Bowl Me Over

Happy Birthday Today to:

President Andrew Johnson (born in 1808)
President Woodrow Wilson (born in 1856)
The state of Texas (attained statehood in 1845)
and…

The Bowling Ball (invented in 1862)

Actually, archaeologists have discovered evidence of bowling paraphernalia in the tomb of an Ancient Egyptian youth, buried in somewhere around 5200 B.C., so I don’t understand the whole thing about the bowling ball being invented in 1862.

In other bowling ball history that pre-dates its invention, early Americans used wooden balls, mostly constructed from oak. Some digging in Polynesia revealed in that ancient culture, stones were rolled at pins from a distance of 60 feet–the same distance from the foul line to the head pin in today’s modern bowling alleys. So, while some things change, some remain the same.

I poked around the Internet, attempting to discover more information about the bowling ball, but the only thing I found was that it was invented on December 29, 1862. No site I browsed mentioned by whom, where, or what constituted the “invention” of an item that had obviously been in use in some form or fashion for thousands of years. And the source quoted most often by the sites I viewed was “Useless Facts.”

None of that really matters, of course, except that bowling has a connection to my own birth. I was nearly born in a bowling alley, so I was interested in the birth of the bowling ball.

From what I remember, my dad was rolling the series of a lifetime. The first two games were in the mid-to-upper 200s, and his team was preparing to begin game #3 when my mother had a labor pain. Just one. I wasn’t the first child, so she felt she could handle a bit of labor while watching dad’s final game of the night. She’d wanted a little girl born in June, and it was approaching 11 p.m. on the 30th, so she knew I’d better hurry up if her wishes were to come true. Of course, they didn’t have ultrasounds back in those days, so the whole girl/boy thing was yet to be revealed to her, and her doctor was pretty adamant that she would deliver a little boy firecracker. They probably argued about it for months.

So, there we were…waiting. The woman sitting next to my mother, however, was not so content as mom to have me hang out (or rather, in) while dad finished his match. I mean, who wants to risk having to deliver a baby? In a bowling alley? Against mom’s wishes, this woman made her way to the floor and insisted that dad give up potentially the best series of his life and take mom to the hospital. A compromise came about: dad would bowl out game #3 alone, then we would leave.

The guys in charge moved Dad to two lanes, far from the action, and he finished his series. His score? 112. Oh, and I wasn’t born for nearly 4 more hours. Yeah, the great series bombed, and I’ve been blamed for it for the past 45 years. Sorry, Dad!

Ava Reese

We went to see Ava Reese today. Here are some pictures of our fifth grandchild.

Can you count the prick marks on her little hand? Four! Ouch!

Here are some pictures of big sister Jaden Rylee with "Papa Don" and aunt Elena, who surprised us last night by coming home for the weekend even though she had insisted she would go home with a friend who lived closer to her school. Amazing how a new baby in the family can change plans!

And here’s Uncle Val, who isn’t as excited about the new baby as Nana Linda:

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

I’m taking a break from blogging today. In case you’re wondering why…here’s the list:

• If you know me at all, you know I’m the world’s best procrastinator. I have two submissions due in the next two days. Gotta edit.
• It’s supposed to be friend’s day, and I have a list of those who have agreed to be guests, but with all the hoopla in my life during the past week–I didn’t remember in time to be fair to them. I’ll try to do better on that.
• I’m going to the hospital today to meet my new GRANDDAUGHTER! Doctors are going to induce labor for Don’s youngest, Sarah, in just a few minutes. Her name is Ava Reese in case you’re wondering. Ava is for Don’s mother. Don’t know where they got Reese, but I like it. She will be Ben & Sarah’s second little girl. Don’s oldest daughter & her husband have three adorable boys. It’s about time to post some grandkid pics again. Maybe this evening…

Declarations of Independence

As many of you know, we took my daughter to college last weekend. My first to leave the nest. Now she’s 400 miles away.

Our first sight of her dorm (pictured here) came during orientation last June. A Barbie-doll-looking girl happened alongside us as we exited the lobby/computer center through the security doors and into the "girl’s only" area. "Wow!" she said. "A courtyard! We can lay out."

My daughter, who believes wearing makeup and pantyhose classifies as borderline cruel and unusual punishment, exclaimed, "Wow! A courtyard! We can play FOOTBALL!" Yeah, she brought one.

I was nearly home, about 10 miles to go, when "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid blared on my cell phone. It’s her ringtone. I thought, Aww…she’s calling to see if we made it home safely. Timed it pretty well, too.

"Mom!" Her voice sounded frantic.

"What’s wrong?"

"I so did not want to be the first one to call!"

So much for the "Did you make it through the raging thunderstorms safely?" and "How long were you stuck hovering above the Mississippi River?"–questions I was sure she’d ask. I mean, she knows how terrified I am of bridges. (Oh, yeah–45 minutes if anyone’s interested. No, there wasn’t a wreck. Just some bozo with more authority than sense decided to begin a striping job–I’m sure it was an emergency–at 6 p.m. on a weekday. But it was okay. My son & brother were with me. They whiled away the time recounting every bridge disaster known to mankind.)

My shock at her opening statement subsided long enough for me to drum up a response. "What’s up?"

"I need my insurance information. You know, group ID and stuff. They left us forms to fill out."

"Don’t you have a copy of your insurance card in your wallet?"

During the moment of silence that followed, I visualized her flipping through her meager pile of plastic. (If we could all only be so lucky to have such a scarce stash of the stuff!) Library card. Debit card. Driver’s License. Starbuck’s gift card. (On second thought, that one’s probably used up & trashed by now!) . . . Insurance card.

"Aww, man! You mean I didn’t have to be the first one to call???"

I love you, Elena!

Back from Nashville

Most of the regular readers know that we took my daughter to college over the weekend. She is not only my first child to leave home; she’s pretty much my best friend, so yeah, it’s scary. But I didn’t cry. Unlocking that dorm room represented everything she’s worked so hard for during the past few years. Hopefully, in four more years, we’ll be unlocking the door to a room near a medical school. I’m very proud of her.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers & e-mails of encouragement! I really appreciate knowing my online friends are praying and supporting Elena & me during such a milestone in our lives. My son is taking it very hard. (Shh–don’t tell him I said that!) They are 17 months apart and very close. Next year, we’ll be going through this again with him. Then, it’ll just be Dad, me, and the dog at home. Sniff.

As promised, we’ll begin a nonfiction clinic on my blog this week. I’ll post the introduction later this evening. Have to go to the Day Job first! I hope everyone has a blessed day!

Why Blog for Prodigals?

I am excited to share Partners In Prayer for Our Prodigals with you. One cannot think about a prodigal without referring to Luke 15: 11-32; the parable of the lost son. While the dictionary defines a prodigal as “rashly or wastefully” I appreciate the deeper spiritual lessons and blessing found in Luke; consequently, I have used this parable as the foundation for my blog.

A few years back, as Director of Care Ministries, I received a frantic phone call from a mother whose son was incarcerated for beating up a prostitute. After struggling with a drug addiction for years, he was currently in jail for one crime while waiting to be charged with selling drugs in another Country. She asked if I knew of a support group for moms whose children were wayward. Did I know of any other mothers? Surprise! She was speaking to another mother, whose son, while not yet in prison–was on a similar road to disaster.

We met on Friday mornings, just the two of us, to support, encourage, and pray! Eventually, other women joined us whose children were involved with drinking, drugs, and minor criminal offenses. Within a few weeks, it became apparent, we would need an agenda, and the research began. Soon, Partners in Prayer for Our Prodigals unfolded into a weekly support group.

Each week we covered a topic that, while our children struggled with different issues in their "pig pens" (vv. 15, 16); each topic was nonetheless shared by each mother as we struggled to love our prodigals home.  Issues studied and discussed included "letting go," surrendering, tough love, isolation, fear, and guilt. When you have a prodigal, so much of your energy is spent on him or her; worrying, seeking answers, anxiety-ridden days and sleepless nights. Crisis after crisis–you dedicate all of your time trying to hold the prodigal’s life together. As mothers, we knew, WE needed help to hold our own lives together.

I was thrilled to be part of that eight-women-support group for more than a year. This February, with some prompting from my dear blogging friends Cindy and Lisa, I began the second leg of Partners in Prayer for Our Prodigals: my blog. My mission statement is to blog openly and honestly about standing in the gap for prodigals; to edify, to encourage, to support, and to provide a venue for other people as we come together and pray for our lost loved ones.

Recently, we had our first-ever blog banquet: a Homecoming Celebration for Dawn’s

son, Kevin. And with much anticipation, my prodigal and I will be traveling to Denver in July to meet Dawn and Kevin personally! At this very moment, Kevin is praying for my son…..God is faithful as He continues the good work He has begun! The prodigal becomes the prayer warrior!

This strengthens our faith as we stand in the gap for our prodigals, reminding God daily of His promises and His character! After all, in the parable of the lost son, guess who the Father represents?!?!?!? God runs to meet each and every prodigal; He longs for and has provided the way home for each of us! Define that? That’s GRACE! That’s MERCY! That’s AMAZING LOVE! That’s GOOD NEWS for all prodigals!

Salute to a Soldier

My “little” brother Randall just graduated from special forces school. He celebrated his 39th birthday in the midst of the training, making him nearly twice as old as some of the others. Most don’t make it through this grueling school, and we’re all very proud of Randall.

He has served our country for nearly a decade and a half, spending two years in Korea and one in Iraq. After passing a special mental test, he was accepted into the linguistics area of the special forces. He studied Greek in college and Russian and Korean on his own. He will soon receive orders to his next duty station, probably in Colorado or Germany.

Number Four

Please welcome to the world my fourth grandchild, Joshua Owen. He was born yesterday at 11:58 a.m. in Little Rock and weighed 7 lb., 11 oz. He joins older brothers Spencer (5) and Andrew (3), and will be well loved and cared for by his wonderful parents, Amy & Robb.

Amy is my husband’s oldest daughter. Her sister, Sarah, is due with her second child, another girl, in September. That will bring our grandkid total to FIVE!

Pics from the Party

The girls returned from their drive in the country. Something about viewing a haunted house, but they decided not to get out of the car.

As promised, here are some pics from the PINK party:

The PINKing of the T-shirts. Our miniature dachshund, Bullet, has been a BIG help throughout the whole party. I think she’s having as much fun as the girls!

The baby duckies have fresh litter, food & water. The goats and dogs have been fed. Now it’s time for the girls to play!

Adding a little pizazz to the PINK shirts. The graduates take a trip in time back to their kindergarten days as they “fingerpaint” the word PINK (in yellow-green paint–go figure!) onto their T-shirts.

Everyone has PINK toenails, too! Yes, even me–but this isn’t my foot!

The girls follow along as I read PINK to them. So far they’re really enjoying the story.

Chatting with Marilynn Griffith while riding to see the haunted house. (What the haunted house has to do with PINK, I have no idea!) Marilynn has done a GREAT job of personalizing this party for Elena & her friends.

All the party-goers are having a blast! (From left: Christy, Samantha, Nikki, Elena, and Melissa “Liz.”)

Thanks, Marilynn, for such a great idea and for writing such a great book!

It’s 9:43 and All’s Well

Having a PINK party has been such a fun idea. In fact, I promised to do blog updates throughout the evening and we’ve been having such a great time that I’m just now sitting down to post the first update. And that’s just because the girls left to go pick up a friend who just got off work! I was going to upload some pics we’ve taken so far, but they took the camera with them, so that will have to wait.

The evening started with decorating. Elena promises that the house was clean when they started, but by the time I got home from work, pink streamers, plates, balloons, and all manner of pink debris were scattered around the place. Oh, well. I told her she cleaned house this morning, she can clean it again tomorrow! LOL

Of course this party comes one day after I started Weight Watchers. I’ll be using all 35 of my week’s flex points for this one event! (Yesterday I did great & wound up with 2 points to spare!) I’d better not eat any more cake, ice cream or Bagel Bites, though, or I’ll need another kind of pink–Pepto Bismal!

After decorations & food, we stopped long enough to do our chores. We cleaned out the baby duck brooder & gave them fresh litter, food & water. Then we all headed to the pond to feed the creatures. After chore time, we settled in the den and I began to read to the girls.

I just read a chapter last night in a book about placing the reader in a "fictive dream" and using story questions to make the reader "worry and wonder" what would happen next. That’s just what I’ve witnessed as the girls hang on every word of PINK.

"What happened three months ago?"

"Is he going to get on the wrong train on purpose tomorrow?"

Those are "story questions"–hooks to keep the reader reading. No, they’re not asked directly in the text, but these questions were asked out loud by some of the girls as we were reading. It means they’ve already begun to worry and wonder about the characters–and we’ve only read two chapters! But the answers will have to wait *sigh*. At least until the girls get back from town!