The Tooth Fairy (and other truths)

I have a comment. Again. Two posts in one day. My daughter has basically lost all of her teeth and she had one left. The adult tooth just came in behind her baby one and we decided to let it push the baby one out. The problem with that, is that it wasn't doing it. The baby tooth was loose, but not coming out. I told her to wiggle it and play with it and see if she could loosen it more. Finally, her mouth was making my mouth hurt just to look at the crowding, so I whipped out my pliers. I took a firm hold of the tooth and started to wiggle and gently pull. Nothing. She said she felt like Andrew from Andrew's Loose Tooth by Robert Munsch. She took the pliers from me and headed to the bathroom to try by herself. After a few minutes she came out with tears and the tooth hanging on by a thread. One quick twist and it was out. After the cleanup and comfort I handed her some money for the tooth. She said, "Mom, I knew you were the Tooth Fairy. Just like I know you're "Santa Clause", too. I tried to tell my friends that and they get mad and say there is a Santa." My answer to my daughter and every other parent who's on the fence about Santa and the Gang, "Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny are absolutely real. They are every mommy and daddy who's snuck in their kids room to hunt for the tooth under the pillow and left a quarter, a dollar or an I.O.U. They are every mommy and daddy who's hidden Easter eggs. They are every mommy and daddy who has stayed up until 3 A.M. on Christmas morning assembling the (some assembly required) toys they bought their kids for Christmas."

To say that these entities don't exist would be untrue. I have been all of them at one time or another, for my children and others. Maybe some of us don't buy into the generic stereotypical, commercialized holiday entities, but every parent who has participated in an Easter egg hunt, gifts under the tree, or the buying of little teeth, are these characters. For just a minute, I am Santa Clause/the Easter Bunny/the Tooth Fairy. It's just some of the many things I am. Mother/daughter/sister/chef/referee/ chauffeur/friend/confidante. I just wanted to say that. While I know it's important that the Lord be the center of everything (and He is) I'm good with a little whimsy. I'm even better playing that part.

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*The Jesus Loving Princess*

*Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:22 *

Simply JOY

I like simple things. Sometimes I like being domestic. I just well up with JOY when I cook something complicated, or when I make some kind of craft. I like cloudy days that promise rain. Curling up on the couch with a good book and a roaring fire is a simple JOY. I like romance novels. The cynic in me says "That's not real." but the romantic in me hopes that it can be. I like quiet evenings at home. Hot cocoa, popcorn, and a movie with my daughter. I like laying on my back outside watching cumulus clouds. I like forgetting my cell phone once in awhile and being unreachable. I like long road trips. I like getting lost sometimes (but not too lost). I like time spent with the Lord.

In our current society it's easy to be swept up in the pandemonium that is life. It's easy to be too busy and too tired to find simple JOY. I'm certainly guilty of that. One thing I love, it happened last night, is long talks with my daughter. God is certainly good and faithful. He promises us JOY and if we look, we can have it. I'm tired of waiting for the right time. I'm tired of working myself ragged for later. If I die tomorrow, I want my daughter to know that I had JOY. I had exactly what God promised me. What are things that you have in your life that bring you JOY?

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*The Jesus Loving Princess*

*Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:22 *

I am Alexander!

When I was a child one of my favorite books was called "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day" and Friday February 25th, I was Alexander. If you've never read the children's book it's about a boy named Alexander who just has a horrible day right from the get go. He figures he'll just move to Australia to escape this horrible day and winds up learning that sometime's days are like that, even in Australia. (Sorry if I ruined the ending for you.) Friday I woke up a little late, got myself and my daughter ready for the day and realized I needed to sign her homework. I handed her the keys to my truck, where her backpack was, and asked her to go get it. She came back in, seconds later, saying the truck is not in the driveway. Turns out my truck was stolen. I bought myself that truck last year as a birthday gift, both because I needed a new vehicle, and because it was my dream truck. When I was 16 I saw a picture of a 2000 Dodge Dakota Sport in a magazine and I cut it out and taped it to my wall. Now, someone has stolen it. I've mentioned before that I tend to have seizures when I get too stressed, so I decided that I can't do anything about it other than report it. Maybe having my truck stolen has saved me from and accident or something. God always has a plan! So, I called my mom and asked her to take me to work, and at work I find out the doorknob has fallen off and I have to try to get a repairman out. I went back to my house later (with my client) to start supper for my friend (yummy chili) and I opened the sliding door to get a cross breeze and managed to slam my finger in the heavy door when I pulled it instead of the screen closed... I screamed, I cried, I hyperventilated. My daughter who I had picked up from school called my mom. I thought, "I'm having a terrible horrible no good very bad day." Which made me smile for a second anyway. About 40 minutes later, my daughter came out of my bedroom holding her favorite hamster, Speedracer, who had died. I just nodded, "Yep, that's about right." My mom asked me, "Have you given any thought to just going to bed and pulling the covers over your head?" I'd be lying if I said no. I had a shift to finish, a hamster to bury, and dinner with my friend. I posted on Facebook, "If God is bigger than the boogeyman, then He is certainly bigger than the people who stole my truck." The thing is, I recognize that things could certainly be worse. I also recognize spiritual warfare. I was attacked through my possessions, attacked physically, and my daughter, the person I love most, lost her little buddy so I was attacked through my loved ones. Monday, I bought door and window alarms for my home. It took me awhile to think of it, sleep didn't come easy through the weekend. My security was a little shaken. I was raised in a relatively small military town, where things got stolen, but not from us. Sure, my own terrible horrible no good very bad day had me thinking of running away, but the truth is, God ALWAYS has a plan! He is ALWAYS in control. The evil one can continue to attack me, and I will continue to praise and glorify the Lord! I guess it wasn't a terrible horrible no good very bad day after all. I got to spend a lot of time with my Father that day. Every day with the Lord is a wonderful and amazing thing. I will not be daunted. Regards, Jen

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. (Psalm 27: 1, 3)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

*The Jesus Loving Princess*

*Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:22 *