UP IN THE AIR

This post is about my son, Austin. Being six years behind his older sisters, he was a favorite to them, until he learned the pleasure of pestering them. He could get them up in the air pretty quick. But they also forgave him just a quick. Once he got a beebe gun for Christmas. He was down in a big box, and Beth was trying to get the gun from him. She accidently shot him in the lower lip. He screamed out, and covered his face. From the kitchen, we heard "Oh my God, I've shot him." Well, we expected the worst, and came running. Dad had to squeeze the shot out of his lip, and he got okay. He sure had Beth in the air that day. When Austin was about 2, Fonda convinced him that if he came into her room, the curtain, which was her door, would pinch him. She stood behind the curtain and pinched him when he decided to try it. He was convinced. After baby sister, Cassie came along, he was scrouged out of the parent bed, so he was making the rounds of the other beds to keep from having to sleep by himself. Fonda told him he was not going to sleep in her bed. But she did let him sleep on the floor by her bed. That was good enough for him. (Who would have ever thought she would turn out to be such a good mother?) Next time, he asked Beth first, and got a better welcome.

Austin made straight A's from kindergarten on, with the older sisters saying, 'Just you wait; middle school is harder' and then 'Just you wait; you won't do that in high school'. He continued to make excellent grades, (maybe not all A's, but high grades), even in college algebra, and college calculus.

He worked summers for a local farmer throughout high school. He enjoyed the work, and Mr. Wally thought highly of him, teaching him many things about farming and life in general. One day, Austin had to 'flag' for the crop dusters, which involves standing at the end of the field to mark the row for the pilot as he sprays chemicals on the crops. That is when he decided he wanted to fly. For his sixteenth birthday, his dad got him a flight in a small plane. After graduation, he went to college and earned a 'Professional Pilot' degree. He now teaches flight, and is learning to fly bigger planes. Next will be a jet. Maybe someday, he'll be flying for some corporation, and like Dr. Seuss says, 'Oh, the places you'll go.'

Austin is engaged to Rejhaun, and this is how he asked her to marry him. He was flying for a sky diving outfit near the college. They required him to tandem dive (strapped to an instructor). So he asked Rejhaun if she wanted to go skydiving. She said yes, (which I thought was funny, since she didn't even want to get on Cassie's horse a few days earlier). They took off. Austin was the first to jump, then after he had landed, the plane came back across the field and Rejhaun jumped (tandem, also, of course). As she was coming down, she saw in large letters across the field. I LOVE YOU. WILL YOU MARRY ME? When she landed, there was Austin on one knee with an engagement ring in his hand. Of course, she said 'YES!' Later, Austin said that he figured if she just landed alive, she couldn't say anything but yes! ;) They haven't set a date, yet, but when they do, we'll be glad to be there.

My sister said, " Well, Austin always did like to keep people up in the air." So what can I say? There he goes 'up in the air and flying high'.

THE MIDDLE CHILD

I have four children; Fonda, the 'first born', Beth, the 'middle child', Austin, the 'only son', and Cassie the 'baby of the family'. Of things I've read about sibling sequence, many things prove classic in my children. I discussed Fonda somewhat in my post about becoming a grand mother. She is smart, and very much prone to do the good things her parents have expected of her, including marrying a good man. She has overcome some issues in her life on a grand scale. She has become a wonderful wife and mother, and I enjoy the company of her grown womanhood.

Beth is my middle child, following close on the heels of Fonda, the first born. (Remember the girl in 'A Million Miles' hanging out the window, asking her dad if he say the detour sign?) Beth was always the "mother hen" sister, worrying about anything that threatened any of us, and laying aside her own needs to prefer the rest of us. Until she turned 15! Then all of a sudden, she began to have a strong opinion, even if it differed from us, and began to see interesting things in the world that she'd rather pursue, began to question all our expectations, and started demanding her day in the spotlight. She seemed bent on being her own person, even if it meant she couldn't allow herself to like anything that Fonda liked. She is plenty smart enough, very independent, and a hard worker. One day when she was about 24 or so, she said something that thrilled my heart. She said," Before you start school, you think your parents know it all, and they can fix anything. Then you start school and discover your teachers are as smart as you parents. When you hit high school, you decide your parents don't know anything. Then comes college, and you sure know your parents are all wrong, because the world has so many new ideas that your parents surely never knew, because they sure didn't tell you. Then you start working, and paying your own bills, maybe goin without groceries to keep the electric on or to pay the car insurance. It's not as easy as it looked. And you wake up one morning, and realize, 'Crap! My parents were right!' Until she raises children, I'm sure she'll not know how much that meant to me.

Beth went to college three years before she realized she didn't know what degree to pursue, so she decided to quit and work awhile. She worked about 7 years and discovered the passion of counseling. Now she has returned to college to pursue a degree in social work. When she gets her masters degree, she will be ready for counseling others. She has passed the last two semesters with straight A's, and a 4.00 GPA, and she is on the dean's list. Along the way, since high school, she has settled some issues with herself, and also married Sam, a good and smart man, who is a talented musician.

Beth has learned that she can like some of the same things Fonda likes, and still be her own valuable person. What can I say? Jesus says she is worth dying for.

BRAGGING? YOU BETCHA!

If you ever think I'm bragging, you can know that I really am. Bragging on Jesus. Many times when I am having trouble with the person in the mirror, his Holy Spirit comes to me, and rescues me by whispering into the depths of my soul, giving me the answers I need for the moment. You may think, "Who is this woman, that she thinks God speaks to her? Isn't that kind of haughty?"
I used to think that about people when I was younger. But, one day I had several bouts of being around people who demanded a lot of me. They were needy in many ways; emotionally, financially, materially, and maybe more. Have you ever been around people like that, who made you feel drained when you left them? That's the way I was feeling at the time. After I complained to God how tired I was, and how drained I felt, I asked him, "Help me see these people the way you see them." Immediately, the answer was whispered into my soul, "Well, I thought they were worth dying for." WOW! If He thought that of them, then their worth should mean more to me, and their bother should mean less. So my attitude has become improved about the people I am with, regardless of their state of life.
A few days later, I was having trouble with my own self-esteem. Someone had criticized me (unjustly, of course), and I was feeling bad about myself. So, I asked God again, "Father, what about me? Help me see myself the way you see me." Again, immediately, he whispered to my soul, "What did I tell you, Sandra? I think you were worth dying for." Again, WOW! If God Almighty thinks that about me, than what does it matter what other people think of me? All I have to worry about pleasing, is God, and I know he loves me.
No, this kind of thinking doesn't make me haughty. Rather, it humbles me to be validated like that. To know that truth, sets me free to serve and lift up others with a glad heart. Specifically, when I know that God loves me like that, then that knowledge fills me up and makes me able to validate and serve others who are just as needy as I was.
These thoughts can be backed up by scripture. John 3:16 tells me that God thinks we are worth dying for. John 8:32 says the truth will set you free and you can act upon the truth that you know.
We have a tendency in life to step on others in order to lift up ourselves. This isn't good, because we are all reaching out to take a piece of someone else to fuel our own need. When we learn to come to God, and get ourselves filled up with Him, then we will be filled to over-flowing and have extra good to put into other needy people, until we can introduce them to the same source where we got our needs met. Just try it, and you'll see. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8