A couple of weekends ago, my dear, OLD (since 5th grade) friend came to my house for the weekend.  We took it easy (as easy as you can take things with 7 kids to corral!) and had a wonderful time.  After all the kids were in bed and quiet, we stayed up later than our tired old bodies should have talking and talking....

Thanks for coming, Rachel!  Great memories.

Shadows of the past move from my head and settle heavily in my heart and stomach. It’s all gone now.


I’m just really not sure what to do with it.

And it sends my mind full circle – to the fact that my future is so unknown.

And the now that I have and love and work so hard for. The babies that scream and the checks that bounce and the wallets that empty and the dishes that dirty and the parents that age and the sisters that move away.

It’s all so short. I want to reach out and grab the shadows – make them come back and stay and we can all finish strong together. Please?

Marriages fall apart and people die and money runs out and people spend holidays alone.

I’m sad. And that’s okay.

And how to end these dancing shadow words without sadness?

and run some miles
and live with all the Hope that is in me.






And someday....someday. (Oh, I can't wait!)

My mind and heart are busy tonight with what I suspect and hope God is doing in me.


I simply don't have the courage to tell you right now what God is changing in me.  How He's growing me up.  So I guess your imaginations will just run rampant with all of the wicked wildness that Sarah Wolf Fry might be harboring within her secret soul.  Imagine away.  It's really rather boring and normal compared to all of that, I assure you.

(And just for the record, I am not feeling depressed.  Nor am I miserable in general.  I refer to a specific - and hopefully productive - misery.)

But I am choosing tonight to remember some of the other recent changes He's made in me of late.....and I have hope.  Hope that this "tunnel of confusion" is leading me to a new understanding and new strength about myself and how I work in His world.  (These "other recent changes" I've referred to involve my journey of weight loss & fitness.  I am currently working up the courage to talk out loud about it. Or maybe not. I'm feeling rather chicken-ish.)

So I'm reading good books and talking to wise people and praying that I will move forward and upward. 
"Dear Abba, please make this misery productive.  Peel back my layers.  Make me unwilling to tolerate anything that holds me back from what You want for me. And in your merciful wisdom, please help me to grow up as quickly as possible!"

::I am Thankful For::


::I am Thinking::
::I am Creating::
Just imported FamilyLife's Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember from cd into iTunes.

:: Towards raising hungry learners::
Been talking some theology with them.  It is mind-boggling how much of our theology we get as very, very young children.....from children's stories, sermon illustrations, kid songs, teachers....  Theology is EVERYWHERE.  David and I both have extremely keen interests in the theology our kids are ingesting. 
::The Kids this week::
Keep things peaceful and productive with David gone. Projects, projects!
This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.   ~ C. S. Lewis

I feel like I have been riding quite a whirlwind lately:

Tuesday:  David left for Aldersgate until Thursday after a huge, unexpected windstorm blew our yard to pieces and wrapped our shed around the clothesline


Friday:  got up at 3:30 am, drove the hour to the airport, parked in long-term parking and ran to security.  I narrowly avoided disaster at security because I forgot that I was carrying on my suitcase instead of checking it (that's what I get for trying to save 25 bucks).  I didn't think I had time to run back to the Delta ticketing counters to check my bag, so I began going through my suitcase taking out anything over 3 ounces.  My greatest sadness was my huge bottle of expensive Romance perfume.  The kind airport security man had mercy on me and let me keep about half of my items, including my beloved perfume!  (Oh, the small joys of life) I quickly walked to my gate and boarded my plane without any problems.  But we sat.  and sat. and sat.  We learned from the kind Delta pilot that the delay was because of the apparent flushing malfunction in the aft bathrooms.  Unfortunately, the FAA has rules about such things and so 45 minutes later, we all de-boarded and gathered into yet another mile-long line waiting for the assistance of the Delta problem-solving team.  There were no good options to Lewiston.  So we finally decided on a series of flights that would get me to Lewiston by 10:30 Friday Idaho time.  We would have to cancel the Friday night opening session.  After 9 and a half hours in the Indy airport, and a total of 3 flights and  4 airports, I got to bed Friday night in Clarkston, Washington at 2:30 Indy time after being up for 23 hours.  I had a good night's rest in the brand new guest room of a beautiful home,


Sunday: after our morning session and delicious lunch, we piled onto the boat and headed back to Hellar Bar.  After gathering my thoughts for the evening service and practicing a duet with Tyrel Dayton (the boy can sing!) we headed to the Sunday Evening service.  It was so good to be with those wonderful people again and see what God is doing for their church.  I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with some of the couples after the service before grabbing a few hours of sleep.

Monday:  4:00 am came quickly and I discovered that tiny Idaho airports are very serious about their security!  I have flown a lot, and I beep pretty much every single time I go through a metal detector, but I have never EVER experienced a "pat" down like Lewiston Idaho.....I felt positively violated.  After searching my bags and running them through x-ray twice I boarded that now-waiting plane.

I had 3 flights, 4 airports on Monday - making it to each one just in time to board with very few minutes to spare.  I arrived back home at about 6:30 that evening to a houseful of up-chucking children. But it was oh-so-good to be home to my handsome hubby and jubilant kids and squeezable, kissing baby.

Tuesday:  I did mountains of sick-kid laundry and dealt with baby diarrhea.  Tuesday is a blur in my memory.

Wednesday:  more sickness...and we began singing for a revival at the Village Park Bible Methodist church in Westfield

Thursday:  All day teaching, drop kids off at soup supper, drive to Westfield for Revival

Friday:  I did house cleaning, ran errands, and came back home to get everyone ready for Revival that night. I do not understand the mysteries of such things, but all four of our children decided to have TOTAL meltdowns at that time.  Tears and grief and agony beyond comprehension as we dressed and combed and practiced.  There was a very happy break in the weeping and wailing  when it started really snowing outside an we took a break to go outside and celebrate.

We have been thoroughly enjoying the ministry of Rev. Richard Miles during the revival and the fellowship of some wonderful people.

Saturday:  I have been attempting unsuccessfully to have a little quiet mommy-time this morning.  I wish I had a dollar or ten for every interruption I've had during the writing of this long and boring post.  My goals today are:  prepare Saturday night and Sunday night Revival clothes for this family of 6.  Teach a make-up lesson, upload Wedding pictures, finish editing and making discs for another wedding, put the finishing touches on revival music, figure out a way for David and I to do our Long Run together today without the kids (or maybe just pound out an hour-and-a-half on the treadmill?), and be sure everyone has at least some bowls of cereal to eat throughout the day.  Oh.  And maybe some basic dishes and laundry.
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Huh.  Wonder how much of that I'll accomplish today.  Right now I'm considering sliding my freezing toes back into the warm covers and disappearing.  My normally laughing, jolly baby is a cranky, pooping grouch.  The kids are taking turns making verbal jabs at one another and wailing (thus needing the patient, firm & gentle training of their wise, well-rested and inspired mother). Yes.  Well.

But the funny thing is, I'm not discouraged.  (That could change at a moment's notice, mind-you.  Don't ask me how I'll feel in 10 minutes when I re-emerge from my quiet place.) But for now I am quietly enjoying the undeserved blessings of a snowy November day.  The blessings list is pouring out  is getting too long for this post, so I'm going to cut and paste it into a new post to follow.....