Locked OUT!

Have you ever gotten in your car, felted in your pockets, and realized you left your keys in the house?  I have many stories, my husband could share, about loosing my keys.  Once I lost them in K-Mart.  I found them in a shoe box in the shoe department.  Long story.  LOL  I've locked myself out of a truck.  Short version.....I was in Crossville.  Robert was in Niota.  Robert's comment after an hour drive.  "Sure is a long way to unlock a door." 

Over the past 15 years I've done much better.  Hahaha That is until Friday.  I was in the morning rush of getting out the door to take my son to school.  My car/house keys were sitting on the kitchen counter.  I go in the kitchen to get them.  Todd, our youngest, digs into his backpack to give me, what appeared to be, a bag of rocks.  I said, "Todd this isn't the time to give me..." And then it happened. The bag had a hole.  EVERYWHERE went the contents of this bag.  Then I discovered it wasn't rocks... it was cereal.  Some kind of Chex like cereal.  Todd gets a paper out with instructions.  "Here Mom, we might want to make this later."  LOL LOL LOL

Todd makes a "Todd effort" to sweep up the rocks, aka cereal, as I leave the kitchen and proceed to go downstairs and head for the car.  Todd runs to catch up. Door is slammed shut, we get in the car, I check for my keys, and....... you guest it.  I left the keys on the kitchen counter.  No need for panic.  We have a spare key in a certain place.  Did I mention it was 22 degrees outside? I went to our hiding place and .... the stinkin key was not there.  "Stinkin" is Greek for "Dad burn".

Now this was about the time I wanted to tell Jesus how much I was grateful for this day and how much I loved my family.  Especially whoever it was that used the key last and didn't put it back.  I sent Todd to look at a couple of other places.  Is it just my boys?  But do all boys not open their eyes when they look for things?  NO key.  Did I say it was 22 degrees outside?

I walked around the house hoping that one of the doors was irresponsibly left unlocked.  Why is it that when you want a door to be left unlocked....they are always locked up tight?  As I walked around the house, I began to pray.  "Lord, I need your help.  I am locked out of the house.  I can not start my car.  It's cold.  I need to take Todd to school.  It's very cold.  I need to attend a water aerobic class.  I need my keys that are in the house.  Help me find a way in the house." 

I told Todd to get back in the car.  The car was just as cold as being outside.  22 degrees is pretty cold.  The time is now 7:35 a.m.  I walk across my yard, through the woods, and in between fence posts to a neighbors house.  I had hoped that maybe they would be able to help.

Any other day I could have called my husband, Robert.  He would have just left for work just as we walked out to my car.  But on this day he was on a business trip, in another state.  I have a friend who has a key to my house, but she and her husband was on a couple's retreat.  What was my friend thinking?  :)  My daughter has a key.  She lives 1 1/2 hours away.  Todd and I were left to freeze.  Probably to death.

I called my husband and hoped that he would let me know of another secret key.  My fingers were getting frost bitten.  Robert had no idea about the key.  He insisted that I just need to look again.  And this time look underneath our spot.  Just get down on the ground.  I reminded him, "There's NO way I can get on the ground.  If I did how in the world could I get up."  I would die laying on the ground...frozen.  It was 22 degrees. 

If I sent Todd to look around, under, or on the ground, I knew I had better odds to send a blind man to search for our spare key.  The neighbor was so sweet.  While her husband was in the shower, while her 19 year old son was still in bed, she came over and said she would look for me.  God love her.  As we both walked back  the between the fence , through the woods, across the yard, she said, "It's really cold out here."  LOL

That dear lady got down on the ground.  She looked, felt, and crawled around.  Then she victoriously yelled, "Is this the key?"  Woohoo!!!! YES!  Thank you Lord.  She even opened the door for me.  I thanked her at least a million times.  Finally the 35 minute freeze was over.

I went straight to the kitchen and there the keys laid.  They were the prettiest "stinkin" keys I had ever seen.

New Direction - Will you come with me?

When my children were preschoolers, I use to write down my thoughts, feelings, devotional inspirations.  I didn't realize I was journalling.  I did it because it caused me to think.  It gave me something concrete to see God's hand and remember how He was working in my life.

I remember those early days of staying at home with my kids.  I chose to stay home but what was happening in the "real" world got loss sometimes.  I wondered if I was doing anything important.  If I was doing anything right.  Mostly I think I wondered if anyone noticed or cared. 

I still have some of those early writings.  When I read over them I see how God was there.  How God's hand guided me, encouraged me, comforted me, and forgave me.  I wondered if I should throw them away?  When I die would I want my kids to read them?

The writings were meant to be between God and myself.  I only have 2 regrets.  One I should have been more honest.  And I should have wrote more.  I couldn't write everything.  We didn't have a computer to store my writings until I was ready to print or post.  So when you're busy "mothering"...things like writing didn't come very often.  I also love to paint.  But after my, then 2 year old, son, Brandon got into my oil paint and smeared in on my bedspread and wall... I had to put my paint aside too.

I started writing a blog a couple years ago.  I now do two blogs.  The second one is a video blog that ministers to women through instruction, helps, and encouragement. (Womanhood GFF) In the past whenever I posted on the Godfreyhouse blog, I wrote my posts more as a devotional of my thoughts.  This year I want to be more diary or personal with my post.  But I've been afraid.

There I've said it.  Fear has been a struggle for me for almost 2 years.  And this fear has made me less confident in myself and some ways in the Lord.  This year I would like to begin the journey of setting myself free from this fear.  Well let me re-phrase that.  I want to allow the Lord to set me free from this stronghold "FEAR". 

                     (Video: Give Me Jesus by Fairview Baptist Choir)

I'm not afraid to die.  I'm not afraid of people.  I'm not afraid of the economy.  I am afraid of situations that have and may still physically hurt me.  (Including unknown medical mysteries.)

Bare with me as I step out and open up.  I'm not looking for approval, praise, or compliments.  I'm looking for freedom.  I know where to go to get it.  I am willing to take the readers of this blog with me. 

That is if you want to go.

Todds first sled

This was our youngest child, Todd, first opportunity to go sledding in the snow. One reason is because South East TN doesn't get a lot of snow. When we do it usually less than 2 inches and is melted by the afternoon. This was the largest snowfall since the Blizzard of 1993. By night time our house had close to 10 inches of beautiful snow.

Christmas Snow - Boys LOVED IT!

We've had a little snow in November or early December. We may get a little in January. But this is the first Christmas Day snow since 1968 in South East Tennessee.

My Race

When I was in Elementary school, I entered every running contest I could.  I LOVED Field Day.  This was when schools in my area competed in various outdoor activities.  There were sack races, tug of wars, relays, softball throws, and many more.  I loved to run. As a teenager I would run 3-5 miles a day just because it was fun.

After I was married and had 2 small children, I considered a job as a security guard.  One of the requirements was to be able to run a mile in 6 minutes.  At this point in my life I hadn't run since college.  I put my running shoes on and took off running.  On my first test run, I ran a mile in 8 minutes.  Not bad for a Mom of two.

Later when I was in my 30's we adopted our third child.  When he was two I opened a Home Day Care.  For my mental health, I started back at walking/running 4 days a week.  I got to where I ran 2-3 miles and walked 2 miles.  I enjoyed running again.

My daughter and son in-law can tell you more about running challenges than I can.  They accomplished something that I had never tried.  A marathon. They trained for several months.  Wore out a few pairs of shoes.  Injured and felt pain in areas they've never had pain before.  (To read about their experiece read H20 Runners.

The writer of Hebrews 12 talks about a race.  A race that each believer is in.  Yes, if you are a person of faith and a follower of Christ you are a runner.  This passage goes into detail, in the first couple verses, about how to best run your race.  But for this moment I want to skip over that and focus on the end of verse 1.  Hebrews 12:1b "...the race that is set before us,"

When my pastor preached from this passage Sunday night.  I was encouraged about two things. 

1. God puts us in our race.  "...the race that is set before us," God chose a race for me.  You have your race.  I have mine. 
2. My goal in this race is not to win.  But to finish.  When my daughter and her husband ran a marathon, had they ran 26 miles, and stopped with 325 yards to go...then they wouldn't have finished the race.  All they would have accomplished was running really far.  A marathon is officially 26.2 miles.

I am in my race.  You are in yours.  I want to finish well.  Do you?  How are you doing in your race?  Sometimes I'm not doing so well. In Hebrews 12:12,

 "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;"

Sometimes I'm not strong.  Sometimes I don't think I can make it.  Marathon runners struggle with that.  I'm told the last 4-6 miles are the hardest.  Sometimes I have to pick up my hands and get off my feeble knees and start again.  Pick up and keep going.  I need to finish my race.  I Corinthians 15:58 is my life verse.

 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

My race is different than yours.  Some believers are running on a track that is level and smooth.  Others, the track is hilly and hard. The long stretches can be very difficult.  Our track conditions can change at anytime.  We need to help one another by encouraging each believer to get up, keep going, and finish.

I want my kids to see their Mom finish with strong faith.  I want my grandchildren to hear stories of how their grandmother loved the Lord and served Him in spite of difficulties and challenges.  I want my friends to know that I truly do love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and body.  I want to be like Paul,

II Timothy 4:7, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"

2011 Goals

We are expected to make New Year Resolutions.  And it's also acceptable if you break them within 60 days.  Instead of setting "Resolutions" ... I prefer "Goals".  Is there a difference?  Thanks for asking.  I think so.  Resolutions are more like a promise or a contract where you are bound to keep your end of the deal.  Where as goals are ideals and intentions that you want to strive with good planning and good intention to keep.  Breaking a resolution almost sounds illegal.  Setting a goal gives you something obtainable.  If you don't quite get there...you got closer than you would have had you not had something to work hard towards.

Last year I set out  not be on a diet but to have better health.  I did want to loose 60 lbs and get into a size 10 jeans.  I kept myself accountable to friends.  I posted pictures each month beginning with March to show and share my progress.  It helped me a lot. 

Did I meet my goals?  Yes, I met my goal of better health.  My cholesterol dropped 50 points without medication.  My blood pressure is also down without medication.  In spite of starting 2010 recovering from shoulder and hand surgery and ending the year with neck surgery ... I do feel better.  I did manage to loose 35 lbs.  And I can wear size 12 is almost all my clothes.  YAY!!!

So what do I do in 2011?  I continue where I left off.   I need to reset my goals and try to add a few new ones.  Here they are:

1. Continue working on better health ( I don't think this one never stops)
    * Better eating choices
    * Loose 30 lbs
    * Get into size 10 jeans :)
    * Get my cholesterol 25 more points lower

    * Keep a regular exercise program going 

2. Organize and declutter small areas of my house
    The spring of 2009, I went through my house (kitchen cabinets and closets)
    and did a serious purge of stuff and junk.  I have no idea what                  possessed me to do that.  After having the auto accident in June 09, I am soooo glad I did.  It proved to be very helpful for me and to friends/family when they had to come over and help me.  Now I need to go a little deeper. 
    * Clean "junk" drawers
    * Clean closets
    * Go through my clothes
    * Donate toys
    * Repaint a guest bedroom

Hall Closet (before)

Hall closet (after)  I painted these closet in Spring 09.  They just needed a little attention.

This closet is in the boys bathroom.  It's the home of towels/wash clothes.  It is also where all the games, crafts, and school supplies live.

Now we can see which game to play next.

3.  I want to write more.  I keep LOTS of notes.  I have LOTS of words in my head and on my heart.  I just don't sit down and write.

4.  Trust God.  Give Him "me". My body is weaker and more feeble.  What I have I want Him to use.  Trust Him with my diagnoses and recoveries.  I need to NOT be afraid.  That's a big one for me.  Fear is a whole other discussion in the future.

5. Last but not least, I want to enjoy turning 50 this year.  I know you are all shocked.  And would have never believed that I was this old.  Hahaha  I will turn 50 on May 6th.  I plan to celebrate the rest of the year. 

Set some goals not resolutions.  Don't set yourself up to fail.  But give yourself enough of a challenge to strive for a better you in 2011.

ROBOT