Moultnomah Falls, more pics

I don't remember the bridge being a terrifying experience, the last time visited Moultnomah Falls. But then the last time I saw this place, I had no flesh and blood offspring to poke their heads through the railing in the bridge and make me weak in the knees.

Other than that, it was stunning, as always. We got quite damp on the bridge! (That's why David is squinting!) The falls were amazing, the water was crystal clear. There were rainbows, and little bubbly streamlets, big mossy trees, tiny flowers, and through it all, the strangely restful noise of the falls pounding down.

We loved it.

Moultnomah Falls!

A political diversion, cause I can't keep it in.

I don't often approach political issues, because I really don't have the time. We have become so calloused to incredulity over the past year, that few things shock me, but the frank, joyful bias of the newest Supreme court nominee compelled me to take a moment out of my day.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life,” said Judge Sotomayor. source

Isn't this the definition of prejudice? She's made all kinds of caveats to smooth over the fact that she believes white males have inferior life experience than her own race and gender, but you cant erase this statement from her record. I don't care what race she is. Anyone who says, " __any race and gender__ will make better decisions than __any race and gender__." Is a racist, and a sexist. If you want to test this, exchange the two people groups in this statement, and consider if it's acceptable.

Will she allow her racist, sexist perspective to effect her judgements? Here is her own confession:
"I simply do not know exactly what the difference will be in my judging," she said in a speech in 2002. "But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage." source
Again, if you can't see the bigotry in this statement, please take a moment to imagine a "white male" judge saying this about his heritage. (You know, the one who can't come up with a better judgement than a Latina.)

I have other reservations, based on things she has said, but these two statements stand out brilliantly. She might know more about the law than I do, but she believes her race gives her an edge. This is unacceptable in an American court, even in traffic court. I simply don't understand how this person could be considered as a Supreme Court Justice.

They are going to have to remove that blindfold from Lady Justice.

Happy Happy Birthday. (To the one on the bottom!)

Happy Birthday to the best husband on the planet! I love you more each year I see you live and work and grow in Christ. Thank you for asking me to be part of your life, Hunny!

A very special treat!

One of the things we miss while away from Mexico is being able to frequently minister to people in Spanish. However, we do get the opportunity now and then, and it's always something we pounce on! Last night in a meeting, the pastor came to Ryan, wondering if he could witness to a family from their bus ministry. The husband was saved last night! Praise the Lord!

My First Lightbulb Moment

I remember a place where nighttime pain and fear vanished away. A magic place where, when I was sick and miserable, I found comfort and peace. At the age of two, Mom's rocking chair was something amazing and mystical. I thought it would fix any boo-boo, dry any tear, cure any discomfort that came along.

Then one day, I clearly remember feeling bored and lonely, as my mom worked in the kitchen, I looked at that chair, and thought, "Hey, I need Mom to rock me!" So I went in and pulled at her skirt, demanding The Chair. She looked at me and said, "Sweetie, I can't rock you right now, but you can get in the chair and rock yourself!"

This appealed to my two-year old sensibilities, as I did enjoy doing things without help, so I eagerly padded my barefoot little feet across the wooden floor and climbed into The Chair.

I sat down, and turned around. My feet reached the end of the seat, and pointed up at the ceiling. I put my hands on the armrests, somewhere near my ears, and jerked my head back and forth, trying to make the thing work.

It didn't. Turned out there was no magic in The Chair, whatsoever. What a rip-off! Then came the lightbulb moment, as the sound of my mother working hard in the kitchen came to my ears.

There was nothing special about the chair. It was the chair, with my own Mother in it that made the difference! That chair was nothing without my mother in it! I remember so clearly that first time realizing how important my mother was to bringing me comfort.

Isn't that how motherhood is? So much of what we do is taken completely for granted, as if that chair actually had special powers. And yet, we are essential, desperately needed. We hold such power in our hands. What an honor it is to be given a position of so much importance in a person's life!

I'm typing this on Sunday morning after watching the live stream video service at Lancaster Baptist Church. They had a beautiful Mother's Day service; I enjoyed it thoroughly. In my lap is a feverish little boy, who couldn't go to church this morning. He needs his mommy. His hot little body is snuggled up firmly and his head rests on my shoulder. He only wants to be held, and because I'm his mommy, I know why. I'm his magic rocking chair.

P.S.
Thank you, Mother, for being consistent, unselfish, and compassionate. You modelled good mothering to me, and I will always be grateful.

Update: He's all better, by the way! The fever mentioned in this post was the its last appearance. David is tearing around, hungry as a bear, and causing trouble as usual.

One of my more brilliant moments...

Ever done anything really dumb? I have one or two things on my list of Really Dumb Things Done. (or fifty, I don't remember which.) Anyway, one of those Really Dumb Things that definitely made it on my list was last year, and it had to do with our passports. This is a big no-no when you live in another country! We were sitting in line at the border, and I reached into our bag and drew out four passports, instead of six. We were able to cross the border into the states, because we had our ID cards and birth certificates with us, thanks to my more organized husband, but when we got back home, you can be sure we searched high and low for Ryan's and my passports! We looked everywhere for those things, and after two days, we figured we had better call them in as missing. (It says you need to do that right on the paperwork that comes with the passport.) So my husband went outside, climbed the mountain where our cell phone could pick up a signal, and made his call to cancel our passports. When he came back inside, I met him at the door with two dusty passports I had found seconds earlier. He looked at them, looked at the heavens and went back out.

Did you know that once you cancel a passport, you can't uncancel it? Heh. Bummer.

So for the rest of the time we were in Tijuana, every time the family crossed the border we had to explain to the border guard why our children had passports, and we did not have them.

I believe I have the most patient husband on the planet.

Anyway, I can tell the story now, without total mortification because we have our new passports now, and I don't feel like a total dweeb.

Hey! We're heading to Canada in a couple weeks! I can't wait!