Competition....On Hold

Competition…on hold

This fall, we witnessed Alec compete on the football field with the football tucked away safely to his chest, while dragging 4-5 opposing team members (attached to his back, dragging from his legs…) driving towards the goal line, in order to score points for his team, and wondered in one game, how he continued to play 3 quarters of a game with a separated shoulder, taped ankle and wrist, and bleeding elbows while carrying the ball , being tackled play after play after play. Where did that insatiable drive - that competitive nature come from? You can’t teach kids this stuff. We say that he goes into “machine mode”. And it’s totally natural. Of course, a lot of it has to do with stubbornness, and he does come by that quite honestly…

Above is a picture of my Father with his family…minus 2 siblings! My father (Gabor - pictured 2nd from left -top row, tallest) is one of 14 children. Born in Budapest, Hungary, his mother and father escaped Hungary during the Revolution of ‘56 with 11 of their children. Oh, but that’s for a later blog…

Needless to say, we have a competitive heritage -it’s in the blood! Not only were they constantly competing for the affections of their parents, they competed for spots in line for food, (usually youngest to oldest), spots in the family station wagon, and so on. In order to “keep order” in the family and well, to keep them clean , my grandparents demanded that the entire family begin swimming competitively. I have many newspaper clippings: “World’s Swimmingest Family”(July 1962), “The Batizy’s - A Family of Swimmers” “The Batizy’s Stick Together, Especially in Swimming”. They were on many Sports Page Covers, and they were good. I recently met a man who competed against them, and he said that if he saw a Batizy on the program, anyone else’s chances of winning were gone! As grown-ups, they are all still competitive, and have raised competitive children; running triathlons, kayaking the Ocoee, bike racing…even I played tackle football with the boys growing up. Yes. Tackle.

So it was only natural to “pass the baton” of competition to my son.

But this week, we were faced with a challenge.

Alec has been told to “halt” all athletics, all physical therapy, all strenuous motion.

Wow. Didn’t see that coming.

Alec has an appointment at the hospital for a CT and Bone Scan Monday Morning to find out what is wrong with his back. Maybe a fracture in his vertebrae. From what? Pushing himself beyond his physical limits. He is not a machine after all. Upon hearing the news from the doctor, my immediate response was, “Can he still compete in the track meet Tuesday?” You see, you have to qualify to run in a meet event. He did. As a Freshman. Wow.

The doctor said, “No”.

Alec is relieved to have a break.

We have been faced with the challenge, that sometimes life has to be “put on hold” in order for God to allow healing to take place. The scripture “Be Still, and Know, That I am God” kept coming to me over and over again. Sometimes all things need to “halt”, to be still, in order for us to re-focus on what’s REALLY important.

I was reminded that as parents, we need to make sure our focus on our son, needs to be not WHAT defines him, but WHO defines him. It is easy to fall in the trap of performing, or expecting a performance. Our only performance needs to be for the King. Alec understands that his gifts come from God. We all need to reminded of that. In the movie “Chariots of Fire” Eric Lidell says “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run I feel His Pleasure”. Our drive needs to be because we sense His pleasure when we are doing his will. My prayers for him are to be a lover of God and His ways, in every way. God knows what we need, when we need it, and He will deliver. We just need to “Be still”.

We are praying that they will find the source of his pain and healing will begin quickly, easily, and pain-free. Alec will be “up and running” soon. After all, God knew to which family He has placed us, and He did it with a purpose. And for now, we will take a break from competition, and focus on healing, and to Be still and know…

Happy Easter!

I just couldn’t help posting this picture of Alec on Easter (1999) when he was 6 years old! I know this isn’t very spiritual, (see March 21 blog!) but this has been a Johnson photo favorite since then! Never having been much of a morning person, he’s at least trying to enjoy the surprise found at the end of the bed when he awoke!

Ok. Maybe a small serious moment: This entire week is about what Jesus did for all mankind over 2000 years ago. Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday. Good Friday. Easter. I am so thankful, and yet sometimes even perplexed at what He went through, so that we may have eternal life, and life more abundantly on earth. This week is a reminder that we should take with us the year throughout.

Today is about family. Jesus died so that we may be part of His family. My physical family, and my spiritual (church) family are so dear to our lives. I look forward to spending Sunday morning with my church family, then the remainder of the day with our physical family. We are so blessed!

I reflect on the gift that Jesus gave to us when He died and arose. I love Matthew 7:11 - If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Those who know me know that I enjoy giving gifts, especially to Alec. To this day he remains grateful and feels undeserving for these surprises. That’s how we should all feel about what Jesus did for us. We all awoke this morning with “a gift at the end of our beds.” Through our pain (hurts, regrets…life), we can still muster up a smile, in gratefulness for what our Saviour has done. ~Happy Easter, for He Has Risen!

Good Friday, Spring, Mother

No. It’s not Mother’s Day Today. But it is My Mother’s Day today.

Today is mom’s birthday. I could never say which one, for fear that she would show up and use my middle name in the way she did when something ugly slipped out of my mouth! Today, we will shower her with all the love and thankfulness we can muster up. Not to mention every kind of dessert and pastry that can possibly fit on the dessert table (What? Do you not have a dessert table in your house?) …we like sweets a little bit in our family!!!

Sometimes I think about how old I was when my mom was the age I am now. It really puts so much into perspective! When I was 9, my mother was 34…my age now. I think of how I looked up to her, and for her for everything. (Still do!) She was a rock at 34 - and still is to this day! She is just as beautiful now as she was then. And boy did people have no problem stopping her, just to tell her how beautiful she was!

Good Friday. Easter. First of Spring. Mom’s Birthday. Family. Love. Reflection. It’s a wonderful, joyful, emotional week in our house! There is much to celebrate!

This is Mom, in 1973, after I was born!

Jesus Still

Jesus Still

would have sweated blood in an agonized prayer in the Garden, been betrayed by ones He loved. Been struck in the face, mocked, spit upon, humiliated

Jesus Still

would have been battered bruised, dehydrated, exhausted, stripped of His clothing, had His flesh torn

Jesus Still

would have had a crown made of long, thick thorns pressed on to His head, driving the thorns deep into His skull

Jesus Still

would have carried His own heavy cross, made of thick rough wood, to His brutal execution, falling under the weight of the pressure

Jesus Still

would have had His wrists and feet attached to the cross by the driving in of heavy wrought-iron square nails

Jesus Still

would have endured hours of limitless, throbbing pain: cramps, the sting from open wounds, partial asphyxiation

Jesus Still

would have

died

If I was the only one on earth.

If you were the only one on earth.

If His mockers… were the only ones on the earth.

Hope and Promises

As I was pulling out of the driveway today, I happened to look over at the tree in our front yard and noticed that 1 beautiful bloom had burst it’s way out, as if it couldn’t wait one more day to stay “cooped up” inside! (Sound familiar?) I didn’t even notice the brown of the tree. All I could see from the road was this 1 flower. As I began traveling to my destination, I noticed that there were many signs that Spring was quickly approaching.

I adore this time of year, where you can begin to see that faint shadow of green within the brown of winter. Just when you think it’s going to stay gray forever, all of a sudden, sometimes in one day ~ BOOM. The Bradford Pears BURST in white! The bulbs that had been planted with a spoon, wrestle their way out of the ground, as if thanking me for FINALLY planting them, and delivering their promise to fulfill their purpose.

Spring is about promise. This moment of Spring is a reminder that no matter how cold or harsh your winter may have been (not so bad here, but one of the worst up North), the promise of Spring is around the corner. You can’t stop it. It may seem as if our family will NEVER get our sweet baby. But, there is the promise of Spring. God will deliver. We must go through every season in order for things to grow properly, and stand on the promise that, soon, Spring time WILL come, then Summer….

The beginning buds on a tree, the first blossoms of Spring, the green that pushes it’s way out of the hard soil gives me hope. Hope that God has not forgotten what he has started, that it will come to fruition. Some blooms are new, some have just been asleep - renewing their strength, regaining their nutrients for the next season.

The bloom on this tree in the picture reminded me of Proverbs 13:12 - “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

What is your longing? God could just be working it out on the inside before it bursts forth and blossoms and shows off it’s glory~God’s glory. After all, we do the work but it is He who makes it all possible!

It Finally Snowed!

What is it about snow? Why is it so anticipated around here every year? The hopes that schools will be closed, businesses will be shut down…more like, busy-ness will stop. Snow covered streets in the south means you are forced to stay off the roads and “stuck” in your homes. Ahhhh. Finally. A reason, an excuse to slow down. Whatever plans you had, change. They change to pulling out the hot chocolate, sitting in front of a fire after spending time rolling snowballs, making snowmen, or just sleeping in…because you can!

Everything is more beautiful. A blanket of white, such purity, covers the brutalness that winter’s death left behind. For a moment, everything seems quieter, brighter, calm.

Now, snow in Tennessee also doesn’t “stick”around long, I can already see the pavement on the driveway. So, maybe I’ll shut the blinds to the street, and focus out in the snow-covered field, where it looks like Spring will just have to wait it’s turn, because winter is not done showing off!

Coaching

At yesterday’s track meet, I saw my 15 year-old Freshman son Explode off the starting blocks running against the fastest (and older) guys of 4 schools. Now, he hasn’t run in a track meet since he was 11, so this was his first time competing in a while. As he got to the 40m mark, 3 of his competitors shot past him. If only the determination on his face could’ve got him across the finish line first! The thing is, is that the Sprint group on his track team doesn’t have a coach.

There is no one to see his gift-his potential. No one to encourage him in the little things, the big things, to teach him new things, to point out those things that he just can not see for himself that will make him better and better. It takes the skill, the care, the attention of someone else - a coach, to take the time and interest to build him up, to point out those things that take him and his gift to the next level.

I woke up this morning thinking how thankful, and needed MY life coaches are. We all need those coaches, call them friends, pastors, anyone who speaks personally into your life. I had a phone call from a dear friend of mine yesterday, we’ll call her my coach for the moment. She didn’t want to chat about shoes, or decorating, she wanted to encourage. To point out that if I tweaked a few things in my life, my thinking, and keep my eyes focused on who God purposed me to be, and the gifts He’s placed in my life, I could make it across the finish line and win!

We can all “explode” off the starting blocks, but we need coaches to train us for the journey towards the finish line.

Who’s your coach? Who are you coaching? We all need both. Encourage someone today. Recognize their gift (we all have them)…it may just help someone get across that finish line smoothly!

WAAAAAAHHHHA!!!

Upon signing on to the computer to check email yesterday morning, the Yahoo News page came up with the most depressing headlines I’ve seen in a while:

“Brett Favre Retires…”

Really? I don’t recall him asking our permission to do that. After all, we are the Pack’s BIGGEST fans. (Have you seen the picture of my husband and his brother and dad wearing Cheeseheads and ASTROTURF???)Needless to say, we are all in mourning around here. Some of us (ok. me.) are even joking about becoming Bears fans. After washing my mouth out with soap, I came back to my senses.

We’ll continue to cheer on the Pack, especially when they come to TN this fall. It’ll be different, but they’re still our team!

Go Pack Go!

Adoption Forecast

Well…we are 6-8 Months away from whatever date you read this!!!

I feel like we’ve been saying that since 2005, but it really is promising this time! We could quite possibly get our referral by the end of September, and be in China by December, and have a baby before 2009! I’ve also heard that worse-case scenario could be March-July of 2009…I’m going for the first option!

Babies have been referred up to January 4, 2006. We have 62 more referral days until our LID of 3-7-06!!!