Mind Doodles

Time Flies

The day I found out I was pregnant 19 years ago, I went out and bought a journal to record my thoughts. I've been writing in it ever since.  Sometimes months go by between writings, at times--a year.  

But the thing that is constant is that every thought and prayer written in this book centers around our firstborn--Kelsey.  

Here was the first entry:

April 19, 1990

Today was my first visit to the doctor.  It was a relief to find out that I really am pregnant.  Even though I was sure that I was, it was nice to hear it from the doctor. . .We heard the heartbeat!  It's really amazing to me that there is a living being growing inside of me. . .Dr. Soper said that the baby should come sometime at the end of October.

And the entry last Wednesday:

August 19, 2009

We are leaving  for Birmingham, Alabama, this morning to take Kelsey to college.  

Can it really be over?--Her days of living at home with us?  It went so fast!  

All of her childhood days are still so vivid in my mind.  I can recall them perfectly at a moment's notice.  

I don't need this book to remind me of all we have experienced up until this point.  Every moment is stored away in my mind and in my heart.  

Today. . .at this moment, I am so sad.  I feel as though someone is reaching in and ripping out my heart.

In a minute. . .I will go into her room and wake her up.  And when I do, I will replace this sadness for extreme joy.  This is a wonderful day for my daughter.  She begins a new adventure--that there is no doubt God is leading her into.  

I will rejoice because,

"He who began a good work in her, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6)

God is up to something in Kelsey and part of that will happen at Samford University.    

Stored Up Treasures

While we were in the process of the long awaited kitchen remodel, we moved A LOT of our stuff to a portable storage unit.  We had hoped to be out of that storage unit long ago.  (We could have built a huge 4 car garage with Mother-in-law quarters above it for what we have spent in storage fees.)  Well, the other day Greg went over to pay the bill.  While he was there, he just went ahead and loaded the rest of our stuff up and permanently "checked out" of the U Store It Hotel.  We are SO GLAD to be out of that lease!  

When I came home, there was a large box in the kitchen.  It was my wedding dress.  After my wedding, we had it professionally cleaned and boxed up.  It has been in that box for 22 years!  I decided that it was time to bust it loose.  The girls and I gingerly opened each layer of packaging.  Someone said, "What if this isn't your dress, Mom.  You wouldn't know.  They could just stick something else in there."  I had never thought of that--but they totally could have done that.  They didn't.  It was my dress.  

I had expected it to come out beautifully preserved, pressed and ready-to-wear.  It didn't.  It was basically wadded up in one end of the box.  What did I expect?  It traveled from Oklahoma to Indiana (to 3 different houses there) then again to North Carolina.  It's had some road time.  It's been tossled and thrown around.  

It had a few wrinkles.  

But, it was so much fun getting it out and showing the girls.  We looked at all of the beading and the details. They've only seen pictures.  This is the first time that they have seen the real thing.  Then we talked about how some girls wear their mom's or grandma's dresses for their own weddings.  

Then we played dress up.