Joy At Last

I remember being about 11 or 12 and sitting in church hearing my pastor, Lucinda Holmes, talk about Mary being just a young teenager when she was told she'd be pregnant. Then we read the scripture about Mary singing song of Joy (or something like that) and sang "There's a Song In The Air." Many of the grown-us were smiling. I wasn't smiling ... not at all.

I was mortified.

I mean, what if God came to me and told me that I was going to be pregnant. First thing I'd do was calmly explain to God that I was afraid of needles, and I was pretty sure I'd have to get a shot if I were pregnant.

And then maybe He'd say, "Okay, Heather, I'll find someone else." Then, he'd pick someone who was older, like 22, and who wasn't afraid of needles.

Those were the days that we ended every hymn with "Amen." Only, I would sing, "Awomen" because it was the early 80s, and I was a feminist. I think, I wasn't sure. I just knew that I could bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan.

I was certain, though, that I'd be anything but joyful if I were told I'd have a baby a very young age.

Now, I'm older and wiser (sorta), and I know that I still wouldn't be joyful if I'd have had a child at 12. I have a 13 year old and an 11 year old. The word "mortified" isn't nearly strong enough to describe how I'd feel if they turned up pregnant.

What I do know now is this: God has in mind to give me opportunities on a daily basis to find joy.

In a world where I cannot get enough sleep, I haven't taken a shower or peed by myself since I can't remember when, and the laundry is multiplying with every sunrise, finding joy is not always easy to do. This week? I'm going to have it in my mind to look for the joy--the things that make me smile, that make my heart happy, that offer me joy. And I'll take those things.

Conversation Of The Week

Scene opens with me standing on the scale in the examining room of my gynocologist's office. I'm exhaling deeply, not wanting any extra air to weigh me down.

Nurse: Very cool. You've lost one pound since your visit a year ago.

Me: A pound. Great. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Nurse: Yes. What are you doing to lose all this weight?

Me:  All one pound? Well, I am dressing lighter ... 

Weekend Update

It's been a busy week for Momma.

This week, my daughter's birthday party from the rejects of Pintrest was the most read post on Minivan-Momma.com.

Over at Chick-Wit, I pledged some crazy things for a million likes.   And I chatted it up with my chicks about The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D.

In my hometown newspaper, The Examiner Enterprise, I posted about lying to your kids. It's not all bad.

And finally, as co-producer of the Listen To Your Mother--Oklahoma City show, I was pleased as punch to call for submissions. I hope YOU'LL submit to or for us. ;)

Conversation of the week

Me:  What's the difference between lemonade and sour mix?

Bartender:  They're not the same.

Now I know...

My first writing experience

I'm at the OWFI Storyweavers conference in Oklahoma City this weekend learning to be better at what I love to do:  Writing.

Aren't you glad I returned to
writing instead of honing in on
my softball skills??

I've been writing since I was in the second grade - SECOND GRADE.  I was very much into Encyclopedia Brown and his mysteries, so I decided that I would write my own mystery. 

Conversation of the Week

Playing The Game of Life with our neighbor, who is the baby of five children:

Daughter 1:  In real life, I want to have just two kids:  a boy and a girl.

Neighbor 5:  I want to have a girl, a boy, a girl and then a boy.

Daughter 2:  I'm not having in kids in real life!

Neighbor 5:  Why not?

Daughter 2:  'Cause you have to have a shot once you're pregnant and, in real life, you have to PAY money when you have kids!

1986? I found your geese...

My own momma is not a hoarder.

I only say that because she told me to stop calling her a hoarder.  When compared to those who are featured on the TV show Hoarders, my own momma's not quite there. Yet.  She's pretty darned close though.  If she only had a cat and if she only kept the used liter...  (Really, I saw that on one of the episodes!)

SHE gave ME the skank eye??

In a moment of momma weakness, I agreed to take The Daughters to the local water park.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy the water park, it’s that I don’t enjoy the other people who GO to the waterpark.  There are kids there and they are peeing in the pools and splashing and I find myself channeling a 76-year-old man, shaking my fist at them, screaming, “You stop that splashing, right now!”

However, it was a glorious day and I decided that I would just plant my skirted butt