Who knew?

We went to Gator Land today. For those of you who don;t know, Gatorland is a kitschy Old Florida attraction with A LOT of alligators. Who would have thought!

It was abit unnerving at first. Reptiles are not my favorites. Hard to imagine they have a place in the universe. Also hard to say which fear is greater, snakes or alligators. I think I have to go with snakes because it's easier to avoid alligators.

My DS, who has very little fear, would touch anything that he found-dead or alive. My DD can usually be given some reason, and I try to be truthful, saying that it's beyond my comfort zone and she has to wait for another adult. Yay, a breather!

All in all though, it was a wonderful day. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow.

Be contagious

As I read the news today, I had to shake my head at how cruel it is sometimes. Rapes, murders, drug abuse, poverty. All the signs and symptoms of humans "in control" or out of it as the case may be.

I'm reading a history book to DD, among other lighthearted choices, and she wants to know how come wars happen. I try to explain but somehow, my answers don't really do it. Yours probably don't either.

Instead, I have to fall back on the knowledge that through it all is the presence of a God who would love to reign over a peaceful, majestic world. And until he takes back the precious heirloom He let his children hold, this world will have and continue to show cracks, chips and down right disaster.

So one step at a time I think. Father may I want your will above all else. May I crave your ways over mine. May it be a contagious spirit.

We're back

If it's not one thing, it's another. We've had our ample share of germs flying and oozing around here this week. Nice image, huh? I couldn't resist sharing. It was a secondary cost to our very, very fine vaation. And considering how much we enjoyed it, it seems like a small price to pay. Of course, that may also be because I went to the Dr's today and got some antibiotics for the kidlets. I wasn't feeling up to week 2 of sickness.

It just occurs to me now that I am indeed doing less talking in general these days. This could be because we haven't been around too many people. I will be tested no doubt when I finally speak to another adult living person in RL. Perhaps, that will happen next week :)

In another direction, I've been thinking about one of my favorite topics lately: Resiliency. Why one fishy makes it and the other doesn't. That sort of thing. We all know people who have made it against tough odds. They came from nothing and built an empire. Or they lost everything and yet filled the world with such grace that everything else fell away. Those are the people who make us proud, envious and even shamed somestimes. I love those stories. Extreme Chicken soup stuff.

I've read various books and studies on the subject, but I'm hoping for a bit more. If you or someone you know has an incredible story to tell, please send them my way. I'm convinced that these stories can make a huge difference for someone else. I'm a blabber mouth by nature. But there's only so much I can say about wonder drugs from the pediatrician or even alligators for that matter. It's when I get to hear and share the real joys and miracles of life that things get fun around here.

So toss around that life story of yours that you've been mulling over. Pass on your best buddies or coworkers name, with their permission of course. Share some of the lessons you've already learned, because neither I, nor the readers here, or the audiences I meet will have time to make all the mistakes to be made on their own dime. Get connected and help change the world! ( blabbermouth and an optimist...hopeless :)

Send your private responses to dlacker@hotmail.com

Looking up and on

I know I've been pretty quiet lately. It's been busy in a good way. We've been busy with things like paints, scissors and glue. Then there's been the packing and driving. We've been doing lots of reading. It seems trivial when I put it down, but these all used to be regular things in our days. Normal until the bottom fell out of my careful, know it all Attachment Parenting/homeschool prone life. So their return signifies a healing that has come. And I am profoundly grateful.

We celebrated my brother's 2yr anniversary a couple of weeks ago. And my mom's 1yr date is coming next week. I know there is no amount of time or events that make it all right, good things have happened that bring blessings beneath the shadow of the events. Some day, I wonder if these events will overshadow the actual event. I both hope and do not.

The young lady my brother had been seeing had a wake up call and returned to school. She just finished her program with honors and is now looking for a job. She brought along a friend on the adventure. Two lives challenged to rise above. Yay God! My mother is gone, but my dad works much harder at being involved in the lives of my siblings. Yay God! Nothing will bring loved ones back back, but I treasure ordinary days much more than I might have otherwise. Yay God! Awkward moments when someone is stressed or tired might have been moments to gloss over before. I worried too much about what they might think of me. Now I know the opportunity to share love and peace is worth way more than pride. I seek to pass on the grace that I have been given. Yay God!

And, I noticed that I talk too much sometimes. So I'm listening more. Funny thing for someone to say on a blog, the ultimate modern soapbox. It's true though. I've probably missed some really fabulous stories along the way. SO, I'm trying to listen more and talk less. Sometimes I succeed :)

When I return from my upcoming trip, I hope to start a new project. I'm excited about it and am working out the details. I hope many of you will be excited as well and want to help.

Until next time, may grace find you in big and small ways. May you live in the boldness of a God who created you, a beautiful note in a magnificent symphony. Play your part with gusto!