letter to an addict

dear addict,

let me start by saying

you...you are loved...you are more...

i know it is hard.
it is raw and real.
you are fighting a fight you can't win...alone.
you can't say no...alone.
you can't walk away....alone.
and you don't have to do it alone.  
this drug that calls your name is big and ugly and mean and strong.
it has taken more from you than you could ever know.
memories, time, love, money, energy, relationships.....your health...your life
and yet it wins.
but you know all this.
you've promised "i'm going to do better, i'm going to stop. i'm not addicted"
               and maybe you think you can.

my friend kendal...she had a drug called ED...she wrote a book about her fight with ED.  i remember reading about how much she hated not having her drug.  she hated when people took her drug away.

another friend...he had a drug called pills....he didn't fight...they are still winning.

another friend...she had a fight with alcohol....she fought, her family fought...she doesn't reach for beer but friends now.

and the friends could go on, yours, mine....and some fight and some don't.

but you...you are loved...you are more than this drug.

i don't know what your drug is.....meth, heroin, pills, alcohol, porn, an eating disorder, gambling, sex, anything that can take the pain of life away.........

but you will have to have an army to win against it.

and at first you will not be the leader of this army and you will HATE the army
because the drug has you convinced it is better and worth it.

it's not.

let them fight for you until you can fight for yourself

friends

gosh i can write about friends....all day long and tomorrow too
i have so many that are tried and true
friends take work and understanding
truth and honesty
and it was late in life that i figured out i sucked at being a friend
i was not dependable, selfish, and just a plain ol' lazy friend

but do you know who taught me how to be a friend.....the one that became my best friend
Jesus

there was a time i went to Him last......
i ran to the current boyfriend
i celebrated with worldly things
my treasures were disposable and "fun"
friends i called them some....when it was convenient
but when you put Him first
everything and everyone else fall into place

hey i've wrote about friends before  here

it is always a good time to reach out to a friend

linking up with
Lisa Jo @ Five Minute Friday

jumps of life

the jump of life comes full force most days
a thrilled child running at you
it came out
it came out
i twisted it and look!
his has lost his first tooth
and i wasn't ready for this jump
i wasn't ready to look at my sweet little boy
toothless
with small tiny tooth in hand
the tooth that i cradled and soothed
as it broke through just yesterday....right?
but the jumps of life
don't wait for you to be ready
they don't wait for you to prepare yourself
they just happen
and you must choose to smile and enjoy
and pray and be thankful
that God is in control
of the jumps of life

lovely linky's
Lisa Jo @ Five Minute Friday

cleaning house

have you ever asked a kid, yours or someone else's, to do something and the answer is "why do i have to do it?"


it is at this point that we make a decision
a) slap them
b) reply with "because i said so"
c) calmly explain to them the significance of being a citizen and their obligation to life in general

i have thought many times about choice a but never followed through
i am guilty of b but try hard not to say those words
i am working on instilling c so that explanation is not required

some of us have joined together in reading a book that addresses this giant entitlement issue that we have in our culture.  Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement  is Kay Wyma's documentary of teaching her children month by month the important things in life and that hard work isn't fun, but we all have to do it.

"I love you.  I believe in you.  I know what you're capable of.  So I'm going to make you work." Cleaning House

these are not common words in the home or society in general

work? what is that?


Month 1:

Wyma's sets to have her children, all five, clean their rooms daily.  Meanwhile, she finds herself reflecting, how did I get here?  Adopting the "it's easier to do it myself" mentality.
Aren't we all guilty.  Teaching, mentoring, guiding children it's hard on the emotional well being of a person.   It requires patience I can only find through the Lord himself.  When you are 15 minutes into a battle of stubbornness, it takes all the strength you can muster up to hold your own, but next time it will only take a 10 minute battle.  I often say it is much easier to be a bad parent than it is to be a good parent.  

Month 2:

Cooking.  Wyma's children each take a day of the week and must plan, shop, prepare, and serve their family dinner.  How would your children fair?  I think the biggest eye opener for myself here was that children have no concept of money and the cost of food.  As a teacher, this is an area where I can assist in the entitlement.   Do you take your children shopping with you?  Do they know where food comes from (the agriculture activist in me comes out)?


Month 3:

This chapter is my favorite.  I live on farm, I grew up on a farm, we play in dirt.  The conversations in this chapter regarding weeds and yard work are great.  The children paint and plant flowers and find happiness in their work.  Are you giving your children things to be proud of, even if they aren't as perfect as you would like?  

"Each day the culture drops seeds in the minds and hearts of our kids - seeds of insecurity and inadequacy, of greed and consumerism, of selfishness and cynicism.  As with the acorns, our efforts at combating these invaders will be more effective if we act before they take root.  We can have the conversations, present strategies, be honest, and work together to help our kids build up their defenses." page 71


 how is this book affecting my life?

• i fight the battle till i win
• i let mistakes happen
• owen is cooking weekly and grocery shopping
• addie has to clean up her mess
• yes, they pull weeds
• do not worry about what others think of your parenting, your house, your children
• they are planting their own garden
• stick by your words

questions i'm asking?

• how do we stop them from thinking they need "things"?
• how do we help them recognize their significance to society as whole?
• how do we stop playing the "safety" card?  we can't let them do that, they might get hurt.

how are you battling entitlement in your house?

Other's writing about Cleaning House:

 http://spring.gouette.com

 http://www.onlyhere-onlynow.com

 http://www.amylsullivan1.com

here

today is an enrichment day
which means i don't have to be a boring math teacher
teaching the logical steps of computation
i can teach cool stuff
like the 50 states of the USA
you know the country we live in

so i'm keeping a list of the funny things out of the mouths of 6th graders
concerning this great land.  their words in italics.

What's next to California?
Alabama

What's next to Georgia?
India

Hey is this North Carolina, this big state?
(points toward middle of the country)

Isn't Rhode Island the smallest island in the world?

Hey can you help me find Canada?
Canada's not a state in the United States.
It's not?

Is Australia a whole different country?

I can't do this, I don't know the world map.

Can I write in the golf of mexico?

Where do I put Spain?

Arizona is the state above California.

yes here in my classroom. these words really were said.
but they did leave knowing where california and new york are located.





lovely linkys
five minute friday

is it well with your soul?

so i find myself singing these words really really slow all day long.......
It is well,...... with my soul,........It is well,........it is well, with my soul.
because attitude is 90% of the problem
believe me i know i hang out with middle schoolers all day long
and i'll be honest there are times my attitude is no good
and i'm really bad to let others attitudes influence mine
when people yell, i want to yell back
when people are rude, i want to be rude back
when people are not helping, i think why am i helping
when people don't listen, i scream "what are you doing?"

but if this wellness we sing about is real
and is real in our soul
our attitude will be it's mirror

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul."

let my attitude reflect the well of my soul.

gifts caught with the camera

 a few of my many gifts of life
caught in action this weekend
sometimes you just don't realize
how good ya got it
till you see it in still frame

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven
Ephesians 1:3

If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone 

else's, we'd grab ours back.

lovely linkys
Deidra @ Jumping Tandem
Michelle @ Hear it on Sunday
Jen @ Finding Heaven

life from here UBP13

Hi, friends!  Welcome to life from here!  Pull up a chair, click around, and make yourself at home.  If you are here often, I'm linking up for the third year with 5 minute moms annual ultimate block party, thank you for reading my craziness.  If your new, thank you too and we are glad you are here.

About Me

Name:  Karrie, Mom-my, Moma, babe, Mrs.Combs, sweet pea

Occupation:  disciple of Jesus, teacher, sunday school teacher, prayer warrior, mom, wife, friend, sister

Birthday:  July 19, 1983

Education:  BS in middle grades from North Carolina State University  GO PACK!!

Place of Birth: Northwest North Carolina - neighbors include chickens, cows, corn, yadkin river - common mode of transportation 4-wheelers, gators, pickup trucks, tractors

This is me and my sweet little girl!

About the Blog

I write, sometimes its good, sometimes its not.

I write about my faith, my kids, scripture, life from my little corner of the world. 

I write because I don't scrapbook or have baby books. (I know i'm bad, but I do have an awesome aunt who makes me really cool photo books. Thank you Aunt Debbie!)

I write because Jesus is worth writing about, He's worth sharing.

I used to worry about my readership and my digital platform, but I realized I wasn't writing for  the whole world.  I was writing for the one or two or however many or maybe just me who needed to hear from God that day.

I'm not on a blog schedule, I don't usually plan my blogs.  I have done some book studies.  I do link up with some awesome people.

Blogging is not my life. I don't make any money at it, although it would be awesome.

foothill farm life

So, there ya have it life from here in a nutshell composed my me, Karrie.  Hope to see your beautiful self again!

2 Corinthians 5:20 -21

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

after

Hanging out with Lisa Jo today....
 Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt “After” with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
.....ready, set, go........

life after surgery

after the nap

has been pretty good
i have hung out with kids and my mom
but i'm ready for normalcy
work and my students
i'm ready to see faces other than my own
i attempted to work on wednesday
but they sent me home and said
no work after surgery
till the doctor says ok
my bandages are off 
and i'm feeling pretty good
with a little pain just now and then
but i think i'll live
and i hoping
that life without a gallbladder
is better than life before

yeah so that was the first thing that popped in my head.....
happy friday!!

lovely linky
Lisa Jo @ Five Minute Friday

listen to the music

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain,

I like watchin' the puddles gather rain.

And all I can do is just pour some tea for two

And speak my point of view but it's not sane.

It's not sane......

 taking it back with Blind Melon today

but i can so relate to these words

some days i feel insane

so my word for 2013....listen...
and i must tell you that i have been working really hard at this....really
there was i time that i listened to music all day long and since kids and work and life have happened...
i have put my music listening  aside
but i have been working to incorporate music as much as possible 
and i'm here to tell that i am happier for it
my children also love it and it keeps us from watching tv all the time
and maybe i have lost a pound or two 
because we dance in the kitchen, in the living room, in the bathroom...or maybe owen just has pee

some of our current favorites...i'ts a mixed bag for sure

addie's favorite





just got these guys new CD....it is awesome!!  you can check 'em out http://www.countyclareband.com/fr_home.cfm


the dancing song.....fast....slow....stop and sway....fast


the sing along  ----- is hellava a bad word????

tell me what you are listening to these days???  we need to add to our collection....please...i love music!

lovely linky's
Emily @ Imperfect Prose

lessons from mary this easter

John 20

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

 This spoke to right to my heart this easter weekend.  How often am I worried and afraid and  in tears that I don't even see Jesus?  He is right there, willing to give me comfort.  And it isn't till he calls my name that I pay attention.

What spoke to your heart this Easter?

broken

the disciples got to hang out with jesus and it makes me jealous
they reclined with him after supper and chatted about life

they heard him say:  "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

and when your dining with a friend and they say these things, you hear them but they don't sink in, you never understand someones pain till after

so they continued to lounge with MY friend and he begins to speak:

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

and they did what their friend said and with questioning eyes looked at him but they didn't think on this much, his brokenness, his pain, his body, nope that wasn't what they dwelled upon, it was his next line

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.^[a] 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. ²² The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!”

what????? Jesus?? my friend....i would NEVER betray you..they argued......not for anything...not 30 pieces of silver....i'm better than that Jesus....I'm your friend....I argue with them too.....

but today on this good friday......i like to stand and say i would not betray Jesus...but i have,

i have many times.....so i don't stand tall...i bow humbly and close my eyes and cry out, as i imagine the strikes, the spit, the blows, the 300 pounds of lumber he hauled up the hill...........his body broken........for me, his friend........and it isn't how much I love him but how much HE loved ME.......

ichristianc.org 

scripture  from Luke 22

lovely linkys

Lisa Jo @ Five Minute Friday

on being a tree

 

 5 Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Guilty.....how often I depend on others, myself, the world....to bring me though...

⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

I've been in the desert of life...screaming where is the water, Lord....

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:5-8

But finding comfort in Him is the only way to get out of the desert, to stop the trust of the world, who always lets us down, and to be a tree of life for the Lord. 

One who stands tall and firm and rooted in the Lord and His word, one that is always green and has no worries.

Oh, to be so strong.

 

lovely linkys

Emily @ Imperfect Prose on Thursdays

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

blessins & lessons

blessins'

• a day with mom with no kids is a treasure
• lunch with my very first best friend and hearing about her life and whats shes doing like we have seen each other every day when really we haven't seen each other in 8 years brings new meaning to friends for life
• the musical wicked made me cry
• hearing addie say juice
• 35 more days of school!
• sharing scripture with a friend
• the easter season 
• rain  ---- what if you never say another flower bloom because you grumbled when it rained?
• pictures of my beautiful children
• the possibilities of life
• emails that make me smile

lessons

• sometimes gallbladders can't wait to come out that have to come out next week
• there is always more month than there is money
• true friends are hard to find
• candles, the stripey and dotted ones, come in packs of 25, the solid colors come in packs of 36.....for husband who turned 28 had to have the solid colors.....told brother who turns 37 this year he is now going to have to have at least 2 boxes of candles for his cake {insert evil laugh}
• being a mother is the hardest job on earth
• commercialism works hard to defeat me ---- i see....i want...i can't buy

Dwelling on these verses this week:

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.  Matthew 21:21-22

lovely linkys:
Paula @ Welcoming Spirit

peeking through the windows

often times i find i'm just peeking through the windows of life

never enough courage, strength, money to go in and experience the real thing

like going on a mission trip

or picking up a stranger walking on the side of the road

i just peek though the window 

thinking "jesus would have picked him up"

"jesus would sacrifice to go to romania"

you ever compare yourself to jesus?

guess what i always come up short

i probably wouldn't even have went on the streets when jesus came through on the donkey

i would have just watched through the window 

peeking through

my word for 2013 is listen

and i have been working really hard to listen to God

to spend more time in prayer quiet than talking

but as i've been reading and watching "the bible" on the history channel

the difference between those that made the BOOK and those who did not

are not only the ones who listened but the ones who acted

they didn't peek through the windows

they went out in the streets and proclaimed for Jesus

are you peeking through the windows of life?

lovely linkys

Jen @ Finding Heaven

Michelle @ Hear it on A Monday

rest

no one ever shows up on the seen and announces "let's rest"
nope that is not how life works
although I wish is did
babies aren't learning the word
they are proclaiming "GO!"
well at least mine is
and often I just wish I could say
"let's rest,"
let me hold you and memorize this moment
I think that's what God had to do on the seventh day
He had been in the Go mode
and then he had to step back and rest
and look on and memorize His great work
just as it was that day
we too often don't take that time, that moment, that Sabbath
to look on, to rest, and look at all the great things
God has done that week in our lives and say
"it is good, God",  You are good!


² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3

lovely linkys

Lisa Jo Baker @ Five Minute Friday

blessed again this week....

blessins'

• addie's babbling
• birthdays
• continuous conversation with bffs  
• spring break plans
• lettuce that came back
• overflowing strawberry plants
• 3 days of students
• coffee
• teaching geometry....i know i'm a nerd
• no mt.dew for three days! i do have will power

lessons

• gallbladder attacks can last 6 hrs and may make you consider death, but drugs from the er do help
• things do grow legs and walk off.....or someone moves them....same thing
• I did not gain this weight overnight, I will not loose it overnight
• sometimes cereal for lunch with 5 funny kids is all you need to boost your spirits
• if you tweet a picture of a celebrity they might possible tweet back....I got a retweet from Sammy Kershaw :D
• students are more than tests
• google calenders and tasks are my new procrastination tools
• sometimes all you need is a good, deep down inside laugh to turn your day around

For the LORD is good.

Psalm 100:5

go back with me to 1993

tell me about the blessins' and lessons of your life this week.....