Love is a contact sport

He runs to the opposite wall, takes a deep breath and runs toward me at a full tilt leaping into my lap.  His heels dig into my thighs and his claws rake my neck (seriously can you ever cut them enough?)  The other kids are sitting nicely in their parents laps during music class.  Mine uses my back like a climbing wall, tumbling over my head in a fit of giggles.  "Gentle," I try to say.  He giggles some more and begins to tickle me.  (Seriously, the CLAWS?!)

Then it begins again.  The climbing, tackling, running full tilt love from my boy.  He isn't acting out, he isn't seeking to hurt, is love is just expressed best in a whole body sort of way.  The tackles are ways of showing his closeness.

With the other mother's he runs up to them and stops short, not crossing the imaginary boundaries of their "otherness."  With me my lap is the safe zone in a game of tag and he wants to get there as fast as he can.  I am the safe zone.  My arms, his protection.

My scratches are battle scars, but also love marks - physical signs of his real love for me.  They hurt yes, but won't the pain of him refusing to hug me as a teenager hurt more?  For now I am the physical manifestation of love and he is mine.  And sometimes it means bruises.

He doesn't know his own strength, and sometimes I underestimate it.  But his love, his fierce, feisty, physical love?  I don't doubt that for a second.

But still I call out, "gently, gently" and wince at the pressure points his heels find.   I watch him and wonder at his energy, his power, and I know that his love is my inertia, just has I am his.

Love is a contact sport for my son, and I refuse to be just a spectator.

#justwrite

Five Minute Friday: Identity

I've been thinking about how to blog here now that all my weight loss stuff is over at PriorFatGirl (Have you been reading my posts? - you can find them here!)  One thing I want to keep doing is writing and practicing my voice and sharing my thoughts so it is important for me to maintain this space, but sometimes I'm at a loss of what to say since Weight Loss is such an all encompassing thing right now.  So today I'm going to participate in something called 5-minute Friday.  It is a link up and the goal is to write for 5 minutes on the topic or word of the day.  Just 5 minutes with no backtracking, editing, or over-thinking.  And I think that is perfect for me right now.  So here you go.  The topic: Identity.

Go

I always have wondered about this word, mostly because my identity always seems to be in flux.  I like so many diverse things that I fit easily into so many groups (when I can get over my introvertedness that is), but the reality is that I always wondered if that meant that I was too easily influenced by others.  When I get down to the core of my identity, what is there?

I'm a mother, and a wife, and a Children's Ministry director.  I'm a geek. I'm a bookworm.  I'm becoming an avid exerciser (?!).  Are those ME?  Are they the essence of who I am?

The reality is both and then some.  I am all those things but they do not contain all that I am.  I am bigger than labels and adjectives and nouns.  I am Elizabeth, child of God, created in his image and reborn in the waters of baptism.  I am chosen and accepted just as I am - no labels or definitions necessary.  Just as I am.  Me, in all my diversity and undefined edges.  Me, in all my brokenness and shame.  Me, in all my joys and sorrows, in all my love.  I am Me - accepted and loved and declared to be enough, just as I am.

Stop

Just click here to come over and play along

Wordless Wednesday - Jackson Street Roundhouse

Updates

Boy, having two blogs, a 3 yr old, a full time job and a weight loss routine is hard!  Sorry I haven't posted here this week.  I'm still figuring out my voice over at PriorFatGirl and have had a hard time separating anything in my life from trying to lose weight right now.  Sometimes things are just so big that they sort of sneak into everyday life.  But I do have some things to share and a giveaway coming up next week.  It is a BIG one!

But I feel like I owe the blog some air time and some updates, so here you go.

Mr. Goat Update:  Mr. Goat continues to do well after surgery.  He went in for a weigh in on Wed and had lost 18lbs over the last 9 days!  Wow.  He also got bumped up from all liquids to soft foods which makes him infinitely happier.  His energy is returning and he's been at work at least a half day every day this week.  He's doing so well and I continue to be impressed with his dedication and resilience!  I am so proud of him.

Little Goat Update:  Little Goat is handling things like a champ.  He's been a bit mommy-clingy lately but that is to be expected with the surgery.  He's very gentle with Mr. Goat and he's been slowly becoming a better listener and helper around the house.  He's still very 3 which means he can be very stubborn, but he's doing well.  He graduated out of parent/child swimming and loves his new class.  He also loves his music class - especially playing the finger cymbals.

Me:  Weight loss is going well.  You can see my latest weigh in results over here!  We are in a great time of year for me.  The school year activities are coming to a close and we are gearing up for the summer activities - including VBS!  I love VBS even though it seems very daunting at this stage of the game.  There are some fun summer family things too - including a great big family wedding that I'm looking forward to.  Things are looking up on many levels.

Oh, and Mr. Goat and I went out last night to see Weird Al.  He's such a good show - so funny!  It was a great night out with my incredible shrinking man!

So that's what's up with me lately, what's up with you?

All True.

The following was found on Facebook by Garrison Keillor and is all true.  It made me smile today and I hope it does for you too. 

By Garrison Keillor

I have made fun of Lutherans for years - who wouldn't, if you lived in Minnesota? But I have also sung with Lutherans and that is one of the main joys of life, along with hot baths and fresh sweet corn.

We make fun of Lutherans for their blandness, their excessive calm, their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed and also for their secret fondness for macaroni and cheese. But nobody sings like they do.

If you ask an audience in New York City , a relatively Lutheranless place, to sing along on the chorus of 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' they will look daggers at you as if you had asked them to strip to their under-wear. But if you do this among Lutherans they'll smile and row that boat ashore and up on the beach! And down the road!

Lutherans are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony. It's a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person's rib cage. It's natural for Lutherans to sing in harmony. We're too modest to be soloists, too worldly to sing in unison. When you're singing in the key of C and you slide into the A7th and D7th chords, all two hundred of you, it's an emotionally fulfilling moment.

I once sang the bass line of Children of the Heavenly Father in a room with about three thousand Lutherans in it; and when we finished, we all had tears in our eyes, partly from the promise that God will not forsake us, partly from the proximity of all those lovely voices. By our joining in harmony, we somehow promise that we will not forsake each other.

I do believe this: These Lutherans are the sort of people you could call up when you're in deep distress. If you're dying, they'll comfort you. If you're lonely, they'll talk to you. And if you're hungry, they'll give you tuna salad!

The following list was compiled by a 20th century Lutheran who, observing other Lutherans, wrote down exactly what he saw or heard:

1. Lutherans believe in prayer, but would practically die if asked to pray out loud.

2. Lutherans like to sing, except when confronted with a new hymn or a hymn with more than four stanzas.

3. Lutherans believe their pastors will visit them in the hospital, even if they don't notify them that they are there.

4. Lutherans usually follow the official liturgy and will feel it is their way of suffering for their sins.

5. Lutherans believe in miracles and even expect miracles, especially during their stewardship visitation programs or when passing the plate.

6. Lutherans feel that applauding for their children's choirs would make the kids too proud and conceited.

7. Lutherans think that the Bible forbids them from crossing the aisle while passing the peace.

8. Lutherans drink coffee as if it were the Third Sacrament.

9. Some Lutherans believe that an ELCA bride and an LC-MS groom make for a mixed marriage. (For those of you who are not Lutherans, ELCA is Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and LC-MS is Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. When and where I grew up in Minnesota , intermarriage between the two was about as popular as Lutherans and Catholics marrying.)

10. Lutherans feel guilty for not staying to clean up after their own wedding reception in the Fellowship Hall.

11. Lutherans are willing to pay up to one dollar for a meal at church.

12. Lutherans think that Garrison Keillor stories are totally factual.

13. Lutherans still serve Jell-O in the proper liturgical color of the season and think that peas in a tuna noodle casserole add too much color.

14. Lutherans believe that it is OK to poke fun at themselves and never take themselves too seriously.

And finally, you know you're a Lutheran when:

*It's 100 degrees, with 90% humidity, and you still have coffee after the service;

*You hear something really funny during the sermon and smile as loudly as you can;

*Donuts are a line item in the church budget, just like coffee;

*The communion cabinet is open to all, but the coffee cabinet is locked up tight;

*When you watch a STAR WARS movie and they say, :May the Force be with you," you respond, "And also with you."

Wordless Wednesday - He makes me smile

For my weigh in today please visit my feed at PriorFatGirl!

Coming up for air

It has been a fast and slow week for me and the whole Goat household.  Mr. Goat continues to do well after surgery.  He gets worn out very quickly but he is eating well (just liquids so far) and things look good.  We have our follow up Doctor appointment on Tuesday.

It is strange to take a week off from work and to be more tired heading back to work than you were when you left, but the week has gone smoothly and I am grateful for that.  I am especially grateful to my father and Mr. Goat's parents for their help last week and to Melissa and Sara who brought us delicious Weight Watcher friendly meals for Little Goat and myself.  It made this week a lot easier.

I'm back at work and Mr. Goat still has another week at least of recovery before heading back to work himself.  Plus another 3 weeks or so until he can pick up Little Goat so I am digging in for the long haul of childcare, husbandcare and selfcare.  Despite always being busy at work, the upcoming month isn't too bad and I am confident that I can ride this change out.

In other news, my first post is up at PriorFatGirl.  I will be moving my weight loss blogging efforts there but will post links here for those of you who still wish to follow that part of the journey.  I hope I can maintain too blogs and will try, but it might be a bit quiet around here as I figure it out, so I'd love it if you visit me over at PriorFatGirl.