a Nichols worth....and some other loose change

Any bodies house?

"Any bodies house?"

"Any bodies HOUSE?"

Door slams.

"ANY BODIES HOUSE?"

If you can hear that with a thick Ukrainian accent,

you live in my world these days.

English for Kohl, as he is calling himself, is coming along.

Six months.

Six months in a new country with a new language.

Surviving.

Thriving.

This kid amazes me daily.

And.

He makes me laugh.

Things get lost in the translation around here.

House.

Home.

Same thing, right?

Well, not quite.

But.

We are communicating.

We greet him when he comes bounding in the back door.

We are home.

…not just a house.

So much more.

HOME.

And.

So is he.

 

John 14:23

Jesus answered him,

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we will come to him and make our home with him.

 

 

 

Humor Me.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old,

God showed up and said to him,

"I am The Strong God, live entirely before me, live to the hilt!

I'll make a covenant between us and I'll give you a huge family."  

Genesis 17:1 - 2

*

This morning, these particular verses struck me as funny.

Then the next verse….

It was a zinger.

*

Overwhelmed, Abram fell flat on his face.

Genesis 17:3

*

I have a feeling my overwhelmed is different from Abram's.

The humor I saw was a "laugh so you don't cry kind" of funny.

My perspective has changed since the last time I

skimmed over

these verses in a Bible reading plan.

This morning the Holy Spirit had these three verses

stop me dead in my tracks.

…and I had so much to do today!

Abram was 99 years old.

On most days, I feel 99 years old.

God showed up.

He's been here a lot lately due to cries of desperation.

He is The Strong God.

My strength has been nonexistent, so I have been depending on His daily.

Isn't that the way it should work?

Live entirely before me.

I have always desired for Him to live, work, and witness through me.

Now…about this covenant thing.

I know Abram was thrilled.

He wanted his name to continue on.

He wanted a chance to pass on his values and beliefs.

He wanted a great and mighty nation to come from him.

It was a promise from God.

Faith rewarded.

But, how does this apply to me?

I like the part about

Live entirely before me, live to the hilt!

Count me in!

But.

About this huge family thing…

"What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?

I birthed four precious children.

That is plenty.

I cherish them.

I take my responsibility of teaching,

training,

and equipping them for His service

very seriously.

I am blessed with family.

I love being a part of His family.

United in Christ.

I have had that identity since my profession of faith as a child.

I also understand community.

God has surrounded me with friends, church, and extended family.

But God chose this past year to stretch me.

To expand my definition of family.

I'll give you a huge family.

It's not a foreign concept to me.

I have 11 nieces and nephews that come through here often.

We have had several college students live with us through the years.

Being in a college town affords that opportunity.

Matt and I were house parents at a local girl's home for a while.

Lots of girls.

We fostered two boys in 2010 while their mom sought treatment.

Family, right?

For a time.

Plus.

Matt counts the equestrian mounts, canine tail wagers,

and egg producing fowl around here as family.

I claim things with feathers and fur on good days.

Other days, they are just another mouth to feed.

But our most recent definition of family is different.

This expansion of the heart is to be permanent.

Adoption.

I was not seeking out this covenant.

It has proven to be physically and mentally challenging.

I am The Strong God.

Our story is quite unusual.

When supernatural God is involved, whose isn't?

Through a failed placement of a 9yo Ukrainian boy,

we are now in the process of adoption.

Kolya had been in the United States about two weeks

when we were asked to 'hold on to him for a while'.

The family that adopted him from the Ukraine was overwhelmed.

They needed some time…and space.

We took Kolya into our home and began to pray for his family immediately.

He has now been a part of our family for six months.

Once the paperwork is completed, he will be our everlasting responsibility.

One more child to teach about the Kingdom.

God's plans are sometimes covert.

Who would have ever thought

that He would cover the cost for us to adopt

an international child

within six months?

Reread that last sentence slowly.

No cost.

No anxious waiting.

No mountains of paperwork to fill out.

Who does that?

God does.

…without us ever asking.

…without us ever knowing.

…without us preparing, planning, or praying.

Guess I had been too busy "living to the hilt!"

Definitely broadsided.

Overwhelmed, Abram fell flat on his face.

I can identify here.

First we processed through guilt.

We have friends in process to adopt.

Time ticking by slowly for them.

Doors opening and closing in their face.

Money being spent they don't have.

Why didn't this treasure come to them?

Then we processed panic.

How in the world can we raise another child?

…who speaks limited English.

…who brought very few clothes.

…who eats apple cores. Crazy!

…who has an 'explosive' personality

due to survival skills learned in an orphanage.

…who needs so much more than a roof over his head.

…who thinks he is still going 'home'.

…when we are in the worst financial place ever.

…when we haven't had a chance to read any adoption books.

…when we are already spread so thin.

…when we already have been blessed with four of our own.

Overwhelmed.

Once I made it past that one word I saw more.

I began to process peace.

Abram fell flat on his face.

Exactly where I needed to be.

Prostrate.

God met me there.

I'm so grateful he didn't make me wait

until I was 99 years old to show up.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old,

God showed up and said to him,

"I am The Strong God, live entirely before me, live to the hilt!

I'll make a covenant between us and I'll give you a huge family."  

Genesis 17:1 - 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truths from RM 235A

{as deemed true by the 'caregiver'.}

1.

Nurses are not paid enough.

Doctors.

Well.

Nurses are not paid enough.

They work hard for their money.

Especially in RM 235A.

But.

It is better to nurse a bossy patient

rather than one who does not know her name.

Right?

That is still undecided at the moment.

Nurses will most definitely have the biggest mansions in heaven.

2.

If I was in charge of the hospital I would:

*have pillows scented with lavender not the smell of dirty feet.

*schedule catheters and trash cans to be emptied at sometime other than 4am.

*have the alarms that go off only sound off at the nurse's station.

{down the hall…NEVER in the room at 3am, 4:30am, and 6 am.}

Patients that know who they are don't like alarms waking them.

But can quickly be snoring again once the alarm is silenced.

Caregivers in RM 235A are not so quick to fall back asleep.

*redecorate the room to add some bling to the blah.

*have fruit/candy/nut basket delivered to each room for the caregivers.

    {primarily candy….and possibly laced with valium.}

*have Pandora piped in to drown out the squeaky air conditioning fan.

*give every room a 'garden view'. {Rooftop protrusions are depressing.}

*supply each room with a personal size can of WD40.

*schedule interruptions on odd or even hours

to ensure at least 1 ½ hours of sleep

between polite door knocks

while the moon dominates the sky.

3.

Patients that grew up tending and shelling and canning and cooking their own food

will not enjoy hospital food. Ever. No matter what you order for the next day.

4.

Talking louder to the patient does not necessarily produce understanding.

5.

The same story can be repeated over six times within the same thirty minutes.

6.

No matter your status as 'the patient' you are still the 'the caregiver' if you are older.

Wiser.

Bossier.

You worry that the people in your room might need:

…something to eat.

…or a blanket.

…or some money.

…or to leave so they can check on their children.

…or should not walk on the pretty floor barefooted because of germs.

You might even attempt to remove your own socks for said barefoot person

because that is something you have to give.

It is important to feel needed and useful.

7.

The extra blanket should always be placed on the feet.

Doubled for added weight so the patient can feel it there.

Even if it was already there.

Because.

It never hurts to refold and replace it when told that the toes are cold.

Visual processing of commanded operation yields warm piggies.

8.

Warm feet yield proper naps.

{See #7}

9.

Quality time can be had in a hospital even if the patient is bossy.

Because.

That means that she finally knows her name….and yours.

Psalm 51:6

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Coffee date with my Cowboy.

Some mornings you should just cancel the good intentions.

Mental lists just cause stress anyway.

Some mornings you just need a coffee date.

With your cowboy.

And he just needs LEGOs.

Yep.

Coffee and LEGOs.

There is a surface, superficial sound to that.

Coffee and LEGOs.

Compliments of your local Target.

One stop shopping.

Selfish?

Maybe.

I'll admit to enjoying the Starbucks.

His face definitely dimpled on the toy aisle.

Satisfaction.

You bet.

For both of us.

But it wasn't because of the coffee

{God bless the black drip brew.}

It wasn't because of the mini storm troopers with awkward joints.

It was because of the time together.

Time 'off the clock'.

Uninterrupted.

Unhurried.

Unbelievably insightful.

Boys talk when their hands are working.

Their heart leaks out of their mouth

while their brain is occupied doing other things.

Unaware.

They reveal what they truly believe, sense, and want for dinner.

Plus.

We all know that moms listen better when their mouths are full.

God bless coffee dates.

Job 34:4

Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.

Blessed.

I am blessed.

A friend blessed me with money.

Freedom.

Mallory blessed me with direction and camaraderie.

Bonding.

Derrick blessed me with dinner for the family.

Provision.

A group of college kids blessed me with company for the evening.

Laughter.

Mattison blessed me with time together.

My husband blessed me with a few precious moments alone.

Understanding.

My grandmother blessed me with an alert exchange.

Pop blessed me with conversation and coffee in the comforts of home.

Love.

Miranda blessed me with service.

Gratefulness.

Will blessed me with his heart for others.

Kolya blessed me with his smile.

I am blessed.

Thankfulness.

Mark 10:16

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.