Somebody Graduated Preschool!

While I was home in Virginia a few weeks ago, it coincided with my sweet nephew Nate's preschool graduation..... yay! He was a bit more excited about the cake they ate afterwards then the ceremony itself, but I can't say I blame him.

I woke him up that morning, and the first thing he said to me was, "Nervous...I'm nervous, Amy." I laughed and told him everybody got nervous. And then I gave the best pep talk... I said, "You have two choices. You can either be nervous and go hide. OR you can be nervous and do it anyways." Brilliant, I know. Haha.

But I'm so proud of him! It has to be overwhelming when you've only had almost five years to get used to being on earth, to stand up in front of a crowd and do anything...much less sing AND remember arm motions. But he didn't hide, he faced us the whole time and sometimes even remembered the motions in time to match the words... I love preschool graduation... there were two girls who carried every song, everyone else stood either in shocked silence or in forgetful boredom. And some just waved to their parents excited for the opportunity to stand up front, but most look terrified. :o)

It's hard to believe that little Nate is headed off to kindergarten at the end of the summer. It really does only feel like a few months ago that I was singing Twinkle, Twinkle to him and getting shushed on a daily basis when I came banging into the house during naptime.

Whybrew Adventure 2: The Zoo

Friday was an absolute perfect day to traipse around the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo...pushing two of my favorite little people around...Tucker and Tessa. While unborn baby whybrew was getting a little check up, we took the opportunity to hang out with Jelani the Giraffe, Bill the Lion, and the kangaroos.These kids are awesome. Tessa the yeller and Tucker the question asker. And they get so excited!! I was barely out of my car and up the driveway before they were crashing out of the house for a hug and to jump in their carseats...ready to go!Though we only had a few hours, we booked it around from Australia to Africa to Indonesia, even stopping by the farm so I could see the cow (my favorite!). We fed Jelani pieces of lettuce and stood at the window while Bill the lion slept up against the glass. We watched the penguins follow each other off into the trees and sadly looked at the empty prairie dog exhibit...they all must have been sleeping. We ate ham and cheese sandwiches on a bench and even ran into a few other Saint Joe kids...popular day to be at the zoo!

On our juice box break towards the end, I explained that we would be heading for the potty and then the car. We were sitting in the shade looking at the huge tortoise at the moment the train passed by. Tessa looked at me and said, "We didn't ride the train!" I looked at them both and said, "Well, we all knew I would be a disappointment at some point, so might as well get that out of the way." We found the car and headed home with Tessa singing 10,000 Reasons at the top of her lungs the whole way. Priceless.Sidenote: I asked Tessa what her favorite part of the day was. She said riding the train. I reminded her that we didn't ride the train this trip. She yelled, "It's still my favorite!!" :o)

To read about my last Whybrew adventure, click here

Hard Rock Cafe!!

The Hard Rock Cafe. Downtown Indianapolis. It. happened. 

Wow. 

I'm still slightly overwhelmed by how fun it was, how we packed that back area, how delightful it was to add some friends into the mix....my very own little string section...:o) Most commonly asked question: So Amy, how did you get that gig? Well, as Brian Durand would answer...we called and asked. We offered it as the late night option at annual conference, invited everyone we knew would be in town, excused those whose bedtime was before 9pm, and then went and had a blast.

I think back a year ago when if someone asked me if I would be willing to share something I had written, I would freeze up and then try to change the subject. And then I think about how much God has strengthened and stretched and grown inside of me until these songs are an overflow of my witness to His goodness and mercy. Lesson learned: Sometimes what God is doing in us leads to some really cool places.

And the night was so much more than just an opportunity to play in this really neat,stage lit, rocker atmosphere. It was the love and support of Saint Joe staff and friends that were already at their table when I walked in. It was Rachel arranging her schedule to come take pictures...Travis opening up with a few tunes...and pulling out his cello adding a new instrument to several songs... Jen and Andrew willing to play... and more friends new and old filling up the place...For the record, Bob Ford is simply epic with a crowd like that!

And in the end...we worshipped. We sang "How He Loves" and somewhere in the middle I realized how unlikely and unpredictable it was for us to be in this bar, this place, singing for Jesus. But oh, how good it felt! He loves us. With a love that is reckless, deep, intimate, contagious. So thank you friends. Thank you for driving hours out of your way. Thank you for clapping and cheering and singing. Thank you for being willing to let me lead you in circles around downtown cause I forgot where the hotel parking garage was where I last parked your car (ok that's pretty specific). Thank you for allowing me to share these songs and stories. Thank you.

Well, Hard Rock, until we meet again.

Draw Me Closer

I wrote this song when I was home a few weeks ago when my grandfather, or Bubba as the family calls him, was in the hospital. The verses came in the long drives, the chorus I wrote in the hospital chapel right after I said goodbye before leaving to come back to Indiana. I've been sharing it ever since.... like at the Eat, Preach, and Praise Dinner as a part of the Indiana Annual Conference last week. What an honor to hop up in between brilliant preachers, some of whom I now call friends, and share a couple of songs. I just spoke with my mom, Bubba is tired. He knows he's not going to get better. He's trying to say goodbye. My heart aches. It's hard to know if he is sensing changes in his body, if he just wants to say things while he is mentally aware, or if his spirits have hit a low point. Please join me in praying for Bubba, in praying for my family. That we would be drawn closer.

Tea in the Woods

Every so often, in the middle of hectic schedules, I look at my friend Jess and say, "Tea. In the woods. Soon?" She simply nods and we set a date.There lies in the little town of Churubusco, right outside of Fort Wayne, tucked back in the middle of the woods, a cozy tea room called The Quiet Corner. It was built as an extension of the resident's house, seemingly like how mechanic build spare garages, or farmers have extra barns. The main room is attached to the house with a short deck walkway, and boasts a full porch around it's octagonal shape. We prefer the rocking chairs looking straight into the trees, versus inside that is full of tables with canned music pumping through.

I don't like tea very much. Well, I like the idea of tea...the refinement and elegance that comes with a dainty cup and herbs brewed in a cute little pot. I'm more of a hearty mug full to the brim of coffee overloaded with plenty of chocolate to soften the bitter taste. My favorite form of tea could also be considered colored sugar water... Dowse the tea just enough to bring out a color and then lay heavy on the sugar....

But there is something about rocking gently on a porch, looking out into nature which a cup of tea in hand and a journal in lap. We always have great aspirations for writing or creative endeavors and are always reduced to simple and lengthy conversations brimming with dreams, thoughts, and current wrestlings. 

A few weeks ago, on a delightfully warm day, we took up our usual stance. There were storm clouds slowly rolling in, but we sipped peacefully none the less. I played fetch with the resident dog, it wasn't until later that the owner shared that Duke wasn't allowed excitable activity due to his current medication and would we mind keeping him with us? I don't know how you rein in a leash-less dog but we quite enjoyed watching Duke work his way around the perimeter of the property trying to sneak off to play with the dogs on a neighboring property. He would be making progress when there would come a shout from one of the owners...and Duke would obediently head back to the house proud that he at least tried. As we went to leave, he had been tethered to a bench, to rightfully keep him out of trouble and resting.

We ended our morning jaunt with a lunch of burgers and fries at The Magic Wand, leaning into my enthusiasm for the odd small town diner. This one boasted endless clown memorabilia, handwritten signs claiming the latest specials, and waitresses with hairstyles that were sprayed into place in the late 80's...precious.

Thankful

There are moments from this past weekend that are etched on my heart. My grandmother's words, "Bubba, is a very sick man," as we sat down to a quick lunch when I arrived on Friday. Standing at my grandfather's side as tubes and wires snaked from his still, sedated body to monitors and machines. The moments of sad eyes filled with unshed tears in the midst of subdued conversation. A few of us sitting in the hospital chapel to pray for strength, wisdom, and healing. The hope in my uncle's voice as he shared the doctor's finding an infection to treat....the list goes on... to a quiet moment before saying goodbye on Monday night, when I leaned in close and told my grandfather that he is the strongest man I know, and that I wasn't talking about his bones....but his heart. I told him I know that he doesn't feel good, that he doesn't feel like himself, but that we love him, and want the best for him. And most importantly I said, "You are the best grandpa. I love you." When I went to leave, I leaned in again and said, "I love you and I'll see you in July." I kissed him on the nose and left with a few unavoidable tears. I wish I knew how to sum up the past few days...even with hours of driving to think and process.... how does one unpack the heart's journey? How do I explain how sweet my grandfather's hoarse, raspy voice sounded after three days of complete silence? There are no words for how hard, how special, how painful, and how beautiful the past week has been.

And so for now, I choose to be thankful. Thankful that I was able to go home and be present in the moment. Thankful that there are compassionate nurses and wise doctors and that healing and medicine exist. Thankful for the prayers of several communities that lifted up the man I call Bubba. Thankful for the bond and love of a family that will sit in a waiting room and push ICU limits on visitors to the max. Thankful that my grandfather is slowly recovering and improving and is receiving great care. And thankful for a God who is moving in ways we cannot even see... Thankful.

Gravity Crisis

It all started so innocently. Devon and I were sitting in the grass with a group of 7th and 8th graders at the start of a week long mission camp for junior high students. All the youth group leaders and adults were in a meeting with the camp director and the camp staff was left in charge. I can't remember what our particular conversation started as, I only remember running my hand across the blades of grass beside me and looking at Devon. "What if gravity just let go?" I asked him. "Would we float away?"

And in that moment, our friendship that had quickly grown through a weekend of training prior to camp, was cemented in his response, "We would have to grab hold of something, like the grass, or the flagpole, oh my gosh, this could really happen!" And he stood up to further illustrate his urgency. "We need to do something about it."

The following details get a little fuzzy, but in our scheming we decide that a) gravity can be turned off at any minute, b)the Russians have the ability to turn it off and c) we must institute gravity drills immediately.

In a field of 60 junior high students, we quickly rounded everyone up, told them calmly our new reality, taught them how to do a gravity drill (three quick whistle blows, drop to the ground and cling to the grass until you hear the all clear), and then asked them to act naturally until their leaders came back from the meeting.

And as the leaders piled out of the small chapel to mingle among the students, a few were a bit surprised to watch 60-70 people drop to the ground in unison at the sound of a whistle. The ones that had been in youth ministry long enough, simply laid themselves out, mimicking the kids around them....

The gravity crisis might have ended there, if it wasn't so much fun to devise public service announcements for mealtimes, news briefings at the beginning of chapel, and reminders to continue to be on alert for suspicious activity and to follow all drills in compliance with regulations. The threat level intensified as the week went on, all the way up to hot lava red and we went from the ability to turn off gravity to sophisticated gravity lessening missiles....

The last morning of camp, as we gathered the campers to pray and have a last devotion, I proudly stood before them and said, "After all night negotiations, Russia has agreed to disarm its gravity lessening missiles. The gravity crisis is over!!!!" And wouldn't you know, but that entire camp of some 80 individuals all began chanting, "USA. USA."

Yep, I hadn't thought about the gravity crisis in a while, until Devon sent me this last night:

And it made me smile.

Afternoon with the Whybrews

A couple of times this spring, I have had the pleasure with hanging out with two of my favorite Fort Wayne kids: Tucker and Tessa. They let me indulge my "aunt instincts" and I get them ice cream. Perfect.

Last time I stole them away for an afternoon at the mall. We tried out the soft play place, ate dairy queen ice cream AND rode the merry go round! Of course, even with their pick of endless animals and horses, they chose the teacup that we were able to spin within the carousel's own spinning. Twirlingly delightful.

These kids are smart, love to explore and "go on adventures". We even stopped by my apartment so they could meet Mitch and our afternoon ended with jelly beans and a little bit of curious george on PBS. I dropped them back off at home, hopefully right on time to sugar crash and melt down.... like any good aunt would. Even a pretend one for the day.