Slap me some Skin- today is my last day at Cassis Travel

Wow- Where has the time gone? Today is my last day at Cassis Travel. My email will still be available there at Cylinda@travelcts.com but my primary email will be Cylinda@upwithmks.com

As of Monday I am Full Time Office Manager for MK Ministries. Now slap me some skin- Woot Woot!

I am so frustrated with the new Everyones Connected- I will no longer be blogging there- I will be blogging on myspace (without pictures) and then on my blogspot.

Now before you think I have no emotions. Let me tell you I am full of them.

I hate to disappoint people

I hate goodbyes ( I am a MK for pete’s sake)

I hate change (I am a MK for pete’s sake)

Who is Pete anyway ?

So this week. Everyone has been walking into my office begging me not to leave. And on the phone- begging me not to leave and I cry when they say it. I cry because they are fun. And I LOVE FUN. If you DON”T know this about me- you don’t know me.

I went out to lunch yesterday with some of them and we laughed, and then they made me cry again. I guess I should just be glad that they are not jumping in the halls rejoicing that I am leaving J God is good.

I get to work from home- doing what I am called to do- Minister, Love, Help, work for our Missionary Kids- This is the greatest thing to happen to me since Jesus, John, the girls, and diet coke!

The Disobedient House!

The disobedient House

I live in the most disobedient house in the world. For Four days- count them (1,2,3,4) I have told this house. House we are having company this weekend. Get busy and clean yourself. Do you think the kitchen has been cleaned? No. Do you think the floors have vacuumed themselves? No. Do you think the Toilets have skipped over to the wonderful cleaner and spritzed? No and Nay!

What is up with that? I expect 100% cooperation. I get zero.

We got in on Monday Night- or early Tuesday Am from Little Rock. If I saw you while I was there- I loved seeing you. If I did not. I am sorry I missed you. I will be back (isn’t that from a movie)? Tuesday Night the girls HAD to go to the pool. So I traipse them down there from 7-8 PM and get hot as blazes sitting WATCHING THEM SWIM. Motherhood at that point is equal to shoving knitting needles in your eyes.

Wednesday Night Church- After- I dumped the contents of the two suitcases into the laundry room. Thurs. Night- Girls to the pool again (they need their exercise) and then the laundry STILL had not done itself. I know I need a new washer and dryer for sure now. I buy it soap- what else does it need?

Sandy (my bff) from Little Rock and her hubby and two kiddos are coming to see us this weekend. I think it maybe because on Tuesday I turn FORTY. Wow. Am I that old? In my head I am 33. Why 33? I don’t know that is what my head tells me. So I am going with that number.

SO today…..the house has one more chance to be obedient by the time I get home- I want it to be spic and span.

Hop on it! J

The scary puppets.....letting go!

The Scary puppets

So brief recollection of what has been going on with us

Month of April- every available night at John’s Moms cleaning out everything

April 27^th- John’s Mom’s Yard Sale

May 28^th-May 2^nd- going through our house for Yard Sale items

May 2^nd-4^th- Laurissa Wolfram with us

May 3^rd- ALC Kids Yard Sale

May 6^th-9^th Painters at our house (whole house torn apart)

May 9^th- Get ready for Mothers day Brunch

May 10^th- Mothers Day Brunch/Get new car

May 11^th- Mothers Day- Sick

May 12^th- Sick

May 13^th- John is sick at home

That is a brief summary as to why I can’t seem to stop and blog lately J

Anyway- While going through things for the yard sale I came across these scary puppets that my Dad bought for me about 12 years ago. Their mouths do not move – they are tiny hand puppets. Then I had two sets of marionettes that I had never used either.

I was going to sell them then thought- no my Dad bought these for me. I can’t. Then I was like- these puppets are not my relationship with my Dad. They are not the measure of his love for me- they are puppets. LET THEM GO!!

The funny thing is – I am not a saver- I get rid of things- but I had a hard time with them. It was because I have very few things I can say- My Dad bought these for me.

Why is it so hard to let go?

Whether it's old email or a worn-out sweater, outdated files or a toxic friendship, sometimes we hold on to things for too long. They serve no purpose but to clutter our lives unnecessarily. This week, I want to challenge you to face your fear of letting go.

There are a few common fears that appear when it's time to let go of something. What are you hanging on to even though it's time to let go? Which of these pesky fears is it time to face?

· Fear that you won't have what you need in the future.

· Fear of being wrong.

· Fear of loneliness.

· Fear of regret.

Breaking through fear requires one key factor: Courage.

Courage requires faith and trust that your future will be OK without the thing you are letting go of. And you can muster up the courage to let go by coaching yourself with questions that will help you get unstuck, such as:

· What does my intuition tell me about letting go in this situation? Will I follow it?

· If the thing I fear most happens, what is my plan B?

· Who could I ask to hold me accountable and encourage me as I let go?

Perhaps these words are crossing your path this week because it's time to let go, whether it's something big or small. Make a decision. Carve out some time to do what you need to do. You can do it.

By the way, I let go of those puppets and I've never once needed them or missed them. Imagine that. I have my Dad in my life- his love for me will never change- with or without those puppets!

The Trampoline stands still

The trampoline stands in the back yard still- unmoving. Every time I drive by the house it remains the same. It won’t change. It can’t. The jumpers that used to jump on it were shot. By their Mother- who then took her own life.

On Sunday May 4^th- a Mother in our neighborhood shot her 9 year old boy, her 7 year old girl and then took her own life at 10:00 PM. How can this happen? How can the same women who gave birth to those little lives then turn around and take it?

I have to make myself stop driving by the house. I have to tell myself to stop. This does not help. My obsession with driving by won’t bring the children back, won’t cause the suffering to end for their Father, for the grandparents, for their friends.

I had to cry as Emma asked me after it happened- what if you do that to me Mommy? What is that happens to us? I assured her that this would not happen. That she was in a safe home. That Jesus was there with us.

I went to my room that night thinking- What if I had prayed more walking by her house? What if I could have been her friend? Could I have made the difference in her life?

I can’t go back in time. But I have more neighbors that I can reach, more people in my life that I can help, more co-workers that need the touch of the master!

Have we as a people become so callused that we can pass by those in need and only look inward to our secure bubble? While others are in pain be glad that our friends and family are safe? Only weep when one inside of our club has been hurt? Only pray when it is a close connection. I pray to God not. I pray that we can as Jesus did weep for our cities, weep for those who are in need. Reach out. Help others. Show them Him.

I know that in this case I failed. I don’t want to fail again. I want to show others HIM!