My Husband, the Deacon

What a special service we had last Wednesday night. I have only time for pictures, no words. And even if I had time, I still think I would have no words. Here are some pictures from the reception afterward…

This Ember Day

Chris is being ordained as a deacon at our church tonight. This makes all my senses on heightened alert. It may also be the sleep deprivation that has plagued us both for the last couple months. But I don’t think so. These last couple months have been hard. And when I say hard, I can only leave it at that. There are no words to describe the hardness. But it’s the hardest hardness I’ve ever known. Between his job, my job, three girls with very busy lives and multi-faceted needs, school, homework, church, driving all over kingdom come and beyond, not to mention all my mumble-jumbled emotions… 

It’s been hard.

 But I am so proud of him and how he’s persevered through the hardness and how he loves God and people truly and deeply and how he’s gently led our family through these hard times.

It’s kind of weird to be excited about something that in reality will only make things harder, but I think I am actually a little excited today! I don’t have any delusions about things getting any easier now. But it feels like we’re getting somewhere. And it feels like I’m slowly getting used to the hardness. I don’t know if I’ll ever have skin as thick as leather. But it might be a little more like paper that can go in a printer now as opposed to the tissue paper that it was, crumbling easily and breaking at the slightest puncture. Maybe it’s good that my heart is soft and mushy anyway. May the hardness never reach it.

I love you, Honey. I am so thankful that God has given you to be my husband for these past almost-twenty years. And I am thankful that you are now being given to the ministry of his Church. This life is good and I am thankful.

ALMIGHTY God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hair, Part Three

Yes, I do realize there was never a Hair, Part Two, even though I promised one (a long, long time ago). So I have to leave room for that in case I ever get around to doing it someday. But I probably won’t. There is something I really love about unfulfilled promises. Not broken, just unfulfilled. I kind of enjoy people getting mad at me for them. It’s the constant bringing up of the promises I made that you and I both know I will never follow through on (but there’s always the possibility) that keeps the attention on me. I like that kind of attention. 

But back to Hair, Part Three. 

What is it that makes people think that the following statements are okay on days that I straighten my hair? 

1. Gasp! “What happened to your beautiful curls?” (while running their fingers through my hair, uninvited)
2. “Boy, if I had curly hair, I just don’t think I would ever straighten it.”
3. “Why is it that people always want what they don’t have? I have straight hair and I wish it was curly and you have curls and you wish it was straight.” 

Translation (in my mind) to all three of those statements: “You are ugly, your mom is ugly, your mom’s hair is ugly, the music that you listen to is stupid and you’re an idiot.” 

There is no good way to respond to these people. None. They are not giving a compliment, so I can’t just say “thank you.” They are making accusations (most of which are untrue) that instantly put me on the defensive. And I hate when I get defensive. I feel like a big ole lamebrain sitting there explaining to people that I like to be able to switch back and forth, all I did was blow it dry today and the curls will be back next time I wash it, straightening is fun sometimes because it will last three days (which means I don’t have to fix my hair for two days), blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 

And that’s my rant for this Monday. 

Give me some attention, please.