Lives changed in a day

Eight years...... wow.....I was 30 years old.  That sounds so young now.  As I reflect on that day and the few years that followed I always say the same thing - it was so hard.  So often I have questioned God on the happenings of that day.  Hindsight is always 20/20, but for God the now is 20/20 and even when I can't understand and don't understand he is preparing me for what is to come....

It has always been important for me that my children know the sacrifices of that day.  We have been to the memorial on Watts many times and have prayed over the families represented there.  We have also visited the graveside of both AJ & Ryan.  Their families are not strangers to us and as a result I have learned first hand how important it is to remember.....this in itself has prepared me for a friendship that unknown to me was in the making years ago.

3 years ago, God allowed my path to cross the path of a co-worker.  What began as a working situation that most times was "hard" blossomed into a friendship that was obviously handcrafted by our Maker.  This friend had experienced a heartbreak that I had very vividly watched the Jacksons and Mohlers walk through - the loss of a son.  Oh how God had been preparing me for Valerie.  Now that those pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, I stand in awe of God's perfect weaving of experiences from the last 8 years to where I am now.  What great lessons we learned from March 1, 2007 at such a high price.

As I tie up this post that really is a little all over the place, I come back to Tindol...... obviously she was not even a thought in our minds 8 years ago.  What a sense of humor God has in regards to her, but what a love she has for two very special boys that she has never met.  As a result, I was assured just recently that AJ and Ryan most definitely are watching over her.

So on March 1, 2015, I remember our Enterprise 8 and their chaperone Mrs. Edna and I thank God for how far he has brought us all and for friendships and relationships he was and is preparing us for.....

EJHS - Forever in our Hearts

     So the building has started coming down......this is the 2nd time I have watched a "temporary home" be taken down by big machinery.  The heartache is real.  The heartache is not for the brick and mortar though.  It is for the lives we lived and shared inside those walls.  We - being the teachers, the administrators, the staff and the students.

    EJHS was my 1st teaching job - in a city where I knew NOONE.  I don't think I have ever been as anxious and fearful about anything in my life as I was about starting my teacher career in an unfamiliar city with no one at my side.  In hindsight, I see God's hand so clearly in every aspect of that decision.....from my apartment assignment beneath a young married couple where the husband was super helpful and has continued to be a great friend throughout my time here, to my assignment of "floating" teacher with some of the best floating buddies, to the placement of my desk - within reach of a protective principal, an amazing school counselor and an awesome secretary.  God placed me in the path of the most amazing Christian men and women in those halls - those who stopped what they were doing to pray right there.  He gave me a "momma" and a family where I could be an active part. A family that kept me fed and helped me find a church home even if it was temporary.  I have some of the BEST friends - friends that were totally a result of being in the EJH family.

    As I rode by last week, I saw them cleaning out "stuff" and I couldn't help but think "if those walls could talk"......then it is as though I heard the voices.  Those walls held our secrets.  Those halls heard shrill screeches of engagement news.  They heard loud announcements of babies on the way - babies delivered - baby names!  They saw us having fun - dancing in the library for our fellow retirees, riding the wagon down the slope, & roller blading from room to room.  They heard our laughter after a great field day or pep rally or after an awesome animated story narrated by our best story tellers.  Those halls wrapped their arms around us as we grieved......death of family, news of cancer, breakups of marriage, loss of pregnancies, struggles with our children and the moving on of coworkers.  Those halls are where individuals became family - forever family. 

    As the walls come down, the moments of reflection are more often.  I am a little more sentimental about the brick and the mortar these days, but I also realize that those memories are now only housed in our hearts.  I am the person I am today because of my coworkers & students from EJHS.  I am changed for the better and I am forever grateful God brought me to Enterprise, but even more than that - he brought me to EJHS.

 

2015 - the year of God's Will

As a new year begins, I find myself thinking about what God has done in 2014 and what he has in store for me in 2015. I am amazed daily at the ways that God continues to move in my life.  I stand in awe of how he lines things up to fall just at the right time so that there is no denying his plan for me.  Over the past 3 years, there has been a strong movement of the Holy Spirit in my life.  The desire to do God's will has never been stronger.  In the past, I claimed to recognize God's will over my life, but it was more like God's will on my timing which really means that it wasn't even close to being God's will.  

You know when you have that "feeling" that you know what you are supposed to be doing?  You feel like you were destined to do something.  It is a gift from God and you know just how to use it.  What happens when God begins to lay out a different plan?  Well I resisted and said ok I hear you and as soon as I am done with this I will listen more.....ummm not really what God has planned.  In 2014, God laid many things on my heart - one of them being an earnest desire to listen and obey.  God has spoken to me through many lessons where I listened and kind of obeyed or planned to obey.....later. Overall - I think I failed, but fortunately - I get to try again. I believe I am getting better - I mean at least I recognize what I am supposed to be doing right? 

2014 was also a year where I felt God charging me to take care of others, minister to others, REALLY pray for others - not just once but regularly and let them know I am praying for them.  This meant going back to writing notes (you know on cute little stationary) to others - letting them know they were on my mind.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good encouraging text message too, but there is something about a handwritten note whether you are the writer or the recipient.  This has proven time and time again to be a blessing to me and has strengthened my prayer life more than I thought!  

So here I sit on January 1, 2015 with an open mind and an open heart - just waiting anxiously for God's lessons, God's love and God's will for my life.  How blessed I am already - I only pray I can be a blessing to others.  

A Season of Growth

      As many of you know, Tyler broke her finger this fall at the 2nd gym meet of the season.  She broke it during warm-ups of the 3rd event which was floor and did not tell anyone until the meet was over.  That's right.....she competed floor and vault with a broken finger!!!  She is such a trooper and competitor!  Anyways, this set the two of us on a season of growth - as mother and daughter, as caregiver and caretaker and as mentor and mentee.  It has been one of the hardest and sweetest times of my life!  Our relationship has grown in ways that I did not think were imaginable.  God has used our conversations to glorify him which is just plain awesome!

 

                       

 


 

 

 
 

 

     I quickly realized that simple tasks that Tyler had long ago taken ownership of were impossible with a broken finger.  Washing hair, buttoning pants, and tying shoes became things that she "NEEDED" me for -  Not to mention wrapping and unwrapping her finger everyday!  Then there were hours and hours of writing the answers to her homework.  I literally became her hands for 8 weeks - John tried to help out, but Tyler seemed to always insist it be me.  I realized that God was giving me a small glimpse of what some mothers have to do day in and day out for their children not just for 8 weeks, but forever!!  I can honestly say that group became a specific prayer for me day in and day out as I knew my situation was temporary and theirs is not.  I also knew as a mother there was nowhere else I would rather be and knew that was the desire of those mothers as well - no matter how hard it was.

     After 8 weeks of no gym, Tyler was finally released to return to gym - what a joyous day for all of us!!!  The excitement and the joy of that day were short lived as fear crept into her head and literally paralyzed her regarding some skills.  The fear was of just getting hurt in general. As a mom - my heart was broken and as tears streamed down my face I told Tyler there was only one person who could remove the fear in her life.  I asked her if she knew who that was and she said - Yes. God.   We decided to declare war on fear and dug deep into the Bible for guidance and affirmation.  I reached out to my strongest prayer partners with specific prayer requests.  Three verses literally fell into our lap in regards to fear and Tyler has clung to these verses.  They are her new favorites and she has all 3 memorized.  Oh how God worked on our prayer lives through this - both together and individually!  Oh how God worked on me as a parent during this time to realize the important stuff - which isn't always winning a medal - sometimes it is winning the battle against fear! 
    So here we stand - the day before she competes at state meet.  This gym season has consisted of 6 gym meets.  Of those 6 - Tyler has competed all 4 events at 1 of them.....could the devil work on our hearts and heads and invoke some doubt and fear - of course, but this time we have declared war on all negative thoughts.  In just a few weeks time, I have literally watched Tyler transform back into the confident gymnast she was before.  Will that insure us a win?  Maybe not a place on the awards stand, but in the game of life - you betcha!
     I asked Tyler what she thought God had taught her through this difficult experience on the day she was released.  She smiled and said - how much I love gym! I said anything else - she said yes - to be patient and wait for his time and to pray for specifics!  WOW!  As we close out gym season, I realize that no matter what happens on the floor, beam, bars or vault tomorrow - God has won the battle and has begun an AWESOME work in Tyler!  I know he will be faithful to complete it......now I must practice patience to see the final product!

Old Mom

Has it really been 7 months since my last post....

I have so many things that I want to post about, but I am not ready to delve into the details that go with those posts....you know that saying - everything in God's time.

So today I am going to expand on My Life as an OLD mother of a Toddler.....yes this could get very comical.

I ask myself (and others) at times "Why do you think God gave me the child who wants me the most when I was old?"  My dad just laughed at me last week and replied - because now you have the time to give her.   Go God!

See I have 3 girls that I truly believe love me very much, BUT Tatum and Tyler as babies and toddlers always wanted their daddy.  If there was a choice between John and me, John was always the winner - well really he still is.  At the beginning it hurt my feelings, but eventually I decided there couldn't be much better than little girls who adore their daddys.  Enter Tindol into this equation - she LOVES me - ADORES me and can't get enough of me - and now I am old (ok - maybe not that old, but I feel old) and I can't keep up with her constant "wanting me", but I sure am trying!!!!

God knows what you need and when you need it, so he gave me Tindol who:

loves for me to hold her
will let me rock and rock and rock her
will let me sing to her
will watch the Wiggles with me
will hold on to my legs and stick her head through when she is unsure about what is going on
loves helicopters
loves the moon and can find it on most days even when the sun is still shining
can turn her music off and on all by herself and can even turn it up when she wants it louder
holds her hands over her eyes when we say the blessing and shouts a big AMEN when we are done
loves to dance
calls for me in the car just to make sure I am still with her
will always give me a kiss - even when she tells everyone else no
will give me nose kisses (eskimo kisses) while holding my face with her hands
can already do forward rolls
loves to climb
hates the ocean and sand up close, but loves them from afar
could sit for hours in the sink for a bath and just let the water run
calls Trops (the dog) "buddy" just like I do
loves to ride in the wagon
loves her sisters
and who will climb up in my lap and fix my hair just like she wants it and she does it with the softest touch ever

I mean who could want anything more - might I include that she has the vocabulary of a 3 year old.  We can actually have conversations!

She is easy to enjoy because I do have the time to "hang out" with her and she is the 3rd child, so the things that I would have obsessed over with the other 2 I just let them go.  I just embrace her and run until I am literally ragged, but I know without a doubt that this is what God's plan was all along.  She just might keep me young.

I look back at our 19 months with this angel and I can't imagine how empty our lives really were without her.  Actually I can't imagine our lives without any of our 3 girls - they are all blessings in so many different ways.  Having Tindol has forced me to slow down some and focus on the things that really matter and to let the things that annoy me go to the wayside.  I mean isn't that what God does with us.......

A Baby Changes Everything

Wow....where does a year go?  Tomorrow, our precious miracle turns one.  I remember last year at this time the song "A Baby Changes Everything" played what felt like all of the time.  Every time I heard it I got teary eyed as I thought about Mary giving birth to Jesus, the baby who really did change everything for us.  I felt so close to Mary this time last year and I knew first hand what fear she felt when she learned she was pregnant.  The crazy looks and the smirks on people's faces that I encountered during my 9 months of pregnancy had to pale in comparison to the looks that she got when as a virgin, she announced that she was pregnant.  I can only imagine the number of people who hurt Mary's feelings by doubting her, but Mary was the chosen one.  Let me pause for a minute to say that I by no means feel as though I am remotely in the same level of "choosen-ness" as Mary, but I do believe that God chose John and me to be Tindol's parents, just like he chose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus's parents.  I say all of this to get to the point that I can remember a year ago, sitting and listening to this song and thinking......are we going to be ok when this baby changes everything?  I mean, we had been Mitchell - Party of 4 for 6 and a half years.

As I sit here a year later, I am amazed at just how much a baby does change everything.  She has changed all of us for the better.  She has made Tatum and Tyler realize just how important they are to those younger than them and how much those younger look up to them.  Tindol has allowed John and me to hear Tatum and Tyler leading their sister in the way she should go and witnessing to her even before she is a year old.  I have watched them love her and love each other a little more than I thought they could.  I have watched her cousins fall head over heels for her.  I have watched her grandparents slow their pace a little when she comes around.  I have watched her aunts scoop her up in their arms and cover her with kisses.  I have watched her uncles fall in love all over again with the new woman in their lives.  I have watched her daddy set an awesome example for some young man that she may not meet for years to come.  I myself have changed - more than I ever thought possible.  I am not the same girl I was a year ago as I became a mother of 3.  I am sooooo much better.

And so, here we sit on Tindol's birthday - she really is 1.  My how time really does fly when you are having fun....  Don't get me wrong, we have had some sad days at our house with the passing of John's Mimi days after Tindol was born and most recently John's Mama right before Thanksgiving, but it seems that Tindol in that little bitty body can provide more comfort and love to those hurting than any of us could combined.  So as we celebrate her 1st birthday, I am so proud to be her momma.  I am so proud that God trusted John and me with one more little girl.  What a blessing....

In closing, I have to go back to the song.  Tindol has changed all of us in one year, but Jesus has been changing everything for years.  How proud Mary must have been and still is......  He is the reason for this season and we will celebrate him everyday and especially on his birthday, but on December 21st we will also celebrate and raise up our miracle - Tindol Sanford Mitchell.  What a joy, what a blessing as she changed everything for us.......

Here comes Tindol....

As Tindol's first birthday quickly approaches, I think back to this time last year when we were anxiously awaiting her arrival.  I think about John and I having to go and do a baby registry because while she is our 3rd child, we cleaned out all of our "baby stuff" when we decided we weren't going to have anymore children.  That meant picking out carseats, strollers, buying bottles and diapers (lot of diapers).  Tatum and Tyler began to get excited as well and Tyler's tune began to change about being a big sister.  She realized in this time that she had the privilege of being a big sister and a little sister and she embraced this new position.  Thankfully, during this time I was so busy carpooling the girls, coaching the cheerleaders, and teaching that I really didn't gain much weight.  I truly believe it is because God knew I was much older than the last time and I didn't need any extra challenges.

We made it through November and the beginning of December where we set an inducement date of December 21.  Strategically planned, so that we could be home for Christmas!  I was able to finish out school and actually had a few days to get last minute things done. We finished up our Christmas shopping.  We spent our last few days as a family of four and I must say my emotions ran very high during this time.  I don't do change very well, so the thought of our family dynamics being thrown off really scared me.  Plus, I felt the feeling that I had before Tyler was born came back - the one that makes me fearful that I don't have enough love for another child.

Then the day finally arrived - the delivery of Tindol was by far my easiest.  My heart was so full as I held her, but it almost burst as I watched Tatum and Tyler come in and see their baby sister for the first time.  Their excitement was overflowing and their protective nature and love were out in full force.  I do believe it was love at first site for all of us and we all were amazed because Tindol didn't cry.  She was so "laid back".  As we took our first family photo of 5, I remember thinking there just wasn't anything better than this and our family really felt complete.  The Lord blessed us when we least expected it and has continued to teach us his lessons through our 3 girls.  In a year's time, Tindol has changed our lives for the better.  I can't imagine where we would be without her.