Great is His Faithfulness

John and Laini's latest fort. It was, in reality, pretty impressive. It had a sleeping room, a game room, and a room for Playmobil. C'mon--that's not bad for an 8 and 7 year old.

I just thought this was cute. Hannah-Banana is definitely not the little girl she was when we left the States.

Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

Wow! It's been nearly two months since you heard from me--definitely the longest since we left the States in 2007. Most of you know that it has been an eventful time for us--John became very ill, and we had to leave the apartment where we were living in Prague. We spent two weeks being homeless, then found a new home in Plzen, near the Czech/German border. We now live in a sweet neighborhood, with kind, wonderful neighbors, not to mention close friends who are now also close by. Much of the last month has been taken up with me moving us into our home here while Marc has been in Vancouver at the Olympics. He also spent a week in Florida, speaking to different groups about the work in this part of the world (and being completely spoiled by my parents). He has had an amazing, if exhausting, month, and he comes home to us tomorrow. We are a pretty excited group of people! To make it even better, my friend, Melissa, who has been in the hospital seemingly forever with an ear infection that turned pretty bizarre, is also coming home tomorrow. I feel like Friday just might be a pretty amazing day.

Sometimes, I don't write anything here because nothing interesting is going on in my life. Sometimes, interesting stuff is happening, but I just don't have time to sit down and get this done. Sometimes--and this is one of those times--I don't write because I find myself in the midst of something overwhelming, and I don't know how to put it into words that would even make sense to someone else. My friend, Frances, jokes that we will some day be Member Care--the counseling wing of the IMB--because every weird thing that could happen has happened to us on the field. John's illness--caused by something in the water that got into his system through cracked and bleeding skin on his hands--is just the latest in a really strange set of circumstances that has been our path for the last three years. However, I have to say that though we have clearly had some bizarre stuff happen, I think we've had an amazing experience on the field, one I will always be thankful for--if for no other reason than that God has proven Himself so faithful in every way through every circumstance we have faced. Here are just a few examples:

• The entire team we served with when we came to Moscow--a team full of people we dearly loved--resigned and returned to the States. Each person/family were following where God was leading them, and these were certainly not decisions they made lightly. But you can imagine, I think, that as they one-by-one left (starting, quite literally, with our first week there, when a journeyman left to get married), we started to feel like maybe we were a little toxic. As we continued, more close friends from outside of our team resigned or left Moscow, making us feel as though we had some kind of aura about us that made people feel instantly that God wanted them to leave. This wasn't true, and we certainly knew it, but it was difficult not to feel somehow responsible for the number of people close to us who were leaving. So what did we learn? Through this experience we learned to be grateful for the people God places in our lives, but not to be dependent on them for our security. No matter what God is telling other people to do, He has a special plan just for us, and it's our responsibility to follow it...no matter what it entails. The flip side of that is that other people have to follow God's plan for them, no matter how much we will miss them.
  

• The loss of our beloved friend, Teri. Please don't get me wrong--her unexpected death is not my family's story, it's her family's story, and because I love them so much, I would never want anyone to think that I think her death was all about what it did to our family. But the family had become such an important part of our lives, and I had come to rely so much on Teri for love and support and encouragement that her sudden death was a shock to us, just like it was to all who knew her. In many ways, her death shaped our time on the field more than any other single event. She was that important to us. So what did I learn through this death of a precious friend? Treasure the time, make it count, love people...all things, by the way, that I learned from Teri's life. Together with my friend, Frances, no one has shaped who I am on the field more than Teri. And so, once again, I am thankful and grateful for my time with her, knowing that God has a purpose in her death just like He had a purpose in her life. I don't know what purpose her death served, and I likely will never know this side of Heaven, but I have seen the God of all comfort in action, and I know He knows. And for me, right now, that is enough.
  

• Moving to Prague. Hmmm...ever done something that you knew, absolutely, 100% was God's will and then been kind of unhappy? Not discontent (well, at least not most of the time), but unhappy. Some unhappiness was caused by illness, because we all felt sick in the apartment we lived in, with Sarah Beth suffering the longest (she literally broke out into hives the first night we were there and never got better) and John becoming really ill at the end of our time there. Ever been happy in ministry, in schooling, in work, in closeness to friends...but still had a vague sense of unease? That was us in Prague. And we felt guilty about it (still do, I suppose in some ways)--life in Prague was easier than in Moscow, better weather, a huge, beautiful place to live, a gorgeous city to explore, ministry to do with Russian-speakers--feeling as though we were ungrateful for all the good stuff in our lives. And the Czech people! Don't get me started on the kindness of Czechs. They are an amazingly hospitable people in my experience--so kind as I butcher their language on a daily basis, or break into Russian, a language they cannot love, since it's pretty much the language of oppression to them. And yet, they smile and listen, answering me in Czech, allowing me to answer them in Russian. So kind. Ever been there, where you should be ecstatic, should be thinking you were in paradise--and yet that's not at all how you felt? I don't have the answer to this one, friends. I have some ideas, but most of them are just forming about this sense of unease, and I'm not quite ready to share them. However, I can say, without a doubt, that God intends us to serve Him wherever He plants us, no matter whether we're happy or not. Daily, God puts people in front of us to serve, people who need to know His love. If you think that's not true, then you're not paying attention. I don't care who you are, I don't care where you are--if you're a believer, God is putting people in front of you who need to know about His love. And you know what? He doesn't care if you're happy. That is not an acceptable excuse for not loving people. Our lesson: Do what He has for us right now, no matter what. The whys will take care of themselves in time.

This is kind of a mixed bag, isn't it? My brain is so jumbled, I'm not even sure if you can see the connection between these three examples. But to me, as I think my way through the last three years on the field, what connects every circumstance, every weird thing is the unbending, inflexible nature of God's faithfulness to me and to us as a family. He has never wavered, though I have often wavered. He has never lost sight of who I am, though I have often felt completely lost. He has never stopped being merciful and gracious, though I have sometimes had a hard time being merciful and gracious, sometimes to others, more often to myself. He has never stopped loving me, though I have often been my own most-unrelenting critic. He has cut me a break seven times seventy times, though I have been unforgiving of the slightest flaw in myself. He is gracious and merciful and compassionate beyond measure...but it is His faithfulness to one as unfaithful as I that brings me to my knees. Great is His faithfulness...I will sing it with my dying breath.

Well, my children are moving around, wanting to be fed and start school so they can get done. It's a pretty morning here in Plzen, and the temperatures are starting to warm up. I can't wait to get outside and breathe in some fresh air! Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are grateful for the many ways God shows His faithfulness to you, and that you are only 31 hours away from seeing your beloved, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

A thank you note to Southern Baptists

Prague's snowy rooftops make the city even more of a fairy tale. This is the view out of John's window this morning.

It has been snowing pretty steadily for a day now. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but it is still really snowing outside. This is the view from our living room window.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

Happy New Year from snowy, beautiful Prague! The kids and I are snug in our apartment this morning, trying to stay warm, and Marc is in the Arctic Circle trying to do the same. John and I went to a homeschool activity yesterday morning, and we were both pretty startled by how cold we were. Lots of wind and snow. And we thought Central Europe would be warmer! Oh, well...it certainly is beautiful.

I've been thinking a lot lately about Southern Baptists. (I don't care if you are Southern Baptist, by the way. We just happen to work for a Southern Baptist entity.) Many of you are aware of the economic downturn at imb (our new branding has all lowercase letters and no article...it makes me nervous as an English teacher). The Cooperative Program (the method by which Southern Baptist churches cooperate for things like missions, seminary education, state conventions, etc.) saw a downturn, as churches gave less because they had less, and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) came in about 40 million dollars below what we needed. It has been a hard time, and people on the field have certainly felt the economic crunch in many ways. (Kind of like the States, huh?) I've been thinking about Lottie Moon and her offering, about what makes Southern Baptists give to missions, and about being grateful and thankful to Southern Baptists for our life here on the field.

When I gave to LMCO as a child, I gave because my church gave. I grew up knowing about Lottie Moon through missions organizations like GAs and Mission Friends and Acteens, and my church gave to LMCO every Christmas. As I grew older and became an adult, sometimes I gave to LMCO because I hoped that God would leave me alone about missions. (Yes, that makes me smile.) But often I gave because it was what was expected. It wasn't until I became close friends with a former MK, until I knew her parents and came to deeply love them, that Lottie Moon really came alive for me. She wasn't just some long-ago missionary to China. She was Uncle Ed and Aunt Mary, working in Kenya and Belgium, loving their family, missing the States, adoring Oklahoma football. She was a real person. And because I identified with them, she became more important to me.

I thought about this New Year's Eve, when we had 52 people at our house for a party. (We have a cool roof-top terrace, a perfect place to watch fireworks.) All but two of those people are supported by LMCO. You know what we did? We watched football (of course--the Sooners were playing!), we played games, we ate too much food, we set off fireworks with our kids, we hugged our children and kissed our spouses at midnight...we did the same things you did. Your missionaries (and we ARE your missionaries, if you tithe every week in a Southern Baptist church) aren't the super-saved. We're normal people. Ordinary. We love our kids, we worry about their allergies, our spouses travel too much, our houses aren't always clean...just like you. The difference is that God has called us for such a time as this to a land that is not our own, and we said, "Yes."

Some of the early news about LMCO is promising. Our home church gave more than ever before. Another church in our area of Florida collected $30,000 on Christmas Eve. I have heard others say that they are also hearing good things about the offering. I don't know how it will turn out any better than anyone else, but I do know that Southern Baptists are Southern Baptist because they believe in missions, in the Great Commission, in going to the ends of the earth. And so, as I sit here in my comfortable chair, watching it snow and drinking my second cup of coffee, I want to say, "Thank you." Thank you for contributing what you could. Thank you for believing in my call from God. Thank you for sacrificing and giving so that my family could live in this beautiful but very lost city. When we pray over our meals, we often say, "Thank you for the food and for the Southern Baptists who paid for it." I don't know anyone who works for our company who isn't thankful for the ordinary person who sits in a pew somewhere and gives faithfully every week so we can do what we do. While we sacrificed to come here, you sacrifice so we can stay. You are never far from our minds, and we are grateful for your sacrifice. I just wanted you to know.

Well, my kids are still asleep at almost 9a.m. What will I do with the quiet? I might read a book. Or I might just sit here, sipping my coffee and watching the snow. Either sounds pretty good to me! Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are continuing to fulfill God's call on your life, and that you don't have to get out in the snow, either. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

It turns out encouragement comes in a flat-rate box from the US Postal Service...who knew?

Hannah and I went to the salon and had our hair cut yesterday. Doesn't she look grown up?!?!

Boo Boo and I being silly after John John's Christmas party.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light... I Peter 2:9

There are some pretty excited kids in our apartment this morning, because there is a pretty good amount of snow on the ground, and it is still coming down at a good pace. Okay, it's not just the kids who are excited...Marc and I are loving the snow, too. The only one who isn't excited is Sarah Beth, who hates the snow. Her first words to us yesterday, when she woke up to find it snowing, were, "Okay...who prayed for snow?" But the rest of us are loving it! The high today is 20, and the forecast is calling for snow the next four days. Sweet!

I was thinking this morning about an old friend of mine. During a very dark and difficult time in her life, when we had taken her children somewhere or done something for them, she wrote us a thank you note. In her note, she said something I'll never forget. She thanked us for our kindness, and she said that when we did something for her children, we did it for her. I thought I knew how she felt then, but it wasn't until we came to the mission field that I really understood what she was saying. We have recently been the recipient of just this sort of kindness, and now I truly understand that when you do something for my kids, you've done it for me.

It has been a truly difficult six months since we moved to Prague. While we have no doubt that we are exactly where God means us to be for this moment, it is not home. We live in someone else's apartment, with someone else's cats, and though we are grateful for the roof over our heads and the companionship of their pets, those things are theirs, not ours. For the first time since we came to the field, we have very little money, because we took a cut in our field parity to come to Prague, but our expenses rose (due to things like electricity, internet, etc.) drastically. We do not have plans for the next year or two nailed down, yet, which is disconcerting. And though I cannot believe I am going to say this...we miss Russia. In fact, we pretty desperately miss Russia. God has definitely used this time in Prague to make us know for certain that our hearts are fitted for Russia and for Russians. He has used our ministry to Russian speakers as a way to confirm that, and we are grateful for that ministry, but it does not make us long for Russia less. So...it has been a difficult six months here.

So imagine how we felt as Christmas quickly approached. Very little money, homesick for America, homesick for Moscow, lonely...you name it. We were feeling pretty down and blue. But then something amazing happened. My dad would call and say, "I just put money in your account from so-and-so. Just wanted you to know." Or, "A Sunday School class has adopted you guys for Christmas, and they need a list of things you'd like from home." Or my sister would call and say, "My Sunday School class has collected money for a gift. What would you like me to do with it?" Then, last Friday, seven boxes arrived from our home church. SEVEN! The nice young man who is our delivery person for the Czech postal service even clapped his hands as the kids danced around and shouted to each other. The boxes were full of presents and treats for Christmas. I had so much fun letting the kids put presents under the tree and enjoy their Christmas socks and Christmas cups. What a great time!

But it's not the boxes that made a difference in our feelings. It was being remembered. Imagine the fun of looking at the names on those gifts and recognizing people from home. How would you feel if you were far away from home, if you hadn't seen people you loved in a couple of years, and you knew that someone at home had gone to the store and bought something especially for you? Imagine the joy of imagining someone at Walmart thinking to themselves, "John Hooks would really love these cars." To be thought about, to be remembered, to know that you are prayed over...these are things that far surpass boxes and gifts. I have received several notes in the last two weeks--words of encouragement and love and support--and they have lifted my spirits in ways I don't even have words to describe.

Imagine the joy of watching my children be encouraged. We were able to throw a surprise Christmas party for John with money donated to us by Sunday School classes. I was able to surprise Hannah with a haircut at a salon yesterday with money donated by a Sunday School class. The fun of watching them look through those presents under the tree, shaking and listening and wondering...indescribable. And because folks did these things for my kids, they have done them for me.

Do boxes of gifts from home and notes of encouragement change any of our circumstances, make us miss Moscow any less, make it any easier to be here? Nope. But there is something about knowing that we are loved and missed, thought about and prayed over, something about a tangible reminder of these things, that makes it easier to deal with the discouragement, the loneliness, and the homesickness. It makes it easier to face the next eight months and finish well. It really does.

So here is my challenge to you. Find someone who serves somewhere to encourage today. Maybe your pastor or youth minister or worship minister is going through a tough time and could use a little love. Maybe you know of a military family who is experiencing separation this Christmas. Send them a note. Remind them that they are loved. Thank them for their service. Pray for them. Above all, pray for them. I promise you that, just like the boxes blessed the Czech man who delivered them, when you give and encourage and pray for someone, you will be blessed, too.

Well, it's time to make breakfast for my hungry crew. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are encouraged by those who love you and are praying for you, and that there is snow in your forecast, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Yellow cake and icing

Yellow cake:
Cream together:
1 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Sift together:
3 3/4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix wet and dry ingredients and pour into greased caked pans (or cupcake holders). Bake at 175C until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. This was the best, moistest yellow cake recipe I've found.

Buttercream Icing (thank you to Stacy Dyck)
1/2 cup solid shortening (we used butter last night, and it was fine)
1/2 cup butter softened
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar (again, we have used Russian and Czech before, and it's fine)
2 Tbsp milk

Cream butter and shortening. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time. When all is added, add milk and beat until light and fluffy. Add food coloring for desired color.

This icing recipe has worked great for us. Leslie, you might also ask Frances for her cooked frosting recipe. We've had great luck with that, too.

For the rest of you, who came looking for a blog post--I promise I'm working on it. But trust me, when you find a good recipe that works here, you have to share with your pals. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Kellye

Breadmaker Roll Recipe

I've had several people ask for my roll recipe. Here it is:

Add to the breadmaker in this order:
1 cup water
2 beaten eggs
1/3 plus 2 TBSP oil (I've been using olive oil lately)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt (In CZ, I add an extra 1/2 tsp., since our salt isn't very salty)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. yeast

Set for the dough cycle. When it's finished, roll it into whatever you want to make--I use this recipe for dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, hot dog and hamburger buns--then let it rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 175 C for 10-12 minutes. That's it. Enjoy!

Thankful for His faithfulness

Goofy, goofy children. John and Hannah in Karlstejn, Czech Republic.

Some of my favorite people on the train to Karlstejn, Czech Republic: John, Marc and Hannah.

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalm 89:1

Although it is 5:30 (the cats woke me up a couple of hours ago, and I got up at 4), I don't have tons of time this morning. Thanksgiving for our team is at our house, which means there are still many little things to get done before 2p.m., when we are expecting people. However, I wanted to take just a minute or two and tell you some of the things for which I am thankful. So here is a list, in no particular order:

• Of course, my kids and husband. Yesterday was a truly awful day in a thousand ways (the shower broke and the washing machine flooded, just to mention two of them), but by last night, when we were on our way to a worship service with friends, they had me laughing out loud on the street. Funny and entertaining and loving and caring...these four people never cease to amaze me. Gifts from God, each one of them.
• My amazing immediate family. I've written tons about my parents and sisters and their love and support and encouragement. Suffice to say that when God was handing out families, I really got the cream of the crop.
  
• Amazing friends all over the world. I thought I knew what friendship was before I came on the field. After two plus years away from home, I can honestly say that I understand friendship, have experienced it, and am a better friend now than I have ever been in the past. I could not exist without my friends.
  
• Our home church, First Baptist Church of Middleburg, Florida. Lately, it seems they have an endless supply of encouragement for us. We are honored to be their missionaries.
• Southern Baptists...you pay my bills and make it possible for me to be here. Please give generously to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
• Our church here. I understand maybe 60% of every sermon, but I adore worshiping in Russian, and these sweet people have made us feel very, very welcome. They are proof that the family of Christ is, indeed, a family...in whatever language.
• My preschoolers. You have never seen anyone backpedal as quickly as I did when I found out I would be teaching ESL to preschoolers. PRESCHOOLERS!!!?!?!?! You know what? I love it. Love it, love it, love it. Love cutting out the little stuff for them, love making play doh for them, love teaching them, little by little, about Jesus' love...love it. I never thought I would say this, but there is little in life that is better than when they run up to me and call me "uchitilnitsa" (Russian for teacher). Who knew I would be so crazy about little kids? Turns out...God knew.
  

Maybe you are looking at my list and thinking that I could not understand your situation, your hard times, your struggles. And maybe you're right. In many, many ways, my life has been a charmed one. Loving family, great husband, fabulous kids, a sense of purpose and mission, a career I have loved...blessings all mine. But I want you to know that the last five months, since we moved to Prague, have been some of the toughest of our time on the field. When we moved here, we took a cut in field parity, a significant cut. But our expenses (especially in terms of our utilities) quadrupled. Suddenly, we have found ourselves--like many of you--struggling financially to pay our bills and feed our kids. We have not known financial hardship since coming to the field--until now. But it isn't only a financial struggle to be here. We love Prague--it is absolutely one of the most beautiful places on earth, and the surrounding countryside is gorgeous. In comparison to Russians (very generally speaking, by the way), Czechs are friendlier and less likely to yell at us when we do something culturally wrong (like unzip our coats at the wrong time of year). We love our team, we love our church, some of our very closest friends live only an hour and a half away...from the outside, our life is as close to perfect as anyone has the right to expect. Yet we long for Moscow. (Not all of us--Sarah Beth longs for Texas!) We are homesick for snow and ice and the crowded, smelly Moscow metro...but we know we are supposed to be here for this moment in time. Why? I have some ideas, but none I'm ready to share with the universe at large. Suffice to say--God knows what He's doing. He knows us better than we know us. And He is showing us some things so clearly right now...things we could not have learned in Moscow, things we could only learn here. And so, despite the hardship and the longing for "home," I am thankful that God is not done teaching me stuff. I wish He could find an easy way to do it, but that is not evidently in the cards for me. Today I will enjoy this moment, with these people, in this place, but I will thank Him that He has created something within me that longs for another place, a place that only He could give me a heart for in His immense love for me.

Well, friends, there are sweet potatoes to mash up in the kitchen, so I need to run. (Yes...sweet potatoes...and I only paid maybe $6 for them! Unbelievable.) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are thankful today for the good and the bad in your life, the easy and the difficult, the beautiful and the ugly. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

When did cat hair become a metaphor for my life?

Honestly, I don't know what to say about this, except that it's a typical day at the Hooks home. Sarah Beth looks pretty normal, but John is touching his nose with his tongue, and Hannah is...well, I don't know for sure, but I think she's trying to touch her nose with her tongue. Let's just say this...they aren't boring or dull.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Okay, okay. I know it's been a while. Would it matter if I told you I've been really, really busy? Or that I've had so much going on that I just didn't have much to say? It wouldn't make a difference? Well, then I'll just have to apologize and try to do better. How's that? (That was for Mom.) Things here are fine. It's been a bit warmer in Prague, and that's nice. School is rolling along, and we have been able to get Sarah Beth mostly caught up with where she would be if she hadn't gone to the States. Marc is leaving this morning for an editing retreat, and the kids and I are getting the house ready for Thanksgiving. Pretty much just normal life.

We had a teen girls' Bible study over last night for dinner. Sarah Beth goes every Tuesday to study with this group of girls, and it was our turn to host last night. We had a truly wonderful time. I am so thankful for colleagues who are willing to give their time to invest in my child. So thankful. It was fun, and Sarah Beth cooked a great meal--vegetable lasagna, garlic bread and apple crisp--that left the whole house smelling like heaven. I spent the day (when I wasn't homeschooling) scrubbing different parts of the house to make sure it was just perfect for guests. And, of course, as I do every day, I spent some time working on the cat hair.

The cat hair is my nemesis. It is the arch-enemy of my life. (Actually, that would be Satan, but forgive the hyperbole for a moment. I'm making a point.) I'm not sure I've said this before, but we are staying in an apartment that is usually occupied by a family who is on stateside assignment this year. Since their stateside and our year in Prague were the same time, they asked if we would hold their apartment for them, which we are glad to do. They asked if we would keep their cats, which we were also glad to do. And they are precious cats. Precious. We love them very much. I talk Russian baby talk to them all day long, cuddle with them, they sleep with one of us every night...we really love the cats. So don't walk away from this thinking it's the cats who are the nemesis here. No. It's their hair. You see, the cats shed like no other cats on earth. I'm not kidding. Tumbleweeds of cat hair roll down the hall like something out of High Noon. No matter what I do, no matter how many times I vacuum, no matter how many lint brushes I use per day, there is always cat hair somewhere. And this, my friends, drives me insane. Insane, I tell you. Every single day, I vacuum all the floors and the furniture in the living room, and then I take a lint roller and clean the furniture and the rug in the living room. Every day. And still, by about noon, the tumbleweeds of cat hair are rolling down the hall. Do you hear what I'm saying? I, Kellye Hooks, type-A personality, controller of all things domestic...I am losing the battle with the cat hair. In fact, it's really not even a battle, because there is no chance that I am going to win. Ever.

So imagine for a moment my determination to have a cat hair-free evening last night. I vacuumed, and then I had Sarah Beth vacuum and lint roll everything in the living room. And it looked great. I'm telling you, I felt really good about the lack of cat hair last night. And then, as I was sitting in my favorite blue chair, one of the cats jumped into my lap. The girls were discussing something, and as I listened, I absentmindedly stroked the cat's fur. Then, in a moment that can only be called metaphorical, I looked down to say something to the cat, and as I looked at her, I noticed cat hair literally drifting through the air right before my eyes. My pants...covered with white fur. The arm of the chair...coated. And you know what? The girls continued to talk. The Bible study went right on in spite of the cat hair. No one turned around and gasped in horror. In fact, I'm pretty sure no one but me cared enough to notice. They also didn't notice that I'd scrubbed behind the toilet or underneath the kitchen table. You know why? Because they were focused on each other and relationship-building, and I was focused on...cat hair. Hmmmm....

Maybe you are always focused on that which is eternal, but I have to tell you that I am often focused on the goofiest, silliest things around me. I struggle with the cat fur as if I am going to win some kind of prize for best Mom if it is gone from the house. I focus on what I perceive to be flaws in my children but sometimes overlook the great qualities they possess. I sigh heavily because Marc leaves his laundry on the floor but forget that he treats me like a queen even when I am at my worst. I focus on the burden that life on the field can sometimes be but fail to praise Him for the great joy that it often is. I pray for this decision or that, for guidance and direction, but forget to praise Him for today, for my family, for the now that He has given me in spite of myself.

And so this morning, I am not getting out the vacuum. I'm going to wait until later in the afternoon. (Baby steps, people. I can't go cold turkey.) I'm going to enjoy an easy day with the kids, a day when all we have to do is school. We might even have a movie night tonight, complete with homemade pizza. Because all too soon, our family will send Sarah Beth off to start her own life, and these days and nights, full of fun and laughter, will be what she takes with her. And Hannah and John will follow her right out the door before I know what has happened. I am much more concerned about what they take with them when they leave than that they leave without cat hair clinging to them. So this morning, I am asking God for a more eternal view. A small glimpse of the big picture. And maybe just a little Divine help with the cat hair. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are looking at the eternals in life, and that the apple cinnamon candles you found on sale at Tesco are making your house smell good, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye