A Man Named Charles- and two pieces of chicken

What kind of Crazy Love kinda life is this I'm leading? Even I know that rejoicing in times of struggle is unusual and yet I'm finding myself finding joy all around me. Seriously. Me. Griping, complaining, embarrassed, humiliated, broken me. My flesh says that our financial struggles are an embarrassment. My kids deserve to "have it all." They really do. All four of them are leading lives that draw people to them. They want to help others and serve God. Well, Sam, not so much, but he would help someone in need if he could. He always begs to put a dollar in the kettle when we pass one. He loves to feed the homeless. I take that back- Sam too! Well today I had another "chance encounter" that left me wondering if God Himself is stalking me.

There I was, minding my own business cruising Food City with a shopping cart full of "must-haves" for dinner plus and impulse purchase or two. Reindeer cupcake toppers, cinnamon bread for Sam, bananas, apples, etc. when I'm approached by an elderly black man dressed in shabby, but warm clothes and a ball cap. As he walks toward me he says, "Don't be mad at me. Please don't yell at me. I don't want money, I don't want money." To say I was taken off guard would be an understatement. Again, I felt that same sort of "shock" I felt earlier this week when I met that little angel. Could this guy be an angel as well??

I told him I was not going to be mad at him and how could I help. He went on to explain that he was from Lenoir City and someone was coming to pick him up. He'd just stepped into the store to get out of the cold. He shared that he has just been discharged from the hospital (he showed me his hospital bracelet still around his wrist as proof) because he has Type II diabetes. He wanted me to buy him two pieces of chicken. Two pieces of chicken??? Seriously? (My mind flashed back to the minutes before I left the house...I knew I had gone back to get the $10 in cash I'd stashed in my jacket pocket for a reason, I just didn't know WHY - now I did. The man explained that the special deal was $2.75, so I handed him $3 and asked if he would do something for me. He said he would. I asked him if he would help out someone else when he found himself in a position to do so, and he nodded his head and said, "Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, I'll do that." Off he went.

My bewildered self was left to relive the moment. I handed him money, but I never touched him. I didn't call him by his name. I never validated him as a human being. This wasn't over...Oh God, this is so out of my comfort zone. Can't it just be about the money? Didn't I do what I was supposed to do? Not according to God . I felt I needed to sit down and talk to him while he ate, but I argued with myself. Maybe he didn't even get chicken. Maybe his ride came to pick him up. Maybe he wants to be alone. And the real argument, maybe I'll cry for him. Or for me. I didn't even know, but I had to act.

I called Tom and Drew who were on their way to pick me up and told them to come in when the got to the store. They did, but it was before I made it over to the deli counter where I'd seen the man purchasing his two pieces of chicken. Oh well, no time, right? Too late, right? Let's get out of here...Tom and Drew bagged up the groceries and headed to the car with them. Rain? More rain? I asked them to pick me up from the sidewalk because I didn't want to run out in the rain. Bad idea. More moments alone with God...

Go. Now. Go. Don't regret the things you DIDN'T do...NOW! ...so I went. As I approached him, I asked him how he liked his chicken. He told me it was good. I noticed he didn't have any vegetables, so I asked him about the meal deal. He said he didn't have enough to get the vegetables, but it was okay because the chicken was good. What kind of vegetables would you like? Mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans. You got it. When I took the food to him, I asked him his name. "My name is Charles" he told me. "Charles, I'm Amy." "It's good to meet you Miss Amy!" "You too, Charles. I hope you have a Merry Christmas!" So, tonight, I'm thinking of Charles. Merry Christmas, Angel Charles, wherever you are.

Angels, Cheerleaders, and Hammers

After an unexpected four day weekend, I dragged my spoiled rotten, freezing cold body out from under my toasty warm covers at an absolutely obscene hour to head across town to see what remains of my Locker Room. Surprisingly, I found my "home away from home" to be pleasantly warm, rather welcoming, and smelling like Christmas (thanks to Plug-Ins)! Once I plugged in my two mini Christmas trees and string of peppermint lights, the effect was quite festive.

I immediately warmed up my belly with my new winter addiction - Maple and Brown Sugar Quaker Oatmeal. Mmmm, that is some good stuff! Again, I was unexpectedly surprised to find myself excited about greeting my Champions. In fact, I almost ran down our front porch ramp to bring them "home." Good times. Definitely good times.

Everyday begins with a challenging DOL (probably the most academically productive activity we undertake each day), pledge, mission statement, and announcements. Off to Music today with a little hallway math (Start with the number in a half dozen and multiply by 6, subtract the number of hands you have, and divide by 2).

This was one of the days at school that turned up with unexpected surprises. Surprise #1 - I met an angel today. She probably disappeared immediately after her contact with me. As I walked down the hall to pick up my Champions, a little girl with sparkling brown eyes, gorgeous Halle Berry skin, and two bouncy braids looked me right in the eye - wait, she didn't look me in the eye, she looked straight into my soul so much so that I actually felt a little shock. Anyway, with a voice like an angel she said, "Well, good morning! How are YOU today?" I think it was in the way she emphasized the word "YOU" that let me know that she was sent to me by God Himself. I don't care what anybody says, or how simple this encounter seems to my current reader, but that little 5 year old girl WAS an angel sent by the Creator of the universe because He loves me and wants me to know He sees me right where I am!

Angels I have heard fer shure!

Here's another crazy experience from today. I was on my way to school in the dark, freezing cold weather trying to remind myself to be THANKFUL that I have a car with a heater that works (hasn't always been that way) and that pesky calling that keeps forcing me to do things that just don't make sense (like leave WVMS and teach at SMG), when my phone alerts me to a text message from none other than Miss Brittany! In my mind I'm thinkin' "What the HECK are you doin' up at 7:30 on a dreary, DARK, EARLY morning when you don't have to be?!" Then I read her text. Here it is in it's entirety:

Brittany (B): Good morning!! I don't have practice until 11, so I'd love to come see the Champions this morning for a lil bit!!!
Me: C'mon girl! We'd love to see you
B: Yay! I have to return my books at 8:30 so I'll head to the Locker Room after that! (Smiley face)
Me: They will be back from music @ 9 so that works great
B: Okie dokie perfect!

Of course she showed up right on time and brought along with her some homemade treats (peanut butter balls and puppy chow in a specially hand-painted bowl "Merry! Merry! with snowflakes painted all around). After school I texted her my thanks.

Me: Yummy treats. Thanks for sharing! We need some choreography.
B: Ohh goody!! I can definitely help w/ that (smiley) & glad the treats were yummy, wanted to bring some fuel for the Champions! (smiley)

God is going to use that girl in a very powerful way! What am I saying?! He ALREADY is!

I want to be a tool in the hand of the Master Carpenter. God, use me too. Show me, and prepare me to SEE and ACT! No fear. No doubts. Know God.

A New Beginning (again)

I'm really going to do it now. Really. I've taken a year off from my family blog and given the number of stalkers out there who enjoy reading about my very exciting life, I feel I owe it to them...and to my family. Especially Chelcie who has recently begun a blog of her own. So...again, I play my mulligan. I use my "do over." I turn over a new leaf and try again to document the journey of my crazy life with my nutty husband and unique progeny.

Rather than try to go back in time and recapture the past year, I'll start fresh. With just today. Our second snow day of the 2010-2011 school year. Snow before Christmas? It just doesn't happen here. But it did. Just goes to show ya that we don't call the shots here. We can make our plans, but God trumps EVERYTHING. He can change "our" plans without warning. That's the kind of God He is. All powerful. All knowing. All amazing. All the time.

I'm determined that NOTHING is going to steal my joy this year. Yes, there's almost insurmountable debt. Yes, the economy has had a huge impact on Tom's real estate business, especially of late. The last thing in the world either of us wants to do is tell our children that Christmas will not bring "everything your heart desires." God will. Maybe there's a lesson in that. Maybe pinning all your hopes on someone else to fulfill your dreams means that you put your hope in that person rather than the one, true Savior of the world.

SO...for that reason. We will turn our eyes upward, rather than outward. "Stuff weighs you down," courtesy of my afternoon drive time buddy, Phil Williams on NewsTalk 98.7. Thanks for the reminder, Phil. I was liking my stuff too much.

Let's close this post with ten of "Amy's Favorite Things" - with my apologies to Oprah...the "Queen of Favorite Things."

1. The freedom to openly love my God, His Son and my Savior, Jesus Christ
2. My husband who has managed to put up with my antics for over 24 years. (I'll resist the urge to mention his...kinda.)
3. Four of the most beautiful, intelligent, loving, thoughtful children ever created.
4. Friends who have my back, no matter what. The list is short, but oh, so deep.
5. A job with an opportunity to make a difference in the world. A chance to impact the future. A calling, really.
6. A crackling fireplace, warm blankets, food in my belly, and clothes on my body.
7. A sense of humor that can never be underestimated. When I can no longer laugh, I may as well die. Opportunities to laugh are everywhere. Sometimes we have to look to find them.
8. An education. No one can ever steal my treasure in my head. I can read. I can use words to create a picture in the mind of my reader, even if my "reader" is only myself. I can think, problem solve, and reason.
9. My extended family. In spite of our eccentricities, we love each other deeply. Our love has never been tested in that we've had no family crisis that has forced us together. Maybe because we haven't needed one. We love each other. Now and always.
10. I have a reason to get myself out of bed in the morning. Many people do not. Oh God, I pray for those divine appointments to be set before me, and I pray for Your eyes through which to see them so there's never a doubt that they were set by You. Let me, equip me, enable me, and empower me to seize the opportunities each new day brings.

It is with anxious anticipation of what tomorrow holds in store for me, that I bring this "fresh" post to a close. Funny, unless you count the fireplace, my list of "favorite things" doesn't include a single thing that could "weigh me down." Cool. I really need to do this more often. Go before me, Lord. Set it up. You've gotten me ready.

January Family Update

Tomorrow is February 1st. Chelcie is posting harassing messages on my Facebook wall about my lack of my promised blog updates. So, here we are. This will be my January Crawford Family Update.

This month has been rough one for me emotionally as I struggle with the loss of several Reach Them board members, the distance between myself and many of my closest friends both physical distance as well as emotional distance, and I've continued to struggle to find my "niche" at Sarah Moore Green. The weather has certainly played a role in my attitude as it usually does when the trees are dead; the sky is gray, the temps are chilly, and spring seems so far away. However, things at home have been pleasant. With Chelcie and Drew away at college, we've had to find a new way to identify our "family." I still miss Drew and Chelcie so much sometimes my heart hurts, but I know they are discovering who they are and why that matters. It's knowing that they will never be "in the nest" as they once were that makes them seem so far away, even if they return home temporarily.

Drew did us all proud by pulling in a 3.8 and earning his place on the Dean's List his first semester at UT-C. We don't see him much and try to touch base with him at least weekly, but he's content to do his own thing. Gone is the little blond boy who used to remind me that "You're never too old to hug your momma!" Ouch. That hurts just typing it.

Chelcie is pouring herself into the lives of her Young Life girls at Halls. It amuses me to hear her talk of how demanding they are and unappreciative of the sacrifices she makes on their behalf. She is making the grades she needs to make to keep her HOPE Scholarship although she's cut it close. I enjoy having her visit my classroom about once a week. She's been bringing along friends. The more individual attention I can give my students, the better for them. I've got to find a way to get all 13 of them over the "Proficiency" bar.

Addie just wrote an incredibly creative book entitled, "Idiom Land." I was impressed! She cleverly dedicated the book to her 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Byrd, then added a P.S. once she made her presentation to add her mother to the dedication page. She is an overachiever and has currently sold nearly 150 boxes of Girl Scout cookies!

Sam has bonded with one of my brightest students. He loves his Nintendo DS and I have to constantly remind him to do his work before he "plays." Pokemon continues to reign as the coolest thing ever and he literally cannot concentrate if the television is on in the room. He's funny, smart, witty, and reminds me so much of his big brother, Drew.

Tom and I took the little kids up to the mountains for a get-away weekend this month. We had a great time! The weekend seemed so much longer and having a change of scenery helped us break out of our usual routines. His business is picking up and going very well. He was the top listing agent for the month of January for his office at Coldwell-Banker. I'm proud of his hard work.

Marley continues to wreak havoc on the neighborhood. She lays in the street and chases cars, she barks at children and chases squirrels. Neighbors have called to complain and yet still, Tom refuses to put up a fence. There's no changing his mind. It's a matter of time before the Dog Catcher gets her...

January's highlight was our trip to the cabin. I'm counting the days 'til Spring Break!

Baby, It's C-c-c-old Outside!

The first week of January has brought an arctic blast that has broken records for the most consecutive days with temperatures below freezing. Here are some pictures from the first full week of 2010! Our life in pictures...

January, 2010

New Year. New Resolve. I'm keeping up with our family blog. Here's a quick recap of our first few January days.

Tom and I have been to several movies over the long break. We saw Avatar on Christmas Day and Sherlock Holmes on New Year's Eve. Both were entertaining and enjoyable. We've been very laid back and relaxed with our schedule lately with very little going on outside the house.

Addie missed her first Girl Power soccer practice due to a bout with a 12 hour virus that kicked in in the middle of the night when she spent the night with Morgan. Fortunately, no one else in the family came down with it.

Chelcie has been gone "all year" to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A bowl game and Passion 2010. Drew has been in and out, but has kept a low profile.

It's been a nice few days to start off what I hope will be the best year of our lives! Chili and Bunco at the Mathes' last night. Church and lunch with the Keeners today at Pelancho's. Good times. Good Friends. Good start. Good-bye.

The Last 5 Months of 2009 in Pictures

Catching up 2009 through pictures... Starting 2010 with a renewed passion for documenting "our story!" Hang on...Here we go again!