I once said that I would do whatever I needed to do to keep my sixteen-year-old daughter off of the road… Well, I’m all bark and no bite. We’ve been doing the whole practicing driving thing for a couple of months now and as her confidence is growing so is the amount of time she is in the driver’s seat. That doesn’t mean she has it all figured out… it took some time for me to convince her that the yellow light wasn’t orange and that the blinker is not called the clicker. I have even found myself confused when trying to tell her which way to turn the wheel to get out of the driveway. I will admit that with each time behind the wheel she is improving.
The other day my fourteen-year-old asked if she could go along for the ride and, against my better judgment, I let her. She was given the condition that she must be quiet as we drive so as not to be a distraction. I was very pleased at her ability to say very little as we made our way to pick up my youngest daughter from a friend’s house, but when we stopped she gave her critique of the ride with these words, ” Hey, that wasn’t so bad!”
Our pick up occurred and we headed to the grocery store. The fourteen-year-old was still nice and quiet but for some reason the seven-year-old became the driving critic. She complained about Catie’s driving so much that we had to ask her to be silent until we reached the store. Now, how she became a driving expert I do not know, but slowing down for children crossing the street was a good call. Regardless, she just wasn’t quite sure that her sister, though nine years older than her, was capable of being a good enough driver… at least for the time being.
I am an only child and totally cannot relate to sibling relationships. I have no true idea what it means to love a brother or a sister. I have close friends and family but I would imagine that it is still not like a good healthy sibling relationship. I would think that there is something that can’t be explained… a closeness that comes from shared experiences and memories, a protection and a bond that is like no other.
I find it interesting as I read about Christ that he was not immune to the sibling bickering. Again, it is one of those wonderful things that is written that helps me relate to a God that lived a life so normally. His brothers were quite the smart alecs toward Jesus at one point. They didn’t believe that he was anything more than their brother. He seemed to be seen by them as a show off or possibly a big talker. During the time of the Feast of Tabernacles they seem to tease him a bit and tell him to show his miracles to his disciples.. after all, if he wants to be public then why is keeping his abilities a secret?… They didn’t have faith in him… at that point.
History shows us that later his family becomes some of his biggest fans and help build his church. That is so real… Siblings who argue, bicker and even duke it out at times tend to be the biggest fans of each other once they get past the maturity issues.
About 80% of the time my girls are together they still bicker but that is better than the 90% it used to be. On occasion I will hear them laughing together without me asking them to get along… I think they are growing up and growing into fans of each other. At least that is a prayer of mine.
John 7
Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles
1After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
6Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8You go to the Feast. I am not yet[a] going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” 9Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”
12Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
An innocent little nap and poof! I’m a builder. Yes, it may sound like I was dreaming and although I have been reading about Solomon building the temple… I wasn’t dreaming……..
The problem came to be when we found out something that created in us a whole new feeling of insecurity. Our neighbor had family visiting…. and it wasn’t just any family visiting…. it happened to be the brother-in-law… the brother-in-law who is a builder….not just any builder…. but a builder of really, really nice homes…. We had to up our standards right then and there. We couldn’t have him look out the door and laugh at the bumbling amateurs across the yard…. but, it was hopeless. We were bumbling amateurs and though we were following a plan we were also making it up as we went along. I’m thinking he was well entertained….
I’m not sure that there is anything much cuter than a baby animal… well, not a
seeing her little round, puppy belly even made her a cuter than I would have guessed, but it sure wasn’t the picture that I thought I was going to see. It was a photo of a Chinese Crested Puppy… .the hairless dog. Now, some people may think that Moe wasn’t such a cute puppy because of his pug nose and big eyes and in comparison to this puppy I would say they might balance the scale. So, my reply to my friend’s email was a quick, “Cute but…..
running in a yard so big that it would take up the whole cul-de-sac I live on now. It is beautiful.. and though I’ve always loved it there, I can’t say that I have appreciated it like I did the other night. There was just something different. Not sure exactly what it was that made me feel so blessed to walk through the grass or look at the trees I used to climb except maybe the fact that my daughters haven’t had that full experience. They have played outdoors but not in the same manner. Their outdoor life has been at a park or a small yard or a blacktop area where they have to watch for cars. So, eventhough I never wanted to move from there when my family did in my young teen years, maybe my deep appreciation comes from having moved away and then coming back.
See what I mean? Those things aren’t costly… 
at least not costly in monetary terms and Mother’s Day would seem so trouble free. So now who do we take them to? What should this mascot be? A goose, maybe? (very motherly like) How about a kangaroo? (Another motherly figure) Possibly even some rough looking muscle guy? Or how about a little bird? ( “A little bird told me….”) I don’t know. And what about the name? Maybe “Mother’s Day Mother Goose” or “Mama Flyer” or “Mother’s Day Sparrow”… Or better yet.. It would be someone who could really get the job done…. Super Nanny Jo!
daughter to the emergency room while on vacation (a great story for another time) but still… you know what I’m talking about. Vacations are nice. I also found out that when we arrived home on Sunday night we also were ending our family time by beginning National Family Week… we were just ahead of our time. (It also makes you wonder if 
Please Respect the Chickens... Okay, so let’s think of the good things about the chickens and respect them….. Chickens are cute and fuzzy and are great at alarming the senses as they wake you in the early morning … they provide pleasantry to the eye as the rooster’s red comb….. Okay, I can’t do it… I can’t respect the chicken or at least not in the way intended by the poultry concern people… Chickens are only cute and fuzzy like when they are like two days old then they become incredibly awkward and ugly and I’m not even sure their mother’s think they’re cute….. they are only great at alarming the senses as they chase you around the barnyard trying to peck your head off…and the rooster’s red comb thing.. just gross… I can respect the chicken at Sonny’s Bar-B-Que though. It is tasty.
Enjoy the sixth of May and remember to leave your grumpy at the door!
