Puppy Love and Baby Fever!

Lily met her cousin Jacob today. During a skype visit to New Mexico, Lily became very interested in my computer. The kids gathered around the small laptop screen to peer at their 13 month old cousin Jacob. In and amongst the jabbering, Lily grew closer and closer to me. She began by laying on my fee and ended up standing on my feet with her tail wagging intently. I picked Lily up to look at the computer. It was like love at first site. Jacob nearly leapt onto his computer and Lily nearly lapped our computer screen... trying to reach the baby. There is something so pure about puppy love and baby fever!

The Horse Shouter

A few days ago my husband and I were listening to Dennis Miller. He mentioned that he was the "horse shouter." This was particularly funny because we had watched the "dog whisperer" only the night before. The dog whisperer was encouraging the dog owner to assert its authority as master over the pet. We both felt empowered and began to walk Lily with more authority. She is lighter on her paws and nipping less. We felt even more empowered after a bit of comedy by Dennis. His honest rant about "horse shouting" rather than "whispering" was a riot. Later the same day we were hanging out as a family. Lily was entertaining all of us. My husband looked at Jael, our 3 year old, and said: "I'm the kid shouter." No more whispering, talking... I'm moving right to shouting!

Lily is doing well. Growing leaps and bounds. And had her first successful play date with a 13 month old baby with only gentle touching. Yah!

Puppy Prayers

Well, it's been quite a while since I last wrote. Our days have been very full! And our nights have been even more eventful. Lily doesn't like to be alone. She cries. Our first night I listened to Lily howl, bark, cry, whine, and wimper. She wanted nothing more than to sleep close to us. We listened for hours as she howled. I really love to sleep and during sleepless nights I try to pray. I figure if I am up anyway there is someone I could pray for. While Lily kept us awake I imagined her sounds as a prayer language. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit understands our spirit groans. As I listened I heard sharp barks of frustration, horrendous howls of loneliness, manipulative whines and weak wimpers. I felt like I could understand what she was saying. It brought me comfort recognizing her sounds. If I can recognize the different barks of my puppy... how much more can God hear me.

What genius of God to hear our cries, moans, groans and even breaths and hear something beautiful. He truly hears me... even when I can't find words to express what I feel.

A Little Heaven on Earth

There is a wonderful scripture that most church goers have memorized early on in their spiritual journey. It goes something like this: "Give us this day our daily bread, forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of others .... Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Yesterday, my daughter Jael sat on the floor holding Lily. She looked up at me and asked: "If I go to Heaven, when can I come back?" I gazed at her and said: "What do you mean?" Jael looked back and said: "I would like to see Dakota and then come back to be with Lily." (Dakota was our 13 year old golden retriever who died last September). After a brief theological discussion about eternity Jael explained: "I want to tell Dakota that Lily is here now."
"Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven." Lily is a little bit of Heaven come to earth for our family. She is evidence that God cares about even the smallest details of life. He cares for us to love and be loved. He authors the sunsets, paints the flowers and gives personality to every living creature for our enjoyment.
Lily inspires me to live the scripture... and bring Heaven to earth for those around me.

New Arrivals

Do you remember when you were a kid and it took forever for things to happen? Now I feel like life whizzes by and I barely absorb one memory before the next one is being made. On Thursday night Isabelle, Jael and I drove to the airport with great expectation. Jael (3) fell asleep before we pulled out of the driveway. Isabelle on the other hand sat in the back seat asking the same question over and over: "Are we there yet?" At one point she said: "Mom why does it take so long for things that you want to happen? It was a great question.
Lucky for her, the hour and half ride to the airport was uneventful and we arrived with out delay. Upon pulling into the arrival gates, we all peered out our windows hoping to catch a glimpse of our new arrival. Then at gate 6, we saw her. Grandma opened the door to the backseat of the car and laid the most precious 20 pounds on the girls lap.
Lily lay across their laps amongst giggles, sighs, and other joyful sounds. What a wonderful memory... very worth the wait.

The Most Important Things!

A few weeks ago, I was faced with a choice. I was offered a puppy? This opportunity to replace our family pet launched me into a much deeper conversation. The question: "What is really important to me?" Our family dog died in September, 2009. He was 13 years old. Dakoda had lived with me for one year before I got married. He moved with me five times. He guarded the crib three different times when our new babies came home from the hospital. When he finally passed away, he was crippled and disorientated. It was one of the strangest losses I had ever experienced. My husband and I decided to wait through the winter to replace our pet. It was mostly a pragmatic decision, since the thought of house breaking a puppy in the Wisconsin snow, didn't sound fun! In March we were offered a puppy, the runt of my friends litter of lab puppies. I remember looking at the picture and thinking this is a great thing. I also remember wondering if I could do it. I am already so busy - managing our family, work, ministry and my volunteer commitments. I guess my heart won, when we accepted the gift and began to plan for her arrival.

It amazes me that just the thought of the new pet brings so much happiness and excitement. The choice to accept Lily was also my choice to accept "new life." Just the idea of a puppy brings joy, freedom and new life to our family. Lily is the name that she comes with, but our family feels it perfectly depicts her story with us. She is our Easter Lily... our sign of hope for the future.

What does "Touched Twice" mean?

Over the years Perry and I have been introduced many times as the directors of "twice touched." It always makes me laugh - it almost sounds kinky or like the white coats are coming. So first of all, the name of the national ministry is: Touched Twice. This name was attached to the work of a band of idealistic twenty-somethings who all believed they could make a difference. We believed that by sharing the gifts and talents God had given us, we could enrich the lives of others. So, back in 1996 we pooled the resources of an optician, nurse, social worker and a musician. We shared what we had in a tiny church in downtown Louisville, KY. Over 300 people showed up and received vision screenings and recycled pairs of glasses.

There are countless stories of what it means to be touched twice. But conceptually, the first touch is meeting an individuals most pressing need. For many who can not see to drive, to work, and to properly care for their families - a pair of glasses is a gift that words can not describe. The second touch is love. It is Jesus with skin on. The most remarkable aspect of Touched Twice, is that the server inevitably is touched as dramatically as the one being served. It is an unbelievable turn of events.

In closing, when I think about the state of health care in the United States now in 2009, I am amazed. Back in 1996 vision and dental care for adults was the greatest need. Today millions of Americans have limited access to affordable general medical care.

Could the concept of sharing what we have with our neighbors really work? Could we have neighborhoods and communities transformed through service? What would it mean if each of us touched our neighbors twice - first with a loaf of bread, second with the healing message of the Gospel? That's far from kinky. The concept of Touched Twice is life transforming!