OUR SHINING STARS
by Laurie Kolp

I hurt when my children hurt,
I want to cry when they cry.
Sometimes it takes all I've got
to just let things go by.
Take, for instance, this morning-
when a spelling bee occurred.
Katie and Andrew both took part
and neither one did place.
Katie took it gently,
let it roll right off her back.
But Andrew was heart-broken,
his plans for Scripps now smack.

We're so proud they got that far,
and love each one, our shining stars.

Friday Fish Night
by Laurie Kolp

Fish, fish, fish-
every Friday we ate fish.
Whether it was Lent or not,
Mom made us eat this dish.

Sometimes we went to Luby’s
(now I see that as a treat),
I gagged at the elderly-
McDonald’s I wished to eat.

And even at McDonald’s
I hated the filet-o-fish,
but then again I had no say,
even though I liked to wish.

So now that Lent’s approaching
and as the household cook,
I will continue this fish cycle
while each scowl I overlook.

SIGN ON MARQUEE OUTSIDE OF MY CHURCH:

"Honk as you drive by if you love Jesus, text while driving if you want to meet Him."

Unexpected dinner guests

The arctic air has thrown us for a loop here in Southeast Texas, and we are all glad to see that it is finally warming up a bit with temperatures tonight only expected to be around freezing. Luckily our pipes are okay, but many people did not fare as well. We did lose some plants even though we covered them up. Sadly, the Beaumont Enterprise reported the other day that someone had left their dogs outside in the cold causing one of them to die. Being the dog person that I am, that breaks my heart. It makes what happened tonight with our dogs so insignificant, although at the time the boys did not think so at all.

All of the kids have been dragging lately with colds and coughs, so when they got home from school today I told them they could wait and do their homework while I tutored. Nicholas turned on the TV (Katie went to her room to listen to music and read while Andrew started his computer game)and much to his delight the movie "Shark Boy and Lava Girl" was beginning. Nick claims he has never seen the whole thing through, and that "it only comes on once a year!" So when thirty minutes later I told the boys it was time for them to go to the back of the house and do their homework, Nicholas burst into tears. This was not because of the homework, but our TV in the back does not get the channel the movie was on. Pete was home by then, so I let him handle it.

After I was finished with my tutoring, Pete and the boys came back to the front and Nicholas rushed to turn on the TV. The movie was ending, but the network was going to show it a second time. So being the softy that I am, I let the kids eat out in front of the TV, which we usually only do on Friday or Saturday nights. We spread a big blanket and the boys eat on that, while Katie sits at the table in front of the couch. We have one big room, so our kitchen table is right there and Pete and I can watch TV, too, if we want. But we began talking about the pipes that had burst in the neighborhood, some simply from icicles, and that prompted Pete to go outside and investigate to make sure our pipes were still okay. Can you guess what happened? The dogs barged in when Pete opened the door (they were out while we ate) and before you could wink, they had gobbled up all the food on the boys' plates. Can you blame them? Nicholas was more upset than Andrew, but after replenishing their plates and putting the dogs back out, everything returned to normal...for now.

Fishing for...shark?

Our neighbor went fishing several years ago, and were we ever surprised when he brought home this shark. We even had the opportunity to eat some of the shark meat, which we all liked. Charles hasn't come home with anything quite that unbelievable lately, but we still get some delicious fish every once in a while. Charles and his wife, Monica, are the best neighbors ever, and we are truly blessed. We often tease each other and say if one of us ever moves, we'll have to find two houses so we can remain neighbors.

A wig gig

Several years ago, a dear friend came down with breast cancer very unexpectedly. She and I are the same age and knew each other in school, and now we belong to some of the same groups. When she began to lose her hair, a group of us decided to throw a luncheon to show our support for her. We all met at the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant wearing wigs, surprising our friend tremendously. She had planned on going wig shopping after our lunch, but unfortunately, I think we convinced her to keep her scarf. Thankfully she is healthy today and doing very well. So my question to you is, can you guess which one is me? Please leave a comment with your choice.

Now I See
by Laurie Kolp

I feel the warmth hit my body
from my head down to my toes,
and a tingle rushes through me
in the dark where nobody goes.

At once I am surrounded by
this comfort beyond compare,
and I revel in the moment
for I know that you are there.

I close my eyes and see the light
overpowering my mind’s eye,
I know sleep will have to wait
so I can cherish this high.

Never had this happened
until your death occurred;
so I know you are my angel,
every prayer you have heard.

Cover me, enrapture me
for now I truly see,
cover me, enrapture me
for at last you are free.

My, how the kids have grown!

As you can see, the children have grown so much and so fast. It seems like just yesterday they were all sitting at the kitchen table showing off our kitchen wall that was freshly painted yellow(and it probably took me quite some time to get this picture taken). Now Katie, Drew and Nick are posing for Christmas pictures outside without any fuss or ado... just a simple and quick click of the button.
This past decade, the kids had their share of bumps and bruises, though. Along with Andrew's boken nose, he has broken his arm. At the age of four, Nicholas broke the growth plate in his foot running barefoot outside and tripping. Then last year, as some of you might remember, poor Nick broke his finger at a bounce house place. He had to be put to sleep to have his finger reset. Katie fractured hew wrist also.
But in spite of all the sicknesses and hardships raising kids can bring, I must say these have been some of the best years of our lives. We try to show love in all we do, and hopefully that will be enough to carry us through.

A decade in review, part IV

Dear Teenage Driver,
Do you know how much hardship and pain you caused my family when you barreled down the neighborhood street at breakneck speed and rammed into my husband's car, leaving it crushed like an accordion? Did you know that taking your eyes off the road for one split second to change your radio station would have such an impact on an innocent family's life and leave permanent scars?
That summer morning nearly five years ago, when my husband and children were returning home after visiting me at church as I prepared to teach Vacation Bible School, changed our lives forever. Thank goodness the children were okay, but Pete was not so lucky. Do you know what a long road of pain and misery my husband trudged? Long trips to the bigger city for steroid shots and specialists, rounds of physical therapy, treacherous tests and traction only worked for so long before Pete had to undergo long, dangerous neck surgery. Money spent and lost, not to mention pain and suffering, touched the whole family.
So teenage driver, I hope you will think twice before you TEXT, talk on the cell phone or try to change radio stations. Next time, you might just cause someone to lose their life.

DO YOU KNOW?
by Laurie Kolp

Do you know what I just don’t get
that leaves me quite perplexed?
It’s someone who abandons
a solid marriage and kids
in favor of a lesbian to text.

Do you know what I just don’t get
that leaves me quite depressed?
It’s the death of someone
I thought I knew,
gone to a lying temptress.

Do you know what I just don’t get
that leaves me full of doubt?
It’s when I see those
I love in horrific pain
undeserving of such a knockout.

Do you know what I just don’t get
that leaves me ill at ease?
It’s that pride and guilt
can cause such grief
when simply aiming to please.

A decade in review, part III

Way back when, before we had our carpet replaced and home improved, Pete and I were barely married before we became pregnant with Katie. I was 31 when we married, and by golly, "my biological clock was ticking away." So when we celebrated our first anniversary, we had our three-week-old Katie. She was such a good baby from the very start. As you can tell by the picture, Katie has always loved books. In fact she is so into the Twilight series that she reads the books over and over and would never, ever miss a trivia question. Katie is so smart and curious that she was reading a book that mentioned the Hope diamond, so she had to look it up on the Internet. I bet she now knows more about the Hope diamond than you do. Pete and I feel so blessed to have been given the chance to raise three of God's healthy, smart children.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. ~Proverbs 22:6

The decade in review, part II

Once upon a time, Uncle Mark (Pete's oldest brother) used to visit us frequently. The kids always looked so forward to seeing him, and we all enjoyed the family together time. But now Uncle Mark's job (which has him moving all over the country), along with a girlfriend, has stolen his free time. We are left wondering when sweet Uncle Mark will come and visit us again. This picture was taken a long time ago (almost seven years). Katie adores Uncle Mark, as you can see by her cute expression. Andrew still carried his "binky," which he preferred upside-down towards the end. Baby Nicholas is oblivious to the whole thing, but happy anyway.

Last night in a phone conversation with Mark, I was remembering the time he came to visit and Andrew was just a little baby (fussy- I might add). I really did not know Mark that well yet. Pete had to leave to go to work (it was bedtime), and I had to get Katie to bed. But Andrew was very fussy due to his acid reflux and I had been walking around with him trying to soothe him. When I needed to spend time with Katie, I handed Andrew to Mark and said, "Here. Can you take care of him for a minute?" Keep in mind now, that Mark is a bachelor and has never had any children of his own; he would much rather have puppies. But the good sport took the baby and walked around the house with him. When I came out of Katie's room, I was humored to find Mark holding Andrew quite awkwardly, with a nervous expression on his face. I grabbed the baby and had Mark sit down- he looked like he could use a break. We love you Uncle Mark and hope you come and see us soon!