Love them to Pieces....Moms.

So I am Target, probably my 3rd or 4th trip this week.  I LOVE Target.  Love to browse the isles when I am solo..clearance rack is usually my first choice!  But today was a grab and go!  I was incognito (what the usually means is that I have no make up on and a hat on my head), and heading to the back of the store to get some half and half.  As usual I get side tracked...you other Targeto lovers understand this and are nodding along with me. 
I am in super love with those bobby pins from 'Goody'.  The circular ones that work magic on you hair in a bun, updo, messy pony...whateva...they rock!  And well since I am getting used to this long hair of mine...I find it a lot easier to use on my head.  Just because I do hair for a living, doesn't mean I have magic hands on my own head.  Its hard to reach in the back of your head, holding a mirror to look opposite in another mirror to pin your hair up.  Although I LOVE to create on clients...creating on my own head is a headache!  Anyway...back to Target.  You following me? They were out last time I was there (go figure Prom season), so I thought I would check.  I am walking toward the hair stuff, where I am picking up a pretty loud conversation of two women in the other isle.  It was about Mother's Day!

Then I heard something...and I am not Quoting word for word here...Women #1 "Its just terrible, what a burden to the family."   Women #2 "I know.  My goodness she is only 17.  There goes her dreams!" Women #1 "I called Susan (name totally replaced), and she is going along with the whole thing! Can you beleive it?  Will William (name also replaced) out of work, and they have 4 children already and now her own daughter having a baby..." The two women went on and on kind of picking apart this young pregnant girl.   WOW!  So my bristles went up.  I could hear my husband's voice in my head say:  "Now to take a deep breathe" ... At that point I felt the adrenaline. I closed my eyes, said a brief prayer.  Heard my head say Let it be...But well I didn't.  I had to see who these faces were that were attacking another child's character...(we are all children of God...).  So I got into spy mode and was sneaking, slowly over to where they stood....And I recognized one of them.  She goes to my church.  I was instantly saddened..... 
So this is where I get to open my wounds, and let you in. I was a teen mom.  I got pregnant at 19, with someone whom I loved.  I wasn't sleeping around (not that that makes any difference at all...but need to make sure you understand my character).  My mom was very supportive.  I did/do not beleive in abortion.  So I had her.  Alone.  Solo.  The biological father did a 360 and turned into a tool, and stopped calling.  I had my mom's support, and my extended family.   I had some fantastic friends who stood by me.  Laughed and cried with me. 
When I was about 6 months along, I was asked by the church's deacon (catholic) at the time, to not to continue to attend this particular church any longer.  There was a church in another suburb that someone in 'my situation' could attend.  Slap in the face.  So not only was I abandoned by a man whom I loved and trusted, but a church where I sought refuge at.  I felt so unloved.  So ashamed. 
By these two women talking about that young woman like that..with such disgust, really tore my heart up.  Splintered it all along the shampoo isle.  You see what I needed and would of loved during that season in my life...,is if someone would of held me and said..."Its okay, we love you, we admire you and hold you up to our LORD and SAVIOR who will always love you.  You and your unborn child. He will always LOVE you no matter who you are, what you do."  He is the one that stood by me, held me up, listened to my cries in my pillows. But I didn't know him.  I thought he was ashamed of me as well. Because of the actions of people.  The bitter words used to harm me.  And there were more along my way.  This girl's character was being torn up in Target.  Instead of lifted up to God.
We pray so much for the youth.  They have so many influences outside their walls of their houses.  They have glorification of drinking, and even teen pregnancy.  'We' can pray and have programs for abstinence and hope we are leading our youth to a different path.  'We' praise young women when they make a choice not to abort their child.  But what do we do when they choose to have a child?  'We' turn our backs on them.  And many take the attitude that the women by the shampoo isle took.  "Its such a shame' as we shake our heads.  Really?? Really??  I wanna shake YOU!  My goodness praise be to GOD that this woman is having her baby.  Maybe that leads to adoption and like some friends of mine, who are lucky that a 'teen mom' decided to keep her baby, now they have a son.  Or maybe she keeps it herself.  Did you ever think this may be what God has intended?  Who are we to judge?  My daughter, who is now 18, saved my life.  Changed me forever.  Being pregnant with her, I loved her so much, I lived for her to be alive, and changed my path of life leading me closer to God.  Just love them...love the teen moms, hold them up.  We may not know the whole story behind that bump in the belly or that child in the stroller.  We need to LOVE.  Love them to Pieces.  Show your Love of God to them.  I wish someone would of when I was 19 and 6mths pregnant.  Wrap your arms around them.  You don't have to like how they got in that situation...but you do have to LOVE them.  Jesus told you.  He told me. 

I was just going to walk by.  I swear it.  Act casual and slip by un- noticed...And I didn't, my basket hit the shelf and knocked shampoo down making a huge amount of noise. (Ugh !)   I looked the women in the eye that I knew.  Smiled at her.  She smiled back.  We exchanged pleasantries and I turned and walked away.  I would of loved to of quoted Bible scripture at her or out of my heartache tell her exactly how "Un Christian" she was being.  But I held my tongue.  Instead I thought I am gonna type away about it. 

Please don't be the hypocrite people who don't know God like to point out.  Please be the one who would wrap your arms around that girl.  Be the one to talk to her about God.  She needs it.  She may not know it at that time.  But she needs you.  I did. 

Same Page...

    Ahhh today was a gorgeous day out...really the second day of Spring here in Minnesota...actually the day isn't even over with, as long as there is light out.  I love these days.  I love the smell of the open windows in my bedroom and bathroom.  Isn't that crazy.  I LOVE the smell of the open-ness of my house.  It may be getting chilly out as the sun is setting.  But this is spring in Minnesota...gotta enjoy it while its happening, tomorrow we could get rain or...even the 's' word. 
  I could feel the sun shining through my blinds this morning.  I smiled.  I said a quick 'Thank You' to God and got up to start my day, which really starts with Him and a cup of java. 
  Have you ever listened to what God chats back to you?  I mean really listened?  As you ramble (and I say that most lovingly), thru your prayers, your praise...do you hear him?  I heard him laugh this morning.  It was a good hearty chuckle.  Kind of startled me a bit and I looked around my little office to see if it was someone looking over my shoulder, or the tv or something.  I try to have it quiet...but with kids, a husband and a dog. Its hard. I wait until the house is cleared out, or they are pre occupied...because if I don't then I get the "mom..." or "honey"..or "whatcha doing".  I don't want to have to yell- "I AM HAVING MY QUIET TIME WITH GOD...LEAVE ME ALONE!",  that kind of breaks up the quiet, peaceful, happiness of the moment, you know? 
  So where was I? Oh yeah...the laugh.  I ramble when I talk to God.  I write sometimes.  Most of the time we just talk, or I should say I do and He listens.  I pray.  I praise.  And I ramble.  Today was more of the rambling.  A lot of the rambling.  I have been asking that He show me what He wants me to do in my life.  Where does He want me to go? Who does he want me to be?  And it was quiet.  Hmmm.  'So I am good right, God?'  That's where He laughed.  Probably because he knows my heart so well.  That comment I made..."So I am good right, God?" wasn't meaning..I am good, like a good person, good follower, good believer, good friend....it meant...between God and I...that we are good.  We are on the same page.  I am where I should be.  Doing what I should be doing.  His laugh was like an indication..."ummm, No. we are not on the same page, and you know it." Because He knows I know it.  Because He knows my heart so well, that I am scared to know HIS answers.  Where does this leave me?  Not on the same page-for now.    I am so coming out of this little tidy box I have kept myself in.  Although today, we are not on the same page.  I am closely coming to it.  I am changing and I am changing the world.  So not on the same page today, I get that.  But I know He loves me.  Love me.  Loves me.  It is just not me loving Him.  I can say that and I can beleive that.  That page..well my dears, that page is the same.