THE TEENAGER YEARS BEGIN IN THE SANDBOX

On my journey as a parent, I've thought many times how a toddler and teenager aren't all that different. One is bigger than the other. The big ones need deodorant and acne meds, but inside they are very similar.

Here are some of my observations:
Toddlers vs Teenagers Toddlers act out when there are hungry, dirty or tired… Teenagers too.
Toddlers want to spread their wings and be in charge of some of their decisions without the necessary intelligence to do so… Teenagers too.
Toddlers like to dress themselves, but their sense of fashion is limited by their lack of knowledge of the world around them… Teenagers too.
Toddlers moods can still be diverted by something interesting and creative offered to them as an option by an intelligent adult...Teenagers too.
Toddlers can balk at the boundaries given to them intended for their own good… Teenagers too.
Toddlers are taking in a huge amount of information and processing it to the best of their ability... Teenagers too.
Toddlers can get frustrated at adults because of their immature language skills for a certain situation that perplexes them… Teenagers too.
Toddlers need naps. Their bodies and minds are growing at a rapid rate… Teenagers (and their parents😊)too.
Toddlers confidence level in what they think they can accomplish is many times out of proportion to their physical, emotional or mental abilities… Teenagers too.
Toddlers need a lot of Grace, your eye contact, hugs, kisses, playtime, praise, & cookies… Teenagers too.

A wise person challenged me to "get behind the eyes of your child". That is such good advice. The years playing in the sandbox or playing catch is where that starts. You learn so much seeing their antics, attitudes, and artistic bent as they play. Some are real thinkers. Some are engineers. Others are gentle and kind & then there's the energizer bunny. Sandbox interactions and/or melt downs are a keyhole we're given to view their world and their hearts. It's also the time you earn the right to be heard by your upcoming teenager.
Neither one of these creations are adults. Both are awkward, loud, obstinate, stinky, and amazingly clever. To love them in the realm of their reality gives them confidence and a taste of Grace. That Grace will guide them as they grow and mature. God's Grace always loves unconditionally without comparison or shame. It transmits a calm to be who you are and know your specialities are God given. Like Psalms 139 tells us, "you are fearfully and wonderfully made"! A soul that knows it's worth in the eyes of the Almighty is unstoppable to change their world for good.

YES-you will survive both of these ages & stages! They will be some of your sweetest memories. Hang in there...this too shall pass...all too soon!
Enjoy...and laugh! These creatures are funny things!!

There was an afternoon ... many of which I've spent alone in strange towns and cities, but this one sticks out. I was teetering close to a sugar overload while eating donuts and drinking coffee in a Dunkin Donuts rummaging through Facebook. There were little options in this small Tennessee town for Free Wifi and I couldn't sit in the hotel another minute. We had already been here 3 days with 2 more to go. I was in Bottom Dwelling Boredom Land. Yes, that's a real place 🙄

Amongst the scrolling of frivolous information, I found something humorous and "shared" it. A casual friend of mine responded in kind and we had a good LOL moment. She asked where I was, since many people know I float around all over following my Knight in White Baseball Pants. I told her of my exciting afternoon of coffee and donuts and we began to chat/message. She, too, is a lady who likes to laugh and she brought well timed fun to my heart. She may or may not remember these few minutes of her already busy day with work and family, but it made a huge mark on me. She and I met while my youngest was in the youth group her and her husband lead. I've always found her delightful! Our paths cross here and there but that day when our paths intersected she chose to engage with me. Me..a person who lives a revolving door life. We hardly ever run across each other but she still stays connected..interested in what I'm up to! Thank you Kim for those moments of laughter and encouragement. Thank you for saving me from eating that one more donut that was staring at me 🍩!
I want to thank my other sweet friends who check up on me during the baseball season. I even have one who is a night owl I can text anytime! It could so easily be "out of sight, out of mind". My Friends are treasures! A Friend is A Friend. 💝
​Some I know well. Some call me Mom. Some I know casually or just in passing. Others just know me as 'Storm's wife'. Thank you all for being the type of people who care. Not only about my crazy life, but everyone around you. You're Amazing!

Cultivating friendships is essential... Not only for us in the game, but for everyone. Storm and I have accumulated some amazing friends from all over the country. They're the type that we can "pick up where we left off" each time we see them. Many are those who shepherded us along the way. I've found very few of them get shepherded back. Try returning the favor to those who you have ministering to you in your life. You won't be sorry. They very rarely give a hoot about what your husband does!
To borrow a line from Michael W Smith: "Friends are friends forever if the Lord is the Lord of them..."

​"To have friends you must be a Friend!"
#veteranbaseballwifelife #mom #lovethem #blog #jaxjumboshrimp #baseball #friends

Dear Gentle Jesus:
Teach me as a parent of grown children how to do this. It's so hard to know when to speak and when to be silent. I do know praying is always a good option. 'Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.' My Mother's Heart is confused sometimes.
Swaddle my grown children and hold them in your loving peaceful arms. May they recognize that it's You holding them. May they always know your touch and your voice. Fill them with peace, Godly wisdom and purpose.
I feel like I did when they were little some days...always trying to catch them before they fall or protect them from the mean people. My Mother's Heart will always want the best for them. You've shown me often that it never was me who protected them...it was always you! I'm thankful all my worry and pleading has not fallen on deaf ears.. You promise to hear me when I call. You also lovingly have reminded me I never did control a single thing. You are the one in the Sovereignty business and don't need my help.
Thank you for allowing me the immeasurable joy of being their Mom. Continue to teach me to trust You with their lives and futures. Gone are the days where a video and cookie made everything better. I need you still...this Mom of grown children. ❤️
Because you first loved me,
Thank you,
Angie

The gift has traveled many miles.
The outside is scuffed, torn and rumpled. It looks different than when it was first sent out The delivery address and stamps are hardly visible.

After several attempts the package is delivered to the new location. The postman rings the doorbell.
The door opens. The box is lifted gently. It's opened with care. Gentle and expectant hands reveal something beautiful!

The ones who receive the gift are surprised. They are more than excited! It was more amazing than they could've ever imagined!

It was Christmas many years ago. "Did you mean it?" Those were the words I was hearing on the other end of the phone, and she was sobbing. "Yes. You can stay with us as long as you want."
Two teenagers needed a home. The wheels had completely fallen off the one they knew. We already knew & loved them. We had a home for them; our home; our family.
The next several years were a crazy beautiful chaos. Five teenagers in the same home. You can only imagine! There were glorious highs & bottom dwelling lows. It was a new dance every week. We knew we had to just keep dancing...stumbling...and dancing.
Teenagers are an interesting breed of humans! They remind me of toddlers with bigger bodies and an expanded vocabulary. Storm adores teenagers! I adore toddlers! So I guess together we were a good fit in this adventure of five at one time!
The noise. The silences. The smells. The mess. The drama. The "come to Jesus" days. The manipulation skills. The tears. The humor. The laundry. The shoes. The groceries. The driving lessons. The boyfriends and girlfriends. Proms. Graduations. And POOF! It was over so fast!
​Before I could blink...they were all grown! They survived. We survived!! Good News: They are all wonderful adults loving their families and making Storm and I "Papa & Mimi"!
​
They all taught me so much:
1. Being a Mom was my favorite job!
2. Some things were over our heads when it came to blending a family. As hard and scary as it was at times, it was what God called us to do. He held our hands. He showered us with grace.
3. Kids will like you some days. Kids will not like you some days. Love them anyways.
4. It's supposed to be hard. It's worth it.
5. Kids grow up. So find the humor. Always believe in them. Give them grace. Enjoy the ride.
6. Doing the best you can is all you can really do. Trust God to hold their hands and hearts.
7. I am blindingly aware of my need for Jesus because I am a parent--and that is a very good place to be!

#veteranbaseballwifelife #blog #blendedfamily #lovethem
#guardianparent
#teenagersrock

#blog #veteranbaseballwifelife #baseball #life #baseballkids #mom #lovethem

I've found in my personal life & married life a lot of things are the mirror image of each other. For instance, my God given gift of serving can some days manifest itself as bossy manipulation. My creativity and grown up foodie taste palate to create yummy food also contributes to enjoying eating too much of that yumminess😁 Sometimes I appear angry when at the core I'm really tired or scared.

I believe many times the qualities that attracted us to our spouses are the very things that can annoy us. For example, I am more of a fly by the seat of your pants person. Spontaneity and making quick plans are more my style. My spouse is a steady planner. He gets up each morning with his day organized. He is also a morning person and I am not! Over the years of our marriage there have been some bumpy times due to our differences. But what I've also seen is that his strengths have started to fill the gaps of my weaknesses & vice versa. We have also, through trial and error, learned to yield to the other in the areas they are strongest. It has been a journey of truth/grace...and the friction in between.
GOAL: He is loving me for me. I am loving him for him--- Honoring each other.

I believe being in sync is a 2-way street. I believe that when scripture talks about "honoring each other" ...it's meant to be a gift we give on a daily basis..not a chore.
Over the years I have been given great counsel on ways to honor my hubby.
Here are just a few:
•Remember and remind him baseball is what he does...not who he is! Our husbands crave significance.
•Help him find the silver lining on hard days. Stay positive. The season is long. One game is not a deal breaker.
•Keep his private life and struggles private.
•Never talk about your sex life with your friends.
•Remind him and show him how much he is liked and loved.
•Speak truth in love. Listen to hear.
•Convey your thoughts timely, clearly & gently---men cannot read our minds! Refrain from verbal vomit---wait until you can speak truth with kindness.
•Encourage. Appreciate. Cheer for him!

On the days the roller coaster won't stop...and you 'don't really like him'..yes, there will be those days...go back to the archives and remember what first sparked your love...and park there for a bit. Flip the mirror around and see the other side and try to focus on the positive.

You are beautiful. You are strong. You are liked & loved. You make a difference. You are a treasure!💗

Grace.
What exactly is it? Is it a period of time? Is it the ability to be polite in rude situation? Is it a prayer over a meal?
What I've found is that it truly is a gift. It's something at its purest form that I don't deserve. It's my favorite thing about God! ...Unmerited Favor!
Grace began before time itself. The God of the universe chose to make man & woman to have a relationship with Him. Someone asks why? All that comes to me is, ‘ because HE is God and HE is the author of relationships.’
He is vast, yet HE chose to squeeze all of his being into the physical skin-suit of a human. He was affected by skin, sleep, hunger, stomachaches, and "life ". He did all this to rescue us from the mess we had made.
Did He have to do all this? No. He chose to rescue us rather than to leave us as we were. It was a painful choice, but He did it anyway. He was God and man. He walked to the Cross by choice. He rose again by His All God Power. “Why”?..Because HE is God. HE is the a epitome of Love, Relationships & Redemption.
Grace is defined in this life...the one who loved the unlovable. He saw our need and made us His. He was not thrown off by our actions, reactions, boogers or pimples. He loves us with an effervescent joy and delight. We are his kids!
He remains patient with us because He always knows that we are but dust!
This gift of Grace is now ours to give to the lives around us. We love as we've been loved. We listen with hearts that remember, ‘I am but dust’. We don't have to defend ourselves because we are loved by the One who knows us best. We can give patience because we remember how much patience is given to us. We can forgive because we've been forgiven so very much. We give hugs because our Heavenly Dad hugs us.
Max Lucado says, “When God looks at you, he doesn’t see you; he sees the One who surrounds you. That means that failure is not a concern for you. Your victory is secure.”
Do I do this correctly or consistently on a daily basis? Heck no!! I forget the Grace given to me and I become stingy with it. More than likely, I haven't taken time to sit in Abba Father's lap and let Him hold me. I’ll put on my performance hat and forget I'm not impressive…”I” get in the way. You see, Grace removes all need for “hoop jumping”.... because ‘Jesus paid it ALL.. all to Him I owe.. sin had left a dirty stain but HE washed it white as snow’❤️.
I now have the privilege of being His conduit of Grace.
“Oh to Grace, how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be;
Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it- Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above!”