The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

One of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons from when I was a little girl was the show "The Perils of Penelope Pitstop".  I remember being extremely impressed by her cool car, and the way that she never showed distress in her unending predicaments.  Sure, she might call out "H-E-E-E-L-P" in her southern voice, but she usually was formulating her own plan for escape (along with the help of her friends, The Ant Hill Gang)  Sylvester Sneekly, disguised as the "Hooded Claw" was the villain, out to destroy Penelope.

The show would usually start out with "Last time we left Penelope, she was in the clutches of the Hooded Claw".  And that poor girl just seemed to go from one peril to another...nonstop drama I tell you.  Of course, no harm ever came to Penelope, and the show would usually end with the Hooded Claw saying "I'll get you Penelope Pitstop".

Since life is fluid and life is constantly changing, we go through smooth times and we go through rocky times.  Often during the rockier times, I feel as if I'm a "Penelope", going from one peril to another.  Just as Penelope would usually end up tied to a railroad track, or tied up in chair, and unable to move; I sometimes feel as if I'm bound by the problems in life and a big ol' train is bearing down on me.  That's not just life for me, that's life for all of us.  We all have Sylvester Sneeklys in our lives...they need not be people, they can just be life's problems.

Life can be a roller coaster, full of ups and downs.  But the reassuring promise we have, as believers, is that God is bigger than any problems in our life.  He is bigger than addictions, divorce, disease, failures, problems with our kids, struggles with friendships, financial worries, career worries, the loss of someone we love.  Whatever it is that life throws at us...He is bigger than.  God doesn't manipulate us like puppets on a string, He doesn't prevent anything bad from ever happening in our lives.  But He does promise that He will be with us.

I love Exodus 14:13-14 where we are told "Do not be afraid, Stand firm and you will the deliverance the Lord will bring you today....the Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still."

Penelope never seemed to panic as I mentioned before.  She would be still and call out "H-E-E-E-L-P" (I just love the way she did that in her southern drawl, making the one syllable word two syllables!) That's what I need to do when I feel are bound by my problems, be still, and call out "Help" to the Lord. 

I was reminded of this as I was reading from "Jesus Calling"....and I quote, "..humbly bring Me in your prayers and petitions.  Your problems will pale when you view them in the Light of My Presence.  And right before I read those words, I had a friend tell me to "give myself a break, turn it over to HIM and BREATHE."

The good news is that not only is God right there beside me, but unlike Penelope, I am not in the clutches of the Hooded Claw.  I'm in the Hands of my Savior.

Hide and Seek

My morning started off in a less than favorable way. After being awakened by my lab, Cocoa, I groggily got up at 5:50 this morning to let out the dogs. About 5 minutes later, when I opened the back door to let them, 2 eagerly came running and 1 was missing. I stepped out onto the deck and began to call for Beau. No movement, no sound. Not good. Especially after remembering that there is a spot by our gate where a small dog can easily squeeze through.

Beau is Casie's dog, a sweet rescue dog that she got from the Animal Shelter. Beau had been rescued from an animal hoarding situation, and we all fell in love with him. The intention was for Beau to be living with Casie in her apartment in Conway, but new management moved in, and pets are no longer allowed. Hence, Beau is staying with me (his doggy grandmom) for the time being.

Cutting to the chase..Beau was found. But not until after I had climbed into my car with pjs, slippers, a really bad case of bedhead, and doggie treats to entice Beau should I find him wandering the neighborhood. I drove all around our streets, windows down, calling out his name. It wasn't until I pulled back into our driveway, worried and plotting a new strategy that I saw Beau, standing on the side of our house, barking at our gate hoping to get back in. I'm not sure where he had been hiding, but I was certainly glad he was back.

After my search, worry, and relief and joy in having found Beau...I began to think. I thought about how many times God has sought me out when I have gone AWOL. I thought about my relationships with others....do I search for them, seeking them out if they have taken a step backwards or have theoretically "run away" or have "hidden" from our friendship? Or am I too busy, neglectful, or just assuming that they will "return" when they are ready? How guilty am I of taking relationships for granted?

Maybe Beau wasn't running away. Maybe he was just on a stroll through the neighborhood to see what was going on. But if I can jump in my car with bedhead and pj's, searching for a dog...surely I can take the time to continually seek out my Savior, and to make sure that I am cognizant of what is going on in my family members' and my friends' lives. So, I've been reflective all day long...thinking about my role in relationships.

So if we haven't talked in awhile, don't be surprised if one morning you get an early phone call or hear a knock on your door and find me standing in pj's, with bedhead and a cup of coffee.

Broken, Healing and Loving

Everyone goes through pain in their life at some point or another, and most of us, if not all, will experience a broken heart at some point. Our hearts can break for reasons other than a failed relationship or, in my case, marriage.

In all honesty, I was dreading this day. I've always been a sappy sentimentalist when it comes to Valentine's Day. I'm a sucker for a card, fresh flowers...and I drool at the sight of chocolate. (and yes, I'm wiping Dove chocolate from the corner of my mouth as I type) I love the candlelight dinners, the ooey gooey poetry and all that stuff. I was proposed to on Valentines Day way back in what seems like the ancient year of 1985, and it was a wonderfully romantic proposal, so my brain kept dredging up THAT memory. All in all, my normally chipper mood began to darken...and I found myself wanting to smash every heart and Cupid that I began to see this month.

However, in my continual endeavor to be proactive and not let my moods or feelings dictate my life, I decided to embrace Valentine's Day this year. I decorated my mantle in the living room with red candles, made a pretty nice silk arrangement of gorgeous red flowers (if I do say so myself), brought out the decorations I've used in the past, hung my small Valentines garden flag in the front, and placed a heart wreath on the porch. On the days I didn't want to smash my red and pink items, I found them to be rather happy looking. And I began to remind myself that love IS something I enjoy in my life, and I plan on keeping it there.

I may not currently have a soulmate or romantic love in my life, and I'm not sure, in all honesty, if I'll find that again. I hope I do. But....regardless of that status, I am blessed...because I AM LOVED AND I DO STILL LOVE.

I am totally in love with motherhood, and with my girls. I have the love of parents, a grandmother, siblings, sister in law, brother in law and awesome nieces and nephews that bring me immense joy. I have friends that absolutely rock my world. I have so many amazing people in my life, and I treasure the chance to love them and be loved in return.

Most of all, I have the love of my Heavenly Father...who has so tenderly and gently caught every tear that I cried, held me in His gentle, yet strong and sheltering Hands. I was broken, but I am healing. I'm not all the way there yet...but that's okay. I've learned it's a journey more than a destination. And yes, I'm still loving.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Sunshine!

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." - Steve Martin

My excitement over today's sunshine and warmer temps are hard to contain at this moment. While I love the changing of seasons, and getting to experience all four seasons...I'm a southern gal at heart, and this winter's snows have been a little much for me. I'm ready to say "adios" to the bitter cold, the inclement weather and overcast days. I am longing for sunshine and spring. We are entering a warming trend for the next several days which will have us hitting the 70 degree mark by the week's end, and this ol' chick couldn't be happier.

To shake off my winter doldrums, I've bought inexpensive bouquets of fresh tulips the last 3 weeks and placed them in a vase on my table. They're an instant mood-lifter. And I've been perusing flower and seed catalogs envisioning my dead brown yard of dirt and sticks transforming into a mini version of the Memphis Botanic Gardens. I've actually ordered seeds which have already arrived, and for those of you who know me, it will be an accomplishment if they make it from the seed packet to the soil. I tend to not have the patience for seeds, and end up buying established plants for the instant gratification. I'll still do that once the flowers hit the nurseries in a couple of months, but I'm working on practicing the discipline of patience, so I'm actually hoping to start my seeds this season, nurture them and watch them grow.

In some ways, I feel like a tender young seed...ironic, since I'm a middle aged woman. But having started a new phase in life, I'm in a phase of rediscovering and redefining who I am as a woman. I'm so glad that God isn't lacking in patience like I am! He's planted me in new soil at this part of my life...I've been uprooted from married life and transplanted into singlehood. My roots aren't sturdy or well-established yet, but I AM rooted in the soil of God's garden....He is providing me shelter, He is giving me nutrition, and He is helping my root system to grow. I'm anxious to see what blossoms in my new life, and I hope that I become the woman that God has designed me to be.