A Moment of Silence For Zach Splitter

A moment of silence for Zach:























Our prayers are with you, Splitter family.

Priorities

Someone clever once said that if you don't take control of your money, someone else will. I suspect that goes for time as well. And how can I take control of my time if I never consider my priorities?

Yesterday I did some adjusting in my mind. I decided that if I accomplish three things this summer I will be satisfied with myself. I want to

1. spend time with God, including scripture memorization---important! (this was originally lower on my list, but got bumped up)

2. spend time with my family

3. get physical exercise

Now comes the challenge of performing. It is easy to say what my priorities should be. I will find out what they really are when I watch my actions.

Richest Man on Earth/The Unknown.

Paul Overstreet wrote some lyrics I find to be too true:

"...all the money in the world won't hold you when you fall

We've got a roof over our head,
And the kids have all been fed,
And the woman I love most lies close beside me in my bed.
Lord give me the eyes to see exactly what it's worth
And I will be the richest man on earth."


Isn't this what home is all about? My experiences at home are some of the best I can desire for myself. Having my own home, husband and children is one of my dearest dreams. God's gifts are a delight.

But there sometimes comes a moment when we face the unknown. Filled with the goodness and overflowing with the blessings of God, we suddenly find ourselves in a situation of great need and fear. There are times when "all the money in the world won't hold you when you fall."

It is then that God Himself must fulfill our longings. All to often, I believe, we get caught up in the delights of God's gifts and forget to delight in God Himself. If we praise Him for His gifts, we are on the right track. If we take his blessings greedily we are not.

God is enough.

His blessings are an expression of His heart toward us. He cares about us, and chooses, in His own timing and way, to give the blessings He sees fit. He may give a different thing to each, yet He gives lovingly to all. To quote Facing the Giants: "He just throws in the state championship because He can."

Our God is BIG. He can handle the toughest parts of life. He can handle death, pain, tears, shattered hearts, sin.

He conquered it all. It is finished.

Puppies

While I was still in school, my golden retriever Sandy had seven puppies. I was floored. I thought Sandy was too old for that.

Now they are the cutest six-week-old puppies you could dream of. Huge, rolly-polly guys who are mostly black and long haired. We've been giving them away for about a week and a half, and we have only two left.

My little sister wants you all to know that I did none of the work. And she's right. She did it. I'm a bum when it comes to animals. Except horses, and I don't own any of those. I'll do work for horses because horses are the only animals that give you something back. Except cattle. But they are only good after they are dead. But that's off subject. Puppies.

So... if you want a puppy, you'd better hurry! Only two are left and at the rate they're going...

"Fun" Can Kill You

I saw Pirates 3 tonight.

First impression:

---Mind-Bogglingly twisty plot

---Alluring creation of characters

---Music that would put tension into a bowl of sherbet and pleasure into buying gas

All rather ruined by a bad taste left in my mouth. I think that bad taste is there because this was one of the most dark, gory and dirty movies I've watched. The repeated sexual innuendo certainly did not advance my mental purity, and the attitude of serious sin (as opposed to casual sin) caused me to fear.

Sin does not taste good to me. When it's sin,"fun" can kill you.

Homeade Ice Cream and Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I am away it is so easy to forget the meaning of home. At school I am so caught up in myself. I must finish this assignment, I must be here, I need this, I’m going to do that.

But home is about community. It is about being together, loving others, sharing everything, giving of one’s time, effort, and sympathy.

Home is where I belong. It is a safe haven from the things that would steal my peace and satisfaction. It is a refuge from selfishness, that nasty creature which destroys true joy.

Yesterday we played charades as a family. We laughed till we hurt. Mom even had tears running down her cheeks. Of course Sullivan had no clue what was going on, but he joined in just the same.

Yesterday was like a holiday. I played monopoly with Cher, Ray and Mo for awhile…Ray and Mo quit, and I slaughtered Cher. I won monopoly for the first time in ages! I was actually impressed with myself.

Cher and I played piano duets, too. Then I made homemade ice cream.

And last night, I sat up with my parents and Cher, talking. We talked about lots of things: American history, writing, having children, what a chain reference is, being alone. I went to bed feeling more myself than I ever do at school.

And today I made chocolate chip cookies and zucchini bread. Now Cher wants me to sing with her. I answer yes with all of my heart.

It is good to have a home.

Failure

Sometimes no matter how hard I try, I cannot win. Sometimes I can only fail. What a surprise. I am human. Do I fail? Boy do I ever.

I can't win. I don't make the grade. I'm not good enough.

But it is when I realize that I am not good enough that I look to my Heavenly Father. When I am a failure, He shows Himself strong and proves to everyone watching that the good in me is His, not mine.

I am so dense that I forget this quickly, and God allows me to fail again so that I will remember where my true strength lies. But I thank Him for reminding me. I want to be less that He may be more. For in reality, I am nothing.

Because of this, I praise Him for failure. Yes, my failure. My frequent, absolute, undeniable, right-there-in-red-ink failure.

I identify with Paul:

"So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. "

2 Cor 12:7-10

And I am thankful for the promise that God will keep me together:

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deut. 31:8

I'm not sorry I fail.

Projects

What is it, this continual flow of ideas, this constant urge to be making something? In school, I pour this inner drive to create into my journal. I record happenings, details, feelings, and thoughts. Somehow, my life itself seems to be a fulfillment of the urge to make. When I am too busy to knit, my journal satiates that desire.

But I am not in school now. I am home. And my needles are calling me.

What to make first? I am in the middle of a sweater for Amanda. One boring sleeve to finish and another bor-r-ring sleeve to do from the beginning. Do I try to finish it before I begin something new? Or do I follow my imaginations for the next thing?

And what to knit next? I've been leaning towards two things. Gloves, which I have never made a complete attempt at before: probably knitted out of some of my old stash of spinning...and OH. A huge project. A sweater for myself (when was the last time I made something for me?) which I would design. I find a thrill in the uncharted waters, and designing has become an interest I am eager to pursue. I would love to make this sweater out of something I spun as well, but I don't have the raw materials, and before I can get started I need to work the planning details out anyway.

Or do I reach for a hook and thread? It would take so little time to crochet some lace. Or to tat it...

Oh the options and the delights of deciding. Deciding is half the fun.

We Begin

Welcome!

I'm Millie Jo, and this is my brand-new blog. I am very excited about it. I love my life as well as my opinions, and now I am able to share both with the world! I'm an English major, and there is something you need to know. I am not perfect with English! But I love it. So bear with me, and come along for the ride! Soon I hope to explore some of the topics close to home for me: life in a small town, summer in a big family, knitting, reading, cooking and various other interesting things.

Keep checking back! An exciting summer is ahead of us.