Random Musings from the Edge of Texas

Moved to donnajostone.com

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Mon, 27 May 2013 17:10:00 +0000

In an attempt to simplify something about my life, I have decided to consolidate all of my blogs into one. The Random Musings blog archives will still be here, but all fresh content will be posted at donnajostone.com

Come find me!

Listen, Mamas of Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Listen, Mamas of Specials,

It will happen. You must be ready. Ready to stop. Stop pushing. Stop trying. Stop fighting the giants. Stop doing.

Be ready to stand still and let everything you keep clenched so tightly in your fists slide away. Your hands must be empty and open when the moment comes, so you can cup the fragile peace.

Hold it as long as you can.

Donna

Deep Water

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:52:00 +0000

Put the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish.

I’ve worked hard all night to catch some fish. I did my level best. The rowing was hard, and slinging those heavy nets wasn’t easy either, but I cast and cast all night long without success. I moved my boat to different spots that other fishermen recommended and tried again. Nothing. Still, I kept fishing.

The sky grayed and the stars began to fade. So I threw the nets harder, farther, and dragged them in as fast as I could, again and again, ignoring the ache in my back and shoulders. Every single time, they came up empty. The last star winked out.

My miracle never came.

I’ve packed it in. My nets are washed.

Fishing time is over and the sun is high in the sky. If nothing was there when the conditions were prime, how can I have faith of anything being there now? But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.

When the fishermen did what Jesus told them, they caught so many fish the nets began to break.

Luke 5:1-8

Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:02:00 +0000

I have been to that place. That hard place, the devastating situation and found myself asking, “Is there any good in this?”

Yesterday my son shared a song with me. The message of the lyrics are that the answers we receive to our prayers don’t always take the form we want them to, but we are blessed even through the hard places. I want the easy solution, the immediate healing, the comfortable way. No one wants to suffer. No mother wants to watch her child suffer.

Hard places make us grow. My flesh resists this concept, but it’s true. It is not an easy thing to stand in faith when faith is all you have.

If we had not traveled the difficult path that was destined, we would not be where we are today. I try to remember that saying, ‘You have to go through some stuff to get to where you are going.’

My son told me that he felt that our trying experiences had been a blessing to him. He said, “It makes me know what’s real, what's important.”

In the evening, when we gather together, my children and I, my sons pray for me. They pray for their father, and their siblings, for each other. I am still and listen to the voices of these men of God. Mighty men of God who live in my house.

My blessing.

Laura Story - Blessings.mp3

How I Look

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:15:00 +0000

I have been fighting a virus for going on two weeks now. I am recovering, but still tired and worn down from a combination of sickness and mom duty, tending everyone else.

It's time to get back on track now. I have a meeting today.

I was getting ready and looked in the mirror. I frowned at my reflection. "I hate to go out looking like this, " I said out loud, then shrugged. "But it's how I look!"

Some days all you can do is accept that it is what it is.

Math Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:54:00 +0000

I grew up on
Schoolhouse Rock
singing Lucky Seven
and Naughty Number Nine.
I know numbers and all their tricks.
But Seventy times Seven always trips
me
up.

Matthew 18:22

Special Delivery

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:22:00 +0000

If you've followed my blog you know a little about my part lab, part blue-tick hounddog, Thunder. He is what he is--an ADHD furry kid.

Thunder has a little friend. She is glossy black and obviously has some lab in her. She loves to bring Thunder assorted gifts, such as: boots, empty dog food bags, and my all time not-so-favorite, dirty diapers. She is also very hyper.

Little girl likes to wander. She likes to wander fast. Thunder likes to go with her.

The other day my pup had been cooped up for too long, and by the time he got to go play with Little Girl, it was late in the afternoon. After a while, Little Girl showed up half covered with mud, but Thunder was not with her. Pretty soon it was dark. We called and called.

Thunder did not come home.

I told myself not to worry. If he was stuck somewhere he would get unstuck. And if he got into a fight with another critter he'd probably win. Dogs were part wolf, right? I'd seen him beat a pit bull before. Never mind that he acted like it was a game the whole time and likely was too, well, let's say 'inexperienced' to know it was a fight. If he was lost he'd make his way back. I mean, dogs find their way home from hundreds of miles away all the time. Like in Homeward Bound.

Did I mention before that Thunder is scared of the dark?

We called and called, yelling, "Treat!" about every five minutes. At 11:00 p.m. or so I told the kids he must have found a nice place to sleep and couldn't hear us. We would try again in the morning.

Thunder did not come home.

I assured my daughter that he would return. The day dragged on. Periodically we would holler for him. Little Girl, with tailed tucked and mournful eyes, haunted our back door.

The we heard a familiar honk in the driveway. Our mail lady always honked if she had a package for us. She was early. My son went out to get the mail, but this was a special delivery. Thunder! He had ended up at some nice lady's house a couple of roads over. The nice lady had met the mail carrier and asked her if she knew who this dog belonged to. The answer was yes! Thunder hopped into the back of the mail lady's jeep and she brought him to us.

And so, Thunder came home.

Some people say my dog is really dumb, what with him not being able to find his way home from two streets down and being scared of the dark. But, he was smart enough to find a human friend who fed him meat pies before he caught a taxi ride home.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:22:00 +0000

Techie Trap

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 23:37:00 +0000

The power went out today due to a winter storm.

I had worried about that. All morning I ran around the house preparing, just in case. I stuffed laundry in the washer, tried to get dishes done and put a pot of soup on. My efforts to enlist the help of my kids were of no avail.

The two who could have been the most helpful were more concerned about keeping the computers running than filling jugs with water. Both are both very technically inclined and can fix anything wrong with your computer or electronic device. They did not share my perpective on the order of priorties.

Then the lights went out. I asked them if they had any ideas about an alternate source of heat since the electricity had failed. One boy went and found a camp heater, but parts of it were missing. They sat on the couch.

I was totally disgusted. "You guys are no use at all," I told them.

"Of course not," retorted son number one. "The power's out."

Meeting the Governor

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:44:00 +0000

It's not every day you get to meet the governor, but last week I did. I listened to him speak to a smallish group, wishing my daughter could be in the room. This is an important man.

He was very personable. I enjoyed his talk immensely and told him so. I got to shake his hand and have my picture taken with him. Right before the picture was snapped I wished I had worn something else, but was pleased just the same thinking about how I could say to my friends, "Guess what? I met the Governor!"

Here it is week later and I didn't mention it to a soul. It's been a hectic week. We are trying to get ready for a trip my daughter is taking. Performances are involved, so there are practices, costumes to get ready, hotel reservations to make, the list goes on. One of the boys is sick with some sort of virus again. It has been raining quite a bit lately and my car sprung a leak. A good six inches of water collected in the bottom of the trunk before we noticed it. There has been some upheaval in other areas of life as well. I think the most disrupting thing has been the addition of a new puppy to our family.

He is an eight week old mixed darling who came to us needing medical care and grooming. Now that he is feeling better we have discovered he obviously has some ADHD heritage. While our new pup Thunder is a joy, like some of the human boys in this family who also have ADHD heritage, he is an exhausting joy. He is going to be l a r g e. It is imperative that he learn commands like 'down' as soon as possible. Anyone who has ever had a pup knows there is a massive time investment in the cleaning and scooping areas as well. So I've been busy. Too busy to think about name dropping at all.

Yesterday my hands were in a sink of dirty dishes and I was day dreaming about being a famous novelist someday. Perhaps people would line up just to shake my hand and smile at me. That's when I remembered meeting the Governor. If I ever do get famous I will certainly not be as important or vital as he is, and I had forgotten all about my big moment of meeting the governor.

Should my day in the spotlight ever come and my head start to swell, I will remind myself that people might have other things on their minds besides thinking about how great I am. Like getting on back to the house in hopes there won't be extra puppy messes to clean up.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:41:00 +0000

At my last writer's group meeting the flash writing prompt I chose was 'Hot Pink'. This is what I came up with. I rather like it.

Hot Pink
Blusher Brush
Toes Done
Bubble Gum
Flip Flops
Tu Tu
Going on Thirteen

Super Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:24:00 +0000

People find it hard to recognize them without their capes. Always unassuming and quiet, never do they seek attention. Shadow people, going about the business of fighting for justice, they move quietly among us.

The best super hero stories are the ones in which the hero is suddenly thrust into battle already underway. Not fainting in the face of responsibility, he takes up the sword. The villain is twenty or one hundred times his match but the fight is on. Quitting is not an option.

A hero uses his own body to shield those weaker than himself. He fights for the side of right and helps the fallen. Hero work costs. Everything he has is given. Muscle, might, and mind strain against the adversary bearing down. Super heroes suffer. Super heroes don't whine.

Isn't it amazing how slipping on a pair of glasses fools the world? I wonder why no one sees the super heroes standing right beside them.

Sustainability

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 02:40:00 +0000

My second son was reading a newsletter article titled "Sustainability."

"Hey Mom!" he said, "We're energy efficient. We always fill the washer to capacity when we do laundry."

Point A to Point B

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:44:00 +0000

Recently, I attended a lecture about writing by Allison Pittman. It was morning. There came a time when we were asked to pick up a pen and write. I had my notebook. I had two pens. But it was morning. Besides, flash writing is not something I usually do well at. And it was still morning . . . or at least it wasn't lunch time yet.

I gathered my thoughts and was about to make a mark on my paper when, at that exact moment, she said, "Your three minutes are up."

Discussion followed. I did not contribute. When she resumed her speech I was struck by her statement, "to get your writing from point A to point R . . ."

I thought to myself, "I'd be happy to get from point A to point B."

Extravagant Love

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:48:00 +0000

Both days and nights are filled with medical demands. And the costs! Tremendous. People wonder, in their lesser moments, why someone would seek out such a child. Eyes that see nothing, hands that only grasp. Doctors tell her he will not live long, tell her how defective he is.

She holds him in her arms, draws the small head to her face, and kisses his tender cheek. This is the child she moved mountains for. He is not of her womb, but was chosen because of his great need.

When I look at her face, I see Jesus.

And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16 NIV
　
　
　
Please pray for families that choose to adopt those with special needs.

Boys Are Strange Creatures

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:45:00 +0000

We were sitting at the pizza place and I told my friend Baby Girl's most recent observation. My friend agreed that boys were, indeed, very strange creatures. She lamented the fact that she could not understand some of the things her son did (or did not) do.

Being blessed with an over abundance of boys, I thought of my vast knowledge of all things Star Trek, how I listen to different music than my peers, and the way I sometimes blurt out, "Cool, Dude!"

I sipped my water. "You shouldn't try to understand them," I said, "It's like going over to the dark side."

How to go Fishing with Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:58:00 +0000

1. Get in the boat.
2. Row.
3. Cast your net.
4. Pull the net in.
5. Keep all the fish.

Sweet Tea and Petit Fours

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:07:00 +0000

Snow-white hair,
soft eyes.
It wasn't what they said,
but how they said it.
When they spoke I thought of doves.

Perhaps the years have taught them to recognize a mother's broken heart.

Captured

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:29:00 +0000

verse one

I don't understand Your faithfulness

What do You see in me?

I'm no one of significance

Your love's a mystery

I don't know why You chose me

But I'm glad You did

Just because You love me

You died

So I might live

chorus

I am covered by Your holiness

Adorned with purity

I am a new creation

Your love has captured me

verse two

You tell me I'm accepted

Completely reconciled

Though I've nothing but myself to give

With me You're satisfied

I don't know why You chose me

But I'm glad You did

Just because You love me

You died

So I could live

chorus

I am covered by Your holiness

Adorned with purity

I am a new creation

Your love has captured me

verse three

Your devotion is amazing

My own sweet faithful friend

Why did You want to bless me

With love that never ends

I don't know why You chose me

But I'm glad You did

Just because You love me

You died

So now I live

end

I am covered by Your holiness

Adorned with purity

I am a new creation

Your love has captured me

When You look my way

Your beloved

Is who You see

Amazing Love

You've captured me

A "Whipped Cream on Top" List

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:31:00 +0000

1. Cotton Sheets
2. Watching my little girl paint her nails
3. The smell of coffee
4. Carousels
5. The smile I get when I greet my teen son by flinging my arms out and parroting Mrs. Doubtfire's "Helloooo!"
6. Hugs from friend I haven't seen in a while
7. Baking bread
8. Holding hands with my husband
9. Giving a gift to someone for no reason at all
10. Kittens

Red Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:38:00 +0000

First, there was the bad news about my husband's wrist injury. It wasn't healing as fast as it should. That meant at least a few more weeks of light duty which equals less pay. The same day we received this notification, my son got a letter in the mail about his tuition. No financial aid. A few more unexpected medical bills rounded out the week. I have been, as I posted on facebook, "So stressed my toes are tense." My solution? Retail Therapy.

After I had pursued the offerings of purses and jewelry at one of my favorite stores, I turned my attentions toward creating at least one ensemble around black pants I recently acquired via the Target Daily Deal. I found a couple of tops that would work, but still was not satisfied. I headed to the shoe department. I tried on many pairs of shoes but when my poor little tense toes slipped into some unbelievably comfortable slides, I knew I had found my match. The only thing is, they were red. Then it hit me. I have never owned a pair of red shoes. So, of course, I immediately took them to the register and bought them.

Me and my toes feel much better now.

Shades of Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:53:00 +0000

sunday morning
sunday evening
and
wednesday night

a small Bible
with
a picture of Jesus
holding a lamb

a flowered easter dress
with
a square neck
trimmed in lace

hands washing dishes
and
folding stacks of clean clothes
while she sang

verses one
two
and
four

Cosmetology School

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Wed, 19 May 2010 03:52:00 +0000

Yesterday my daughter was playing with her doll's hair. She combed and fiddled, then decided doll's hair was simply unmanageable. Out came the scissors. At first, she was doing just fine. The doll's hair did look much better on the side she had cut. It even curled under like a bob is supposed too. Unfortunately, the other side turned out bit too short, which meant the first side must be trimmed some more.

If you have ever cut hair, you know what happened next.

When the 'do' was finally even, my daughter held the doll at arm's length and examined her creation with a wry pinch of the lips.

"Well," she sighed, "at least now I know I'm not going into the hair cutting business."

Books I Might Write Someday

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:14:00 +0000

1. Confessions of a Craft Addict
2. Steak Ain't the Same Once It's Been Through the Babyfood Grinder
3. Bringing Up Boys, and Rabbits, and Cats, and Dogs
4. Camo is a Color
5. It Only Takes One Princess to Hold the Majority Vote
6. Waiting for the Paint to Dry
7. All Dogs Go to My House
8. Bangs or Botox?
9. Just Eat the Cheesecake
10. The Mad Red Hatter's Real Life Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Stone) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:35:00 +0000

Today my little girl asks, "How's your book coming, Momma?"

"Not so good today."

She leans over the keyboard, squints at my monitor. "Chapter Five! That's very good, Momma."

"But I've been working on this chapter for almost two weeks," I whine.

"Well, " she pats my arm, "I usually take a month to finish a chapter when I write a book."