Special Friendship

I was talking on the phone with Ashlea the other day, and she told me that an older woman in her church (around my age) asked her if she and I were good friends, and if so, how we became good friends.  Seems this lady and her husband are contemplating the adoption of two teenage girls, so she is looking for advice.  My immediate response was, "Did you tell her I just dictated that it would be so?"  Joel chimed in with, "What has been written, so it shall be done!" Seriously, though, one of the goals of our parenting was that we would be good friends with our children when they reached adulthood. . .not while we were in the instructional years. 

Ashlea and I briefly contemplated the contributing factors to our friendship.  One of the first mentioned was that our love for the Lord binds together as sisters in Christ, in addition to our loving relationship as mother and daughter.  We have the freedom to encourage and admonish one another in our Christian walk.  We respect each other's perspectives, though sometimes our pride does get in the way.  Ashlea thought our home schooling played a definite role, especially since there were very few girls in the high school co-op.  I mentioned that because we both have an interest in Bible doctrines and theology, we have had so many wonderful conversations on those topics.  I have learned so much from Ashlea.  Her pogo-stick mind helps me connect the dots that I would otherwise miss on my linear mental path.  Then Ashlea stated the obvious:  she and I don't have what you might call "normal" female personalities, so there aren't many real kindred spirits out there. And finally, we really enjoy each other's company!

'Nuff said! :)

Easter Weekend in Louisville

Joel and I are home from a wonderful weekend visiting our daughter Ashlea. We don't require a lot of excitement, so the three of us spent quite a bit of time just talking and walking Walsh around the streets of Old Louisville. Oh, and there were those trips to Comfy Cow for the best ice cream in Louisville (Salty Caramel - mmm, mmm, mmm!).  Since it was Easter, we were able to attend several worship services, including a Good Friday service. I'll post more on the services later. For now, I just want to share a few of the photos Joel took during our time together.

One of the walking courts

On Easter Sunday afternoon

It's not really a headlock.  Walsh has a habit of sticking his head under arms. 
He loves his hugs!

With my sweetie  :)

I absolutely love this house on St. James Court - but does it have to be pink?!!

The azaleas were in full bloom - lovely!

Demonstrating Compassion

I love Ashlea. . .and not just because she's my daughter. I would love her regardless.  There are many reasons for the affection, but today I'm reflecting on how much I love her as a sister in Christ and a very good friend.  I especially appreciate her biblical perspective and discernment in life situations.  As much as I tease Ashlea about being "way out there" (because she often seems to be thinking on a different plane), she really does have a pretty good head on her shoulders.

Recently we were discussing how we often tell people that we're praying for them, which is good if indeed we are, but our commitment stops there.  We are not really interested in getting involved to the point of offering physical, emotional, spiritual, or grammatical (just seeing if you're paying attention) support.  I have been guilty of that many times.  Instead of giving of myself or my resources, I've often just uttered the words "I'll be praying for you" before moving on.  Ashlea commented that this response to a known need might be interpreted as "Go in peace, be warmed and filled" as spoken of in James 2:16, the appearance of compassion without the works of love to prove the compassion. 

I realize that there are times when praying is all we are able to do.  I am not disparaging prayer, because faithful prayer for others is important.  But I have been challenged to also pray about other ways I can demonstrate love when friends and family are in need.  Sometimes it's even the little things that make a difference.   

The Kids Come Through!

I am always pleasantly surprised at the thoughtful gifts my children give me.  They seem to find the perfect items, without any prompting from me. . .usually.  I've been known to drop a few hints here and there, and being the bright kids that they are, they are quick to catch them.  But these gifts were of their own doing, and I love them!  

I should have had these dinner napkins twenty years ago!  Instead of verbal reminders of good manners,
let the napkins say it all!  I can't wait to use these on dinner guests. . .all in good fun, of course.  Thanks, Ashlea! 

Bring on the butter!  Knowing I've been a huge Paula Deen fan since our visit to The Lady & Sons (click to link to blog post), what better way to renew my interest in cooking than with a new Paula Deen cookbook?  And throw in a cheese biscuit mix for good measure!  I've already selected a few "must try" recipes. 
Thank you, Tyler and Baillie!

Reinstated

There's nothing like an offspring-induced guilt-trip.  It makes me realize how far short I fall from receiving any type of mother-of-the-year award.  I really didn't think Ashlea would notice...but she did, and this is what she wrote on her blog post from today:

"Well, if no one is out there, I completely understand. After all, I haven't posted anything in almost (gasp) two years, and even my mother has removed this link from her site. If that isn't a sign of doom, I don't know what is."

If it's any consolation, I did not remove Ashlea's blog from my Google Reader list, so I was still tracking her blog, just in a stealthy manner...as we mothers sometimes do.  

With that being said, I have reinstated A Song for All Times blog in my public blog list on the left.  I want to provide all the blogging encouragement I can!  ; )

The Competition Continues

I almost deleted it because it looked like another junk email, but the combination of "marthastewart.com" as the sender and "pumpkin pie" as the subject got the best of my curiosity. I opened it to find a friendly little note (with a "hehe") from Ashlea that I might like to see this recipe. I knew then exactly where this was going! She's reviving our pumpkin pie competition from last Thanksgiving and wielding the gourmet heavyweight as proof that chili powder does indeed belong in pumpkin pie. Well, I still maintain that the only reason chili powder originally made it into pumpkin pie was because someone didn't read the spice label correctly. And I'm sticking with the Williams Sonoma pumpkin pie recipe...so rich and creamy and...cinnamony. Just the way it should be!

Friends

Christina and Ashlea sharing some Turkish coffee from Ashlea's new Turkish coffee set.

One of the Guys?

Yeah, that's Ashlea with some of the guys on her ultimate frisbee team. They ended their season Saturday, finishing fifth in the Louisville Ultimate Frisbee Association's tournament (there were two others girls on the team that didn't make it into the picture). As you can tell, they all played hard, with dirt and bruises to their credit. :)

Plug

Some of you like to read Ashlea's blog, but since she rarely posts, I want to give you a "heads up" that she's posted an article on the biblical view of grief.

Celebrating Ashlea's Birthday