Lauren Sparks

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May Had No Margin!

May 26, 2023 by Lauren 4 Comments

Busy, busy, busy.  That is the life of every mother of school-aged kids during the month of May.  But having a graduating senior kicks up the activity and brings the down time to zilch.  I kept reminding myself through it all that I shouldn’t complain.  In a week’s time I’ll be wondering if there is ANYTHING on the calendar.  But right now it feels like there is no margin.  And did I mention I have a graduating senior? It may take me awhile to get through this post.  Please send chocolate!

 

I started off the month helping plan a baccalaureate service for our seniors, explained in a previous post.  Then helped feed Allie’s musical theatre class as they practiced for her last theatre show of the year – Musical Revue.  Such a fun show from a talented group of kids.  I was unprepared for the seniors to take the stage and sing “Thank You for the Music” by ABBA to their parents and teachers.  My daughter’s solo line?  “She says I began to sing long before I could talk…” sang while looking at me!  And it’s pretty much true.  I may or may not have gone back and listened to that song again when I needed a good cry.

 

More Activities

 

At Senior Awards night, my girl received a scholarship from our district’s education foundation and an AP Distinguished scholar award.  (Please don’t turn this post into a drinking game with the word “senior”.  I would fear for your health.)  And at the theatre banquet she won the Super Singer superlative and another scholarship!  Along with the distinction of being in the cast of the best show of the year.  So fun!  And the next night she was directing a one act play of Tangled, which was darling.  No coasting toward graduation for this girl.  She is packing in as much as possible before she goes.  No margin!

 

After church on Mother’s Day Allie and I went shopping for gear she needs to work at a summer camp for kids and adults with special needs.  A six week commitment.  Right after graduation.  But I’m okay.  It’s all fine.  I didn’t get what I wanted for Mother’s Day (to veg on the couch after church and have a Gilmore Girls marathon) but I did get to spend some time with her, which is at a premium these days.

 

And More Activities

 

Allie had a banquet for her Peer Assisted Leadership group.  The hubs and I didn’t get to go to that one, but were beaming with pride at the superlative she got:  “Most Likely to Put God First”.  I think some of the kids meant it as a jab.  Little did they know it’s the ultimate compliment.  And the choir booster awarded her another scholarship at the final concert of the year.  So grateful.

 

We all had fun at Allie’s choir banquet.  Even Shelby!  She got to go for the first time and loved the dancing and mashed potatoes!  We were invited to and attended several graduation parties for our daughter’s friends.  Always a fun time to celebrate these great kids.

 

Allie Rose and two of her longtime friends and fellow choir members led worship for their senior baccalaureate.  They did amazing and God was glorified.  Pray with me that anyone there who does not know Jesus received a message and will seek Him.

 

And on Monday my girl left for her summer job at Camp Blessing – one of the special needs camps that her sister attends.  Graduation wasn’t until Thursday.  So she’s missed the last few days of school for training and came back to graduate, went back for 1 day of training and will drive back home for her graduation party tomorrow, after which she will go back to camp for the next 5 weeks.  And camp is 3 hours away.  I’m praying for a drop in gas prices by the end of the week.

 

What’s Keeping Me Distracted

 

On a recommendation Chuck and I started watching the tv show New Amsterdam because (spoiler alert) the main character has the same cancer my husband beat.  There are many good story lines, but many I don’t appreciate and it’s pretty sad.  We also watched the documentary series Waco:  American Apocalypse on Netflix.  The Branch Davidians fascinate me all these years later since I lived about 15 minutes away from their compound and worked with one of David Koresh’s wives.  And on a night we needed a good laugh, Leanne Morgan‘s Netflix special had me howling in a way that would embarrass me with anyone other than my husband.

 

On audio I listened to Beth Moore’s book All My Knotted-Up Life:  A Memoir, Out of the Dark:  My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy by Mandisa and Funny How Life Works by comedian Michael Jr.  And I would recommend them in that order.  I actually read on paper The Baxters by Karen Kingsbury.  I used to read all of her books, but now only keep up with this particular fictional family.

 

And now I’ll sign off and finish up preparations for the graduate’s blow out tomorrow.  I love you, I thank you and I hope June treats you well!

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Stephanie Carter’s post on difficulty in prayer is real, transparent and helpful for anyone who has had similar struggles.  We do battle in prayer – and sometimes it’s with ourselves!  Thanks, Stephanie.

 

The Link Up

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

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We Will Dance: After Cancer

October 14, 2022 by Lauren 8 Comments

“We Will Dance”

I’ve watched the sun rise in your eyes
And I’ve seen the tears fall like the rain
You’ve seen me fight so brave and strong
You’ve held my hand when I’m afraid
We’ve watched the seasons come and go
We’ll see them come and go again
But in winter’s chill or summer’s breeze
One thing will not be changing

[Chorus:]

We will dance
When the sun is shining, in the pouring rain.
We’ll spin and we’ll sway
And we will dance.
When the gentle breeze becomes a hurricane,
The music will play
And I’ll take your hand and hold you close to me
And we will dance.

Sometimes it’s hard to hold you tight
Sometimes we feel so far apart
But sometimes we dance as one
And feel the beating of each other’s heart
Some days the dance is slow and sweet
Some days we’re bouncing off the walls
But no matter how this world may turn
Our love will keep us from falling and …

[Chorus]

The music will play
And I’ll hold you close and I won’t let go
Even when our steps grow weak and slow
Still I’ll take your hand and hold you close to me
And we will dance…

What This Song Means to Me

Steven Curtis Chapman released this song in 2003 on his “All About Love” album.  I owned the CD.  I listened to it often.  My marriage was still as shiny and new as our wedding rings and I loved all the songs written and dedicated to his wife.  I’m a romantic, but this one wasn’t a favorite.  However, I came across it on Spotify a couple of weeks ago and the lyrics hit completely different.
2003 Chuck and Lauren had barely started life together.  We were in love and thought we could weather any storm.  2022 Chuck and Lauren have lived through some things.  In 2003, our first born was already having seizures, but we had no idea how severe her medical and developmental problems would become.  We struggled with the challenges of a blended family and have now seen the aftermath of divorce devastate.  Had we any idea then how difficult raising a teenager in the information age would be?  Nope.  And we never dreamed we would grind through job loss and financial insecurity.

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month

We have now both had cancer.  Breast cancer for me and tonsil cancer for him.  Cancer changes you in ways I cannot describe.  Our bodies are forever altered with scars you can see and scars you can’t.  Surgeries, injuries, treatments and chronic pain checker our histories.
As a couple, we have depended on God more than we ever thought we would need to.  We begged Him for healing, thanked Him for mercy and walked with Him through incredibly challenging things.  He has moved on our behalf in ways we asked for and in ways we didn’t expect/ still haven’t seen.
What I’m saying is,

we have lived some life since 2003.  And our marriage is all the sweeter for the storms.  Would I choose any of them?  Emphatically no.  But I know now how strong we are now.

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 I KNOW.  When SCC sings, ” the gentle breeze becomes a hurricane”, I remember the day a phone call rocked our world.  As he’s “seen the tears fall like the rain” I understand and remember (and not that far back).  When the sun is shining,” or “in the pouring rain”, Chuck keeps on dancing with me.  I am so grateful.

Public Service Announcement:

I don’t wear pink in October just because I like it (although I do).  A mammogram caught my invasive ductal cell carcinoma at Stage 1.  That day was over 5 years ago.  I’m not sure I would be here today had I waited for a physical manifestation.  Go get squeezed ladies.  It may not be your idea of a fun time, but it’s important!  Also, if you are not yet subscribed to this blog, do it now.  You will receive my ebook This was Not On My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Related Surprises.  
Testimonial from a cancer patient I shared the ebook with: “I woke up about 2AM the night before last, and after several attempts to go back to sleep, I realized that I was having anxiety about my upcoming surgery and a few other events coming up. So, I got up and read your essays on breast cancer. I shed some tears, at times laughed, and felt empathy and completely related to many aspects of your journey. I did feel much lighter and was able to stop worrying after reading, so thank you for sharing your personal experience.”
And now for this week’s featured post from the link up.
Paula from simplycoffeandjesus.com wrote about a problem I have been talking about for years (and even have a podcast idea about) in Sustaining Friendships from Midlife and Beyond – A Woman’s Guide.

The Link Up

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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  • First Friday Prayers: 3 John 4
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