Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

 If you are involved in education, you recognize that the last couple of years have been hard. I think I've honestly said, "This is a weird year, but it's has to get better." for three years now. We made it through COVID virtual education. Then we spent two years catching children up from virtual education. This is the side effects I've seen from living with a COVID society in children. Keep in mind that for some of these kids, most of their lives have been dealing with the fear of viral disaster. There has been a unifying occurrence across ages from preschoolers to young adults. Anxiety and fear is a common denominator. Think about it. Adults were freaking out if someone coughed in public, touched something without hand sanitizer, or lowered their mask. There was a fear of the unknown. What would happen if you got the virus? What would happen if you got the vaccine? What would happen to our economy? Would I be able to get toilet paper? This fear filtered down to ...

As I watched my youngest child graduate high school yesterday,  I felt mixed emotions. There was the joy that we survived all the emotional ups and downs that coexist with high school attendance, but there was also a sadness that I've approached the end of an era in raising my children. Don't get me wrong. I will always be there for my children and mother them, but our relationships have evolved into a new area of standing back and watching them put what they've learned over the years into practice. So as my youngest took that walk to accept his diploma, I was proud and sentimental. Here are some things you may not have known about my youngest. He is one of the gentlest young men I know. Because of this little kids love him. I imagine the picture of Jesus sitting, surrounded by children wanting to hang out with Him. This is my son. He is extremely forgiving. During much of his school life, he would come home and tell me some of the mean things said to him. You may not kn...

  As many know, my oldest son graduated from college yesterday. All of my children are amazing, young adults, but today I'll focus on Trenton's accomplishments. You may not know that he not only graduated with a degree in History and Education, but also passed Firefighter 1 and 2 for Missouri and completed training for EMT. While simultaneously going to school full-time, he also worked as a volunteer firefighter for Western Taney fire department. He would spend the evenings studying, then wake up at two in the morning to rush to the aid of his community.  There were some nights that he rushed to an emergency three times in the early morning and some nights he didn't sleep at all, only to go to class covered in soot and exhausted. At the college, he also worked 15 hours a week.  When he was in junior high school, he encountered some struggles with an activity to which he participated. We told him that life will be hard at times, but the key was sticking it out when times...

  This year has been a year of lasts since my youngest child is graduating from high school. Last night was the last prom. My son had decided that he would ask his sister if she would accompany him. He explained that there was no pressure to impress her, and she was a cheap date. It actually made sense. This was Megan's fifth prom. She had accompanied a friend her freshman year, junior prom, senior prom, boyfriend's prom, and a disability prom as a chaperone. So her agreeing to go to this prom was a big sacrifice.  She mentioned that she didn't mind because she wanted to be there for her brother. During the prom, I got the goofiest, funniest picture of the two together. When they got home, Andrew told me that Megan had wanted a fun prom, so he slow-danced with her making goofy faces all through the dance to give her a fun prom. This got me thinking. As small children, I remember the long monologues I would give trying to convince my 3, 5, and 8-year olds that we have to sh...

I was able to participate in the celebration of nuptials for a sweet young couple this weekend. It took me back to my wedding over 25 years ago. I remember all the work involved in planning the perfect wedding, which was especially hard considering neither Pinterest, Google, or any internet existed. Yes, it was the old times according to my children. I had only been to one wedding as a kid and had zero experience planning or even seeing weddings. I would drive into town and observe the wedding rental display windows to come up with ideas. The photography consisted of standing directly in front of the camera, along with the wedding party and smiling.  My background wasn't a babbling brook or a  pastoral field of flowers. It was a church with paneling and burnt orange carpet. Let me tell you, nothing makes a wedding dress pop like burnt orange carpet. I remember the stress of trying to get everything right the night before the wedding. My mother and I scooped watermelon and s...

  Friday, our ladies' group at church hosted a ladies' tea. I had only attended one tea, so hosting one was a bit of a challenge. The church was decorated, food appeared, then came tea time. The devotion was simple. Does God Care? I shared a passage in Luke 12:12 where Jesus was visiting Lazarus'house in Bethany. A party is being thrown for Jesus. Before this party, Lazarus had taken ill and died (Luke 11). As Jesus approached the tomb of Lazarus, Lazarus'sisters, Mary and Martha, are consumed with grief. Through their tears, they questioned why Jesus took so long that He let Lazarus die. In response, Jesus saw their grief and cried with them. Why would He cry with them when He knew He would be bringing Lazarus back to life? He cried because He felt their pain, even though He knew it would work out okay in the end. Later, at the party, Mary took an alabaster jar of nard perfume, broke it, and poured it on Jesus' feet. This perfume might have been her inheritance. I...

  First of all, I'm sorry about missing last week. I was overcoming being ill and had to rest for the weekend. After rest, I'm much better and ready to discuss this special day. If you believe our world around us, it's about family dinners, egg hunts, bunnies, pretty Spring dresses, and candy. None of those things in themselves are bad. They just miss the mark of the purpose for the whole Bible- redemption . Since Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, there was a divide separating humans from simply feeling complete in God's presence. When Adam and Eve decided choosing what was right and wrong for their life was more important than trusting God to choose, their need to have control separated them from God. We can't be too hard on them because we still do the same today. What happens when God wants you to trust Him but you worry nonstop instead, or He wants you to do something and you refuse? It's choosing the proverbial apple all over ag...