This summer, I have two healthy cherry tomato plants growing in my garden, despite the fact that I didn’t plant them and I’ve done nothing to make them grow.
Long after they started to grow, my daughter heard me talking about these plants, and she innocently said, “I planted them.”
What?
With a shrug, she said, “I planted two tomatoes last year.”
Apparently, not knowing if they would grow, she took two tomatoes from last year’s plant and buried them. Not seeds, but whole tomatoes.
I thought the extreme temps and very little rain would be the end of them, but my husband started watering them and they continued to grow.
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My head spins, temples pound as I hear that three-letter word for the umpteenth time:
“Why?!?”
Before becoming a parent, I vowed to always respond honestly. I was never going to say “Because I said so.” No, I was going to take the time to reply wholeheartedly before they started looking for why’s answer elsewhere.
Keep in mind, this was before I was truly introduced to the age of four and fully grasped what children were capable of.
And I gave this day my very best shot. I went round and round, answering the same question multiple ways. My words few, my answers as honest as I thought he was capable of understanding.
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Summer is just about over and the kiddos will begin school again in about five weeks. I will have a 4th grader attending public school, a 7th grader who I will be homeschooling while working full-time (called and a little crazy), and a “home-schooled with a tutor” senior who will finish high school at the end of the first quarter (just a few months behind his class).
As a full-time working mom with a husband on unemployment, summer did not afford us a vacation to “get away from it all”. Life kept going, just as it was before summer. School, work, “training them up in the way they should go”.
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I am a plant killer.
It’s true. Home Depot should have a wanted poster up in the garden center with my picture on it – reward money being offered for my capture. My husband keeps encouraging me to buy plastic greenery, but I love real plants. And so the cycle of buy them, kill them, buy them, kill them continues.
Imagine my joy when I walked into my kitchen one day and noticed a tiny splash of purple. My African violet that had not bloomed in years finally had one happy cluster of petals. I smiled and thanked the Lord. But as soon as the thank you for the unexpected flower passed my lips, an unexpected question popped into my mind.
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Written on
July 31, 2012 by
Kris in
Blog
But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. Joshua 7:1
Quizically, they’re looking at me from across the chipped up table and I’m starting to get uncomfortable. My throat’s tightening up I keep swallowing forcing the moan that’s building back down. I’ve read this story before, but this reaction that’s usurping me–this is a first.
We’re reading the story of Joshua leading the Israelites into battle and they have just lost the battle at Ai.
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Summer. It’s popsicles, pool parties, sunscreen, watermelon, late nights, and sleepovers. It’s air conditioning, family reunions, camping trips, and water balloon fights. It’s Vacation Bible School. It’s swimming lessons. It’s fireworks. It’s ice cream.
It seems like it comes and goes in a blink, as we’re carried from packing to unpacking to laundry to the pool to a friend’s house and back again. Summer is a hummingbird, darting from flower to flower, wings a-buzzing, never stopping.
It’s the fast season — where plants grow and flowers bloom, water rushes off melting glaciers and insects fill the skies. All nature moves quicker with this season of warmth and prosperity.
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You are finally here. After weeks and months of planning, you are here. It’s hot, but you don’t mind. You can almost feel the wind whipping through your hair already. A bead of sweat strolls lazily down your back, but your smile doesn’t waver.
As you walk through the gates you grab a map. It’s not like you need one. You memorized the lay of the park even last night before you fell asleep, knowing which rides you would hit first. Your arms swing quickly to keep time with your step.
Finally, you catch sight of it in the distance. Your eyes strain to read the sign at the entrance.
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Let me begin by telling you that I have battled depression . . . both situational and chemical/hormonal. I’ve been depressed at times when the people around me understood, and at times when they had no idea what to do or how to help.
If you are dealing with depression know that I am praying for you as I write this.
Something I have learned from my struggle with depression:
I want to be happy!
If you want to be happy too . . . I have some suggestions for you:
1. Get help – Talk to your doctor, talk to a counselor, confide in someone you trust.
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