It is hard to let go.

Our family, traveled to Michigan this past weekend, for my nieces wedding. It was a miracle. Truly it was. To get all 7 of us at one event. Together.

It would be easier for me to run a marathon:) And those who know me, and have been exposed to my lack of athletic talent, realized the significance of this.

It is not that we do not enjoy being together as a family. We love it. It is just that life happens. Schedules, jobs, girlfriends, classes and sport practice all compete for a slot in the 24 hours a day that we are given.

As we prepared to go to the wedding this weekend, a conversation took place, that made me come face to face with a hard truth......

I am struggling, as a mom, to let my boys go.

Let them go, to make their choices, of what is a priority to them.
Let them go, and trust that they will make the right choice.
Let them go, and know, that they will have to live with the consequences of the decisions they make.
Let them go, and trust that I, as a parent, have shown them the way.

It is HARD. This letting go thing. But it is time.

It is time to shift gears, on my motherhood bicycle.

Oh, I am still riding the motherhood bike, I always will. Just at a lower gear.

The Boys are Back!

It has been crazy around our house. Why? The boys are back!

The college semester, has come to an end, which means, as the college doors close, mine open:)

My laundry is multiplying like rabbits, and the grocery bill just doubled.

The amount of keys,wallets,hats,books,laptops and cars have grown considerably, and the basement storage is now full of dorm furniture and bedding.

What does a mother do, when the boys come home? Enjoy it!

When your Adult children move back home, whether it is temporary landing, or a longer stint, it is time to have a "meeting".

Take a few moments, and sit down together as a family, and discuss your expectations of each other, during their time at home. House rules need to be established and agreed upon.

Open communication, from the very beginning of their stay, leads to an enjoyable, memory filled summer!

Thought for Friday.

You can make the few moments that you interact with a store clerk and a bank teller a miserable experience, or you can get them to smile and make their day. The choice is yours.

John C. Maxwell

Holland part 5

As I continue to chronicle my fantastic trip to Holland, I will wrap it up with this post. I left off with my "gift" of the Corrie ten Boom Museum. Did I tell you, my new friend, Yvonne, whom I met at the conference, arranged a private tour of the home? Yvonne, met us in her home town of Haarlem, to spend the day with us and arrived early, and we arrived late:)

In Holland, bike paths are for bikes, and roads are for bikes and vehicles. Well, our driver, and friend, Stacy, from Switzerland, used to live in Haarlem, and pulled onto a side street to find parking. Since she moved, last fall, this street is now JUST for bikes. The "looks" we got from those on 2 wheels, as we headed down this narrow alley sould have should have given us a clue, but no, we just keep going....we finally got a hint, when a woman on a bike, rounded the corner, and just about ended up on our windshield. So, there we are, 4 women, laughing hysterically, at our predicament, trying to determined HOW we are going to turn around in this small alley. And Stacy, driving a "borrowed" van, trying to maneuver around obstacles, trying to not damage the van, was a little like walking a elephant, through a china shop without causing damage:)

After, belly laughs, and myself out of the vehicle guiding her, and Connie, video taping EVERYTHING, we finally got turned around. 4 women, a van, a narrow bike path.....FUN! After the Ten Boom tour, we had a delicious dutch lunch at a cafe.I have added a picture of us and my goat cheese sandwich:) Then Connie and Brenda, stayed to shop and ride the train back to The Hague, and I rode back with Stacy so that I could review for my "talk" for MOPS the next day. Stacy and I had such rich conversation on the way back, we eased into conversation, like long time friends. And I cherished the time together.

There was no shortage of sweet one on one conversation that sunny Wednesday. Anneke and I, took Stacy to the train station that afternoon, and then ran some errands. Anneke, is like the older sister I never had, I felt I could ask her anything, and loved to hear her opinion on subjects. I respect her so much, and she taught me what true hospitality looks like! She fixed us a delicious dutch dinner with a Indonesian flare to it. She is a fabulous cook!

When I thought I couldn't be WOWED or blessed beyond what I already was, Beat and Anneke took us out on the Chanel to see their houseboat that evening. What a treat! I have included pictures of the houseboats and windmills on the canals.

Thursday, another sunny day. Did I tell you that they said it is cool and rains all the time! Well, it was warm and SUNNY everyday we were there. When we left on Friday, it started to rain and rained on and off for 5 days....I think they need me back to bring the sunshine:)

I spoke at MOPS Thursday morning. What a wonderful experience to share with there moms, of many different nationalities. Motherhood is rewarding and challenging no matter where we live. They certainly impressed me how they shared tips and ideas with each other. Almost all of them are away from there families, so they really need each others support. I met moms from Poland, Germany, Switzerland, U.S.A., Korea and Holland and Canada, just to name a few. Warm, loving, caring moms who love there children!

Thursday afternoon, Anneke, once again, took time from her busy schedule to take us to Keukenhof. It is open only 6 weeks out of the year. It is BEAUTIFUL! Acres and Acres of flowers! I have added pictures, because with words, it is indescribable!

But far more beautiful than the flowers, was when Anneke, told us her salvation story. It was not a preacher, not an eloquent speaker, who shared the gospel story with her, but a mom just like me. Her story touched my heart deeply.

We wrapped up our trip Thursday evening with dinner at Tim's mother and step father's house. She made us a delicious dutch dinner. And we enjoyed sweet fellowship with Betsy, Tim and their family.

All week, as I was in Holland, the Lord kept whispering these words to me....."My Child, you are feeling my Pleasure!"

And yes, in a mighty way, "I FELT GOD'S PLEASURE!"

Holland part 4

I shared some pictures of the conference in the blog titled Holland, the first blog in this series. In this previous blog, I introduced the "team", in this beautiful country. This amazing, talented, group of women, spent countless hours of planning, preparation, promotion and prayer in anticipation of this evening. From the beautiful decorations to the delicious desserts, every detail was covered. As women arrived, the electricity in the room started to build, you could feel the excitement and anticipation. Women, representing various home countries from all over the world came together for the first women's conference, of it's kind, in this region.

The committee and the speakers, came prepared and prayed up. And God, Showed up!

Whenever or wherever I speak, my favorite thing to do, is visit with the women before and after an event. Every woman, has a story to tell. And I feel so privileged, when they choose to share, their journey, and a taste of their lives, with me. And this conference was no exception. I met women with tales of joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure. And it was sweet conversation.

I laid in bed that night, in awe, once again, at what the Lord had done!

On Wednesday, we had the privilege of spending the day with Stacy from Switzerland, whom I mentioned earlier, and her dear friend, and now my dear friend, Yvonne, from Haarlem. We had arranged for Yvonne to meet us in Haarlem, at the Museum Home of Corrie ten Boom.

I have to share, how special this was to me. I never dreamed I would get to go to Haarlem, and tour her home. Her writings have inspired me over the years. From her book "The Hiding Place" as well as "Tramp for the Lord". Corrie and her family risked their lives, during World War 2, as they hid many of the Jewish people, whom the Nazi's sought to persecute and destroy.Hundreds of Jews escaped the Nazi dealth camps, because of the faithfulnes of the Ten Boom family.

Pictured here is the "fake" wall that the jews would hid behind during raids. I am standing inside the wall, right were they would have been. I also included a picture of the linen closet built into the wall. Those staying the in Ten Boom home would crawl through the opening in the bottom of the closet, slide a door shut and "hid" behind the wall. I have also included a few pictures of Haarlem. This trip to her home was such a "gift" to me.

More to come....:).

Holland part 3

Monday, during my recent stay in Holland was pure fun. We enjoyed the day with our host, and new friend, Anneka. She took us to the city of Delft. Beautiful. She then treated us to lunch at a outside cafe. During lunch, we shared "God stories", of our pasts. Places in our hearts, were cracked open, to each other, and experiences shared. It was a sweet time of fellowship.

Anneka, then suggested, we head to downtown, "The Hague", where we saw the International Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice. We also walked through the Parliament grounds. Stunning Architecture and centuries old buildings, greeted us at every turn.

In the evening, we met our dear friend, Stacy, from Switzerland. Stacy had previously lived in Holland, and was instrumental in bringing this conference to the Netherlands! She flew in from Switzerland, to speak at the conference, and spend time with friends old and new! She is a delight to be around. Energetic and loads of fun. And what great food and conversation we had, as we were treated to a leisurely, dutch dinner at a local restaurant.

Tuesday dawned, another sunny day,and it was time to get to work and more ministry:) Connie, my companion from the states, gave a wonderful "talk" on prayer, at a bible study. Then Connie and I, secluded ourselves at our host home, and worked diligently on our talks we had prepared before our trip. I spent all of the afternoon, making cultural "tweaks" to my presentation. My hearts desire was that it would be culturally relevant to my audience. It was such a blessing, to be in Holland, several days before our event, to truly get a "taste" for our international audience.

Although, this was my 3rd day in Holland, and I had not spoken from a platform yet, God was blessing me, with amazing opportunities to share with women, on a ongoing basis.I had also, been ministered too, and blessed by so many! REAL ministry, begins OFF the platform. That is were it is at!

Stay tuned for more.....

Holland part 2

As promised, I will continue to share my story, of a amazing, "beauty from ashes" story. The "ash cloud" changed our original itinerary, but God had a plan, beyond what we could have thought or imagined.

Sunday, after attending church, and receiving a warm welcome and introductions, Betsy, team leader for the conference,wife and mother of 4, took her daughter and the 3 or us, on a bike ride to the North Sea! Really, the North Sea. Just like that!

On the way,we stopped by another member of the teams house. Lisa, is a mom of boys, just like me. This adorable blond, from Australia, taught me a lesson of magnitude, that sunny, Sunday, afternoon. After we arrived, she asked us to come in, for tea and scones. She explained, that the dutch culture, like many European cultures, stop and have tea or coffee around 1 and 4 each day. Did you catch that? They STOP!

I have posted some pictures of her lovely tea set, along with the 6 of us enjoying rich conversation. We talked about being a wife and mom. We shared tips and good book suggestions.The moments together were priceless and a lesson well learned from Lisa. I was so taken by her example, I bought a tea set like hers, before I left Holland!

Sunday evening, we enjoyed a delicious meal at the home of Betsy, her husband, and children (pictured). Tim, her husband, is a pastor. They moved from the states, 2 years ago, to serve in a church in The Hague. We were joined by a couple from South Africa, whose wife, Margaretha, is on the team that coordinated the conference. We had a wonderful time of sharing and fellowship.

Christian Love and fellowship, transcends cultures and geographical lines, and I relished the joy, of getting to know, my brothers and sisters-in-Christ, residing in Holland.

More stories to come...stay tuned....

HOME FROM HOLLAND!

I am home. Words seem inadequate to describe my trip, to Holland. I will try, over the next several days, to share my story. A trip of a lifetime.

As many of you know, my speaking tour was to begin in Hungary, with stops in Austria and then finally Holland. Then the famous ash cloud, showed up, and the first stops canceled. It was looking like the event in "The Hague", Holland, would be canceled also. What rejoicing there was when we were able to secure airline tickets and continue with our plans!!

The team from the U.S.A. consisted of Brenda and Connie, who work for "Hearts at Home", and myself.

We were hosted at a lovely home, in "The Hague", owned by Beat and Anneke, whom opened there home and hearts to us. They were amazing. They made us feel right at home and "gave of their best". This is a picture of our host couple and a picture of their home. A beautiful dutch home. I also included a picture from my 3rd floor, bedroom window.

The Team, in Holland, was a wonderful representation of a very international city. The people, and the countries they represented were; Lisa from Australia, Betsy and Karen from the U.S., Sheyla from Panama, Stacey from Switzerland, and Margaretha from South Africa. They were giving,gracious,warm,kind,loving, talented, amazing women.

Over 170 women, many of whom were foreign nationals living in Holland, came to the conference. It was a wonderful event and I can explain it in 4 words, "I felt God's Pleasure."

I will be sharing more as the days go by....so stay tuned. And finally, the most important thing, THANK YOU, to all who committed to pray for me. Only God could have orchestrated such an event. I felt the prayers, daily!