Sweet William

When William was younger, he was always being wrestled with and thrown around by the older boys (because they could, and he was so sweet, that he let them).
One night, Bill and I were asked to teach a bible study on "Spiritual warfare"...that should have been a warning in and of itself!!!
We left our oldest son, (Ryan) in charge with back-up of the others and Christa.
We got to our friend's house and after being there a while we got a call from home. Ryan said.."William's head went through the window in the family room and he's bleeding"."What should we do"?They were wrestling, and threw him on the couch and the back wasn't high enough...he bounced up and hit the window!
A friend happened to stop by right at that time (and I'm sure she was shocked by all the mayhem and chaos), but she helped calm things down, tended to William and she told me Williiam was okay, after I talked with William and was assured he was doing good my friend Cindy left ( probably ran out the door)!!!
The kids assured us that William's head had stopped bleeding,so Bill just looked at me and said "the window's already broken.........we'll fix it later" We can stay. Those are not the words to say to a worried, scared Momma!!!
The scripture we were studying was from John 10:10 " The thief comes only to steal, kill and devour, but I have come that they may have life and that more abundantly". Bill told me it would be okay, so I calmed down, we ended early, and raced home to take care of whatever we would find! Everything was cleaned up, William was calm and resting,and the kids were all waiting for the bomb to drop....well, the best lesson in spiritual warfare that we have learned is to keep our peace and trust God....It's really hard when we want to "fix things" or be angry ..but we responded instead of reacting and the children in turn responded to us in a positive way!
STUFF HAPPENS! Usually in ways we never expect!
I like to control the children, my husband, EVERYTHING...but, the harder I try, the more things happen that are beyond my control. The Lord has been teaching me (or trying to) Prov.3:5-6..."Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge the Lord and He will direct your steps".
I think the next study I'd like to teach is on Ps. 23... the verse that says "surely goodness and mercy will follow you ALL the days of your life"!!!!
The wonderful part of our story is that God went before us and sent Cindy to minister to all the kids, bring calm and she reassured us.. God really is Jehovah-Jireh (the Lord who provides).Thank you Lord for your protection and blessing in the middle of our muddle!!!!

have to's or get to's

I am an official sandwich!!!! That is, I am in the generation that has a family to care for, plus a parent to care for.
It is easy for me to schedule things on my calendar and check them off when the job is done. As for me, (and everyone I know)... life is on the fast track with NO signs of slowing down. I put my time and dates on the calendar for: dropping off children for work, ballet, friends and taking care of my mom. After awhile, life becomes a list of to-dos. I can get an attitude very easy...especially if I don't think I'm appreciated! My mom is almost ninety two. She is a delightful woman that is very kind hearted! She has dementia and also needs full time care....kind of like a newborn. At times she can get testy, and I start to get frustrated! My daughters, (who help take care of their grandma) are teaching me SO much! No matter what they do, they make it fun!
One day, my mom started to pick on Amy (and I could feel my flesh rise up). Amy, calmly went to the back door, and went out. I was mad!!! I thought she was hurt and went out back to cry...but two seconds later the doorbell rang, and in walked Amy, who went right to her Grandma and said "Hi, Grandma" to which my mom promptly responded..."Oh, JOY!!! Look who's here"!!!!!
Another day, it was VERY hot. The girl's (Amy and Elisabeth) are trapped in one room as Grandma needs constant care, so they told Granma that they were taking her out to get some sun. She got mad and told them "NO", she was going to stay put! Well, the girl's went and got a piece of paper, and after a bit handed it to her and told her to read it. It said..."the Doctor has ordered you to have twenty minutes of sunshine per day....signed, Dr. White". After she read the "perscription", she said well, since the Dr. ordered it, okay!
Last summer, the girl's had a lemonade stand outside with Grandma and some neighbor kids,(and earned twelve dollars), they have dressed up in Grandma clothes and pretended to be old friends (since all her family and friends are gone), they have taken her on walks with her wheelchair and parked her under a tree and said "tell us about when you were a girl" which she remembers SO well....they have dressed her in high heels(while in her wheelchair) given her make-overs, taught her how to pose for the constant teenage picture taking, changed her depends and listened, overlooked things and LOVED.....all with JOY and allowing her to keep her dignity! I am SO blessed by them as I watch and learn...and once in a while I warn them of what's going to happen with me!
I am convinced that all the grandchildren with their different giftings are keeping her alive, giving her a sense of purpose and fulfillment while keeping her "young" at ninety-two as they( and I) GET TO help take care of Grandma (mom). "The JOY of the Lord is our strength"!!!!

Blink!!!

When Ryan was about to graduate from college, he asked me to come to Mens's warehouse to check out some suits for his up coming job interview's.
I went to the store and it was pretty empty. As I walked in I could see him standing in the back, by a wall of mirrors. As I walked to where Ryan was standing, I had a flashback of pictures in my mind...from holding my first newborrn, to chasing my toddler, to a brand new driver and his first date, to this man in a suitcoat! By the time I got to the back of the store, I was crying!!! It was such a fast flash
forward I couldn't believe it!!!!
Ryan just took one look at me and did this "oh, Mom" eyeroll.....I just told him that he grew to be a fine young man, and I was proud of him. It just happened too fast! One of those things that seemed to take forever, but actually happened in a blink!!!!

Some people's thoughts about our house

We have lived in our house for twenty three years...in that time, I have had the building inspector stop here and demand to see my daycare license (at that time we had nine children: ages nine, seven, six, five, five, four, three, two, one and I was pregnant).
The inspector was rude and presumptious! I did think it was quite a good idea to get paid for taking care of them, though!!
After many years had passed, Bill came home very late one evening to see a strange car in our drive-way, with someone sitting in the car. Bill went up to him and asked if he could help. The young man had run out of gas and just had enough to pull into our drive-way. He had been trying to get ahold of his friends, but no one would pick up their phones. Bill went and got a gas can, filled it up for the guy, and when he was about to leave....he said "you know, I thought this was a frat house". Well, I guess I could understand that one having nine sons and a million cars!
That night , Bill had been praying about being a blessing to someone and trying to make his day "count"...Isn't it great that God takes you at your word????
The next "incident" was just a bit ago. Someone wanted directions to our home and when Bill shared them, the guy said...."oh, I thought that was a landscape parking lot"!!!!!
We've been called alot of things, but I like this one best....... HOME!!!!! It's true what they say. THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!

sowing and reaping

I am a firm believer in God's principle's. One of the main principle's in scripture is that of "sowing and reaping". I take things pretty literally, so when I give extra time, or money for something, I try to "sow a seed" and trust God for the harvest!
After going to McDonalds one day with the kids, I put some cash in the Ronald McDonald donation box. As I did I said out loud so the kids could hear..."I am sowing a seed for the families that are suffering to be blessed, and for good health and protection for the family you blessed me with".
Later that same day I went to give blood (I hate needles, but know this is a priviledge, and a need). When I was having the needle inserted, I said, "I'm sowing a seed for the protection of my children, as I give my blood to protect anothers life."
When I went home a little later, I came into the family room and there was Christa, just sitting there staring at nothing with all color gone from her face. I (being SO sensitive) asked her why she wasn't at work. She just kept staring until I went up to her and touched her shoulder. She looked up at me and I asked (again being SO sensitive) what is your problem? This time she made eye contact and started to shake all over. I again said," what is wrong???" Christa told me she went to work, but they sent her home after they found out about her day. Apparently she was at a friend's house and then started on her way to work. The car she was driving started to act up and she rolled it across a set of railroad tracks, and it stalled right as she was crossing the second set of tracks....and of course a train was coming!!! She couldn't start the car, and was trying to get out and the doors were locked. The barriers came down and the people on the other tracks couldn't see what was happening. At the LAST possible second, Christa got the car going and gunned it in reverse..... she broke the crossing gate, but was alive!!!!
After the train passed, the gentleman on the other side ran over to her to see if she was okay. He told her to just go home and he would handle the police. She went to work and they told her to go home and rest. Poor girl was in shock! After awhile, she was her normal bubbly self, but she really had a close call... even seeing the look in the train engineer's eyes!
I later couldn't help but think about the day, and wonder more about sowing seeds THAT SAME DAY for protection of the children....
The lessons I learned that day, were to tune in and be sensitive to people (we have no idea what they have gone through), to value everday and people as a gift, and to sow good seeds!!!! Sometimes there may be a long time before the harvest,but, until the end of time there will remain SEED,TIMEEEEEEEEEEEE, and Harvest!
You may say this was a coincidence....perhaps it was, but God says in Gal. 6:9 "Do not be weary in doing good, for in DUE SEASON you WILL reap a harvest If you do not give up". I challenge you to SOW some good seeds! Let me know what happens!

Christa and her car(s)............

Christa...Christa!!!! How do I even begin to share about her and her car(s)??
My daughter is fearless...sometimes too much for her own good! Remember the old song "Ain't no mountain high enough?".
Once Christa got her license, she was always on the road. Bill got her a little stick shift car and she just went anywhere in any kind of weather!!
One day, Christa went to her friend Mary's house....She lived on a hill and her drive-way was extremely steep. YES, I'm going somewhere with this (just like Christa).
I got a phone call from her shortly after she arrived at her friend's. She was kind of beating around the bush until, She finally came out with.."I parked my car in Mary's drive-way, and it started to roll down her drive..I tried to catch it , but I couldn't". Can you come over quick??"
I got in my car and found the subdivision that Mary lived in. I wasn't sure exactly where she lived, so I was driving around and around, and as I looked to my right I saw a steep embankment with two headlights peering over the top. I started laughing because it looked so hiarious! The good news is that her brother had a big Suburban and was able to tie it to his car and pull it up, and set it free! The bad news was that it had hit a tree so it was badly damaged! It's a good thing her Dad has a body shop, because alot of business comes from his children!
The blessings here are that.. Christa wasn't in the car..no body was behind her or in the road and Joshua came to her rescue. The bad news is that she had to endure nine brothers teasing and was forced to stay at home for a while.
I'm so thankful that she didn't get hurt and that she's given me so much material about her and cars!! Gotta LOVE this girl!!!!

Second Chances

A couple of years ago, Bill did a pick n' save food run for me. He was in a hurry and grabbed the food, and on his way to the car he noticed a check-out girl that he often gets. She was sitting outside, and Bill got the feeling that he was supposed to talk with Cynthia.He ignored the feeling because he had to be somewhere and just came home. That evening, Bill was reflecting on his day,and when we prayed together he asked the Lord that if He wanted him to talk to cynthia, the Lord would give him a second chance and he would obey this time!
Well a couple days later, Bill was back at Pick n' Save and there was Cynthia, sitting in the same place! This time Bill went up to her and asked if she was okay?? She started to cry and told Bill her husband was gravely ill. He had been exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Bill asked her if she would be open to him and the pastor coming over to pray for Cynthia's husband (and for her).Cynthia immediately said YES! Bill arranged a time and he and the pastor went to her house. She lives in the inner city, so it was a little out of their comfort zone.
They found her house, and Cynthia greeted them at the door. She was excited that Bill and pastor Joe were willing to come. She had been feeling quite overwhelmed with taking care of her bedridden husband, her children, the house and work! Whew!!! They asked her first if she would like some prayer, to which she immediately agreed to!
While praying , Bill asked her if she had a relationship with the Lord. She said no, but that she would like one! Bill and Pastor Joe prayed for her and she asked Jesus to come and "take the wheel" of her life! They left her with information of some churches and a name of someone to help get her plugged in. Then they went upstairs and met cynthia's husband. The only thing he could do was raise his hand. Bill and Pastor joe talked with him, and Bill shared that he was also a vietnam vet. They asked him if he would like them to pray for him and he raised his hand. They led him in a prayer, and he responded by raising his hand and saying YES to Jesus also! What a great night! Both Cynthia and her husband were smiling as Joe and Bill left!
The next morning we recieved a call from Cynthia. Her husband had passed away during the night. All of the family commented on the peace in his face, and even had a little smile! None of them had seen such a peaceful pressence in years!
To this day, Cynthia is a friend, has joy indescrible, and is a light to all she meets! If you go to the Brookfield Metro Mart ask for Cynthia and say "HI" from Bill! Let her tell you about her life! She is a miracle...of love, blessing and God's incredible work in her life! Next time you get that "nudge" OBEY!!!! Watch how God will bless you and others!
My friend Heather says "an obiedient heart is a happy heart"!
Thank you Lord, that you give us second (and more) chances!!!!!!

Turkey Bowling

At this time a couple years ago my son David went to some friends house, on the East side. After a couple of drinks, a few of the boys went outside and set up Turkey Bowling. They were having a blast when......a few really big (and David is six feet five inches tall)guys came after the boys and wanted to fight! David tried to talk to the guys and the others ran away.
The guys ganged up on David, and after beating him and kicking him in the head until he was unconsious they left him laying in the road. Someone called the police and David was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
The next morning, I got a call from an orthodontist in Milwaukee and he told me about David being in the hospital. He said that David's jaw was broken and that he would need thirty five thousand dollars to wire his jaw shut. I was stunned(that's putting it mildly... I was freaking out) by the news because this was the first I heard of this. The Dr. tried to soften the blow by telling me it was a good thing that he was on call, because it would be over one hundred thousand for him to come in special!
I told him that we didn't have that kind of money and that David didn't have insurance...... the good news was that there was a police report made by witnesses who were watching from their porch (David couldn't talk)and since it was a crime against David, the Doctor told me about victim's assistance. He thought David looked like a good kid (and he is) so he decided to go ahead with the surgery. I couldn't believe that he wasn't going to help him at first!
It was really hard for David during this time...he's tall and thin to begin with, but now the weight was dropping off of him fast! Poor guy, was always hungry and he was getting ornary, too! I cook alot in the Fall, and I was just doing my normal cooking, but he would accuse me of purposely cooking his favorite meals to make him hungrier. One night he even blended roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and beans together.......GROSS! I think I would be happy to drink milk shakes everyday!!!!!
After six weeks of suffering, he was finally able to get the wires out.....What a great celebration meal he had.....we were really thankful that God took the evil and turned it into good for David!!!! We are so blessed and thankful that David is with us and that he can eat normally!
So, at this time of year as we reflect on all God's blessings.....the good food, families,and friends .....remember eat the turkey!!! DO NOT BOWL WITH IT!!!!

Sit on it!!!

Sunday in the Fall, it's football. ALL DAY! When there isn't a game on T.V.,the boys are playing it.
A friend asked me to pick her up at the airport, so Bill and I left the kids to the game and went to pick Alyce up.
Right after we got Alyce, I got a call on my cell phone....it was Justin, and he said "uh, Mom...how do you stop bleeding"??? I yelled put some pressure on it..."what is going on??? Who's bleeding"?? He just told me it'll be okay, and that he would call back.
After about ten minutes Justin called back and told me Daniel was bleeding very badly and it wouldn't stop. I asked him where he was bleeding and he told me his butt....I told him to tell Daniel to sit on it for awhile to see if that would help....It was pretty serious, but the boys were laughing hysterically in the background. Apparently, Daniel had left a boken glass on the arm of his chair, and a friend came over to watch the game. Daniel jumped up to shake his hand and plopped down...right on the broken glass. Daniel was wearing blue jeans, and under them basketball shorts and under them boxers! He must have sat down pretty hard for the glass to go through three layers of clothes (four if you count his skin). The boys were arguing what to do and Justin was thinking he might have to check and see if there was glass in his rear, which made the boys laugh all the harder!
Since sitting on it did not stop the bleeding, we told Justin to bring Daniel to the emergency room....even the nurses were a little surprised by his injury! He ended up getting twenty stitches in his rear! Poor Daniel had a hard time sitting for the next couple of weeks.... he was pretty humiliated and was the "butt" of alot of jokes! The funniest part was when Daniel had the stitches removed. His Doctor is a lady! When we went in to get the stitches out she asked where they were....she just laughed and said "I probably don't want to know what happened...do I?" and she couldn't stop laughing either!
So, Daniel got a football injury without even playing the game!
Life is always exciting here!

I didn't like it!

One week in late summer, I decided to go and visit Auntie Martha, in Ironwood, Michigan. I only took seven children, so the journey was very quiet!!!(comparatively speaking).
I stopped at Bill's shop for a quick once over (oil, air, tire pressure, etc.)
When I was leaving the shop, I asked Bill if I could have some "carry cash"..... He handed me a twenty, and I was a happy camper!!! We started off on our journey, and after about three hours I was getting low on fuel. I stopped in Stevens Point for gas and looked for my purse (I usually kept it under the drivers seat) wellllllllllllll.......I looked and looked, and my purse was NOWHERE to be found! I only put twenty dollars of gas in the van (since that's all I had) and we JUST made it to Ironwood on fumes!!
I couldn't figure out what had happened to my purse, and asked my Aunt if I could borrow some gas money....she acted kind of funny, so I just asked Bill to send more money up to me.Bill sent money up and everything was fine except that I had no credit cards, license, or extra cash....
I was ready to report a theft, but, Bethany (who was three at the time) looked at me with her big brown eyes and said "I didn't like that purse, so I threw it away"!! I wasn't sure if I believed her...until she described my purse, and how she decided that it should go bye-bye!
I'm sure I didn't have much cash, but everything else was gone!
To this day, Bethany is still the throw away queen!!!
If anyone needs to have a clean pottery barn style ask Bethany to help.....just protect the stuff you want to keep, though. If she doesn't like it, it could dissapear!!!

You Change!!

When Bill and I first got married, and the babies started to come...I told Bill that he should get a "real" job. He started Bilco Auto Body when he got home from Vietnam, when he couldn't get his old job back. It started as more or less of a hobby shop, but started to grow (because he's the best car painter ever)!!!
I made up a resume' for Bill and started to send it out and he got a few interviews!
It made perfect sense to me for Bill to work for someone so we could have insurance, vacation time, and of course retirement!!
I thought God was answering my prayers when the person that owned the shop he was renting told Bill that he wanted to convert it to a daycare. This was in the middle of us looking for a home for our family, too!
Bill had been looking for another shop to rent, was responding to job openings, and trying to secure a home loan. He really is amazing (superman)!! He did all this AND put up with me trying to smoosh his dreams of having his own buisness.
One day as I was walking through the house I heard in my heart a loud" Bill's right where I want him Laurie! YOU CHANGE"!! It was so clear and real to me ...talk about a spiritual slap!!
I tried to argue with God (how's that for presumption) because it just didn't make sense to me!
Well, I knew what I heard.....but I wanted to make sure, soooooo, Bill went on one last interview, but the interviewer never even showed up!
I finally told Bill how sorry I was for trying in my own strength to make things work for us which ended up just causing hurt and frustration. I told him how the Lord had spoken to me and that from here on, I would be his biggest cheerleader and trust that God knew and was in control of all of our needs (and desires).
Bill's been in buisness now for about thirty three years and I can say with full assurance and confidence that Bill is doing what he is suppossed to be doing, and YES! I DID CHANGE!!
Bill also found a shop in Menomonee Falls, and after twenty three years he's still there!!!