Merry Christmas -- A Time of Reflection

Reflecting on this past year has been the most difficult I’ve had in over a decade. Our family has stretched and grown WAYYY outside of our comfort zone. I admit the blessings have been abundant.  Triumph comes from trials and this year we have endured quite a few. We certainly have a very different perspective these days, and perspective would definitely be our family word of the year if I could choose just one. First, to no surprise we moved, our biggest one yet! (and dare I say this, probably the last). We bought 5 acres of land nestled in the trees, close to town, but yet still worthy of deer hunting. It’s been a long difficult journey to get this far but entirely worth every bit of effort.

Here is what we learned this past year individually and as a family:

How to grieve when you lose a father (Justin’s dad passed away suddenly in April) talk about tough times, how to lobby your legislators (without money) or at least try,  how much time, effort, miles and gas it takes to travel back and forth to the Oklahoma State Capitol, more education research and info than anybody would ever want to know in a lifetime (and if you have school aged children or grandchildren you should absolutely be paying attention VERY CLOSELY to common core & the high-stakes testing!!! Great websites to follow include: www.unitedoptout.com, www.truthinamericaneducation.com, or www.dianeravitch.com)

We also learned how NOT to sell a home, how to write a blog, how empowering it is to not have TV or Facebook, how to demand parental rights and read/write Senate bills and through God’s grace and a pure miracle -- 3 of the most important actually passed. We learned how to shut off our cell phones for extended periods of time in order to enjoy time on the porch and most important how to embrace a new perspective on everything that is truly important.  It’s been a challenge doing everything society tells you not to do. It’s amazing what He has done in our family this year, each trial perfectly placed to remind us of the greatest joy and peace which can never be fulfilled here on earth. Standing up for something, being the ONLY ones, beaten down and bruised is the hardest thing we have ever done as a family. But if we don’t stand for something we will fall for anything, and I pray each person that reads this letter will dig in and ask yourself, what do you truly believe in? Do you believe the TV, the newspaper, your friend, Facebook, your neighbor, the politicians? Do you believe the Bible? Have you ever truly given the Bible a chance? Do you believe in Heaven? Do you believe in Hell? Then what do you believe? What legacy are you planning to leave for your children or your grandchildren? Is America still the land of the free and the home of the brave if everybody is too afraid to stand up for it? Aren’t America and your freedom worth standing up for regardless of the price? How about Jesus?

I choose faith. I choose guts. I choose to believe God is real, I choose heaven over hell. I choose to share my story and have faith that you will read it. I choose to stand up for what I believe in no matter what the cost…didn’t Jesus do that for you, for me, for us? I choose to be a shepherd NOT a sheep. I choose to take God’s judgment to heart as opposed to the judgment of this world. I choose to fight for America, an entire future generation, and for our freedom. I choose to believe Christmas LOVE was born in a manger NOT a mansion, I believe in angels, the 10 commandments, and that He died on that cross. I believe we are all too distracted, too afraid to offend or be offended, too scared to stand up, and too busy to care. Too ashamed to speak the truth and too willing to compromise. I choose to believe we are going through the motions. No matter what you believe this Christmas season I pray you ask yourself what declares truth and belief in the first place. What is the difference between belief and faith anyway?

And now for the lighthearted stuff, the two gifts that truly test every bit of our patience as parents and the 2 main reasons why we choose to fight in the first place.

Logan’s future occupation will most likely be some sort of vacuum repairman considering the numerous amount of Lego’s, air soft pellets, and bb’s which our vacuum consumes regularly. If not, he may possibly be inclined to become a professional sports officiator (referee), he loves sports and competition. But he’s also 10 now and can call the shots! Mr. Big Shot…he understands when and how to demand an instant replay and he certainly knows the entire rule book backwards and forwards (know-it-all), most important he really knows how to bend them into his favor through gray areas (or is that a lawyer?), anyhow, he usually does his best to enforce the strictest flags and penalties on his sister until the league owner has to step in and issue all parties fines and punishments.

When Kendall grows up she will most likely become a Laundromat owner because she is known to change clothes a half a dozen times per day and is the official laundry queen of the house.  Speaking of queen, she may become some sort of host for daily talk show because this girl can T-A-L-K, chat, blog, text, ask, answer, mingle, and socialize with the best of the best.  Definitely a future talk show star! Even her teacher agrees, every single one…she steals the show for most talkative. She could quite possibly also become an artist due to her ingenious abilities to magically create admirable artwork with…..cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, other miscellaneous trash, and those bright colored loom rubber bands. Her bedroom is very Duck Dynastyish, and every American Girl doll’s dream made with duct tape EVERYTHING!

I hope you take Christmas time to stop and soak up the very “small” yet HUGE things that we all take for granted. Go to church, light a candle, say a prayer, smell the air, make a wish on a star, use the OFF button, STOP everything, don’t pin it like it or post it, just simply enjoy the moments…………they are fleeting. May God tug at your heart strings and may you choose to take action in 2015. It’s time to take back the very principles America was founded on.

In God We Trust