About Marriage and Tunnels--Jemez Springs, NM

I love marriage and I would suggest it as a great alternative to TV and premarital sex. Being married is so much fun--where else can you make fun of someone and know that they will return the favor with no hard feelings?

The other day, Bryan and I were driving to a funeral he was doing in the Jemez. He drove one of the family's members while I followed him in our car. The scenery was amazing. At one point I drove through two tunnels, wishing I could snap some pictures. After the funeral, Bryan drove us back out and we came up to the first tunnel. I took a picture through the bug spattered window and said, "That is a bad picture," to which Bryan replied, "Don't worry there is another one."

Now, I don't know if he had forgotten I was driving and thought I was asleep but that was a pretty funny statement and couldn't resist a little sarcasm. I said that I hadn't noticed the other tunnel and could he please point it out to me. He was astounded that I could drive through a tunnel and not notice. At that point I realized that, after twenty years of marriage, he still didn't know me very well. It is so fun to be utterly sarcastic and have him fall for it almost every time.

Jemez Springs really is an amazing place. I wish we hadn't been there for a funeral but it was still a beautiful day and a beautiful place. Bryan brought comfort to a lot of people and helped some others to see that the church isn't quite as evil as they thought. Thinking about that part of who he is makes me smile. He is a sweet man and only has occasional flare ups of arrogance. (Unfortunately for him, most of his flare ups occur in front of Bryanna or someone else who is sure to guffaw, chortle, and snort at his pride. The only time he gets away with it is when he is with his mother or sister and they both think he can do no wrong.) Really, I married a guy who cleans up kid barf, changes tires, can build anything, has a compassion for the down and outers, loves everyone (except for the guy driving slow in the fast lane), makes me laugh, and most of all, loves Jesus with everything he is. He can catch a fish, clean it, and not get grouchy when I outfish him. He is also mostly patient when I can't get the computer to work and he is willing to let me embarrass him on a regular basis. I also happen to think he is very handsome! Maybe marriage isn't just about being married but who you marry.

What Beautiful Feet!

The people of my church have beautiful feet--they do the stuff of the kingdom with no complaining and in a precious way. They have shown me such selfless love and I am so thankful to them. Somehow most of them love me and I just can't get over how God could have put me in a place that has so many wonderful people.

On Sunday we had pastor appreciation. More than anything, I look forward to this day because everyone comes to church (that didn't quite happen this year) and it is better than a family reunion. I love seeing the faces of those who have good intentions of coming to church but don't always make it until it is pastor appreciation Sunday. My sweet (and not so sweet) boys from the old youth group usually try to come home and see us during this time--it is just such a blessing. That means more to me than any gift that we could ever receive. It is a time of catching up and chatting, meeting new friends, and playing volleyball. I so enjoy it every year. We were showered with love and affection and tribute--it truly was a celebration.

We did get to play volleyball, another one of my favorite things about pastor appreciation. Volleyball at church is something to behold. I am the most competitive person out there and, as our friend Jane has blogged in the past, you get to see who is really able to walk in Christian love. I, apparently, cannot. I am never mad at the people on my team (unless Bryan's Uncle Phil plays) but I am incredibly sarcastic and irritable. The men always enjoy hitting my crabby button and I explode at least once. It is still fun and I still play as much as I can even if I scare people away from me. I did call one guy a ball hog and I do believe he left not so happy with me. I will let you know if he ever comes back to church.

For those of you who missed my favorite day of the year, I will forgive. You do owe me a game of volleyball and you have to stay even if I do call you a not so nice name.

Precious Ones of God

Today we went to the funeral of a friend, Larry Jaramillo. He was a sweet man. He was 41 years old, and like my Jared (my nephew), he was a special needs person. He had Parkinson's and was mentally disabled. He died in a car accident Monday on I-40.

The funeral was so beautiful, most of Edgewood showed up. Let me tell you, Edgewoodians heard the gospel preached today. It is hard to miss when the person you are burying was constantly thankful to God for the life he had. I really believe that people like Larry and Jared are guiless and really have the heart of Christ. Neither one of those boys would ever miss the chance to ask about every one of the family members by name. Every time Larry would see Bryan he would say, even 15 years after the fact, "I am sorry about your dad, Bryan." He knew how to love, that is for sure. I think that we all tend to forget the crud about people when they die but I think that Larry's life really didn't have much crud.

When Jared died in March, we eulogized him and remembered his love for people. He was so beloved by all who knew him. After his funeral, I was trying to think of the times that I had seen Jared be selfish or thoughtless but I couldn't recall much. The only times were when he was really sick and even then he was never rude. I think special people have such simple hearts that they are never looking for evil anywhere. They have no ugliness inside of themselves so they are surprised when they see it in other people. Jared, like Larry, was accepting of people and was never shy about expressing his faith or his concern for others.

I wish that we could all be comfortable with the special people. If we all spent time with one of them each week we would find that life is a lot more beautiful than we think it is and that people are really a lot more beautiful than we think they are.

Babies, Babies, Everywhere and the Cheater Gene

We have so many new babies coming into our lives. I am so excited to see all of them when they are born. Matt and Ashley are due in about six weeks! I cannot believe my Matt is going to have a child--he still hasn't learned that picking your nose and wiping the boogers on others is not acceptable behavior. They will be wonderful parents and I can't wait to see how cute that baby is. Chris and Jane came out with the news yesterday that they are due in March--I knew in July but I also knew that they wanted to keep it secret. I am so happy for them! Brian and Sarah are due on Christmas Day and Bethany and Freddy are brand new pregnant with baby number three. (Theirs is still a secret from the Simmons Family until Beth's cousin has her baby shower.) That is four new babies! What a blessing...

Okay, now about the cheater gene. They have actually found a gene that links men that cheat. I told Bryan I know that he has the cheater gene but that God made him a new creature. Every male on his side of the family (and many of the females) have had affairs and I know my husband well. I think that we have all known that there is a genetic predisposition to cheating--that is obvious when you look at families like his. I wonder if there is a gene for those who marry those with the cheater gene. I think my family may fall into that category.

Last thing. Bryanna is doing well in college. She is so funny--she calls about four times a day (we do not mind at all) and she has already been home for a visit. She is mightily complaining that she spent ten hours outlining a chapter for her anthropology class and then got there and Phil Simmons only spent three hours on his. She also has attracted some males there--one in particular follows her back to her dorm after her class with him. She doesn't mind too much because he is the smart kid in her computer science class that she doesn't understand. She has had one other black young man who asked her out to dinner that she turned down. Jonny was severely disappointed--he believes our family needs more racial variety. He said that he would prefer that Bryanna actually marry an African so that Freddy doesn't feel like the odd man out being the only true hispanic in the field. This from the boy who feels fulfilled when he has his woman in one hand and a tostada in the other.

Of course Jonny is disappointed that he has more English in his blood than Spanish. I just want everyone to know that, for the record, I was the one who broke the rules marrying "out of my race" and Dale broke the rules marrying a good ol' boy. Mom and Dad never minded when we broke the rules but it sure sent shock waves through some of the family.

Congratulations to the baby makers and havers. We can't wait to love your babies with you.

It has been a while...

Bryanna and the Men in her life.

It has been quite a while since I wrote anything. Hopefully now that my life has a bit more rythm I will be able to post more often.

We took Bryanna to college this weekend which is strange because she is only supposed to be two years old. She is happy to be in her little dorm room and to be making new friends. Bryan posted on his blog how strange the whole experience was--going to church where we went when she was born, seeing the people we knew when she was born...it was so surreal. He said on the way home that he feels like he has been experiencing his life as if he was on nitrous oxide--it is all swirled and strange and going way too fast. It is going too fast--our little baby started fifth grade this year. Next thing we know, she will be off to college.

I often think about our short time here on earth when I have experiences that remind me of my past. It seems that I should still be only twenty-one with my whole life before me but I am almost forty-two. FORTY-TWO!!! That is such a crazy old age! Bryan, of course, is only thirty-nine. He hasn't hit the horrible birthday that delineates old from young. My mom had me at his age and I always thought she was old, old, old when she had me. Now I am older than what I used to consider over the hill. I don't think I will ever be old though. I still love to slop through mud puddles, have water fights with my family, and punch Matt Koger for being rude. I also am still a sore loser. Maybe that just makes me immature? In any case, I am thankful that my life isn't just this life. I am so relieved that this life is just a grain of sand on the beaches of time--the real life begins when this one is over.

"Life flows from God, it flows from God..." (Charlie Hall)

Finally Writing

I finally have the desire and the time to write for a few minutes. I have been thinking a lot about prayer lately. We saw the second "Transformations" video the other night and I just really began thinking about how we talk to God. A personal communication with GOD--the creator of the universe. We act so casual about it--can we think about I AM listening to our whining and our petitions? We see that Abraham, through prayer, changed the mind of God. He basically nagged God until he got the answer that he wanted.

I am so wrapped up in my own little life and the things I think are important that I rarely remember to pray about the bigger picture. I loved the tenacity and the absolute determination of the heroes in the Bible. David, Jacob, Abraham (just to name a few)--they all demanded from God and they weren't struck down. They all respected the power of God and they all walked with Him intimately.

I didn't agree with some of the stuff that was said on the "Transformations" video but I cannot argue with the results. We visited one city in Guatemala that was in the first in the "Transformations" series (I think it was Almolonga?). There was definitely more wealth than the other parts of the country and the whole city was cleaner--there were actually dumpsters! We still saw a lot of individual poverty and some rich looking churches. Were those people poor because they refused to "accept the riches of God" or were they just too ingrained in their poverty to see anything else? It was distressing to see a man sleeping on the streets and the Mercedes trucks delivering the huge vegetables driving around him. Yes, I cannot dispute the results of the revivals but I often wonder how long they will last before the governments in those places make Christianity the only religion and persecute those who don't believe.

The one thing I really loved about the revivals in all of the videos was that each began with a person within that community. A woman or a man with a desire to see the people of the community have hope would begin to pray. Soon, others would join and within a short amount of time, the community was changed. Not from the outside in but real heart change. Abuse of all sorts, alcolholism, and even suicides became a non problem. They came together with a purpose and changed their communities. The real power of God transformed their lives.

So, that brings me to my thought--if they can pray and be dedicated to changing their community, why can't I? Is prayer a gift for some people but not for others? I know that there have been times when I have prayed and I felt something I can't explain. It felt like a shift, a moving of tectonic plates in the spirit, if you will. I knew that something was happening. There have been other times when I felt fervent and nothing happened. Bryan reminded us on Sunday of the story of Daniel waiting 21 days and then the angel told him that he had to fight for three weeks to get there. Bryan also reminded us that lack of faith and God's will pretty much have nothing to do with our prayers not being answered. God's will is that no man should perish...

I admire my friends like Kelly who pray and pray and have such incredible experiences with God in their prayer lives. To be honest, most of my prayers are whispered thoughts to God, not deep times of kneeling and crying. There are times when that does happen. My favorite times with God are when I am listening to TFK or the old "Jumping in the House of God" stuff--He just meets me and we jump together. (Now that I am 40, it gets a lot harder to jump so long!)

Thanks for listening.

An Unnamed Talk Radio Host

Today, as I was driving back from Albuquerque (I was gone four hours for a 1/2 hour orthodontist visit), I was listening to a talk show and I was so surprised at how differently I think than I did about five years ago. I was in such disagreement with the words of the host. I didn't really disagree with a whole lot of the content but with his acceptance of only those who agreed with him. I kept hearing callers say, "You're a great American, God bless you." If I called in and didn't agree with the host I am sure I wouldn't get a "God bless you"! Do we have to believe a certain way to be called a great American and to be blessed by God?
What makes a great American? Maybe it is someone who is going "against the flow" of what Christians normally think a great American is. Maybe it is the soldier in Iraq or, better yet, my Moslem doctor.

I think maybe it is someone who is really willing to give up personal rights and freedoms for the good of someone else. If that is a great American, than I think a lot of the people characterized nowdays as "great Americans" couldn't be termed that any longer. They are willing to fight for freedom (or having others fight for them) but are they willing to give up the right to tear down another person because of political disagreement?

It is so relieving to know that I don't have the answers and I don't have to give them.