Miss Me?

This Get Real, Woman! blog has been ignored by me for many months probably because I was just overwhelmed with other life commitments. It lost it's place in the non-existant, only in my head, list of priorities for this summer. ha!  I do want to apologize to those of you who have been checking my blog  each day for these many many months. I haven't forgotten this blog, I just did not have the quality time necessary to get a new blog post out.

Here are the highlights of my life since I last posted.

I have survived an entire summer as the mother of a three year old boy and I'm still going! Yay!  My son is wonderful and super sweet, but I will not hide the fact that it has been, at times, very challenging and stressful this summer to parent our wonderful, sweet and smart little boy. I'll just say...UGH! But I sure do love our little guy SO MUCH that the stresses of this summer could never out-weigh the goodness of parenting our little son.

I have become, since the last blog entry, even more aware of the need to be real with my friends and family and those I meet here and there. I am seeing so much more of my society seeking a deceptive lifestyle---trying to "save face" and keep people unaware of their pains and habits and losses. It clearly creates more pain for people, more agony, more mis-understandings and heart-break for those of us who keep things hidden and UNreal.  I am not sure why people are persuaded to be so deceptive in their expression of who they are........I mean, some of this I am sure of the reason why, but it's even among the people who say they believe in God--the source of hope and truth and joy and LIFE. So, that part of my observations still puzzles me. (the rest of this thought will just have to be it's own blog post)

I have been on a summer "break" from the full time job and privilege of collegiate ministry. My husband is the director of a collegiate ministry and I am the associate director. The summer months for our town are very scarce of college student involvement, presence, and energy. But school has started up again and the town is bustling with college students and our ministry is back in full swing. It is so wonderful to meet young women and young guys who are seeking to find God in their life.....who are interested in knowing more about why they were created, why they are talented in the specific ways they are. I very much enjoy spending my days encouraging and challenging young college women to seek truth---and as usual GET REAL with themselves and their world.

I have been enjoying the gift of family this summer. Relishing even the worst of days. I am so grateful to have the husband and son that I have. This summer, I have seen all the more how protective I am of my family and our time together.  If I notice anyone stealing too much of our family time, I struggle to have a good attitude about that person for what seems like days. haha! Yeah, I know. That's probably not good, but I value the little family God has given me and I am jealous when people get more quality time in with my man and my boy than I do. It's like, game on. Let's go. Boxing gloves on, ring the bell. Phfff! Phff! Juke left, juke right, under-cut.  haha! Not really---that was a bit of humor. I just REALLY love spending time with my family because ministry is an on-going thing that has a funny way of stealing family time. It's the battle and balance of time management that happens weekly.  Family and ministering to my friends, my family, and my community AND the college campus is where I love to be.

I have been writing my first novel this summer. So, instead of blogging. I have taken my free time later in the evenings to write....a novel. It has been very fun. Hopefully, I will continuing writing my novel and actually complete it.....instead of just letting it disappear from my lists of creative things to do.

Lastly, I just want to say....
If you are new to this blog, please read the first five or ten posts I have written.....from way back in the day of the birth of this blog.  It will help you know my heart for my postings and help you to really "hear" me on why I write this blog in the first place.

A little inspiration:
Get real, Woman. Love your neighbor. Treat others like you would want to be treated. Truly live, even if you have to wear bandages and nurse your wounds while you go on breathing. It is so much better to truly live your life than to embrace a fake version of you and constantly be on the stage acting. Acting is fun, I know, when it is on a theater's stage. But it is not fun when it's in the place of your real life.  We can live with discretion and not blast the world with all of our problems (by having self-control) and STILL be real with our world and our families. The one way....the only effective way I know how to really do that discretion and control piece is to seek out the God of heaven and to believe His Son Jesus as the Savior. Then, we are able to "real"-ly live.