Open a Door That No Man Can Shut...

So, Friendo here (i.e., Sierra, my 24lb human daughter), recently discovered the doggy door.  For a while she has known about the doggy door and has been throwing her toys out the plastic flap only to land outside – out of reach and in Bobo’s (our 8lb dog’s) way of getting back into the house.

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A Few French Fries Short of a Happy Meal.

Have you ever known someone who is good at “bending the truth”?  You know, little things that seem really small and insignificant until they start to pile up and become big? 

I realize that we all exaggerate to some degree.   Yes, I do believe that exaggeration is just another form of lying and Yes, I do it quite a bit myself… about 1,000 times a day (exaggeration of course).  

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Pedal Pusher.

It has been a while now that my 3-year-old, my 36 pounder, first-born, Friendo - Sierra Starr – has been trying to ride her bike.  Actually, it has been a very long time.  Her grandparents bought her this cool bike last year with training wheels, sparkles, pink, – the whole nine yards.  However, it is the kind of bike that when you pedal backwards it is the break and she kept trying, for whatever reason, to pedal backwards.

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The Journey.

  The road was long, bumpy and full of potholes. It was hot outside and I wanted to go home. I was tired of the journey. I was weary of the same scenery. Nothing seemed to change. It was all desert. Here and there would be a small stream, but it was never enough. It was only enough to keep me moving, to keep me pressing on.

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Pigs Really Do Fly...

 

August 10, 2011

 

This is Onna. Pronounced: [on-uh] That is important because my 3 year old will make sure and correct you if you say it wrong. (Trust me. I know...)

 

Anyways, this is Onna. She is a bribe pig, a.k.a., bribe toy. Every parent should know what a "bribe toy" is. It is a toy or an object offered and promised in return for good behavior or happy moods. That's what Onna is. A bribe pig.

 

Sierra has been sick and had to have her blood drawn a few days ago. That did not make her happy in the least. However, I offered her a "bribe toy" in return. Had no clue what it was going to be, but later when we went grocery shopping on the way home, Ralphs saved the day! There was Onna in all her helium glory, sitting by the plants, tied by a string to a small fern. Sierra new instantly that was going to be her treat. So, it was. Who can argue with a 3 year old who has been crying because she had a guy take all the blood out of her arm. (That's her explanation, not mine)

 

Onna has been with our family now for a few days. She is quite content. I don't hear a peep out of her.. or a squeek or even a squeel. She just floats around the house minding her own business. She did have a run in with the ceiling fan and lost a leg, but it doesn't seem to bother her. Oh, and if you notice in the picture her ears are gone. That doesn't seem to bother her either. Sierra loves her just the same.

 

This morning I was giving Sierra breakfast when I was asked to "please put a plate of food on the ground for Onna" so she could eat as well. I figured I'd amuse her and do so. Actually, it was an empty plate, but we "pretended" it had food. Onna stayed at the plate for some time while Sierra ate her breakfast. But then I heard a sad voice say, "Mom, Onna left me." I sort of chuckled to myself at the thought of a balloon, a.k.a. Onna, leaving her, and then went in to find out what happened.

 

There was Onna floating up the vaulted ceilings in our livingroom. She looked quite happy up there, but Sierra wasn't. She was mad that "Onna didn't finish her breakfast". I laughed outloud this time and said, "Look! Pigs DO fly!" At which Sierra said, "Mom, pigs don't fly. That's ridiculous. Tell Onna to finish her breakfast!"

 

Ha! I laughed to myself again, got Onna down from the ceiling and tied her to the chair so she would "eat her breakfast."

 

I found it funny that, in the mind of a three year old, a helium pig named Onna could eat imaginary breakfast, walk around the house on a leash and be her best friend. But that same helium pig named Onna could not fly. According to her, it was "ridiculous!"

 

I think we are like that with the things of God too. We believe all of the Bible, until we find something that is hard to believe. I find it difficult to believe in healing a lot of times. I have a lot of unanswered questions and because of that, I lack the faith to believe God can instantly heal. Yes, I do believe God can heal. I just have a hard time believing it sometimes.

 

I have a 3 year old and an 11 month old who have both been very sick the last two weeks. I don't know why God hasn't swooped down and instantly healed them. No clue. Wish I knew. I've had moments where I think, "Really? God supposedly heals? When? Cause I don't see it with my kids right now! That's ridiculous!" (Yeah, I've had that conversation. Don't judge me. haha)

 

Serioulsy though. How many times do we believe the Word of God until we have to "REALLY" believe the Word of God.It is easy to say, but hard to put into practice. I think there are a lot of things that my weak faith says is "ridiculous" simply because I don't understand everything God is doing. When I don't understand it is hard for me to believe it. Sort of like believing in gravity. I understand it more when a rock falls on my foot. Had a rock not fallen on my foot, I probably wouldnt' have the same understanding.

 

How can we know God is our healer, unless we need to be healed? How can we know God is our Savior, unless we need to be saved? I believe in the ridiculous. The world would tell me just that. "Your belief is ridiculous."Yes, it is and I believe it.

 

Ridiculous means: preposterous, laughable, or absurd. Yes, my belief can be ridiculous until one understands it. Until I need healing, believing in healing is ridiculous. Until I need salvation, the idea of a Savior is ridiculous. I believe in the ridiculous then...

 

I have a harder time believing pigs can fly... THAT is ridiculous.