My Big Scare!

This is me...

MEGAN @ HOLD IT UP TO THE LIGHT
I'm a blessed southern girl, living a life of faith and thanksgiving. I hope that in reading, you may hear my heart. I'm raising my sweet (sometimes sassy, messy, and crazy) children with my incredibly patient and loving husband. I tend to see life through rose colored glasses, and I've been known to be a clutz. My family would tell you that I am a bit of a control freak, but I like to think of myself as a "work in progress". God's not finished with me yet!

So, this really shouldn't come as any real surprise to you.....

I am a clutz, and this clutz had a rough day yesterday! Here's how it went down pun intended:

Here in the south, we have some wicked thunderstorms. The kind of storms that pop up out of nowhere and put a stop to your day. Yesterday was one of those stormy mornings. The lightening and thunder started while I was putting on my makeup, followed by the torrential downpour. The kind of rain that can sweep cars away and flood basements.....

I made a quick call to my babysitter to tell her to take her time and get here safely. I told her I would open up the garage door so she could pull in out of the storm. When I went down to do that, I found that my garage was filled with water....water up to my ankles. At this point, I totally went into damage control mode. I rolled up my scrub pants, threw off my socks and shoes, and went to work getting precious/damageable things out of harms way....but I was moving too quickly.

Before I knew it, both feet flew out from under me and I hit the solid concrete floor.....with the back of my head (I swear it felt like it caught the total brunt of the fall)! The water filled my ears and when I opened my eyes all I saw was black....

it was only a few seconds, but it all seemed to happen in slow motion. I was soaked to the bone as I crawled into Chris' basement office. I tried to focus and seemed to have my vision back. Instinctively, I reached up to feel the back of my head. There was no blood, but there was already a golfball sized knot....that eventually grew to a softball sized one.

My heart was racing, and I went into "what if" mode. What if I started to lose consciousness, what if they couldn't find me. My babies are all alone in their beds....

My cellphone was in my pocket, so I quickly dialed Chris. No answer. Again. No answer. I knew I needed to go to the hospital. I knew it needed to be checked out. I called work, crying and afraid....to tell them I wouldn't be in. One more call, and Chris finally answered....he was on his way.

I prayed, I prayed, and I prayed some more. I wanted to live out the last line of my profile description.....I wasn't ready for God to be finished with me here on Earth....

Long story short, we made it to the hospital safely, the CT scan showed a large soft tissue hematoma but no brain bleed or skull fracture. The ER doctor joked, "The good Lord knew to make the front and backs of our heads the strongest so that we could endure these kind of falls..." He was a very wise man....and I am a very blessed girl!

I have a mild concussion and I am feeling VERY sore still, but I am so thankful to be OK. My family, friends and God are taking good care of me and making me take it easy. Counting my blessings is the understatement of the century. Thanks be to God, for He is good!

Be careful today, and know that I will be doing the same!

"Not Me" Monday......finally!

Wow! It's been a while y'all! I was such an avid "Not ME" participant, and I totally fell off the wagon....
I sure hope you'll forgive me!
New to this? "Not Me" Monday is a little blog carnival sponsored by my friend Jennifer (aka MckMama) over at www.mycharmingkids.net. The Basics: Post all your glowing Mommy moments under the guise of.....gasp......"Nope, NOT me!!! I couldn't possibly have done that!!!"
Wanna hear my besties from this week month.....
I did NOT let my children eat gobs of donuts and burger king and pop-tarts and fluffer-nutter sandwiches and Mr. Pibb for the better part of the past 7 days. I did NOT let them stay up till midnight and go without brushing their teeth or hair or let them watch endless episodes of Spongebob and Zach and Cody while on vacation with 2 of my best girlfriends! Nope, not me!
I did NOT feel like a clown yesterday when I finally put on a little makeup for the first time in almost 2 weeks....
I did NOT wear nothing but pajamas and bathing suits for 9 days straight. I did NOT bring home a closet full of unworn clothes. a bag full of unworn jewelry. a bag full of unworn makeup. When will I NOT learn to pack lighter????
I do NOT feel a little bit guilty that my sweet hubby was home working and painting our house while I enjoyed not wearing makeup, real clothes, cooking, cleaning an awesome vacation with friends and kiddos.
I do NOT love, love, L.O.V.E. the paint job he did ...... it is NOT absolutely, perfectly gorgeous! (BTW, "Cork" by Benjamin Moore, is NOT an awesomely warm color in case you are in the market....just NOT sayin')!!!!
I did NOT make a phone call to my babysitter for tomorrow to make sure she knew that we had had another child since she last babysat for us! I was NOT embarrassed to make that call, even though I had an inkling that she reads my blog and indeed knows that Greer exists.....
She did NOT laugh and reassure me that yes she feels like she knows sweet Greer from reading my blog. How far have we come, y'all???? Fah-reaky!
What about YOU....what have YOU NOT done this week????
Please share...and make me feel better about my fah-reakiness! (and, if I'm being totally honest....a few things happened this week that I am too NOT embarrassed to share!)....

Life Changing....

....that's the best way to describe these past few weeks. I am in a place of freedom like I have never known, and I'm so excited about what God has in store for me and my family.

Chris Goins, our pastor at a2, wrapped up a series today that has been nothing short of incredible. The messages he has shared have spoken to my heart, driven me to deep evaluation, and challenged me to change. I have been poured out, broken to pieces, and filled back up to the brim (to overflowing actually).

There is a peace in my soul and I feel covered in grace.....especially after today's message.

And I would love to share with you the messages he has shared. I pray that each and every one of my readers has a home church that fills them up, and I am not in any way trying to steal you from your church (or denomination or whatever). This post is meant to only strengthen your faith and to give you extra fuel to fan the flames of your faith journey. I know that I get great insight from messages from pastors and teachers all over the world, and I feel a responsibility....an actual call..... to share a link to these messages I have heard this great summer.

That said....

if you are in search of a loving church home. A life changing, real, powerful, spirit filled church home in Birmingham....I would love to see you at a2 this Sunday. We're starting a new series that is sure to strike a chord ('specially if you live here in Birmingham). I've gotten a little inside scoop, and well....it's going to be amazing.

If you're not quite ready to make that jump, or if you live a million miles away....well, you're in luck (that is, if I believed in luck). All of a2's messages are available on iTunes for free!

Download, listen, absorb. Open yourself to freedom, and vulnerability, and the joy that comes from Jesus.

And, if you feel like it.....let me know what you think. I just couldn't not share it with you. The entire series is a message worth hearing, from a pastor who brings it and a God who is greater than anything imaginable!

The Real "Them"

I plucked these individual shots out of all the photos I have taken this summer, and in them I see a million things. Things that only a mother can see. It's like they speak to me and tell a story. You probably don't hear what I hear, but I'd be willing to bet you have pictures of your own children that read like a novel (or at least like a clever short story....some of my most favorite pieces of literature are short stories)....

Lately, I've really been taking note of my children's differences. Last Summer, I read a book by Kevin Leman (phenomenal book, btw) that pretty much said you don't fully see your kid's personality until they are closer to the age of 5. I soooo understand what he means. I can NOT believe how much my Lucy (especially) has come into her own this year (for better or for worse). I am finding that she is my "challenge" at the moment....in good and bad ways.

She hates when I take her picture, but she will gladly pose for others. She has a MILLION questions....tonight she asked me what heaven looks like. She wants her hair to be long, but she won't let me brush it. She's an early bird and a sugar addict and a charmer. She wants to be a big girl and she will strike up a conversation with anyone.

She loves ferociously. She loves Praise and Worship. She loves, loves, loves to read. She is stunning.....her honey brown eyes will melt you.

Well, I know she's funny. That much is for sure. She loves to put her head in the sand and feel it on her toes. She is cautious at first, but when she knows she is safe....well, she's fearless. She sleeps, a lot. She eats, a lot. She is amazing. She is a blessing and our lover. She is delicious.

Wonder what I'll say about her when she is 5???

Tender, cautious, passionate.

Skinny, dirty, careless, loving.

Determined, striking, gentle, kind.

Tough, boundless, oblivious. Amazingly sensitive. Wild.

I love my punks.

Fear not!

For the past few weeks, I've been hurting.....there is a physical hurt, but there is mostly an emotional nagging that I haven't been able to free myself from. I've done everything I know to do to stop the pain, and it's still there....dull, annoying, gripping.

But this week (even with all the fun and the wild children and the lounging by the ocean), I've been praying through it. And reading scripture. And listening. And talking to friends. And listening some more. I've reflected on the messages I have been hearing at church and replaying the songs we've sung over and over and over.

For the last few days, my prayer has been.....

"Take it, God. Take it."

That's all. That's all I know to say.

The best part is.....

that's all He wants me to say. Well, that and keep praying. Keep working through it. Keep trusting him.

I woke up this morning, and there is no pain. I feel light and free and at peace. And I opened my computer and saw this tweet from Max Lucado....

"Fear is not a sin, but it can lead to sin." Agree? DIsagree? Why?about 1 hour ago from web

Then I clicked on a link to a blog I love to read, and her post put into words exactly what I have been feeling....exactly what Max Lucado was talking about. Click here and read it for yourself.

My God sure moves in mysterious ways.

Fluffernutter Sandwiches and Mr. Pig

Thanks to my sweet friend, Krista, Lucy has been introduced to some fun new treats this week! Krista came down from Alabama armed with plenty of Mr. Pibb (which Lucy affectionately calls Mr. Pig), marshmallow fluff, and peanut butter. Well, you can imagine that Lucy my child with the insatiable sweet tooth was immediately taken with these sugary delights!

But what's even sweeter? Watching them together. Krista is so amazingly gifted when it comes to engaging with children (and thankfully she uses this passion working as a first grade teacher and in children's ministry at church). I am so blessed to have her as my friend....

Even if she does enjoy raising my child's blood sugar on a regular basis! Thank you, friend!

Click on that cute little button up there to head over to Angie's blog.Sometimes a picture tells such a story....that's what Wordful Wednesday is all about. I'd love to see what you have to say! Have a great day, y'all!

If I had to pick just one picture.....

.....to describe each of my children, I would pick these. Each one tells a story about their personality and spirit.

Before I tell you what I see in them, I'd love for you to tell me what you see in them?