Purpose

Have you ever wondered why you are here? What is your purpose? I have wondered that alot since 1988. I was...well I am not going to tell you how old I was....just kidding...I was 19. I was home from college, I just started dating this really cute boy...you can guess who it was!

I had friends graduating from high school and joining me on the college bound road of life. I was headed one day to the Patriot Center for a friends high school graduation. I had spent the night with another friend and we were actually running on time for the graduation. I had borrowed her sister's dress...I didn't like any of mine, of course. I was feeling good and looking fine! My car was actually in the shop and my parents had these wonderful good samaratians for friends from church who lent us their car. Thank you Jerry and Lynn Belknap...It was old, no a/c, no radio but it ran. It was a brown volkswagen rabbit! So my friend and I were headed out the door, trying to leave before her younger sister could catch up with us and ride with us. If memory serves me correctly, she was annoying us. My friend's parents and sister would be coming to the graduation too.

So we headed out that beautiful June day. I don't remember much but the sun was out and it wasn't too hot. We got to the George Mason campus and we were wanting to get a good seat so I was going a little fast. We spotted a campus police officer in his car and I slowed down. It was then that we heard the LOUD crack. I put on the brakes and looked up. Just in time to see some leaves falling down on us.

When I woke up, the horn was blaring and I remember thinking "don't let the car roll, keep your foot on the brakes". As I look back, that is a little humorous due to the fact that I wasn't going to go anywhere. I didn't know that at the time. I tried to sit up because I realized that I was the one making the horn blare. I couldn't. My friend was next to me screaming. I grabbed her hand and told her I was ok. I couldn't see her. I was trapped. Something had me pinned between the roof of the car and the steering wheel. I was pinned looking out the driver side window. All I could see was leaves all around me. My nose started to bleed. I tried to move so that the blood would not get on my friend's sister's dress. Silly, I know but when you are in a crisis, it is weird how your brain works. I guess I was trying not to make the situation worse.

You see a rotted out oak tree, 9 ft. in circumference had fallen on us at just the moment we passed by. Weird huh? No one else was around us. Only one person heard and he came running. Bounding actually over the branches and limbs of the fallen tree. I think his name was Steve, a poli-sci major. He heard and came running. The paramedics came, the firemen came. They cut us out and took us by ambulance to the hospital. She gots lights and siren. I didn't...by the way, I was worse off than she was. She still got the lights and siren.

We were alright. We survived. My friend left the next day to go to Japan for the summer. All the paramedics and firemen said that we should not have survived. If anyone had been in the back seat they would have died instantly. The way the tree fell only the fork in the branches hit us and trapped us in the car. If the bulk of the trunk had...we would not be here.

From that day on, I wondered why I was spared. What did God want from me? Was I here to do something great? Would a lot of people know me and marvel at what I could do? I thought God has spared me so that I could be great and wonderful. Ha! I laugh now thinking at how naive I was to think that. I am spared because I asked God to be the Lord and Savior of my life. I gave my life to Him a long time ago. He uses me how He sees best. Most of the time, it is not what I pictured. God must smile while I try to figure out what His next move is. He probably sits there and shakes his head and thinks "be still girl, be still and trust me".

My purpose is to follow him. My purpose is to obey him. My purpose is to serve. As long as I am doing that, then I have my purpose. How I carry out my purpose may be different than you. We all have the same purpose. Follow, obey and serve. Don't wait for a tree to fall on you before you realize God wants you. He wants to have a real relationship with you. Shhh...listen..do you hear that?

Response to the comments

Ok Lindsey Erin Bynum--I happen to like the 30 minute chick....she has fun and I wanna be part of the fun! I will however, try to watch Good Eats and see what the appeal is. I have found some yummy good food though with the 30 minute chica. If you wanna come over and have a Gilmore Girl weekend then maybe you should be more supportive of me! ;) I mean I do the BEST I can!!! Come one! where is the love? I am sure Lauren would agree with me! Join the crowd. You know you wanna!

Shanna Michel Hennessy--thanks for your support! It is always nice to have an uplifting supporter (unlike some people we know...huh) Just Kidding Lindsey!

Not much else going on.. I made the BEST guac!!! I did it Rachel Ray style! I even sounded like her when made it! hee hee. I am getting good!

Good food, good times.

Cookin it up in the kitchen

I would tell you that one of my weakest areas is cooking. I don't enjoy it. It scares me. I am not confident in this area so I am afraid to fail. In fact after I cook, I tend to feel sick to my stomach! I don't know what that is about. So I try to avoid cooking!

I have friends who are excellent cooks and no matter how much I beg or bribe (yes, I have told my friends I would pay them to cook for me!) no one has taken me up on my offer. Yes, I know it is very sad. I mean my family is suffering! All these families get to enjoy and eat delicious food! My family spins a wheel and we either eat out, or order out or you are on your own! I know, I can't believe I am admitting this. I am not going to win any Mother of the year awards!!!


So a few weeks ago, a friend gave me a 3 ring binder with dividers and page protectors with RECIPES in it!!!! I couldn't believe it! At first I was like, "oh thank you! I can't wait to try these!" --notice the tongue in cheek! I mean has she not heard me....I DON'T COOK!!!!

Well then I crunched numbers....see our family is going on a Disney Cruise next year. We have to save ALOT of money to be able to afford this. Well I can save LOTS of money if I cook! GRRR....God has a sense of humor!

So I thought and prayed about my phobia of cooking. I self analyzed and thought..."I am not going down alone! I need people to help me" God provided the atmosphere.

At a ladies bible study we got to talking about cooking and people expressed interest in a recipe exchange. Then my friend gives me an organized and very efficient way to make cooking fun and easy! I love organizational things! I love to share! So I told my little posse of wanna be chefs about the 3 ring binder and organized 12 months of recipes groupings and BAM! I have recipes to cook and save money!

So once a month, I tell my recipe gals the subject of the month and they send me their tried and true recipes and I forward them to everyone else and BAM! we have 14 new recipes to try!!!! FUN!!!!

Then, as if that wasn't enough....I found this new thing! It is called The Food network!!! Now I don't like all the shows on there..in fact, I only like one! 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray! My kids watch it with me and WHAM! they tell me what they like and I write down the recipes and I go get the stuff for dinner the next night! It is GREAT!

I am soooo pumped about my new found hobby. My family is eating good...everything from Beef enchiladas to shrimp scampi to kabobs to fajitas to tortellini!!!

I wonder how long this will last?