The Drawbridge

Guest post adapted from Henri Nouwen-

Very powerful parallel.........

You must decide for yourself to whom and when you give access to your interior life. For years, you have permitted others to walk in and out of your life according to their needs and desires. Thus you were no longer master in your own house, and you felt increasingly used. So, too, you quickly became tired, irritated, angry and resentful.

Think of a medieval castle surrounded by a moat. The drawbridge is the only access to the interior of the castle. The lord of the castle must have the power to decide when to draw the bridge and when to let it down. Without such power, he can become the victim of enemies, strangers, and wanderers. He will never feel at peace in his own castle.It is important for you to control your own drawbridge. There must be times when you keep your bridge drawn and have the opportunity to be alone, or with those to whom you feel close.

Never allow yourself to become public property where anyone can walk in and out at will. You might think you are being generous to anyone who wants to enter or leave, but you will soon find yourself losing your soul.When you claim for yourself the power over your drawbridge, you will discover new joy and peace in your heart and find yourself able to share that joy and peace with others.-

Big Week !!

Hey all-

We had 4 major things going on in the Superfamily last week!! First...I finally graduated into Junior League of Birmingham Michigan. I still am quite surprised that I made it. Not that they would'nt accept me perse'...but it was certainly outside my comfort zone and cultural arena. I was exposed to many new things...made some great friends...went on a few good, educational trips and widened my circle of influence all while volunteering and helping my community! This summer I will be on hiatus but in the fall I will start as a member of the Government Affairs Committee. Our Graduation picture is below..

Secondly, my son Bryan escorted Clarion (a young lady of high interest:-) to her prom at the St. Regis. They looked absolutely darling..nothing over the top..outlandish or inappropriate-PRAISE GOD...She looked happy and they told me that they had a good time.

Thirdly....I went to an AWESOME International Women's Conference in Lansing, Michigan with Dr. Stacia Pierce. ( I will share more on that later...but for now...) I met some incredible women there and had the chance to meet Ariana Pierce (who is a gracious absolute Princess), IROCC Williams, DEL and Quincy Brown (P-Diddy's son)..I have a few pictures of that below:

LASTLY-and probably most importantly...we went FURNITURE shopping for the living room! Most of you know that we don't have living room furniture yet...we just never were in a rush to furnish that room. It has new carpeting and I think we painted it...but just no furniture...so John decided we would go LOOK...and we did. We actually found one that both of us like...so we'll see...

Home; A peaceful place to be...

Not many people can say that about home...that's its peaceful. But I woke up this morning and the weather is finally breaking... I went out on our back upper deck and it was such a peaceful time. It wasn't quiet mind you, but peaceful. You could hear the rippling waters of the creek in our backyard. The chirpping of the birds and in the faint distance you could hear children making their way up the road to get the bus for school...but even though it wasn't silent it was peaceful. I had to take pictures, so on the days it gets a lil nuts, I will remember mornings like this and what mama says.."Trouble don't last always".

Alot of people ask me...oh my GOD I bet your house is loud all the time..and the answer is 93.4% of the time yes, the house is loud. The TV's are going, the computer is going. The kids are talking, laughing & screaming. The washer machine is humming the dryer is flipping. Cars are coming in and out of the driveway and doors are opening and closing constantly. The dishwasher is swishing and we have a revolving door of visitors that add tremendously to the volume level. But on a rare occasion-like this morning it wasn't loud at all. There was quiet...which has a new definition for me-The absence of chaos or unnecessary noise.

It was also peaceful. But peace is different from quiet...thus the term "PEACE & QUIET'. Peace is an inner decision and quiet is controlled by circumstances and volume. I had peace this morning, not because everything is perfect-Its not. It was not because we don't have issues to face or obstacles to overcome-We do. But for that moment I decided not to let all of that to forefront. I will have to eventually go back and get it (the issues, the obstacles etc..) and face them but for that moment I sat in my chair and chose peace....and it was an excellent choice.

The Rallying Cry for May-June ORGANIZE

In the book "3 Big Questions for a frantic family"...one of the BIG questions is "What is your "rallying cry"? What is the specific plan, purpose and procedures for your family for the next 3 months? Not the overall goal in life...just what is the focus right now. What can get everyone on the same page and headed in the same direction...for us lately it has been CLUTTER REMOVAL. You can't think clearly if you are surrounded by clutter, garbage and excess. In most cases of creativity..less is more. Our family is very creative and innovative...so the best way for me to nuture that, is to make sure that the atmosphere is readily conducive for thinking and ideas.

Sooooooo... we started with getting rid of old clothes and shoes and bringing them up and out to the living room. The pictures show the 1st phase of drop offs. By the way, as you will note Our living room is void of furniture right now...so its the best place to spread out, sort and organize things..(I have no idea what we'll do if we ever buy furniture...I really like that room)


Anyway... boy did the clothes start coming...clothes I hadn't seen since we moved there. Shoes that were missing shoestrings and had scuffed heels and toes. Some of the items were salvageable and in good enough shape to donate to worthy cause. So I dragged the laptop onto the living room floor (always the multitasker) and after sorting, and reviewing and listing...we had about 5 boxes and 3-4 large bags ready on the porch for pick-up.


Then I focused my attention to my bedroom. I wanted my dresser space cleared and the pseudo office area that John has the laptop set up in cleaned up and organized. I got those areas de-cluttered and my next project is the back closet off of the garage...UGH...I will have to look up some ideas for that area. Its my least favorite place in the house...

Acres of Diamonds

Before "Who moved my cheese" or the "The Travelers Gift" their was a great book written in back in 1915 called Acres of Diamonds. Its author Russell Conwell was a union soldier in the civil war. He later became a baptist minister. He later became known for a speech that he gave more than 6000 times which later became Acres of Diamonds. The title of the speech speaks to the parable that was given at the beginning about a young man who desired great wealth. His goal was to find diamonds. So, he soldall of his belongings including a productive farm to pay for his "diamond journey". He left his family behind searching all over the world for this jewel. Eventually he spent all he had and was left with nothing. He became distraught and desperate and threw himself into the sea ending his life.

Later, we find that the new farm owner finds a odd looking rock that flows in the shallow stream on the property. Of course, we discover that it is a diamond. So if the young man had just stayed home, and took the time to see what of value he already had, he could have gotten unimaginable wealth without ever leaving home. Instead he lost his property, his time, his family and ultimately his life.

I shared that to say that sometimes the things we seek aren't "out there" somewhere...sometimes the wealth you seek, the love you seek, the wisdom you seek, the honor you seek, the value you seek..is right there in your house. Its with your family, husband, children, wife your loved ones, your parents or sibilings. Its in your garden. Its shows up when you take the time to cook a meal or clean your windows. It stops by when you work on your car or fix a leaky toliet. It sits next to you when you check homework or check for a fever.

During this hectic, busy time for me I had the opportunity to reevaluate what is and is not important and who has the right to decide that. I cut off some things that I no longer enjoy to exchange for somethings I need to get done with those that matter most-My husband & The Superfamily. I am finally aimed at legacy building, organizing my home, and focused attention on strengthening the dreams and drive of those around me. I'm sure to find a diamond or two in there somewhere..

WHAT A FEELING!!!

This past weekend was The Blessing of the Bikers! It was an event birthed by my spiritual father Bishop Jack Wallace. The event gathers bikers from all over southeastern Michigan to bring their bikes in to our church parking lot where our current pastor (Pastor Ben Gibert) prays over the bikes and prays that they have a safe riding season. This year, I believe we had about 500 bikes and at least 20 vendors selling everything from Dunkin Donuts and Subway to Bike Helmets and Patches.

What A blast! Not only did I see some incredible bikes, but I also had the chance to really "outreach" with people who would NEVER if ever just waltz into a formal church setting for general principles. That is SO fun! Sounds weird I know...but when you are wired to reach the lost and get a joy out of seeing people make life altering decisions..something inside you just gets PUMPED when you have the opportunity to serve.

Anyway, my brother in Christ, Pastor Robb Stancer did a remarkable job in pulling all of the days activities together. He is a organized chaotic superstar for Christ! His volunteer group is second to none. They are first rate and all of his captains operate like he does-with enthusiam, energy and excellence. I am so proud of him and his wife Cheri and their kids whose hands-on support was incredible. The whole family was working in vendor stations, with prizes, helping at the food station. They were all in the trenches with him making this happen.

I miss opportunities like this. So, when they happen I am so appreciative of the chance on a larger scale to reach people and give them an idea of what life in Word is really like....Kudos to my church home (DWO), my brothers church home (World Changers Ministry) and all of the volunteers who helped.

Superfamily Kids in the News

I usually wait and put stuff like this in the newsletter...but I am not sure how long these stories will be available online so I thought I would share them with ya.

Mom's not the only one in the media !!! We also have two kids in the NEWS !!

Jordan-Ballet Renaissance

Link: http://www.detnews.com/article/20090425/METRO/904250358/1033/ENT/Arts+groups+barter+to+save+money

And Jerica (J) Dreamgirls Performance (in the red dress):

Link: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090430/NEWS20/904300529

Congrats to our two starlets for taking over the media!! 1st the media and next the WORLD!!

Annual Superfamily Cedar Point Friends and Family Fellowship Day!!

Spread the word...it has been decided! The Annual Superfamily Friends and Family Fellowship Cedar Point trip will be June 27th !! Get your deposits in early. PP $60/$50 This price includes your round trip bus ride and your entrance into the park.

This is a great price if you realize that admission to Cedar Point is now almost 45.00 for a regular ticket! We hope all of you can join us this year...last year was SO fun!

You don't wanna miss it!!

The Party continues.......

More pictures from my birthday celebrations!! The cast of Sweet Charity surprised me, nancy and melody with a birthday cake. Our birthdays are within days of each other. It was really cool of them to do that in the middle of all of these performance. As my former pastor used to say..Its nice to be nice..and remember that cause people don't HAVE to be nice.

Here is a clip from a newspaper article that my picture was featured in regarding Sweet Charity.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090416/NEWS06/904160577/1023/rss05

An yet another...

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990504006

WXYZ Channel 7 News...Anchor "Diana Lewis" actually came to see the play...She is absolutely fantastic! I can't WAIT to interview her for my book.