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Gone Home…. 

Henderson, Texas. Fall 2016

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For those suffering from the flood. God. Will. Show. Up. It may be in the form of others coming to you or you being His hands and feet. But He. Will. Show. Up. Because He says, "IAm"

I am

THAT

I AM.

I AM

I EXIST

I AM preparing the way

I AM showing up like I said I would

I AM going to create a way where you see no way

I AM that one who is going to FREE YOU from slavery.

I AM going to create miracles in your life and lead you through the desert.

I AM going to lead you out of Egypt into the promised land.

I am THAT….

I Am.

I AM the one who was, who is and who will be!

I am THAT ….I am,

I AM The one who existed before creation.

I am THAT….. I am,

The one you have heard about.

The one who has heard your cries.

The one who has called you by name.

I am THAT…. I am

The one who took your shame upon myself.

I am THAT…. I am, who was,

I AM that one Who died for you

I am THAT….. I am

who is preparing a place for you.

I am THAT. .. I am

who sent the Holy Spirit power to show you that…

I AM.

I WAS.

I WILL BE.

I will show up for you!

I will fight for you!

I am THAT…. I am

I AM

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Missing my mom as the 46th anniversary of her loss approaches. It never seems to get easier. Hug your mom!

Mother…. The word brings up so many feelings and whether those feelings are warm and comforting or upsetting and anxiety producing, they all relate to the most important person in our lives. If our mother had not chosen to stay pregnant and birth us, we would not be here. That’s pretty significant. No one is motherless. We all have a mother, whether we know her and get to experience life with her, or lose her (whether it was her choice or not) way too soon, we all have a mother. And unfailingly, our experiences with our mother dictate how we feel when we think of the day that we are supposed to celebrate her.

Mother’s Day…. For me, the words expose the void within. No matter how many years pass, it still awakens an ache. There is so much I’d like to know, so much I’d like to talk about. There are so many memories we didn’t get to make. She only saw one daughter graduate and that was from kindergarten. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. The insidious “punch in the gut” feeling of being told this never goes away. It hides and then sucker punches me at the strangest times. After all of these years, 43 to be exact, you would think I could get through mother’s day without crying. It hides and I forget that I need to make plans to be with my sister and our families and then #boom…it’s too late. I have to decide if I’m going to pretend that the day and my pain doesn’t exist or if I’m going try to focus on my own motherhood and hope I don’t have an emotional melt down at church while playing the ‘big pretend’. I experience so many feelings on this day, joy for my boys and gratitude for my own motherhood, joy for others who still get to celebrate with their mothers and then, in contrast the sadness that pulls at each joy as I try to tuck away thoughts of “what would it have been like if she’d turned 28, 38, 68?”. Of all feelings, the guilt is the strongest. Guilt that my boys don’t have a grandmother, guilt that I can’t just “get over it” and celebrate that I’m a mother to my boys, without this hunger to have had more time with her; guilt that I’m a little jealous of people who reach milestone after milestone with their mothers, and a deep sadness for others who are in my situation, especially my sister and my nieces, and for those who never had a loving mother at all.

As the years pass, I’m beginning to accept the conundrum of complex feelings. I greet them and I’m OK with them although I still wish that I could just look at the bright side, and only the bright side. I acknowledge and honor my feelings both the good and the bad. Then, I can celebrate my own motherhood and the motherhood of my friends. I can celebrate my dad’s wife in the woman who’s brought him joy and companionship for almost 30 years; I can just celebrate life and the moment, however fleeting, that I have with every person that I love.

I am not alone. I can feel my mom’s heart as I calm one of my anxious children, or talk to my sister or my niece’s or my dad about her, I can feel her breath in a gentle breeze in my hair and her kiss as the sun warms my face. I can experience her joy and faithfulness as spring comes unfailingly after even the darkest and coldest of winters! I can feel her hands as I play the piano and imagine her voice as I write a new song. I can experience her love and spirituality as I read her bible, the word of the Savior she loved so much. I am alive.

Mother, to have one, and to be one, is the greatest gift. And no matter how I get there, that is the truth I end back up at, every year.

Happy Mother’s day! And blessings to all of those who struggle with juxtaposed feelings on this emotional day. My prayer is that you will be blessed this mothers day! My prayer is that no matter if your mother is here, or there, or even if she was not what you needed her to be, you will find joy and celebrate the life she gifted to you, in the moments with the people around you that bring peace, love, faithfulness and joy into your life. No matter your situation, a mothers love is why you are here. Celebrate that. Celebrate YOU!

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The Greater the Struggle, The Greater the Reward

20 of the most beautiful minutes you can spend.  Spend them here, the cinematography and themes poignantly deliver and keep on giving long after the last credit

The Greater the Struggle, the greater the reward ~ The Showman

All  my life seemed to be a struggle.  Where some people started at ground zero or even above, my life quickly degenerated into a bottomless pit by the time I was six years old.  As I got older, I seemed to be always looking up at the sky but was constantly surrounded by dirt. The more I struggled, the worse it seemed to get.  It wasn’t fair.  It HURT. 

 Then one day I considered the butterfly.  I saw that this majestic and free beautiful thing  started out as a lowly worm that was stuck to the earth, doomed to endlessly feed itself, seemingly with no other purpose but to survive.  

To this worm, I could relate.

I then considered that this caterpillar, just when it seemed like life was over, merely began a process that ended magnificently with a morph into a totally new creature, able to flit and fly wherever it liked, never stuck again for the rest of its days.  I wondered if I, like the butterfly, might ever morph and make a change and fly from my pit of despair.

Yet I still struggled.

Then one day, my Master showed me, the plight of the change.  You see, as a butterfly struggles to free itself from the cocoon, it builds also its ability to fly.  If the butterfly is helped out of the cocoon or breaks free somehow without the natural process of becoming, the beautiful butterfly is as grounded as it always was, even when it was a caterpillar. 

 It was then that I finally realized:

 My struggles are the very thing that would one day teach me to fly.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.  ~Maya Angelou

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

What the catipillar calls the end of the world, the master calls, a butterfly

Richard Bach

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It makes the earth lovely at sunrise and splendid at sunset. In the one it breathes over the earth a crystal- like ether, in the other a liquid gold. Thomas Cole

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Is Round Rock ready for MAD GREENS? Based in Colorado and founded on values of sustainability and local sourcing, Mad Greens is opening it’s 3rd Store in the Austin area. The Domain and Lakeway stores are already going strong.

What do you need to know?

1 Besides the fact that everything is sustainable and locally-sourced, you need to know that on opening day some of the proceeds will go to the Sustainable Food Center of Austin who has been their partner and all of the other Austin area openings. The SFC wants to improve access to affordable healthy foods according to their Facebook page.

2 The first 25 (adults over 18) served at Monday’s grand opening get a $25 gift card to MAD Greens. They open at 10:30am Thursday

3 They have 4 amazing flavorful Teas and offer Panini’s, salads, wraps, 3 flavors of humus (avocado is my fave), fresh juices, 21 dressings and an infinite mix to make any salad you can dream up!

4 Lots of smiles and friendly help is there to serve you on opening day!

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Love reaching across almost a century. Mrs Susie Piper, the one on the right, has words of wisdom for today's generations. Born in the early 20's of the 20th century, she has lived through two world wars and numerous since. It was her generation that marched to give us the right to vote. These were her words of advice 1 BE NICE "No matter what others do to you, or how they respond to you or don't respond to you or how badly they treat you, BE NICE. If they make you angry, just walk away." 2 BE GRATEFUL. "Be grateful for what you have. Don't worry about what nobody else have. Even if all you got is a cracka, be grateful for that one cracka." I wrote in her accent because it was a beautiful accent. Please share these wise words. We need them now more than ever.

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So so good. Yes ma'am!

It’s funny how whenever I try to get God to tell me something about a situation, He tells me about Himself. 

“What do you want me to know?” I ask. 

“I am good,” He answers, “And I am on the throne.” 

Because I always think I need to know what’s going to happen, or what I should do, but what I really need is to remember who my God is. 

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Today I went to precision car wash because I although I love red barn, the upcharges are confusing. I just want my car cleaned right for a fair price. As I pulled into Precision Car Wash, the guy motioned for me to come in…then more frantically as if I were too slow in a pretty annoyed fashion. Luckily, I was approached really quickly by a very friendly and energetic girl with a big smile who started going over my needs. She was super patient with me considering I had stopped in on a whim as I was passing by, and needed to move things around in my car. As we talked, I told her about how the guy had acted and she told me the most amazing thing. It turns out that these guys not only do a great job, for a fair price with no high pressure sales approach, 60% of their workers are disabled, so the employee directing me in has autism. This was all I needed to know and I became an instant fan. The friendly girls name is Anna and she as well as her brothers, who all have precious souls run the car wash. Samuel, the brother who was there, let me know that it’s very important to them to be known for their good work and not for their obvious contribution to the community. They also have some really cool paintings by people with mental disabilities from the Arc of the Capital Area in Austin.

It was very interesting that there was a customer in the waiting area complaining about the workers, even after Anna had explained to her what they did as a company and who they hired. I’m sure it was tough to explain so quickly after to me but she did so with a great positive energy and with a heart of gold. This family has a personal mission and a heart for people in the community with mental disabilities, to help them be more active in the community and to take pride in a job well done while simultaneously providing a thorough service for a reasonable price. I left in my amazingly clean car feeling like there is some good left in a world when in a small business, people care more about what they are giving than the money they are making. As I left they gave me a card for a 10th car wash free and told me to keep my receipt in case it rained in the next two days, because they would run me through the car wash again for free. Next time you need your car washed, help give back to our amazing community and leave in an extremely clean car at the same time by using Precision Car Wash.

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This is an email i received from someone who wanted to remain anonymous. This is also a #rrrave for RR police Dept. The officer was very responsive regarding this animal that was left in the car. The car involved with black and the windows were cracked very very slightly. Black and dark cars get hotter than lighter colored cars and even cracking the windows does not help when the temperature is over 82 degrees. If you see a dog that looks in distress in a hot car, the Round Rock Police Department asks that you call them only if animal control is closed. This concerned citizen did the right thing, she did not break the window she called the police to let them make the decision. I’ve already called the police department and have found that the dog is fine so please use this as a public service announcement and not as Avenue to be mean spirited. It’s astounding that after all of the public service announcements and accidents that happen with children, that people still are not aware that it’s dangerous to leave your pets or your children in the car. I had to let a security officer know about a child left in a car myself just yesterday. Here is the anonymous Rant: Today I went to academy and when I parked I noticed there was a dog in the car next to me with each window cracked less than an inch. The dog was moving around and honestly I didn’t think much of it. I went inside shopped and got back to my car at least 15 minutes later and the vehicle with the dog was still there. My car read the temp outside to be 91 degrees. I then called Academy in hopes they would page the person. After that, I called 911. The windows were tinted and I couldn’t see the dog anymore moving around. The manager came out and he couldn’t see it either. I want to say about 15 minutes later the police showed up. I don’t know the law on breaking windows but having my daughter with me, that wasn’t an option and I’m not sure why the police didn’t try unlocking the car or breaking the windows. A 2nd officer showed up and did a thermal reading of 116 degrees inside the car. The dog wasn’t moving anymore laying on the back floor. Eventually (probably 45 minutes since I had gotten there) the owners came out and opened the door. I was no longer interacting with the officers so I don’t know if the dog was still breathing at this point. I’m also unsure what consequences the owners will be facing. I left before anything was resolved. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ANIMALS IN THE CAR!!!

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Today I went to the Austin outpatient VA clinic and saw some beautiful floral arrangements like the one pictured above. It was such a nice gesture by someone, that I wanted to thank them personally, so I set out to find who had donated them. After asking around a bit, I finally found the volunteer coordinator. I let him know that the flowers had really cheered me up because one, they were some of my favorite flowers and two, because it was just nice to see them in a place that can often be tough to visit. I mean you go there because you are not well, and that can be depressing. The flowers were so warming to the environment and made it slightly less clinical. Anyway Mr Mike, the volunteer coordinator, talked to me about how we can help homeless veterans by donating things that we don’t need anymore to the austin VA Clinic’s homeless program. There is a DAV guy there at there who will come and pick up anything that anyone wants to give to homeless veterans. You can donate money, items or time! So I wanted to get the word out about that because I’ve heard a lot of people say that no one helps the homeless veterans. The Austin Outpatient Clinic does help them and we can, through them, help the homeless who have served our country. The VA Clinic homeless program helps homeless veterans get into Apartments and a lot of times they need things like furniture and dishes and such. You can reach them at ctxvoluntarystaff@va.gov to make your donations. Needs right now : Our OEF/OIF – Iraq Veterans could use help with gift cards for groceries, baby food and diapers, prepaid phone cards, new underwear, t-shirts and socks. Homeless Veterans could use hygiene kits, with additional items such as lotion, lip balm, sun screen, bug spray, tampons/napkins, shave cream and razor; new underwear, t-shirts and socks as well as size large walking shorts and sandals (size 9 – 13)

Here is more info on how to donate money and volunteer from the Va

Volunteer or Donate

Central Texas Veterans Health Care System depends on the goodwill of our benefactors and volunteers who wish to give something back to America’s heroes. We appreciate the loving support our community has bestowed upon our veterans. New Service! E-Donate

Simple. Speedy. Safe. The new E-Donate service now available on-line allows community members who wish to give back to Veterans a quick, safe way to pledge their support. Through E-Donate, donors can select from a number of funds at the medical center they wish to donate to. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs administrative costs are appropriated so donors can be 100 percent certain their donations will go directly to the funds and Veteran patients they select. Donated money at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System goes to programs that support veterans like recreational therapy. The actual donation is made through a secure site at the Department of Treasury’s www.pay.gov. A minimum of $5 is required for online donation and you can donate by any electronic means commonly used on the Internet today (i.e. credit card, debit card, etc.). You choose the medical center, you choose the amount, and you choose from available options how your money will support local Veterans. Volunteering

Volunteers provide many important functions throughout the Medical Center and help make our patients’ stay more enjoyable. Volunteers can perform a number of services, and a volunteer’s talents are closely matched with one of our many assignments. To volunteer, call or visit the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System Voluntary Service Office. We will be happy to receive your application or discuss how you can help us in our mission to provide comfort and care to America’s veterans. Volunteer Benefits

As a member of our volunteer team, you will receive: General orientation to Voluntary Service Job specific orientation Immediate gratification – You earn points for the smiles you induce Improved health Free parking Meal Ticket for lunch (after 4 or more hours of service) Free Flu Shots (for adults and for youth volunteers with parental signature) Letters of Recommendation (after 100 hours of service) Eligibility for scholarships offered by service organizations and VA Training opportunities Giving

Monetary donations are used to purchase comfort items and to provide the “little extras’ that make a lengthy hospital stay more bearable. Non-monetary contributions such as reading material, pre-paid phone cards, new underwear, t-shirts and socks, games, puzzle books, individually packaged foodstuffs are accepted for use by our patients. Special Needs: Our OEF/OIF – Iraq Veterans could use help with gift cards for groceries, baby food and diapers, prepaid phone cards, new underwear, t-shirts and socks. Homeless Veterans could use hygiene kits, with additional items such as lotion, lip balm, sun screen, bug spray, tampons/napkins, shave cream and razor; new underwear, t-shirts and socks as well as size large walking shorts and sandals (size 9 – 13). If you are interested in becoming a VAVS Volunteer or have questions about making a donation please contact us.

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So today I feel like superwoman and I can take on the world! And it’s all because someone came and cleaned my house! I was so overwhelmed when she got to my house that i literally cried. I was super comfortable having her there. She uses all natural products and got a lot more done than I would have thought she could in a few short hours. Now …. I feel like I’m invincible and there’s nothing I can’t do because my house is SOOOO clean! She not only clean she will also do meal plans and meal prep. But don’t make her so busy that she can’t come back and help me!

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All abilities Fort is a kids program in Williamson County that bring than any child who wants to play sports in a non-competitive fun way. These are kids that normally fall through the cracks and who are not allowed to play in Special Olympics. These kids may be on the Spectrum or have any other disability. If you have questions about this amazing program please feel free to contact me .

From John Lorek Founder. Please consider volunteering for this great event. This will help us fund some Summer Programs like another day at Top Golf for the kiddos and possibly a huge Bowling Day at Spare Time as well.

We can’t do it without your help!

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All abilities Fort is a kids program in Williamson County that bring than any child who wants to play sports in a non-competitive fun way. These are kids that normally fall through the cracks and who are not allowed to play in Special Olympics. These kids may be on the Spectrum or have any other disability. If you have questions about this amazing program please feel free to contact me .

From John Lorek Founder. Please consider volunteering for this great event. This will help us fund some Summer Programs like another day at Top Golf for the kiddos and possibly a huge Bowling Day at Spare Time as well.

We can’t do it without your help!

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If you have lived in or around Austin any amount of time you know that one of the favorite pastimes here is this crazy thing called disc golf.

Disc golf also known as frisbee golf or frolf, is a flying disc (frisbee) game, as well as a precision and accuracy sport, in which individual players throw a flying disc at a target. (In modern times it’s into a basket) (Taken from Wikipedia please find references there)

If you haven’t heard of disc golf, but have spent time in any of the numerous parks around the Austin area, you’ve probably seen these odd metal things with chains hanging off of them. These are called disc golf baskets and are often in odd places along hiking trails.

Collins Nance loves disc golf. He loves it because you can start playing at any age, any fitness level, any skill level and learn a new sport that is fun and challenging. The community is really great too and they always welcome new players with open arms.

Collins Nance and his beautiful wife Meagan have been in Georgetown for about 3 ½ years. He is stationed at Fort Hood, but they were drawn to Georgetown and luckily for us, made their home here.

Nance had been playing disc golf for years and wanted to start a league in the North because most of the Austin leagues are located south of ATX. He also wanted to help grow the sport he’s come to love, to open it up to people who might not have the chance to play in some of the Austin leagues, and who want to play more for fun. He met Bo Worsham, who has helped with Internet details and graphics on the bag tag, and Phillip Mercer, who has helped out by doing a fantastic job of extra course maintenance that wasn’t provided by the city, met while playing a tournament. They all became friends and wanted to bring disc golf further north so more people could enjoy the game without fighting so much traffic. The Rivery Renegades is the result of these three guys and their passion for the game and the community around it.

The renegades are open to all levels of play but they do play a friendly competition for tags that they created by Bo.

You can find them on Thursday nights at Rivery Park in the Georgetown section of Wilco, and by showing up anytime between 5 and 5:30 to play.

The competitive piece of the league is full this round, but will be starting again in June for another round so go out to the Rivery Course and play on Thursdays to check it out and get acclimated before then! The fee to play is $10 and all the money goes back into the club and is paid out at the end to the winners and for a players party.

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p>If you live in Georgetown, Texas, known best locally for it’s picturesque town square and in the world of green energy as “The little Texas town that went green energy in the middle of oil country”, and venture down Williamson Drive, you will see a lot of nondescript buildings and circa seventies and eighties strip mall buildings. In one of those, tucked between Williams drive and the San Gabriel River, you will find one of the most refreshing places in Williamson County. It’s not a spa, and it’s not even a water park but if you love cool clear water and vibrant health, you will love this place! It’s a small juice bar it started out in filtered water sales. Chad Sitzmann, a local chiropractor, bought the water filtering stand next door and turned it into a mecca of hydra-goodness in the middle of what can sometimes be the desert of Central Texas. He acquired the filtering business in the middle of the first decade of 2000 but 3 years ago decided to create a place for those who wanted clean filtered water as well as to cleanse their bodies.

To my own dismay now that I’ve discovered it, I really didn’t pay much attention to HYDRATE until I saw the “Kombucha” sign there. I love some booch and have even made my own. I’ve tried all kinds and because Chad is so inquisitive and discriminating about what he sells, so he can bring his fans and clients the very best, he of course sells one type of Kombucha and it happens to be the only one I buy. He not only sells Buddha’s Brew (made by an Austin based kombucha company) he sells it on tap! I could write an entire piece on Kombucha itself but I will just say that it’s bold, fruity and tangy flavor is sometimes an acquired taste. I may find myself doing a piece on each of the types of things he carries in his store. From the “hydrate shots” that he makes himself, to the smoothies (for which he buys HEB fruit and ingredients daily), to the health bars and different types of water (highly filtered with a consistently tested 0-3 ppm filter quality, or Kangen), to the boars head salads and sandwiches, Chad and his store manager, Brandon, have done the homework and provided you with the best.

Even if you aren’t interested in crunchy or green or health, you can still benefit by purchasing clean water here at a mere 50 cents a gallon.

Stop in and HYDRATE yourself soon! It’s another Georgetown secret jewel that you will be glad you found.

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I’m starting a small blog called Round Rock Rants and Raves to support local, artists and small businesses. My posts will of course be #rrrrave and this is my first post. The picture on my background is done by Justin Snider of Rock Studios. I first found out about Justin when I saw some beautiful aerial video of the flooding late last year shared by the City of Round Rock and have been fascinated by his beautiful photography since. As a former teacher, and now a Technology Specialist by day, Justin has spent the last 15 years teaching and training others to use Photoshop and other graphic tools. Only in the last few years has he started exploring his own creativity through photography and graphic design. His true interests lie in aerial, landscape, and architectural photography. His work has been featured by KVUE News, Visit Austin, City Of Round Rock, the Round The Rock blog, and 365 Things To Do In Austin. You can see more of Justin’s work at www.facebook.com/rockstudiosinc.