Watermelon May 18, 2010

I love watermelon. It’s the perfect, refreshing, delicious, sweet, summery fruit. When I was a kid, we ate watermelon almost every day during the summer. We’d be playing in the sprinkler or at the neighborhood pool (which we also did almost every day), and my mom would bring out a plate of ice-cold, freshly sliced chunks of watermelon. We would dig in; it would drip all over our faces and suits, but it didn’t matter because we’d just hop right back in the water! Yum and fun!

So, filled with those memories, I impulsively I bought a watermelon today at the grocery store (it was NOT on the list . And you know what I’ve realized? Watermelon is a pain to cut. I mean, you REALLY have to work for it, especially if you want to “chunk” it, which is my favorite way to eat it. After spending most of Eliza’s nap slicing and chunking this massive watermelon, I have to admit, as much as I love watermelon, I’ll be tempted to bypass it next time I’m in the store thinking “Oh, it’s too much trouble” and go buy some grapes instead.

But I hope my next thought will be, ”What if my mom had done that?” If she had, we kids wouldn’t have the water-playing-watermelon-eating memories that we have, and I probably wouldn’t enjoy eating watermelon as much as I do. It’s in the simple moments like this that I’m reminded – I’M the mom now, which means now I have to do things that I don’t necessarily like to do for the benefit of my kids.

The Bible talks about this. In Philippians, Paul tells us to “consider others better than ourselves” and to ”look not only to you own interests but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3&4). I am grateful that, because God is so gracious, I can apply this truth to something as simple as cutting up a watermelon for my family to enjoy… And I’m thankful that I have a mom who modeled it for me first!

Old Friends December 17, 2009

A sweet couple from our church, Mark and Charon, invited us to go on a hay ride to look at Christmas lights last Saturday. So, Justin, Stacey, Zoe, Hank, Eric, Maggie, Shepherd, Eliza, Tim and I piled on the flat bed full of hay with everyone else and off we went. It was a super fun time, albeit a little chilly and misty.

Well, as we were talking, laughing, singing and riding up and down streets of giant, beautifully decorated houses looking at Christmas lights, Zoe looked at her mom and said, “These are my old friends.”

I loved this comment from sweet 3-year-old Zoe on so many levels. First of all, I think it is too cute that a 3-year-old can consider us “old friends.” I mean, think about it, my “old friends” are friends I’ve know for 20 years, whereas Zoe’s “old friends” are friends she knew 6 months ago when we all lived in Kentucky together. It just makes me chuckle to think of a 3-year-old’s perspective of “old.”

Also, I love that it was like we got to see it finally click in her little brain who Maggie, Shepherd, Tim, Eliza and I all are. Both Dave and Maggie and Tim and I had babysat for Zoe and Hank on many occasions while we all lived in Louisville. Zoe had been to our houses, played with our babies, seen us at church, etc. I love that all of a sudden it just clicked. It was like she was saying, “Wait, I recognize these people, I know these people.” YAY! That makes me happy.

“These are my old friends.” Yes, Zoe, that’s us, your old friends. I’m so thankful you and your family are here in Pearland with us, and I pray we’ll be friends for a very, very, very long time.

Walgreens Fun October 30, 2009

So, I was feeling a lot of pressure to make my first post on this new blog something memorable. I was conflicted. Should I reflect on the past 2 months since Dave and I moved from Louisville? Or perhaps write a review of a recent devotional book? Or maybe I should describe the journey we’ve been on since our call to come plant a church in Pearland.

 

Well, I opted for something silly instead. And the pressure was lifted! So, here goes for a fun little bit of silliness. This one definitely falls in the “random stuff that crosses our minds” category. Serious posts will follow…eventually…I promise.

 

So, I was in Walgreens (hence, the title of this post) last week with Shepherd, my 6 month-old son.  We were getting some pictures developed and doing a little perusing while waiting. As we strolled along in the candy isle, I noticed a woman pick up not one, but two packages of Necco Wafers. That’s right, those chalky circular disks they call “candy.” Eww. Dave and I always joke about the fact that we have never actually known anyone to like Necco Wafers. No longer is this the case. I witnessed this woman buy two packs of these and I am quite confident that she immediately cracked one of them open in her car and dug right in. How can you be so confident, you ask. Well, the only thing she purchased in Walgreens was these two packs of Necco Wafers, and we all know that whenever you come into a drug store just for candy, you immediately proceed to eat the candy in your car. Or sneak it into a movie theater (if your conscience allows, of course – obviously mine does).

 

For the record, I would rather pay $9 for a box of Sno-caps at the movie theater than eat one free pack of Necco Wafers.

 

Okay, back to Walgreens…all the while that I was witnessing the Necco Wafer lady making history, I was listening to Rick Astley singing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” I was getting “rickrolled” if you will.  It was the perfect combination of oddity (the lady buying Necco Wafers) and hilarity (anytime this song comes on it is hilarious – period).

 

I tried to explain the humor of the situation to Shepherd, but he just sort of looked at me and then looked back at the toy he was holding and proceeded to cram it into his mouth. One day you will understand, my son, one day.

 

I think I’ll be frequenting this Walgreens on a regular basis. Who knows what other fun things await me!