by Lisa B on August 20, 2010
Dear Alarm Clock,
You have been by my bedside for 20+ years. When I think back through the years with you, I get teary. The early mornings of band before school started. The college classes. My first real job. My wedding day. Getting Doodle up for school.
Of course we would sleep in as many Saturdays as we could. You’d play music softly for me each night as I drift off to sleep. You’d wake me up with the same soft music playing. You were never rude with that annoying buzzing sound. Sorry for those mornings when I hit your snooze button a little too hard. You know I’m not a morning person.
You have been an amazing friend for me for many years. I doubt other alarm clocks could work as hard as you did for so long. I’ll totally forgive you for the one day you failed me. Even though it made me miss half my massage I finally scheduled from my Christmas gift. I won’t hold on to any resentment.
So, rest in peace my dear alarm clock. I know I will never be able to replace you.
Much love and sleep,
Lisa
by Lisa B on May 20, 2010
If any of you know me in person, you know I’ve been playing a lot of softball lately. It seems to be winding down as our co-ed team is in tournament play and Tuesday night my ladies’ team finished the last regular season game.
The game Tuesday? Was frustrating and painful. We played the first place team. Please don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t frustrated with anything anyone else on my team did. I was totally frustrated with me. I hit to the first baseman twice and made it very easy for her to get outs. Then I hit to the pitcher but somehow managed to beat out the throw. I was mad. I was determined to get there. And when I did beat out the throw? Something I never would have been able to do before I started to workout? I was still mad because I hit it back to the pitcher. I couldn’t even give myself credit for running hard.
Wednesday morning came and I was still down. I really tweaked my quad muscle and it hurt to walk. Our co-ed team was supposed to play our next game in the tournament and I didn’t feel like going. Duck’s group (which I run sound for) was supposed to be playing at a church service. He wasn’t going to the game which was disappointing because we were missing a few other players too. We had decided the group could do without me so I could go to the game, but the way I hit Tuesday, I didn’t have any confidence to go play.
Then the wonderful news came. Ball game canceled. I could let my leg rest. Our players would be back for the make-up game Monday. This was great news.
So I got to go to the church service. And. Oh. My. Did God show up and give me a reality check. See, this was no regular church. At least, not like you and I know it. This church is part of an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded – profound, severe or moderate mental retardation.
Many were escorted in wheelchairs. Many were just escorted. I fought back tears as I realized how amazingly blessed I am to have 2 fully functioning arms and 2 fully functioning legs (even with a pulled muscle!). How blessed I am to be able to hold a bat, grip a ball or run the bases. I realized softball is just a game and it’s supposed to be for fun.
The biggest realization came when Duck’s band played “He’s got the whole world in His hands” — because it was then that I realized how truly mentally handicapped I am. Here were many who were doing the hand motions and singing as best they can — and they were truly worshiping God. They weren’t worried about what anyone else thought. They weren’t worried about what anyone else was doing. They just sang and bounced and had a grand time! I should be like that when I worship God! A child-like faith.
I thank God He had us right where He wanted us to be last night.
Tonight my ladies’ team plays the first place team again as the first round of the tournament starts. My prayer is that I will realize how much I am blessed to even be out there on the field and win or lose, have fun playing the game.
by Lisa B on May 10, 2010
First, thanks everyone so much for the birthday wishes Friday! For my birthday I got to get up super early and go on a school field trip. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be — though I was still really tired. Top it off with dinner with my parents, sister, great-niece and of course Duck and Doodle and it was a pretty good day.
Thanks to everyone who prayed for me Saturday. The dinner went really well. The band sounded great (of course they have a pretty good sound person 
) and I managed to get up there and ramble a lot. I was so nervous — I could hear my voice shaking, but evidently it didn’t sound that bad to everyone else. Or they wouldn’t tell me. Which leads me to the big question I have after the weekend.
If someone is really bad at speaking, would you tell them? Or would you tell them you enjoyed it and they did a good job — just so you wouldn’t hurt their feelings? These are the things that have crossed my mind because I think I’ve felt God leading me to speak — but that scares me to death — and I’m not sure I heard Him right. So, I look for confirmation in other ways, but I also know no one will come up to tell me I suck as a speaker if I do even if I really want that feedback. I’m a mess aren’t I?
Oh, I had flashbacks to when I was about 5 years old. I was in front of the microphone at the church I went to as a child and all I had to do was recite John 3:16 (part of the Christmas play). I froze. I saw my Daddy sitting about half-way back in the church and I just ran and sat in his lap. I was majorly embarrassed because people laughed — Mom said it was because they thought I was cute. Ugh. My buddy behind me said my verse and hers and then I felt a little more stupid. Dad came with Mom and I made him sit up front — the only man sitting with the ladies (thanks to the church men for serving him too!). I couldn’t look at him while I spoke for fear I would just run over and sit in his lap again. Everything’s right in the world when I’m on my Daddy’s lap!
Anyway, I felt really down after I spoke. I didn’t say nearly 1/10th of the things I had planned to say and I’m pretty sure most of it came out in the wrong order. But, I had been praying that whatever comes out would touch at least one person. The pastor came and told me after the dinner that someone spoke to him because of my testimony. He said God had been dealing with that person and my testimony kinda pushed them over the edge. Praise God! He can use a donkey and He can use my ramblings!
I know I can do better at speaking or that I can learn what I need to learn, but I guess I’m not totally convinced this is God’s will for me or just my imagination working overtime. Because I can imagine myself speaking very eloquently and it was nothing like that in real life 
Lastly, thanks to everyone who sent Happy Mother’s Day wishes my way. I hope you had a great Mother’s Day as well. I spent mine playing in a couple of softball games. I played some really good ball in at least one of those games
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