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What a Month!

January 29, 2021 by Lauren 23 Comments

I guess no one has to guess why I chose this title for a month-ending wrap up when that month is January 2021.  Or the 13th month of 2020 as some call it.  In case you don’t have a TV, computer or other news source, an angry mob stormed the United States Capitol on January 6.  This punctuated what has been a maddeningly contentious election season.  The riot led to the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol, and five deaths.

 

We swore in the 46th president of our nation with a subdued but widely watched inauguration celebration on January 20.  We also welcomed the first black and asian female vice president in our history.  After watching it all, I vote for Amanda Gorman – the youngest inaugural poet ever – for president someday.  And from our homes we wait with bated breath for our chance at a Covid-19 vaccine while numbers of cases skyrocket.  I heard today that the virus has now touched every…single… county in the US.

 

Personally, my husband and I held down the fort as we exchanged one weird year for another.  We did manage to get away for the first time in at least a year to celebrate our 22nd anniversary.  I could really get all mushy here about Chuck and our time together, but I won’t.  I’ll just say that I feel sorry for all of you because you don’t get to be married to him.

 

We flew to Atlanta, feeling comfortable with our antibodies to once again fly on a plane.  Once settled in our hotel, we got massages and took ourselves to see the new Tom Hanks film News of the World.  I highly recommend it even though this was the most crowded theater we have been to since Covid turned us upside down.  There were another 6 whole people there.  The employees looks so bored that I wish we had needed their help with sometime besides our one popcorn tub and 2 drinks.

 

The next day my best friend and her husband drove over to spend the day with us.  We went to Marietta Diner, which appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, for lunch and then I dragged everyone to the Gone with the Wind Museum.  We drove around looking at fancy historic homes (to see how the other half lives), and then got dressed up to go to JCT Kitchen for a fun and delicious anniversary dinner.  The next morning we ate breakfast at Pancake Social in Midtown and looked around Ponce City Market.  We love spending time with this precious couple and thank God for them in our lives.

 

As we landed back in the real world Sunday, I discovered 4 hacked accounts and family drama raging.  Oh, well.  The escape was nice while it lasted.  To distract myself, I read three books this month.  I first finished up a festive novel, A Christmas Surprise (Love in the Cascades #1) by Kimberly Rose Johnson, then completed Messy Grace:  How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction by Caleb Kaltenbach.  A lighter read, Two Weeks by Karen Kingsbury rounded out my literary pursuits.

 

Since we quarantined and recovered for part of the month, we binge watched like it was our job.  Especially since we decided to cancel Netflix at the end of this month.  Don’t come for me.  We pay for way too many services.  Maybe not the most productive or beneficial use of time, but the virus fatigue hit us like a shovel to the face.  We watched The Queen’s Gambit – a fascinating look at someone both tragic and gifted.  We loved series Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias, and the later reunited me with Brooke Elliott from Drop Dead Diva!

 

Allie joined us for season 3 of Cobra Kai.  Too much language for me, but oh, the 80’s nostalgia for this Karate Kid fan!  We rounded out our Netflix chilling with a very Hallmarkesque Falling Inn Love, George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky (very slow at first, but the ending packs a punch), and Garth Brooks:  The Road I’m On.  Fan or not (fan here!), his rise to fame intrigued us.   We also hopped over to Disney+ and checked out one episode of Prop Culture.  The one about The Muppet Show.

 

Over the next month we plan for a lot more reading and viewing time.  My oldest daughter underwent spinal fusion surgery yesterday to correct her 64% scoliosis curvature.  If all proceeded according to plan, (I’m writing this in the waiting room), she endured a 6-8 hour surgery and is now in ICU.  Due to the length and severity of the surgery, the powers that be here granted my husband and I an exception to both sit at the hospital. So grateful.  She faces a 6-8 week recovery now and we covet your prayers.  Thank you so much for being a community I can ask that of.

 

I also pray now for a calmer February.  How about you?

 

As always, I love you, I thank you, and I hope the next month treats you well.  Now for this week’s featured post!

 

It was hard to choose just one post to draw your attention this week.  So many great blogs, but I settled on All of Him Loves All of You by Wemi of reflectionsinthemess.com.  I always love Wemi’s writing, but this sweet encouragement about our even sweeter Lord may be just what you need to see this week.

 

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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).

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Spending a Weekend With My 1st and 2nd Loves And Grace & Truth Link-up

January 23, 2020 by Lauren 34 Comments

Photo by Dustin Scarpitti on Unsplash

My husband and I just celebrated our 21st year together.  Truly something to commemorate.  I’m not sure why I get to be married to him, and the rest of you ladies have to settle for someone else; but no one said life is fair.

 

We knew we needed to “get away”, but initially struggled with where to go.  It’s been a while since we’ve traveled someplace interesting because…life.  But after analyzing things like childcare, time and available funds, we opted for a practically free stay at my in-laws lake house.  I must admit that, at first, I was kind of bratty about it.  I have visited Canyon Lake many, many times in the last 21 years so the idea didn’t seem fun or special.  But for us, for now, it seemed most prudent.  Prudent.  Isn’t that a romantic word?

 

No matter.  The last couple of months handed us more on a platter than we thought we could handle.  Family crisis, the death of a dear friend, job loss for friends and family, job changes and stresses for us and major insurance issues.  We have cried enough tears to be dehydrated.  So in the end, it didn’t really matter where we went.  We just needed a break from our regular routine and an escape from the fruit of our loins.

 

That fruit didn’t make it easy.  Allie had a youth retreat weekend at church, but had to work out transportation and other issues.  And when she gets stressed, the rest of us feel it.  And Shelby.  Arranging care for a 19 year old who needs lots of help is not easy.  Especially now that our parents are getting older.  They are still perfectly capable and generously willing, but we often worry that it could be too much.

 

Chuck’s parents agreed to keep Shelby for two nights, and my parents stepped in to help with Allie’s logistics.  Shelby started the weekend with an ear infection, two straight days of seizure activity, and multiple blow out diapers.  If you think an infant’s blow out diaper is savage, you should see one from a 19 year old.  But everything settled down enough for us to vacate and manage to relax.

 

My husband and I spent the whole first day playing.  We shopped, ate pizza, and saw two movies in a row at a theater.  With snack.  Just because we could.  Then we drove out to the lake house and had a romantic evening with no child sleeping in our room.  Just what we needed.  But I think our non-plans for day two excited me even more.

 

Sunday we agreed to sit still and enjoy a lot of quiet.  As much as we needed to focus on each other, I desperately needed to spend time with my first love – Jesus.  I spend time with Him every day.  But just like I see my husband every day, our time together is often rushed, unfocused and crowded in with lots of other things.  I needed time to savor my Savior.  And I did.

 

I sat in a cozy recliner and looked at the lake through five foot windows while I prayed, read my bible and live streamed our church’s service.  I researched scripture and I took notes.  I took walks out in the world He created.  And most importantly, I didn’t rush a thing.

 

Maybe we’ve started a new tradition.  Maybe anniversary weekends will no longer be about what we can do, but what we can not do.  I’m really not sure of much past just this minute.  But I know this year I really needed to just linger with my first two loves.

 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[ Psalm 91:1 NIV

 

Now for an exciting announcement!  I have been invited to join the Grace & Truth team and will be hosting a blog link-up here every Friday!  For those of you who are readers only, I will continue to post the original content you have come to expect.  But there will also be an opportunity for writers to share their work here with you!

Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link UpGrace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Join us each Friday for the Grace and Truth Link-Up!

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Lauren Sparks

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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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