Once Upon a Time--Sounds A Lot Like A Bible Story To Me!

With the onset of Fall brings back dearly missed sitcoms--one of which, Once Upon a Time, is being welcomed back with open arms. Yes, there are nay-sayers who would like to make fun of this show and to you I say, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE MISSING!

I don't completely understand the psychology of a good lure, but somehow, someway, this show has it. Yes, Yes, I know these are just retold fairy tale stories, but still--it's captivating!  Hulu and I have a date on Monday evening after I read the spoiler alerts after it has premiered on Sunday.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but notice how the story line parallels The Greatest Story Ever Told--that being the story of Jesus of course. Before you skip to the next blog, hear me out. Think about it for a second. Once upon a time an evil witch (the evil queen) casts a curse on the entire earth; no one was exempt and there was only one way out (the enchanted tree), and the one who made it out (Emma Swan) would one day return to bring the curse and free the people. Now! Seriously! Tell me that doesn't sound just a little spiritual to you! Let me break it down: Once upon a time sin entered the world destroying everything in its path; no one was exempt, but there was one way out--Jesus. By dying on the cross He created a way out for those willing to believe and follow him, and He too will one day return for His people and put the curse and the one who cast it in its rightful place. 

No kidding, this same message is found in most noteworthy books and movies. Like Harry Potter. There are some seriously spiritual concepts in that movie (way too many to touch on here). Star Wars has many Biblical truths,  even Twilight dances with the spiritual idea of a war within oneself---the good versus evil struggle that the Bible clearly hits on as we as believers struggle with the things we should and shouldn't do. Most successful stories have a problem and a hero who sacrifices to provide a solution. It's like this universal truth in storytelling and I honestly believe it's God's way of revealing His story to us in anyway He can. We relate to stories...maybe that's why Jesus spoke in parables....hmm...perhaps the movies and books we read today are like modern day parables.

Hello Fall! My How I've Missed You!

Please applaud for the beginning of Fall! Summer will be missed; we said our goodbyes with a commemorative Sonic Happy Hour Half Off slushy and then embraced the Fall Season with a hot cup of apple cider! 

Saturday--the debut of Fall--was beautiful! The air, the sky, the breeze! Completely ideal for Fall's first appearance! I Watched a little Jr. Pro Football followed by a family trip to the pumpkin patch at Riverview Mounds Farm. If you live in the Clarksville, TN area, YOU HAVE TO VISIT Riverview Mounds! Lots of fun to be had by all! Yes, my inner child was released as I heehawed at the donkeys, gobbled at a turkey, went down the pipe slide--a little too fast I might add, conquered a wall of tires, and attempted to win a walk & roll pipe race (I totally should have won...the kid beside me totally cheated...everyone knew it!). My kids and I could have stayed all day...we may just do that next Saturday! Looking around the farm got me thinking "I could do this! I could own a pumpkin patch one day, set up an awesome barn and host amazing family fun activities!" I think I'm going to add "Own a farm/pumpkin patch" to my bucket list!

So Saturday was a fantastically fun family day! Best day ever! Picture perfect! So perfect, it made me wanna take the back roads! So after the Jr. Pro Football game and trip to the farm,  I loaded up the kids and we drove those winding Tennessee roads with our windows down until I found a gravel drive....:) ....then drove a little further just to enjoy the sound of the gravel underneath my tires--one of the greatest sounds on earth.

Oh Fall! How I love thee...let me count the ways! 1...2...3...88...99...150...WAY TOO MANY TO COUNT....so...here's just a few reason Fall is amazing:

The Beautiful Trees, the falling and rustling of the leaves! The crisp cool wind, and the pumpkin desserts that seem to have no end! Hayrides, Hot Chocolate, S'mores...and Pumpkin Chai Lattes galore! Flannel and Fleece to keep us warm, while the fragrant scents of pear and apple fill our home! A little bit of football, some tailgating too; Welcome Fall, We have missed you!

Forgive me Lord...I killed a caterpillar...

Did I even spell caterpillar correctly? I think so 'cause it's not showing up on auto-correct--which I have a love hate relationship with currently. My hubby sent me a text the other night that said "I love you sweet feet." Um...okay?? What? Immediately after that text he sent another saying "Hahahaha, auto-correct. I meant sweet cheeks!"  Nice! :) It was good for a laugh. Oh Auto-Correct...you're so silly! Anyway, life seems to be handing our family a lot of lemons lately...good thing I have an amazing recipe for lemonade! It's been a week today since my cousin committed suicide, and this morning I got a phone call from my hubby's Aunt informing me that Oma (my husband's grandmother) had passed away. My stomach just knotted up at the news and OF COURSE Stephen is gone right now...ugh...delivering bad news over the phone is just awful! On the bright side, it looks like he will be able to come home for the funeral....I just wish he was coming home for a happier occasion.

Emotionally, this week has been exhausting! Death makes you think of, well,...death...all death...your death...the death of loved ones. It makes you wonder who you will see in heaven...and it makes you wonder who won't be there. I've been thinking a lot this week on the concept of "once saved, always saved," meaning that once you have asked Jesus into your heart that you can never lose your salvation. I believe that...but the real question is, "Was the person saved in the first place?" A Christian's life should show evidence of their salvation...TOTALLY NOT TO SAY we are perfect...we mess up (I mess up all of the time...like when I spaz on my kids or when I  killed that caterpillar out of anger--I will tell that story in a sec). It's a misconception to think we can say we are a Christian, ask Jesus into our hearts and then live like the world....but people do it all of the time....and if that's the case, we need to check ourselves to make sure what we have is the real thing and not settling for some knock-off.

Because this week has been so strenuous I have forced myself to find humor in the daily happenings of life this week...bare with me, and at least pretend to smile--it will make me feel better :)
* A caterpillar murdered my beautiful bell pepper plant, so naturally, I waged war on the critter. I am usually an advocate of caterpillars 'cause I love butterflies, but this little sucker picked on the wrong person's garden and met his maker. I felt guilty after killing him and seriously asked for forgiveness, lol...I'm so silly.
* I learned how to sort of, kind of, put football gear on my son after several attempts of shoving his head into the helmet with so many fails that ended with him shouting "MY EARS ARE COMING OFF!" All of the other parents were laughing at me on the inside...I could totally tell; OR they were about to call child protective services on me...
*My daughter successfully learned to take her diaper off...and in the most random of places--football practice, during dinner, nap time. The girl is a real Houdini! Oh what fun, lol. Yesterday, as I crammed my son into his football gear (at home this time to escape the view of other parents), my daughter ran around the living room with her bare bottom showing and diaper in hand. I had to stop and laugh...a few hours later.
* Any story that starts with "I was in the bathroom when..." is going to be awkward, so just know that duck waddling to get toilet paper so happened this week!

Since laughter is the best medicine...I'm trying to find it in huge doses right now! :)

Suicide...

It's been over a week since I've written! Ugh, life gets crazy, and this past week took the cake. Labor Day weekend was amazing! Stephen and I danced our weekend away at a cousin's wedding in Alabama, and spent some quality time with family we don't see that often. Tuesday came...back to school...laundry...back to the routine of things. Stephen rolled out around 3a.m on Wednesday morning....goodbyes are always hard. Church Wednesday night, get the kids in bed, take a hot bath...the phone rings around 10pm...nothing good really comes out of a phone call that late. The news, as I had expected, was literally Earth shattering. My cousin had committed suicide...on his birthday.

He was only 25, and he left our family in a lot of pain, and with too many unanswered questions. Just when I think I can't cry anymore, the tears come again...I can't help but wish I had reached out to him. Maybe sent a card or cookies occasionally. Of course I smiled at him, and hugged him at family events, made small chat...but I never took the time to really get to know him, it's sad to admit. It makes me wonder if he knew I cared. Do my other family members know how much I care? Do those around me know how much I care? I want to live my life intentionally...intentionally positively impacting others...it's what God made me to do.

This whole situation is sad. I keep thinking that it didn't have to end this way...that God had great plans for his life. He was more than what he was feeling at the moment he took his life.  I also keep thinking about my Aunt and Uncle...I can't stop seeing their pain, and grief...it was...indescribable, almost unending, like it engulfed them. It was hard to witness. It was hard to stand there knowing you could do nothing but be there and pray that being there helped them out in some way. I would have given anything to make their hurt stop.

I wonder if they will ever sleep again, eat without feeling nauseated...dream pleasant dreams...will they ever be able to smile again, and then I think of how much God loves them, and I know that somehow, someway, someday, they are going to be okay.  I know we serve a good God, and while this situation is not good, He will make good come from it. Right now, I pray God keeps my Aunt and Uncle and Cousins close to Him...that they will very much feel His comforting presence, that He will give them rest, and that this situation will draw them close to Him.