In response to feedback since the blog started I offer the further following random tidbits “about me:”
*the name of the blog, springdrops, comes from John 4:7. John 7:37ff, and Psalm 23. I pray that some of the living water that I drink from spills into your life; that the cup of blessing overflows to those who read it; that this blog is a conduit of a drop of God’s grace to you.
*I am married to a man who I’m still crazy about after 19 years of marriage. I have never met nor heard of a person I like better than my husband ~ he’s admirable, true and noble, plus he has broad shoulders :0) and is a caring self-sacrificing father~ and I thank God every day for the wonderful gift of Jeff’s love for me. We have five children, and parenting is God’s way of keeping me close…. My kids are a delight, and I love and enjoy all of them more than I ever imagined.
*my favorite weather feature is WIND. I love storms, and I love the windows open in my home, no matter the weather outside; so I can be in touch with the outdoors. On the other hand, I’m not thrilled about camping…..I fear drunks with guns at campsites thanks to the Reader’s Digest article I read when I was a kid………….
*I quit facebook and started this blog because Facebook for me has felt like going down to a designated corner of town and calling out self-focussed tidbits at any passersby who I am remotely familiar with, or publicly screaming private sentiments to those I’m close to. A blog feels, to me, more like giving your dearests a standing invitation for tea in your living room. Except there’s no tea…..
*My musical preference turns out to be folk, though I never thought I’d say that. I’ve come a long way since VanHalen. :) Like other stuff too still, but Andrew Peterson and Sandra McCracken are very soothing to me.
*weaknesses: idealism aka “not living in reality” as my sister calls it,frequent and intense sarcasm, laziness, faithlessness, and cowardice. strengths: sense of humor, optimistic, idealistic, and knowing that I can boast in these weaknesses because his Grace is sufficient to cover them all, to help me to overcome them, to help me press on despite them.
*I don’t like tortillas or blueberries. Blech! This is surprising to most people. Now tortilla CHIPS, and blueberry MUFFINS/PANCAKES/SYRUP/PIE….that’s a different story.
*I am a rehabbed coffee-holic and now just a social drinker of coffee and a tea addict.
*I have a split personality: as the youngest of 5 (by 8 years) I am half uptight achiever and half relaxed happy-g0-lucky. I can never predict which me is going to come out each day and could give you all the reasons both of these people should try to be more like the other in certain ways….which only compounds the problem. Thankful I can relate to many different kinds of people.
*I am a dreamer, always trying to tweak my life to its ideal as I perceive it could be at the moment ~ and then remembering that I need to stay right where I am and stick to answering a clearly evident call, and wait on the Lord to reveal next steps. He often does this through my “both feet firmly on the ground” husband, and I’m so thankful for that.
*I dream of living in a large farmhouse (on a minimum of 20 acres containing a patch of woods but also lots of wide open spaces, especially surrounding the home) in the country (but near enough to the next home that we don’t feel totally isolated and vulnerable to serial killers and child abductors) with Jeff working from home, and we both homeschool all our children. There will be time in each day for subjects like auto mechanics, practice with firearms & explosives, as well as musical instruments; but also training in logic, theology, literature, and latin. We will read all of Tolkien, Lewis, Dostoyevsky and Dickens….and all kinds of history books and biographies and modern favorites like David McCullough, Keller, Eric Metaxas, and and JI Packer. And while the boys are shooting their guns in the woods, Eden and I will sew and bake and run on the country roads and garden and craft and decorate and provide childcare for lots of other families so there’s always a baby in the house. We’ll keep care of the horses and learn jumps all together. To make sure we don’t lead an insular life, we will also keep an apartment in the city which we live in for half the year and use to feed (they will receive the aforementioned baked goods as well as other home grown organic fresh vegetables, fruit and eggs) the homeless and/or foster children (who we usually end up adopting and homeschooling back in the country.) After a while we sell both or our properties and Jeff quits his job so we can join our favorite mission organization Josiah Venture. We sell all that we have, move to the Czech Republic, and live there until we die, just like Abe didn’t go back to Ur.
Instead of this dream, we live in a suburb, close enough to the next house that I can hear the cubs game when my neighbor listens on his back porch; our ministry to “the least of these” is limited to Christmas eve distribution of PB&J to random needy people on the streets of Chicago after we have stuffed ourselves at Maggiano’s (and various “service projects” @church & school); Jeff works in the city, and we send our teen to the public school where their idea of literature is something written in 2007, and send our other four to a classical christian school…..
Don’t get me wrong, I am VERY thankful for our schools, my home, my husband’s job, our local church……. and the rest of my life!!!! I’m just fleshing out for you the “I’m a dreamer” statement I made earlier. . . .
* I once was a lawyer but now can’t recall what subrogation and indemnify mean, let alone “res ipsa loquitor.”
*I learn by trial, error, and retrial. This has been difficult for me and I wish I learned by simply listening.
* My theological/doctrinal beliefs would make me a reformed baptist.
*when I went to college the only vegetables i liked were carrots, corn and cucumber & the only fruit I liked was apples and pears. How did I get by so long NOT EATING strawberries, oranges, broccoli, cantaloupe, watermelon, sweet potato, bell peppers, spinach, grapes, peaches, nectarines, asparagus, etc? I have a picture of myself at 21 years of age wearing gloves to stem strawberries because I didn’t want to touch those yucky things! Silly! Sheer determination to be normal is what changed me. But the plain blueberries I still just can’t do. :)
*i used to be a night owl but now i’m an early bird
* i hate cell phones and facebook, but I love blogs and biblegateway.com!
Hope that helps!!! ~Denice
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