Lessons learned from a choo choo train...yes I said choo choo train

My son is obsessed with trains, so whenever we find anything to do with trains, particularly Thomas (of course) we have indulged...ok overindulged. So now I refuse to buy anything to do with Thomas or anything overly cartoony, but I found some actual reference books on the effect trains have had in history...just as excited and yet informative. I don't mind the passion, just have to curb the obsession.
I also found a copy of the Little Engine That Could...WOW! what determination that Little Engine had. I love the lesson that this will teach him as he grows up...what a great tool for me to be able to use as we face obstacles together..."What would the Little Engine say if he had this problem Sammy?"..."How would the Little Engine feel about this situation Sammy?"...if it doesn't help him face the obstacles and problems of life, at least maybe he'll get so sick of hearing about the Little Engine himself and drop the obsession... Is that wrong of me? I mean sometimes it's really cute, but sometimes, it's like COME ON! Can we just go down a street and not have to hear "Look at the choo choo train lights! Look at the choo choo train tracks! Look it! Look it Mommy!" until I respond emphatically "Oh wow, yes look at that!" even though I'm lost, trying to read directions, make sure I don't get hit by a train and not miss my next turn.
Although, I know if it ceased at this very moment to ever happen again, I'd miss it terribly...how sick am I?

New Books!

Went to the St. Vincent De Paul Thrift store and bought 4 books for my son, 4 for my daughter and 4 for me...$8. Can't beat the price, but what's even more priceless is the reaction of my kids. Neither of them could wait to get home and start reading. We've been reading the classics; 1 out loud to both (we just finished Peter Pan and are onto Alice in Wonderland), 1 to just my son (he's 3 and can't read just yet, but he likes to repeat every word I read), and my daughter reads 1 to herself. River is reading through the Bible in a year and I read it to Sammy every night before bed, and I read in the morning. I've already noticed improvements in the way we speak, the words we use, the way we use them and the way they flow (sometimes we speak in a fake British accent which I think helps a bit & it's fun).
We also read 1 historical biography each (George Washington is our focus right now), last week it was Revolutionary War books, River read My Brother Sam is Dead (I know a little morbid) & Sammy and I read Sam the Minuteman.
I love that my children are both in love with reading as much as I am and our favorite day is library day (Sammy does a little dance...it's really cute). I'm amazed at how River plows through them, she learned speed reading techniques before she left school...I'll have to figure out how to teach Sammy too.
We have cut our TV time by so much, we'd all prefer to read instead. We turned off cable 2 years ago and opted out of getting "the box", so we rent movies and at most we watch 1 per day and a lot of days we don't.
Anyway, it just did my heart good to see their excitement over something so wonderful...in my opinion. It put a smile on my face.

It's just YOU and me here!

Even among the masses, YOU draw me in to that quiet time alone. It's just YOU & me here, only YOU & me here! I forget all that has happened in the past couple of months and all that is around me...time stands still and I have YOU all to myself. You are my one true focus, the love of my life. YOU give my measly life purpose, meaning, sustenance and reason. YOU are the reason that I live, the reason that I breathe, the reason that I sing, the reason I do anything...everything, with all I have and am.
How do I get so lost all the time? Why do I allow myself to forget these moments and to feel so alone and worthless? How can I be so simple minded and easily swayed?
I stay in YOUR WORD and try to stay focused and yet it never fails, I drop my eyes to myself rather than keeping them on YOU and then the battle begins...they stay on me longer and longer; on YOU less and less, until I've fallen right back into the same old mess. You would think after 11 years of this battle, that it wouldn't happen anymore, but the fact of the matter is that one thing remains true...I'm human, and I will fall...YOU are not and YOU never will. YOU are faithful and so YOU will pull me up and in every time.
PRAISE YOU for YOUR infinite mercy and grace and compassion and truly unconditional love!

I'm such a follower

So I guess this is the new trend, blogging, so I guess now that I'm joining in the trend it makes me more of a follower than ever. I've actually been blogging on another site since November, but I won't bore you with those. I've actually really enjoyed blogging so far and have gotten a pretty good response on the other site...it's kind of like a journal...although no one else reads my journal, maybe no one will read this either.

This has been probably the most crazy couple of months I've been through as a believer. Full of celebration, turmoil, depression, healing, growth, death, life, excitement, disappointment...you name it, it's happened either to me or those close to me...close enough to truly affect me, probably for life.

For now I am alone and surrounded, hated and well loved, if that makes any sense at all. But I have CHRIST and that is all that matters. PRAISE to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY