Life Lessons from Pete the Cat

 

Today's post is brought to you by a fabulous children's book my oldest introduced me to -- Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons.

Pete is a very cool cat. In this book, he's singing a song about his four groovy buttons when a button pops off his shirt. But Pete doesn't cry. He just keeps going, counting down as each button pops off until the only button left is his belly button. And he's happy.

I can learn a lot from Pete this week. Or month, really. If I had to give the last month a theme it would be "change." And honestly, most of the change is still on the horizon. Friends, I'm anxious about change I am anticipating. 

How silly is that?

Jesus tells us not to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). 

I've teared up and gulped back more tears in the last month than I have in probably the last decade. There are even more that I haven't been able to hold back. The kids' teacher thinks I've lost my mind. (I've wondered myself a few times!)

Tonight in my prayer journal I listed out all the things I'm anxious about. In detail. There were 17 bullet points. At the top of the list I wrote, "Hey! God said not to be anxious about ANYTHING!!"

I'm not sure if Pete is a scripture-reading cat or if he's just innately laid back (probably the latter), but he's on to something.

Change is a part of life. We can be anxious and cry, or we can take it in stride and trust the Lord.

In addition to holding tight to scriptures like Psalm 56:3 and Deuteronomy 31:8, I'm adopting Pete's attitude and jingle. You might even hear me singing it sometime soon.

Did Pete cry?

Goodness, no!

Buttons come and buttons go.

Satan Is For Real

Satan is for real, friends, and he attacked me this week.

He knows that as a coach's wife I struggle with the time commitment required. I grow weary of always being the parent to pick up and drop off or take the calls from the school when a child is sick. I feel ridiculously lonely being the single parent at parties and school activities. I feel terrible always turning down social engagements because I either don't have a babysitter or don't want to be away from home during a precious time when Greg is around.

Many times Satan will whisper lies to me about Greg loving football more than me and the kids.

Well, with the season kicking off last week, I was in high spirits and excited about the fresh season ahead -- a perfect time for the enemy to attack.

Through work, I met someone new. It turns out he had recently left high school coaching after 8 seasons. Why had he left? Well, about 5 years ago when his son was born, he and his wife realized that your priorities are where you time is spent - and they decided he needed to be spending more time with his family and less time at work.

Do you see the similarities here?? Eight seasons, an almost 5-year-old son .... making family more of a priority. This wife received the gift I dream of more often than I'd like to admit. It brought me to my knees.

And then I realized it was Satan.

How clever.

With that realization, the Lord gave me the strength to get back up. He renewed my excitement for the season. This morning at church I was covered in a deep realization that God chose me to be a coach's wife.

What an honor.


Who knows if perhaps you were made queen (a coach's wife!) for just such as a time as this? -- Esther 4:14

Happy Football Eve!

After the epic fail that was summer 2014, I can tell you that we did it right this year. We started off by attending Coaches Outreach in June. If you're a coaching couple, you should be at one of their summer marriage retreats. This was our 5th year (we think - starting to lose count) and it was a great one. We love meeting others who live our life. It's restful and energizing at the same time.

In July we journeyed north to Canada where we spent a week with cousins.The weather was spectacular - think the perfect spring day with NO bugs! We saw fireworks, all the tourist sites, ate some good food and jumped on a trampoline. What could be more fun?!

Mixed in there we swam in our inflatable pool, played in cardboard boxes, and celebrated the boys' birthdays. I also managed to attend a conference in Chicago (can you say selfie at the Bean?).

So tonight summer comes to a close. Greg is officially back at work in the morning. Season 8 begins.

You might remember that I like to get Greg a small present to kick off the season. To me it's become a fun tradition, even though he has yet to LIKE any of the surprises I've gotten him. That changed tonight. I got us matching Qalo rings. He'd never heard of them so he thought they were pretty cool. Maybe he will start a trend on the staff.

Here's to a great 2015 season - an opportunity to show Christ's love to the young men he's put in our lives, pray for them as they navigate life, and maybe win a few games!

Blessed Assurance

I started a prayer journal this summer. Here's a little peak into my entry from Friday. Can you tell what kind of day I had? :-)

When I am anxious,
You are there.

When I am overwhelmed,
You are there.

When I am tired,
You are there.

When I am impatient,
You are there.

When I am frustrated,
You are there.

When I am lonely,
You are there.

When I am scared,
You are there.

When I am hurting,
You are there.

When I am fed up,
You are there.

When I am at my wits end,
You are there.

After the game Friday night, I had a brief encounter with an acquaintance who unknowingly addressed an issue I had been struggling with all week. What an amazing God we have. He loves me so much that he heard my heart's cry and provided assurance to me through this person. Just what I needed.

Football Update: Today starts week 4 of the season and we are still looking for our first win. I know it's not all about winning, but winning sure does make it more fun.

A True Freshman

A quick update on the player Greg was trying so desperately to keep at college ...

On Saturday morning Greg received a text from him saying "Today I play in my first college game as a true freshman."

Hooray! What a relief!

We hadn't heard from the player since my last update. He had simply quit responding to Greg's texts and didn't answer phone calls. We've learned that's the typical response when a player knows he's not making the best choice - he simply drops off the grid. And we're left to wonder. And pray.

Saturday we got an answer.

It's still early as our beloved player works toward his degree. There will be more trials. More prayers needed. But at least - as of Saturday - he was hanging in there.

Greg quickly wrote him back to say we're proud of him and that we will try to make a game this season.

It turns out this player's college team and the Waco Lions both lost this weekend. Losing is never fun, but I'm proud my coach knows that he's playing a game even bigger and more important than Texas high school football.

#thisiswhy

Happy Learning!

So at work everyone in my office is taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder test. I'm a big believer in these types of assessments. For me, they're usually spot on. This one in particular identifies your top 5 strengths and provides feedback on how to benefit from them.

My favorite strength that was revealed was Learner. It resonated so strongly with me. I'm always looking for the next learning adventure or challenge. In 2005 it was earning a master's degree. In 2007, learning about the dental industry. In 2010 it was earning APR certification. Right now I'm focused on enhancing my HTML skills.

If those aren't enough examples of my love of learning, here's another. My good friend and mentor, Heidi, gave me a book diary when I graduated from college. It's been lots of fun to keep track of what I've read over the years. Here's a glimpse into my 2014 log:

• Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Magician's Nephew
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 
• The Horse and His Boy
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Last Battle
• What Difference Do It Make by Ron Hall
• Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly
• To Live is Christ by Beth Moore
• Believing God by Beth Moore
• When Reality Hits by Nancy Barry
• Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
• Strengths-Based Leadership by Tom Rath
• Art Briles: Looking Up by Nick Eaton
• Letters to An American Lady by C.S. Lewis
• Hiring for Attitude by Mark Murphy (in progress) 

One of my all time favorite quotes is this one by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones:

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Happy learning!

My Summer Vacation

I am super grateful for my mom this week. We roped her into watching both boys since their school is closed this week. She's reached hump day and is (mostly) still in one piece. So far the week has consisted of coloring macaroni and making necklaces, hours and hours of indoor kickball, playing "Kaboom!", watching Finding Nemo, and taping cardboard boxes together (this fascinates Keaton, don't ask me why!). I've dubbed this week my "summer vacation" and am definitely enjoying not having drop off/pick up duties.

Greg has been hard at work this week, too. Practices started, but he's also been trying to keep one of his former players from becoming a college dropout before school even begins. We're praying hard for this player we've invested in over the last several years. Getting a college education means more than just a diploma for him. It will literally change his family tree and break a cycle of poverty. It's always frustrating when people you care about are not making good choices. We are learning that this is a staple in our ministry. Pray for guidance on how to respond - whether this player makes the right choice or not.