The Surprise Vinyl

As I had mentioned in my past post, we had a blast walking down memory lane, with our "oldie but goodies" vinyl records.  What I wasn't expecting was the "Surprise" Vinyl.  The one that took me off guard, the one that yelled, "who would have known all these events years ago?."  The one vinyl that silently and quietly spoke, "Only God."

I remembered the cover.  We had two copies of this album.  One must have been mine and the other my husband.  My husband and I share a difference of seven year in our ages.  This means, that when I was in Jr High, he was graduating from high school.  Our memories of history in the 70's is very different. He remembers the war, I remember seeing it on TV. He remembers the draft, I wasn't aware of the draft.  He remembers discrimination, I don't remember racial tension.  Now this album started connecting the spiritual dots.

I started to play the songs, once again remembering the lyrics.  What stopped me in my tracks was reading the writing on the back of the album.

Oh WOW!  This was a time of God reaching down and igniting a fire in the young people of America.  This had happened where I know lived. It had happened in my birth state, just miles from my home town.  My spiritual heart just jumped.

All those years ago, people all over the nation had prayed for revival in the youth.  I was a young youth, my husband a senior in High School.  The cover of the album tells the story, the inside jacket on the album delivered the plan of salvation.


As I stood, on Christmas morning, enjoying the dance down memory lane, my spirit became silent.

You see, I am a product of this move of God.  My parents had been faithful to raise me in the Lord, yet the seeds of prayers where probably why I am still walking with the Lord.  My husband is also the product of the same seeds sown for our generation.  Here we now stand, parents and grandparents, are we sowing seeds for generations to come?  I believe we are, yet I  was also convicted of the fruit of prayers made for my generation in 1972 at the Jesus Expo.

The timing of this discovery was very eye opening, and yet, there was more the Lord would revive in the following days.  I couldn't have orchestrated the events had I know all the info He would show me.  This weekend, will be another time to sow seed.  I will plant back into the same soil that others did in 1972.  There have been many times through the years I know seeds have been planted.  I also know, our nation needs a Revival.   I want to be faithful to sow seeds in prayer.

I will write on the next event God brought about in my life to drive this point home and get me ready for the event this coming weekend.

***I know there are some of you that may have been at this event or part of this event. I am hoping Sonja of Bits and Pieces can add some to my account. Her father did serve with the Billy Graham ministries.  Please, if you were part of this in anyway, would you share. I would like to hear more about what I feel is part of my spiritual heritage.

Harvest America - http://harvestamerica.com/    Arlington, Texas March 6, 2016

Retro Ties Us Together

Everywhere you can look retro is in style.  Music, decor, clothing and even food choices scream the past.  I am sure every generation feels their generation some how, did life better.  Just listen around, "we never did it that way", "we didn't have those problems in our day", "our music was so much better", "we parented better" and the list goes on and on.   I am sure my generation wasn't particularly better, it was just what was common and familiar to us.  Sin entered the world with Adam and nothing has been perfect since in this fallen world.

Even though is it is sometimes hard to accept the "new" ways, it is a great joy when the generations can agree and enjoy "past" things together.   Last year I had the giggly, teenage feeling of enjoying a familiar "past" with my son, who is 35 years younger than I am.  He is our fifth child.  As he pumped music through his room, I could join in singing every word.  Why?  The familiar songs were from the 70's.  I would apply my make-up with a grin, as I boobed my head to the familiar tunes.  Somehow my wrinkles and grey hair, seemed to disappear as I saw a eager, full of life, ready to take on the world,  teenage girl look back at me in my mirror.

This lead to my Retro Christmas purchase.  I mean, what do you buy a 20 year old?  The technology of today is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy past our budget, and he could care less about clothes.  Then I saw it, I just had to have it, this would be soooooooooooooooooo much fun!

A turntable.  Yes, that is right, a turntable.  One of those old forms of technology we had been force to donate years ago, as all the "new" technology made it obsolete.  Its purchase even showed the generational differences. As I spied the turntable I started toward my conquest, so did another woman in my generation. There were only two.  We both laughed as we grabbed the coveted retro item.  She was feeling the same things I was.......................memories of our youth.  We both made our way to the cashier, while others in our generation saw our purchase, questions started coming.  "Are vinyls coming back?", they hopefully asked.  To which I knew the answer, "oh yes, and also the old vinyls are popular with the kids today."  My treasure chest of vinyls were still in the garage. I couldn't wait to share this retro-toy with my young adult son.

Christmas morning came.  He was thrilled!  I eagerly ran to the garage to share my vinyl treasures, to share my knowledge of what 33, 78 and 45 speed meant on the turntable.  To my horror, part of my vinyl treasures had been lost in our last moves.  My heart sunk. I had carried them with me for over 30 years and now when I could share them with my son, they were gone.  We still had a box.  Many were my husband's own recordings.  He had recorded dozens of albums from his days in high school and college bands, to his own album with a singing group.  My husband's group was called Reflections, and one member is walking with his Savior in heaven, after a battle with cancer. again the past meeting our today.

The kitchen, which is also decorated in total retro, became our 70's memory dance floor.  I fixed Christmas lunch while belting out the songs I had song in my youth. I didn't miss a word. Songs I hadn't heard in decades just floated back to my memory. I was a youth once again.  All music evokes emotions!  It doesn't matter the genre, secular, classical, and even church hymns evoke emotions.  To say it doesn't is false, that is why music is so powerful for good or evil.

We laughed, we sang, we enjoyed the past together.  One friend said to me later, "can you believe our parents let us listen to those songs?"  Well, I don't know what she listened to, but although my parents were protective, I had my own level of standards, and my journey through my past youth didn't dig up embarrassing decisions, but a youth of joy.  These memories were good and that is what I shared with my son.  One song we laughed through was  I Am the Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.  I knew every word, that is how I felt in my youth.  Weeks later, not knowing our Christmas memory lane walk, a friend sent me the youtube video to that song, stating, "I saw this and thought of you."

Our day ended with countless hours of walking down memory lane with our sons.  Recalling stories and telling about the past artist we enjoyed.  Some albums were also their grandfather's favorite, yet many were artist that are still touring, playing to sold out crowds.  Some have recently died.  Who would have believed their music would have transcended the generations and even become a glue to bring them together?  So is the power of music.

There was even a bigger retro-walk in my vinyl record box. I am saving that revelation for another post. It is where I stood in amazement over the spiritual heritage the Lord had given me from the 70's.

So as we grow older and think this generation just doesn't get it, may we remember our parents and grandparents probably felt the same.  The sin of today isn't new, that is why the world needs a Savior, that is way Jesus came to die for our sins.  Our responsibility is to pray!  Let's  sow seeds for the future, while enjoying the positive fruits of our past, since our generation was also filled with fallen sin, that needed a Savior.

Perservance

Each of my children have strengths and weakness, like all of us.  As their mom I can rattle off both on each of my offspring.  I think one of the greatest challenges for many of us moms, who are trying to train our children in righteousness, is the ditch we can fall into focusing on character that needs to be molded, instead of rejoicing in character shown.

This week our third born son, the one whom his Dad whistled the theme song, "My Three Sons" as his announcement to all he called from the hospital, turns 27.  Our third son earned his place in our family line up between two "I want the center stage" siblings.  He has quietly left the stage on more than one occasion to allow them the attention they both crave.  In so doing, he is our peacemaker.

He was our first violinist, here playing with Benjamin.

As he turns 27 this week I celebrate his character.  Character that has been molded by the Lord through perseverance.  While things have come a lot easier for his two older brothers, he has been the one who has continued to steadily move forward.  With each knock down, he has returned to his tall stature, which extends over his older brothers, to get himself back on course.

He will finish up his degree this summer.   He chose to obtain a degree debt-free.  This challenge meant he would forgo a new car, vacations and even returned home for extended stay, until he could find affordable rent.  Through out his journey he has continue to work full time or more, while attending school.  He would collect employee of the month and countless other work awards, while still pushing through with school.  He would walk the path at his own pace.

Many times I have questioned his college course, wondering if it might not be better for him to enter a career full time.  He would take off a semester, earn up money, and return to school.  He was determined.

As his other siblings married........and had children.....he continued on course.

When he was young my motto for him was, "slow and steady wins the race."  I was the mom who would yell from the bleachers, "run like your pants are on fire", while he slowly rounded the bases in baseball. He was never the child you could rush, but I also said, "you will never have heart problems from stress." He has always reminded calm.

My steady man has convicted his mother's heart more than once.  His silence can speak volumes, I never have heard him say a bad thing about anyone. He is never jealous, envious nor brags.  He humbly moves through life, while his siblings seem to be blazing trails blowing up dust, he is content.

So, today I look up to "My Mighty Tower", which is what his name means,  "I Love You and Happy Birthday".   Your perseverance has made you the man you are today, continue on your race.

It Never Works for Me!

After a long week of fighting the crud, some unnamed illness, I found myself alone.  My mind went wild with the possibilities.  I would have a few hours before I need to pick up Benjamin.  Alone time.  What is alone time? What will I do now that I feel okay?

My friend recently had her annual medical test run. All those test that are needed at the mid-century years, were taken.  The advice the doctor gave her was that he felt most women held in their stress.  This naturalistic doctor advises his patients, before prescriptions, to try to manage stress in varies natural forms.  One of his suggestions for women to release their stress is spa day. Massages were at the top of his de-stress advice.

We both looked at each other and said, "Yeah, RIGHT!"  We both talked about all the issues that would keep us from de-stressing in this manner....money and time and family.  We also discussed that we needed to learn from his advise.  Walking is free...having a spa day at home, not massage, was also a possibility.

This is where my thoughts had gone in my head on this free morning.  So off to the bathroom I went to have my own, de-stress, spa day.  I looked into my drawer to find a spa packet, for my face, a gift from how knows how long ago.  I looked down at my toes and fingers,  yes!!!, they needed attention and color.  I started the water in my shower.  Calgon take me away commercial playing in my head, I stepped in.  Surely the facial mask would remove the years of neglect.  Surely my husband would notice all the time I am taking to beautify myself. Surely the stress would wash down the drain with the water.

Now, as my friend would say....I was setting myself up for a disaster.  Truth is, It NEVER Works for me, but today would be different.

Music played, my hair was washed and wrapped in a towel, I leaned back in my de-tox mixture water to relax.  I grabbed the facial mask and slathered it all over my face. It was thick.  It smelled wonderful.  Now in my rush to enjoy my spa day  I didn't put on my glasses...I didn't read the package.  As I leaned back relaxing, covered in my orange facial mask, I thought, I didn't read what it said to do.  I grabbed the packet.  To my horror I could barely make out, Hair Mask!!!

OH, MY!!, what had I slathered all over my face?  Oh, my, was I now going to look like a red tomato all broken out?  Oh, MY!!!  I began to scoop off the mask, but not to lose it, rubbed it onto my hair!!!

While I am furiously removing the mask, praying it will not strip off my face, the phone rings. YES, someone is in need!  My college son's car didn't work and he needs me to pick him up, NOW!!!

I look down at my toes, my fingernails and realize, once again.............It NEVER Works for ME!

Now how does this de-stress anyone?  Well I was laughing as I stepped out of the tub, still watching my face in the mirror.  Thank goodness, my hair mask, didn't manifest in horror on my face.  As for my hair, well I couldn't tell any benefit.

My husband never knew I had tried to make myself look beautiful for him.  My college son never knew he had interrupted my "spa day".  Stress-free, came with the realization of  laughing at myself, and plans to one day...............one day.............actually paint my nails, and use a face mask.

Laughter is good like medicine and it is free!!! 

Today, I have some free hours......................you think I ought to try again?????

I hope you have a stress-free, relaxing, refreshing weekend!