Lice Wars and Helpful Info.

Last night all three of us girls with long hair slept with our heads doused in olive oil and wrapped in old t-shirts. After shampooing this AM, our luscious locks are soft and silky! After researching online, we found a great website that demonstrates how to take care of your lice problem. It outlines a 5-step battle plan. Here's the website (although I hope you will never need it!):

http://headliceinfo.com/freemovies/flash/

The most thorough explanation is contained in the Head Lice to Dead Lice video. Apparently, those little buggers are becoming resistant to the pediculicides (big word for lice treatments that contain an insecticide such as Rid or Nix), so you cannot totally depend on them to "do the trick". I have not seen any nits on the girls for days, but it only takes one! Thank God, if I did miss one and it hatches, the baby cannot lay eggs for a week. That is why you have to treat again within a 7-10 day period. If you do the olive oil every 4 days for 3 weeks, you should be rid of those nasty things without exposing your kids to the harsh chemicals contained in the pediculicides. After my mom came down with a rare mast cell disease called systemic mastocytosis (which eventually killed her) after our house was treated for termites, I have been extra concerned about the use of insecticides. That was back in the '80s before the ban of chlordane, so that may be the chemical that caused her body to go crazy with mast cell production. Some say Cetaphil works well, too, if you prefer not to smell like a salad! We did that too! Okay, I know I am a little neurotic about all of this, but you can't die of too much Cetaphil or extra virgin olive oil, right?

So in 4 days we will do the olive oil thing (what a mess!) again and then again in another 4 days. It may be overkill, but hey, as long as they die, I am fine with overkill!!!!! And our hair will look terrific! =D

Pet Peeve

I am minding my own merry business driving in the right lane when a big rental truck jumps out of his left turning lane, which by the way was filled with cars trying to do the right thing and WAIT THEIR TURN to make a left onto the highway, almost clipping my bumper. I think to myself, "All right, he is new at this and doesn't realize the length of his truck", when he stops suddenly in front of me, nearly causing me to "eat his bumper". He then turns on his left signal and proceeds to merge back into the turning lane in front of ALL those other people waiting patiently (or not) to make the same left turn! Now if your wife is ready to deliver a baby or your child cut off a finger, I would completely understand the urgency to get in the front of a waiting line of people, but what pressing business could a single driver in a (big brand name) rental truck have that would warrant risking an accident and possibly MY DEATH? Could it be the "Me First" attitude that has become so prevalent in the aggressive drivers that permeate our roads and highways? Is it the "I'm so much more important than you" attitude that we see so frequently on the road, at Costco and other public places? Apart from the few legitimate excuses for, as previously mentioned, "getting to the front of the line" (which we called "buttsies" as kids), it is merely human selfishness that motivates such rudeness! It's the green-eyed monster living in all of us that says, "I deserve to get what I want, when I want, and you can't stop me!"

Before you say, "Hey, Pam, that's not me!", ask yourself how you react when someone cuts you off in traffic, like I experienced, or takes your parking space, or jumps in line in front of you in Walmart. I know how I react... indignant! "Hey, wait a minute! I was here! I should not be treated this way! My rights have been violated!" Yet, if I think back, I can recall cutting others off on the beltway, jumping in line at the grocery store very quickly because I saw another lady (with 4 kids and huge shopping cart full of groceries) heading toward the same cashier. It is the same selfish attitude that I experienced today with Mr. Rental Truck. So here's my pet peeve... my own self-righteousness! Ha! Never saw that one coming, did you? After being treated so poorly today as to be inconvenienced by another driver while driving to Walmart, I was very put out! As I passed by him, I gave him the "evil eye"... the "how dare you" stare displaying my extreme self-righteous for anyone to see. Not long afterwards, I was reminded of doing the same thing some time back. There's nothing like that to take the fight right out of ya! I was guilty of the same thing! But how kind of God to show me my self-righteousness and then to, once again, remind me of my forgiveness in Christ. What mercy! He says that my sin, He will remember no more! He has cast it into the depths of the sea. What a Savior! So if you were the guy in the rental truck on Rte. 85 in Frederick today who pulled such a dangerous stunt, I forgive you, and will you please forgive me for being so self-righteous?

Headlice! YUCK!

Ugh! Have we been through it! Friday, I was, of all the things, visiting a friend and discovered a louse on my daughter!!!!! She was amazingly gracious, and being a nurse, was nonplussed by the whole thing. I, on the other hand, freaked out all the way home! (After stopping at a drugstore and buying their entire supply of lice shampoo!) Having had no previous experience with these parasites, I had to rely heavily on information my nurse friend researched on the internet. Thank God for the internet!!!!! And my very dear friend!!!!

Well, after treatment of all of our heads, my very kind and gracious husband sent us to a hotel, where we quickly treated a second time. He then proceeded to launder all sheets, dirty clothes and bag all stuffed animals, pillows, etc. Another friend lent us an ozone machine (and please don't tell me about how environmentally unsafe it is... if it is! I don't care!), which my dear husband used to clean all rooms of our house. He had very little sleep as he practically lived at the laundromat for the weekend. He is most definitely my hero!!!!!

The girls have also done so well. They have endured a neurotic mother's nitpicking... literally! Almost every time I walk by, I'd say, "Let me see your head!" I have searched, re-searched and screamed, "Don't touch that!" so many times.

I am a very blessed woman. God has given me such treasures in my husband and children (and my dear friends!) And you know what? Even those nasty little lice have been a blessing! No, I am not keeping them as pets! But, in this crisis, I have had many opportunities to trust God. Some I have failed, but by God's grace some I have passed. I have been reading a book one of my pastors recommended called Be Anxious for Nothing by John MacArthur. Do you think the Lord has used this trial to help me apply these truths in this much needed area???? I surely hope so!

Butterflies

What amazing creatures! Their beauty alone makes them one of my favorite things. But just think of how wondrous their Creator is! He not only designed their beautiful and artistic wings, but is also the Mastermind behind an incredibly complex and mysterious life cycle. Just take a minute and think of something as beautiful as a Monarch or Blue Morpho butterfly developing from a little egg the size of a poppy seed into a worm-like caterpillar which eats and eats until it turns into a chrysalis for 2-3 weeks, finally bursting into a gorgeous creature of such unmatched artistry! Our God is a perfect artist, isn't He?

Now take the leap with me to the human body... can any creation of man match the complexity, intricacy and beauty of a human being? Absolutely not! God created us perfectly. Sadly, though, we corrupted His creation. This amazingly beautiful creation of God has sinned, bringing much travesty, tragedy and imperfection into this world. But God in His perfection and love has provided another, even more beautiful design... He sent His Son, Jesus...One of perfect holiness, perfect beauty, the only God-incarnate to fulfill His perfect plan to restore His creation. In Christ, we can become perfect... not that I won't sin, but that I am given Jesus' perfection as my own...I am made new just like that butterfly... a new creation... completely forgiven, completely cleansed, completely new. Now THAT's amazing!

Daughters

What a pleasure it is to raise two beautiful daughters adopted from China! My cup is full! They are precious little girls, but as sweet as they are, their little hearts are full of the wretchedness of sin... just like mine. They need a Savior just as I do. I find it such a challenge to communicate that in the midst of conflict. Going to the heart of the matter is no easy task. It takes patience, discernment, and plenty of wisdom, all of which I lack tremendously. I am so grateful God does not call us to parent our children alone. He is our Father and He is their Father. He promises to give us wisdom. Now all I need to do is receive it!

Having been trained as a behaviorist in the study of Special Education, I find I tend to focus on what they are doing instead of what they are believing about God when they choose to sin. Sadly, I often do the same in the evaluation of my own sin as well. It is so much easier to just make a "plan" to stop sinning in an area than to look at the roots, apply the Gospel to area of sin and trust God for the change. Yet we all know that to just change the behavior is missing the point. We want God to be glorified in our sanctification. We want our children to know God's power to change their lives; that it is through Him and Him alone that we can really change. I love my daughters and want the very best for them. God's way is the very best for them. Lord, help me not settle for the counterfeit!

The Ultimate Bargain!

I really love to shop. I think it is the thrill of the hunt for the ultimate bargain that drives this passion. Perhaps it's the Viking in me. Did you know that while the Viking men were out sailing the seas conquering other people groups, the women were the hunters and providers for the Viking settlements? I love the rush of spotting my target, setting my aim as I check out the sale price and then bagging my catch. Then I bring it home with great joy and satisfaction, delighted that I spent only a fraction of the original cost. I set it out on the living room couch for all to see... my amazing deal! Funny thing though... on my third or fourth glance at my prize-winning catch, I realize the thrill is gone. It doesn't hold the same luster. It's not long before I am really not sure why I even bought that thing!

I am so glad there is one "purchase" that will never lose its luster! No, I did not bag the ultimate bargain. But Jesus bought me! He paid the ultimate price. He gave His own life for mine. And you know what? He says He always delights in His purchases! He never sits back and says, "Now, why did I buy that one?"

Books!!!!

I love books! Anyone who visits my home will readily see that I have a book "issue". I have so many books, that if I sat down right now and started reading them all one by one without stopping, I would not get through them all before going home to be with the Lord. Do you think there will be books in Heaven? Or will we just know everything already? Oh wait! Of course there will be One Book! The Book of Life! Maybe we will get to sit down in a comfy recliner and just peruse the Book of Life (ha, and no need for reading glasses!!!). What fun that will be to read all of the names of those redeemed by the Savior! And then to see our own names!!!! Wow! None of the books I own will ever compare to that one. Not only that, some of my favorite authors will already be there! I can just sit down over tea and chat with them... now that's a happy thought! Furthermore, we will be sitting at the feet of the Greatest Author... God Himself! The mysteries of His Word (I love mysteries, by the way!), will all be made clear and we will finally know and fully understand the Deeper Magic (C.S. Lewis- Chronicles of Narnia). Awesome!