't matter. It was all mine and it represented freedom and adulthood. That's about all I needed at that time.

Check out all the Aloha Friday participants here.

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link of the day:
http://www.nonoba.com/chris/untangle

you are enough

The other day I was looking through my bookcase for a specific book. I never found it, but I came across a book that I had picked up some time ago. It's Leo Buscaglia's Born for Love, Reflections on Loving. I vaguely remember reading through some of this book before sticking it on the shelf, where it has sat for years.

So I opened it up and started reading through it. It's just a collection of short reflections on the subject of love. Some are kinda cheesy, but some are pretty profound. I want to share one that instantly resonated with me because it's something we try to teach the teens in our youth group.

You are enough
"You are the perfect you. No one can be a better you, no matter how much they so desire. This does not mean that you don't have the potential to become more. It simply means that you are not in competition with anyone. When you truly accept the fact that you have all you need to become fully you, you free yourself from a self-created, artificial identity. To be someone you are not take inordinate amounts of energy that could better go toward a more productive activity.
Since you are one of a kind, the message here is clear. You have something to offer that will never again be possible. To devalue this is not only a tragedy for you, but, in fact, for the world."

But as I was reading this, I realized how many adults struggle with this concept. And not because they don't want to love who they are. There are so many reasons why we may not like, let alone, love ourselves. I think it takes time for most of us to come to a place where we're okay with who we are, and maybe we never quite get totally there. As with everything else in our lives, it's a process.

Something that has helped me is something I heard years ago; God doesn't make mistakes. So when God formed me in my mother's womb, some 48-49 years ago, He knew exactly what He was doing. He decided what I was going to look like, what my personality was going to be like, my strengths, my weaknesses, my abilities, my flaws - and all of it was His perfect design. Surely not my idea of a perfect design, but His. And who am I to argue with that.

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link of the day:
http://www.magmypic.com/

we are... moms in touch

Here's a picture, taken today, of the ladies from my Moms In Touch group while we lunched at a local restaurant. I love them dearly and the time we spend together is priceless to me. Little did I know, when I joined this group four years ago, how much of a blessing it would be.

I almost didn't join. I had gone to another MIT group meeting when my kids were younger and did not have a good experience. I felt that it was a bunch of busy-body soccer moms who only wanted to sit around and gossip under the guise of praying for others. It left a very bad taste in my mouth.

But when Terri (the leader of my current group) called me, I felt an instant connection with her and her vision for the new group she was starting. It also came during a hard time in my life (we had just left our former ministry and church) and I felt like God was telling me to give it a try. I only had to attend two meetings to realize this group was going to be nothing like the other that I had attended.

The group has changed in participants since I first joined, but the overall goal has not. And that is to gather as mothers to pray for our children and our children's schools.

This goal has brought us closer than any of us could have ever expected. With all of us raising teenagers, we can cry on each other's shoulders and then laugh through our tears. We're there to support and learn from each other. Sometimes praying is all we can do for our children and it's a great comfort to know that we are lifting each other, and our kids, up in prayer. We also truly care about the schools that our children attend and want to bathe these institutions and their staff in prayer.

I believe in the power of prayer. I feel it's important to be praying for our children from the time they're born until... well, I guess we never stop :) I know it's a blessing to have others praying for me and with me and I for others. I'm thankful that I live in a country where I'm free to pray. And I believe that God answers each and every prayer we utter.

side notes:
My blogging friend Susan's last two posts (here and here) addresses a couple of issues involving prayer. Both have some good food for thought that you might enjoy reflecting upon. I'm sure she would appreciate your thoughts on the subject.

Another blogging friend, Leigh Ann, has a wonderful site, Lifting Hands, that encourages parents to pray for their children. Each week she posts a specific prayer that focuses on a specific area. Another blessing for me.

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link of the day:
http://www.rattle-n-roll.com/html/home2.html