10 THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR TODAY (08/27/14)

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. I am thankful that my kids are usually very healthy. Me, too, for that matter. Sturdy stock!

2. I am thankful the sun was out long enough today for me to dry a couple loads of laundry on the line. (That last load I just put on the line? Mmmm, might not dry so well - I felt a few raindrops.)

3. I am thankful for a wonderful, soon-to-be new daughter-in-law, and for her entire family. They have been such great blessings to me and mine.

4. I am thankful that my kids are pretty much financially independent, paying for their own college, books, clothes, vehicles, gas, insurance, rent, etc., and that they still help out so much around the house when they are home. I don't know anyone else whose kids take so little and give so much.

5. I am thankful it is still so beautifully green outside! This late in August, the hay field is usually brown and burned to a crisp.

6. I am thankful for friends who check on me when I've been off the grid for a couple of days. :)

7. I am thankful that tomorrow is pilates day at ADBC Fitness in Troy - I need to straighten out a few kinks after helping the newlyweds move.

8. I am thankful that today is Wednesday, which means that tonight I get to worship with my family at Grace Pres!

9. I am thankful for my grandbabies!

10. I am thankful for the promise of Glory!

Your turn now - what are YOU thankful for today?

PLAN A

When I was much younger - a schoolgirl living at home - I wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian and a writer. Hey, James Herriot did it, right? I loved animals, I loved reading and writing, and I thought I could weave those two interests together into a career that provided personal satisfaction and financial security.

That was Plan A.

Two years into a Chemistry/Pre-Vet degree, I married a young Marine and began a life of bouncing from duty station to duty station. Nix Plan A. But that was okay, because my red-headed Jarhead and I were madly in love. We were embarking on Plan B:  happily ever after.

Thirty something years and countless twists, turns, and adjustments later, I can't remember what plan we're on - Plan W? Plan Z? This journey has been a great deal of "happily" and also a great deal of "not-so-happily." As best as I can tell, we're only half-way to "ever after," so we still have yet to see how that plays out.

I had intended to be financially secure well before my present age of 50. Instead, we're still struggling to scrape together enough money for this week's groceries. I had intended to be a best-selling author, writing books that made people all over the world laugh and cry, books that challenged and encouraged readers. Instead, I'm writing books about menopausal women who burst into tears for no apparent reason and who talk to an invisible friend. I intended to be madly and passionately in love with my husband, planning romantic trysts and sharing new adventures together. Instead, we are just barely hanging on, hoping sweet memories from the past will sustain us through this present desert until we reach a new season of refreshment.

What happened to all those plans?!

At a women's ministry workshop back in the spring, something Connie Miller shared with the group struck me in a powerful way. Connie commented that - God has no Plan B. With God, it is all Plan A.

We have a Plan A, of course, and we get frustrated when our Plan A is forced to give way to Plan B, and then Plan C, and then Plan D. We become frustrated, disappointed, weary. But, Connie explained, all of this...this life... is part of God's Plan A for us.

Yes, it is hard to let go of our own dreams and plans and expectations, but we can rest in the confidence that God is indeed accomplishing in us and in our lives just exactly what He set out to do. He really is orchestrating every single event in my life for my good. God is all-wise, He is sovereign, and He loves me very much - I can be assured that His Plan A is the very best plan of all, far better than my own Plan A/B/C...

Plan A.

Leaving the workshop where Connie spoke, I started thinking backward, thinking about all the failures, all the hurts and disappointments, all the dreams - realized and unrealized, all the unexpected twists and turns in my life. I tried to think of each event and circumstance with the new perspective of "Oh! So this was Plan A."

Never finishing college because of all the moves we made? That was God's Plan A for me. Six babies in seven years? I was so exhausted, so overwhelmed! It was God's Plan A. The broken relationship, all the tears and heartache? That wasn't some sad, unfortunate accident. It was Plan A.

And in all of these things - things I would never have chosen for myself, things I could have never predicted - in all of these situations, God has taught me so much about himself, about myself, about how much he loves me. He has broken me and he has made me stronger. He has given me assurance and security and hope.

Yes, God's Plan A is sometimes hard, and sometimes it hurts, and often it doesn't line up with our own plans. But it is a good plan - the best plan! - and it absolutely never fails.

Helen and I were driving to a meeting a couple of weeks ago. We left the house a little later than I had intended (circumstances beyond our control), and then we got stuck behind a farm truck that drove 40 miles per hour all the way in to Troy...putt, putt, putt. Then, between Troy and the middle of nowhere, I realized that the gas tank was dangerously close to empty - no gas stations anywhere close, no money to pay for gas if there had been, and no cell phone reception to call for help. I was definitely feeling a bit stressed.

When I noticed that the gas tank was on empty, I groaned. "Oh, great!" I commented sarcastically.

Sitting next to me in the passenger seat, Helen just looked at me and said calmly, "Plan A, Mom."

Helen was at the workshop with Connie, too. And we - Helen and I - have adopted this new code word: "Plan A." Translation:  "God has got this. This isn't what you were planning/expecting, but God has totally got this under control."

"Plan A, Mom." It's a challenge to step back, take a deep breath, let go of my own expectations, and think, "Oh, so this is Plan A! What does God have for me in this? What is he teaching me? How will he use this to grow me or to encourage someone else?"

"Plan A, Mom." With God, there is no Plan B. God only has Plan A. And that, my friends, comforts me greatly.

NERVOUS, EXCITED, THANKFUL

My first book signing event for Bethel Road is TODAY, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Obion County Public Library in Union City, Tennessee! I am excited and nervous and more than a little bit scared.

If you knew me as a young child or as a high school student or a young adult, you know how painfully shy I used to be. I am much less bashful now, but it still gives me butterflies in my stomach to participate in public events. Thankfully, the wonderful people I meet at these events quickly put me at ease, and their friendliness makes me forget about my shyness for a moment.

Preparing for this evening's book signing while simultaneously trying to fight off a case of the jitters, I thought again of my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Maggie Vaughan. I remember the timid, brown-eyed girl who sat in Mrs. Vaughan's classroom, petrified speechless...the student who tonight, 40+ years after that first homeroom class, will give a public reading of her second novel.

Remembering Mrs. Vaughan calms my nerves and makes me smile.

I am truly looking forward to this evening. I hope you'll stop by and say "Hi!"

ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD
- originally posted April 12, 2010

Mrs. Maggie Vaughan has retired from teaching school. I see her picture in the local paper occasionally, smiling as she poses with trophies for winning senior adult tennis tournaments. She is beautiful, and she still has a smile like sunshine.

Mrs. Vaughan was an extraordinary teacher. She truly was one of those people who made all the difference in the world in the lives of her students.

Coming from a rural community and familiar with only a very small circle of people, I was an extremely shy first grade student. Extremely shy. I am shy by nature - still shy at 46 years - but my shyness became particularly acute when I first plunged into the sea of humanity called public school.

I loved school - I was smart, eager to please, and enjoyed the work. But I was petrified by the overwhelming number of people. I would sit mute in class, not talking to or looking at anyone, barely able to answer my teacher with the quietest whisper when called upon. No doubt I wore that "deer in the headlights" expression for the first several weeks of class!

A few weeks into fall classes, each parent had to schedule an appointment for a one-on-one conference with his child's teacher. My Mom drove the twelve miles from home to Central Elementary and met with Mrs. Vaughan. During that conference, Mrs. Vaughan explained that, as a professional educator, she had some concerns about my mental condition. She suggested I undergo testing to determine if I might be slightly mentally retarded. (I'm sure there's a euphemism for retardation these days, but remember, this was 40 years ago when folks were much more matter-of-fact.)

Mom was stunned. "I know Camille is not retarded," Mom protested. "She is a very bright little girl!"

Mrs. Vaughan listened attentively to Mom's defense of my mental abilities. Mom felt sure that the "symptoms" Mrs. Vaughan described were a consequence of my extreme shyness, and she explained that I probably felt a bit overwhelmed by the culture of first grade. Mrs. Vaughan spent the rest of the conference working with my mom to develop a plan of action for my educational future.

I think I became Mrs. Vaughan's #1 project over the next several weeks. She slowly, carefully, ever-so-gently drew me out of my shell and helped me engage more and more as a student. Mrs. Vaughan communicated somehow that I was precious to her and she made me feel safe in a strange environment. She transformed first grade from a trauma to an adventure.

I completed first grade with flying colors and eventually went on to graduate highschool at the top of my class. An academic scholarship paid for my education after highschool. And now, I teach children myself. Amazing!

Can you imagine how very different my life would be if not for this one teacher who respected my mom's input, then took the initiative and sacrificed her time to know me, to understand me, and to help me grow? I could have been pigeon-holed as unteachable, anti-social, incompetent, locked into a category and set on a lifelong track of frustration. It scares me to think what my life might look like now had it not been for Mrs. Maggie Vaughan.

Funny thing is, Mrs. Vaughan probably doesn't even remember Camille Stricklin or her peculiar situation. How many hundreds of students passed through her classroom over the years, each of them with unique needs and personalities? Still, forty years later, this former first-grader gets a lump in her throat when she thinks about Mrs. Maggie Vaughan.

Thank you, Mrs. Vaughan, for making all the difference in the world in my life.

SCHOOL DAYS

I always feel a bit intimidated by the beginning of a new school year. This morning, I woke up feeling like one of those wired, jumpy horses in the starting gate at the racetrack. My Monday To-Do list was impossibly long.

Deep breath.

Helen and I headed out before anyone else was out of bed to exercise at ADBC Fitness Studio in Troy. Working out with Mom several times each week is going to be part of Helen's P.E. this school year. It was a great way to start the day and the school year, and the exercise and conversation helped relieve some of the nervous tension I was feeling.

Back home, Reuben was making biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Love. That. Man.

I fed and watered the chickens, ate breakfast, showered, and started the first load of laundry. Then, on to math.

Helen is in the Saxon math green book this year, the last math book she'll have under Mom's tutelage. Where have the years gone? We worked through Lesson 1, and then, while Helen tackled her "homework" problem set, I tackled more laundry, answered email, and worked on a writing assignment.

More school. More laundry. Lunch.

Deep breath.

More school. More laundry. More writing/work.

We are almost finished with Day 1 of the new school year.

And everyone in the house is still alive and well.

I feel a little less panicked now, as Day 1 begins to wind down.

Only 179 days to go.

BETHEL ROAD BOOK SIGNING!

I will be hosting my first book signing event for Bethel Road, on Thursday, August 7th, at the Obion County Public Library!

The library is located at 1221 East Reelfoot Avenue in Union City, Tennessee, and I will be set up in the Tennessee Room from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Copies of Bethel Road and Slow Sun Rising will be available to purchase for $10 each, or you can bring previously-purchased copies by for me to sign.

I hope you can join me for a fun evening - stop by and say "Hi!"

VERY GOOD NEWS!

I have some very good news!

I received a call from a rather giddy family member just over a week ago, a person very eager to deliver some very good news. But, this person stipulated, the news was not yet to be broadcast to the stratosphere.

When I hung up the phone, my mind was already whirring, making a list of all the people I wanted to talk to IMMEDIATELY in order to tell them the good news. Keeping my lips zipped took tremendous willpower. I felt like I was about to pop. The next day and the day after that, I caught myself several times almost announcing the good news - at church, on Facebook, here at the blog, at the grocery store to the stranger standing in line behind me. Really, I just wanted to tell every single person that I passed, whether I knew them or not, my very exciting news.

In the adult Sunday school class at Grace, we are working through J.I. Packer's book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. During last week's class (only hours after receiving my bit of very good news), we were talking about motives for evangelism. First, we desire to evangelize the lost because we love God and our obedience to God's command to "make disciples" honors Him and brings Him glory.

Second, we evangelize because we love our neighbor. Packer writes, "What greater good can we do to any man than to set before him the knowledge of Christ? Insofar as we really love our neighbor as ourselves, we shall of necessity want him to enjoy the salvation which is so precious to us."

Packer goes on to explain that if we "have known anything of the love of Christ for us, and if our hearts have felt any measure of gratitude for the grace that has saved us from death and hell, then this attitude of compassion and care for our spiritually needy fellow men ought come naturally and spontaneously to us...it is a wonderful thing to be able to tell others of the love of Christ, knowing that there is nothing that they need more urgently to know, and no knowledge in the world that can do them so much good...We should be glad and happy to do it."

In other words, I should be as eager, as excited, as impatient to tell my lost neighbor about Christ - as I was to tell everyone I met about the wonderful piece of good news I received last week. I say that I love God and that I love my neighbor. If this is true, then I should be actively looking for every possible opportunity to share the gospel. My mind should be frequently occupied with this thought:  Who can I tell about Jesus today?!

I am a sinner. And, as a sinner, I am separated from God. I justly deserve God's wrath and condemnation.

But...

Christ came to save sinners. Sinners just like me! In Christ, I stand forgiven. Covered with Jesus's righteousness, I no longer fear the judgement of God. On the contrary, I enjoy restored fellowship with my Creator, both here and now, and after this life, in Glory.

Are you a sinner like me? Are you painfully aware of your separation from God? That you have offended him, and truly deserve his wrath?

I have some very good news:  Jesus saves sinners. That's the best news I have ever heard. Ever. The best news you will ever hear, too.

(And just in case you were wondering...two special someones are now officially engaged!)

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE, JUDY!

The speaker, addressing a group of "mature" women,  talked about maintaining quality of life into old age. Her three points:

• Stay mentally active.
• Stay socially active.
• Stay physically active.

She advised the crowd of mostly white-haired ladies to stay mentally active by reading, studying their Bibles, working puzzles, tutoring young people, taking continuing education classes. She advised her listeners to stay socially active by maintaining friendships and family relationships and by getting involved in community organizations and activities. She advised the group to stay physically active:  walk, dance, sign up for an exercise class.

Her three points lodged in my brain. I think she gave excellent advice to the senior women she addressed. But I think her advice is also appropriate for women of any age.

Are you a young newly married woman? It is so easy when your eyes and heart are filled with Prince Charming to reorient your entire world so that it revolves around him. What you think, what you do, who you spend time with - it all becomes wrapped up in the intoxication of "happily ever after" with your beloved, and old friends and former interests are often laid aside. Not only is this unbiblical - Christ should be our center, always - but it puts an awful lot of pressure on Prince Charming to meet all of your needs. That's really not fair to him.

If you are still living in the glow of being recently married to that gorgeous man of yours, here is some advice from an older woman:

• Stay mentally active. Read, work the crossword, take a continuing education class. Do something to stimulate your brain.
• Stay socially active. Understandably, your priorities are different now and your primary relationship is that with your husband. But do make the effort to maintain old friendships - call, email, meet for coffee. Look for opportunities to make new friends, too.
• Stay physically active. This is even something you and Prince Charming can do together! Walk, dance, take an exercise class.

Are you a mom with little children? Maybe even lots of little children? That's an exhausting calling, one that takes every ounce of physical, mental, and emotional energy you've got. Your brain turns to oatmeal. (Do you find yourself speaking in only one-syllable words now? Are your eyes glazed in stupor at the end of the day?) You have no time or money to meet with friends for coffee. And chasing toddlers, cleaning up messes, and fighting the never-ending battle with laundry leaves you too exhausted to even think about exercise classes. All you really want is a good night's sleep and a day at the beach, alone!

Here is some advice from an older woman, one who had lots of little children:

• Stay mentally active. Read, work the crossword, join a book club, write. Too tired? Too poor? Then just do what you can. Read a little bit. Blog a little bit. Write a new word and its definition on the bathroom mirror each week. The point is - just do something, anything, to get those gray cells firing!
• Stay socially active. Yeah, this one is really, really hard when you have small children. Join a play group, where the kids can play while moms talk. Get to know the lady living next door. Invite yourself over for coffee. Bake her some cookies. Let the kids color her a picture. Attend school board meetings or community events. Too tired? Do it anyway. You need interaction with other adults.
• Stay physically active. Yeah, I know - you're too tired to "stay physically active"! Maybe you don't have the strength or motivation to train for a marathon, but do take time each week to go for walks. Or do yoga after the kids are in bed. Or floor exercises while you and the kiddos are watching cartoons. Move your body - energetically, deliberately, regularly.

I'll be honest here: when my kids were little, no, I did not always make an effort to engage my brain, maintain friendships, or exercise. For a long season, I simply gave up on all of that. But you know what? Not only did my own quality of life suffer, so did my family's. So, if you have a martyr complex (like I did) and aren't willing to sacrifice the time and energy to take care of your mind and body for your own sake, then do it for your family's sake. Their lives will be better if you do.

Are you a 50-year-old, gray-haired wanna-be writer/homeschool mom/grandmother? Here's some advice:

• Stay mentally active.
• Stay socially active.
• Stay physically active.

Thanks for the good advice, Judy!