>I am both tired and inspired. Here in the great city of Memphis, I just witnessed a miracle. Just over 300 teen age kids, paid money to come and work in over 90 degree heat, painting homes of low income families in a neighborhood who wants hope. I watched, my almost 15 year old son, rise early every morning, go and sweat. In our case, Zachary, raised money for Memphis Work camp, while raising money for a second mission trip to Atlanta. During Workcamp week, in our home, I would leave early to drop of Zach, return home and love on a few sick kids, leave to pick up Zachary, return back home, give Sarah a pep talk, return back to the church, prepare drinks and set up food for all of the kids and leaders, and finally serve food and clean up afterwards. I was blessed, I had more “thank you Mrs. Suzanne’s” and “oh, that’s just Zach’s mom” than I can count. During the week my sweet Donnie was out of town working, one night I melted down, late after returning home a sweet lady married to one of our leaders, talked me down. We are the church, we are people, without a permanent location, we are tired and often underfunded, God is in us. Next week, my littles will attend VBS at another church (the church who loaned us a building this week for Workcamp), the week after that my 4 oldest will go to camp two hours away…..the summer is busy, and I am tired. God is moving in our family, in our church. For the record I have always hated summers in Memphis, staying here as an adult in the early adult years was tedious and upsetting to me. For most of my life I spent summers in the home of my Grandparent’s a safe haven for the weary, just outside of Chicago. When I was all grown up facing Memphis summers meant dealing with some pain as well. I praise God today that I am not just tired of the Memphis heat and Memphis memories, I am inspired by what God can do with a willing, often exhausted momma of six. Thank you Lord, thank you for letting me pour your drinks, serve your food, love your children. Thank you.
For more information about Memphis Workcamp follow the link below. I promise I will have personal pictures soon.
http://www.memphisworkcamp.com/?view=home

>It has been a good day…we joined the Y, went swimming with friends, saw more friends, came home, I layed out in the pool alone at home, while children napped, (deep breath) Martha sorted EVERYONE”S laundry from all the rooms and is helping catch us up from illness, the kids are happy….it has been a good day. I don’t think most people care what we do everyday, I think they care how. I have talked about this before and received tons of private mail, but today I watched so much hard work pay off. Over the years I have trained the kids, just like a job, to help the whole family, even when you don’t feel like it. Today, at the pool, everyone was getting hungry, my girls, all four of them, got everything neat, got themselves dressed and we headed out to the van with no chaos, baby in tow. Once at home, they made sandwiches and Martha set forth on the laundry, while I went to the back yard alone. I don’t have exceptional kids(meaning anyones kids are able of course they are exceptional), I haven’t been a great sweet, feel good parent, I have gotten a lot wrong, but along the way, we have helped each other even when we didn’t feel like it. In the early, young, young years I wondered if it would ever be worth it as I felt like the queeny meany as I had my little ones doing things that no one else asked their children to do, as I often not so patiently had them RE-do a job…again. Today, I smiled, and realized that in spite of my on bad attitude and lazy spirit often, my kids are good, no great kids. Not because they are helpful, though they are, but because they put up with me, they smile at me when I am fussing and help ME, do my jobs better, they make me a better momma, a better person. I have 3 or so more kids that are on the little kid side, who some days may be the death of me, but then Donnie reminds me of the early years. The 5 under 7 then 6 under 10, when I thought it would never end…I saw no light, and didn’t want to, I was tired. I miss those days, I know it is cliche, I thought I never would, some things were simpler. But all and all, these days, great days and I hope that I will cherish them even more, because now I know how fast seasons change in our home. The Pike Home, dirty laundry, stinky garbage, naked 4 year olds, more visits to the neurologist than I can count, I love all of it….all of it…. all of it….except maybe the smells.

I have come a long ways with these babies.
Take a look back and see how far you have come.