Hodging My Bets for a Thousand

Another batch of fun questions on this gorgeous spring day in Maryland!

Thanks, Joyce!  Whoever wants to play, please join us. Click here and have a party, virtually speaking. 

1. March is National Women's History Month. In that vein, who are three women who've been influential in your life? How so? 

          -My mom. She taught me just about everything and modeled compassion, creativity, and devotion to God and family. 

          - My paternal grandmother.  She had a soft spot in her heart for me, and made one-on-one time for me (a middle child--need I say more) rather than send me off to play with my sisters. We played with baby dolls in a pull-behind trailer that was permanently parked in her back yard. She sewed and sang, and had an infectious sense of humor. She even remembered me (but not my sisters) when she was old with Alzheimer's. 

           - A woman named Nan Connor. She always welcomed me into her home on the spur of the moment, which was how I rolled in my teens in a fit of hormonal drama--you know, when you can't tell your own mom stuff, and you're hatin' life, feeling ugly, and you just need someone to talk to who will accept you warts and all, but will lift you up and make you feel loved?  She would always open the door to me and say, "Well, would you looky here, darlin'! Come on in! I was just having a cup of coffee with Jesus! Tell us what's going on with you, honey." It was always "us" because Jesus was as real in her kitchen as if He had been in the flesh.

2. In what ways do you think women have it easier than men? 

             Why do I feel like I could get in trouble answering this question, no matter what I say?  The first things I think of are rather base...like we don't typically worry about getting kicked in the groin, we don't usually have to fight lust 24/7, we don't have to hold back our tears when we're hurt .  And some of us have never had to worry about providing financially for our families. I also think that we're less handicapped when it comes to finding lost objects. Somehow we can just "see" things that clearly ARE or are not there. Ahem. My boys call it "woman's radar," but my girl and I call it eyesight.

3. What do you need most right now: faith, love, hope, or peace? 

Right now I have an abundance of all four, and I feel extremely blessed. But the one that I ask for most often is peace.

4. Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect and why? 

Yes, indeed I do. It's fabric! I collect it and use it for quilting. Or because it's pretty. Or because it's a great price and I'm sure I'll find the perfect project for it, or because it's Saturday...

5. Plaids, checks, polka dots, stripes...your favorite?  

Polka dots in small doses.  Such a happy print, but too much of it can make the eyes go buggy.

6. In what ways are you the same as your childhood self? 

Social, competitive, love school, fond of animals, chatty, creative, inclined to sing, afraid of math and snakes

7. You're a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. What category will you ace?  

Alex, I'll take Once A Pun a Time.  I think I could figure out a play on words for 200 ,400, 600, 800, and 1000.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

A miracle happened in Sophia's life. (If you've read previous posts, you'll recall she is the 14 month old daughter of a dear friend of ours. She has brain cancer, diagnosed last summer.) On Feb 14th, after having 2 great months at home being happy and playful and starting to talk, however, she suddenly fell into a coma and remained unresponsive for two weeks. Then they took her off tubes, to just hold her, saying their goodbyes, thinking she would pass in their arms. But no, she hung on, breathing on her own, responding to pain stimuli by twitching or opening one eye. 

That was  until Sunday. That morning, her daddy prayed over her, and as he did, Sophia stretched out and  

opened both eyes! Her daddy ran and shook Lauren awake and she got to witness her baby's eyes open for the first time since Valentine's Day!  It was such a hopeful, joyful moment to read about, I wept and then of course told everybody I knew about it! The baby still is very lethargic, and for the most part, asleep (deeply) but her parents are calling her the strongest person they know. They will not give up .They believe (and so do I) that God will heal her.