A really rough week...

Have you ever had one of those weeks that goes down in history for being one of the absolute most stressful weeks of your life? I have had one of those weeks and I am just coming up for air to tell you about it. Here is a brief timeline:

Sunday, May 20:
*My 93 year-old grandfather (aka: "Granddad") passes away. Wonderful godly Christian man and I will miss him terribly. He and my grandmother were a big influence in me becoming a Christian at the age of 21. He requested that I speak at his funeral so I begin to prepare my tribute for the service on Thursday.

Tuesday, May 22:
*A concern involving a beloved family member takes my attention for the entire day and part way through the night. I am not at liberty to share details in order to respect his privacy, but suffice it to say that I was worried about him beyond belief.

Wednesday, May 23: (coincidentally, my 20 year wedding anniversary)
*I run my puppy (Scout) to the vet for blood in his stool in the morning. He checks out fine and on the way out...
*I get a call from my Aunt informing me that my mom and her husband have been involved in an accident on their way into Austin for the funeral. They are okay, but it certainly takes an emotional toll.
*All the while, I am still worried about said family member above and trying desperately to reach him.
*I am beginning to feel stress over the fact that I have not prepared what I am going to say the next day at Granddad's funeral. I attend the viewing that evening and then at the prompting of family members, I join them for dinner. My husband and kids return home.
*A couple of hours later, on the eve of my grandfather's funeral, I receive an emergency phone call from my daughter who is in tears. She informs me that our puppy, Scout, jumped off the top part of our sofa and began yelping in pain. They scoop him up and rush him to the emergency animal clinic. I rush straight to the clinic, embrace my shaken family members, and wait for the word from the vet. The prognosis: Two broken front legs. Not one, but two on this precious, tiny, three pound furbaby. The vet further explains that he will need to see an orthopedic surgeon specializing in treatment to small animals. In the meantime, she will splint his legs.
*Upon hearing this news, I turn and walk away robotically in the direction of my car. Yes, my car is a good place to have a wee little breakdown. Ah, but the clock is ticking and I have a message to prepare and a pup who needs surgery the following day. Breakdown over. It's 12:30 a.m.

Thursday, May 24:
*I wake up early and call my regular Vet. He recommends an orthopedic surgeon in Round Rock, about 20 miles away. I make the phone call and sweet hubby takes the little guy in so I can prepare my message and focus on grieving my grandfather's death.
*I should note that sweet hubby has an appointment with the Attorney General around lunchtime regarding a case he is working on and it cannot be moved. He leaves puppy and goes straight to his meeting.
*I finish message, print it off and head out the door to the service. Oh, after ironing the boys' pants and shirts. They are pallbearers after all.
*The service is amazing and many of the family members also contribute to make it a very special day--one that would make my grandfather smile.
*On the way to the burial, I check on the puppy and the surgeon tells me that he has pulled through just fine. I can pick him up on Friday morning.

Friday, May 25:
*I pick the baby up and oh boy, I wanted to cry at the sight of him. The picture says it all. I also wanted to cry when they handed me the bill.
*I bring him home and begin to go over the long to-do list on how to care for him over the next 4-6 weeks. Weekly appointments. Must limit movement (yeah right!). Daily meds. Cover splints w/ plastic bags when wet outside (rained for three days straight). Help him go potty (Hmmm...seems to me that he needs those front legs!). Splints will come off in 4-6 weeks. Physical therapy will then begin (yes, you heard me--physical therapy for a dog). And of course, the biggest item on my new to-do list: figure out how to keep both dogs off the sofa in the future.
*I will spare you from the gory details of how he pooped in his crate after I got him home, walked through it, and I had to clean off the splints with a damp toothbrush and then blowdry them for 30 minutes. Okay, so maybe I didn't spare you. Sorry, but I felt it necessary to purge this in order to give you a better picture of what constitutes a really rough week.

Regardless of my week, I continued to remind myself of the following: Praise God my grandfather lived a wonderful life and there is no doubt that he is spending eternity in heaven. Praise God that I am able to celebrate a 20 year anniversary with the most amazing man ever and we are more in love today than ever before. Praise God my mom and her husband were not hurt in the accident. Praise God my beloved family member is on the mend, has turned to Christ for help, and things are looking up. Praise God that He gave me just the words to say at my grandfather's service. Praise God that the puppy is going to be okay. Praise God that "our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!" (2 Cor. 4:17) How I praise God!

Twenty years ago today...

On May 23rd, 1987, I said "I do" to my Prince Charming. I met Keith on a college retreat sponsored by Hyde Park Baptist Church on the same day I became a Christian (see my Easter post). I knew he was "the one" on the day I met him, but unfortunately, it took him several months longer to realize it! During the six months we were friends, I poured out my heart to God about my feelings for Keith. It was our little secret. One morning while having my quiet time, I ran across a quote from a devotional I was reading. It said this: "God's delays are not God's denials." I smiled, wrote it down on a peice of paper, and promptly hung it on my refrigerator. (the note in the picture is the original!)


It was as if God had sent me a word that someday, Keith would be my husband. Everytime I saw that note on the refrigerator, I smiled. It was my reminder from God to trust Him for the details. It certainly helped when Keith called me one day and asked for one of my friend's phone numbers so he could ask her to the law school formal! Ugh! Didn't he know that I was his future wife and therefore, deserved to be on his arm at that formal? As the months progressed, we continued to build our friendship and I continued to build my faith.

At the end of the semester, it was clear that things were going nowhere fast with Keith so I decided to take off the next semester and spend it in California with my parents. I even told God, "If Keith isn't the one you have for me, I don't want him. Your will be done." And then a funny thing happened. Keith came out to visit with a couple of our other friends and by the end of the visit, everything began to change. The night before he left, he confessed, "My feelings for you have begun to change and I think I like you for more than a friend." I wanted to scream, "Duh! What took you so long?!" It was as if God took down the barrier that He had erected early in the game that hindered Keith from seeing me as anything more than a friend. God knew that the last thing I had needed as a new Christian, was a new boyfriend. It would have served as a distraction and taken the focus off of the most important relationship in my life--my new relationship with Christ. Once that relationship was established and I came to the place where I could let go of my own desires (date and marry Keith!), He gave me what I wanted! I lasted three months in California and then headed back to Austin--officially, as Keith Courtney's girlfriend. We were married at Hyde Park Baptist Church on May 23, 1987.

Thank goodness God's delays are not always God's denials. I can't imagine my life without him. I am more in love with him today than ever before. He is truly, my best friend. We have a lake house in Kingsland where we spend many weekends. Oftentimes, on our way through Marble Falls, we stop in at the famous Blue Bonnet Cafe, best known for its home-cooking and pies. The average age in Marble Falls and Kingsland has to be around 70, so we are usually one of the youngest couples in the place! I love watching the older couples come in, many hand-in-hand for "pie happy hour." I always tell Keith, "You know, that's going to be us someday." I can't wait. I just can't wait.

If you have a daughter, you gotta see this!

By: Vicki Courtney

A friend in youth ministry recently sent me a link to Jon McLaughlin's new video/song release, "Beautiful Disaster." Rarely, am I so moved as I was when I watched this video. While the artist does not draw a Christian conclusion, his lyrics overall, paint a beautiful, yet tragic picture of what our girls are up against in today's culture. I'll admit that I wept when I watched it. Maybe it was the fact that he's singing about 17 year-old girls in particular and my own daughter just turned 17. Or maybe it was the fact that he summed up in one song everything I have found to be true in my work with teen girls. Or perhaps it was the fact that when I showed it to me daughter, she was strangely silent and I thought I saw little pools in her eyes at the end. It was almost as if the lyrics confirmed what she and every other girl her age feels each and everyday, but up until now, she didn't quite know how to put it into words...

Grab a tissue and enjoy the video. I posted the lyrics below and I would love to know what you think.

In the meantime, thank you, Jon McLaughlin for reminding me of why I do what I do...

Beautiful Disaster
By: Jon McLaughlin

She loves her mama's lemonade,
Hates the sounds that goodbyes make.
She prays one day she'll find someone to need her.
She swears that there's no difference,
Between the lies and complements.
It's all the same if everybody leaves her.

And every magazine tells her she's not good enough,
The pictures that she sees make her cry.

And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,
And she needs someone to take her home.

She's giving boys what they want, tries to act so nonchalant,
Afraid they'll see that she's lost her direction.
She never stays the same for long,
Assuming that she'll get it wrong.
Perfect only in her imperfection.

She's not a drama queen,
She doesn't want to feel this way, only seventeen but tired

She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home.

Cuz she's just the way she is, but no ones told her that's ok.

And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,

And she would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,

But she just needs someone to take her home
And just needs someone to take her home.