children

The Case of the Vanishing Spud: A Hometown Whodunnit

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Need a good laugh?
Here’s one at my expense – for free! Enjoy…
Perhaps I’ve been watching too much
Perry Mason, Law & Order, and NCIS? Nah!!! 

7:30am – After getting up a little later than expected, I had an impromptu breakfast plan for this morning. It hinged on a baked potato I’d microwaved 2 days prior and stored in a plastic baggie with a twist tie. As I packed my lunch bag, the aforementioned potato was not on the shelf where I’d carefully placed it in plain sight the night before, and it was nowhere to be found. More than a little irritated, I hastily pivoted to grapes, tangerines, and a banana as my breakfast fill-ins.

The short list of potato-nabbing suspects is limited to my housemates. Granted, since each one is committed to helping me get over my recent GI disturbances, any of them could have tossed my tater in an effort to “keep mom healthy because she doesn’t like to throw stuff away before it’s too late for her own good.” In no particular order, here’s my take on the offender likelihood status of my immediate family members (names have been withheld to protect the not-so-innocent):

  • Suspicious Side-eye: Apt to have done it and not remember. Whether telling the truth or not, his shifty glance belies that “teen angel” face and usually makes him suspect in my mind.
  • Slim Shady: Sneaky enough to pull it off, cover her tracks, and then boldly declare that it’s MY fault the potato is missing. I gotta keep an eye on that Little Miss Think I Know It All chick…
  • Supreme Sith: Unapologetic about the outcome whether he did it or not, no worries consciously or not, intentionally or not… and dispassionate about the infinite valid reasons behind my lament.

Who was the real perp? Short of dusting my fridge and trash can for fingerprints, we may never know. I guess I’ll just have to learn to let it go and not say anything further, since nothing will bring back that elusive missing tuber. I’ll keep you posted on how that angle develops…

5:30pm – Of course I didn’t pass the “don’t say nothing” test (drat! I tried, but it was too irresistible to try and solve this conundrum of a caper with an improvised interrogation), but neither child owned up to seeing/touching/moving or otherwise knowing anything about my potato. I dared not ask my husband about something so trivial as he walked through the door after a long workday. So I tried once again to “let it go,” while the wonderings wandered through my mind as I cooked.

Breaking News Alert: One missing potato has been reunited with its owner at the end of the workday. The flustered woman who reported the missing tater (and is known for similar tirades when only one sock comes out of the dryer without its mate) was filled with relief when she located it behind the almond milk (of all places) while putting away dinner leftovers. Reportedly, an unknown party moved it from its rightful place on the bottom shelf to the hidden hinterland behind several cartons on the top shelf (who does that?!? Small things should ALWAYS go in front LOL). We’re delighted to call this case CLOSED; the owner plans a celebratory potato breakfast tomorrow morning! Alas, this is a great reminder to extend grace to those near and dear to you instead of jumping to hasty conclusions. Especially if it’s just a potato! 😊

“25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
(Mark 11:25-26)

“8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver,
if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”
(Luke 15:8-9)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

In A Moment…

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…in the twinkling of an eye…

At first, my husband kindly offered to take my daughter on the last day of the cross-town trek to her summer technology opportunity (I was traumatized by the treacherous traffic gridlock I’d experienced 2 days prior; I think he felt sorry for me). Then his schedule changed, so it was back in my lap for that morning’s pick-up and drop-off activities. However, it put me perfectly on schedule for where I was supposed to be. I even made it to my 9am meeting ON TIME…in spite of rush hour traffic.

The swipe card reader was broken where I usually enter the elevators, so I had to go to the main lobby for access. This put me at the elevator bank with one of our senior leaders (who is totally personable and approachable). I spoke to her and she complimented my polka dot lunch bag. As we waited for the elevator, she told me she was texting a co-worker (whom I knew of)…and told me that the lady’s teenage daughter had passed away in an accident the past weekend. This same executive had unexpectedly lost her young daughter several years ago, so support and encouragement from her carries the weight of a parent who has gone through the grieving process firsthand. I gave her a hug and told her she was SO much more than her job, then the elevator whisked her up to the top floor of our building. 

It was a sobering thought that put everything in perspective for me. As I began to pray for the bereaved family, suddenly that beastly traffic didn’t seem like such a burdensome sacrifice for the daughter I’d just dropped off. In the big scheme of the cosmos, my unplanned personal schedule change and what seemed like subsequent obstructions weren’t about me pressing to make it to my conference call on time. It was about being mindful enough to connect on a human level – in real time – with the people around me who are greatly loved by God. May we always remember to let our light shine…wherever we find ourselves.

“51 Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
55 O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?
57 But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(I Corinthians 15:51-52, 55, 57)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Can These Bones Yet Live Again?

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When I saw the dry and shriveled-up rose earlier this month, I was saddened – it had been so beautiful as it bloomed, and I enjoyed seeing it from my window or when I drove past. However, my sadness didn’t last very long…I discovered new blooms in that same moment just by adjusting my perspective. When I shifted my glance from that which appeared to be dead, I saw that there was still vibrant life thriving not far away. My heart rejoiced while beholding the beauty!

May we receive our Heavenly Father’s gentle and poignant reminder that some things that appear to be dead are only dormant…and dormancy lasts for only a season before life re-emerges. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Let us rest in Him as we trust His process…cycles come AND go…and go AND come…

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…”
(Psalm 37:7a)

“3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me,
Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them,
O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones;
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you,
and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.”
(Ezekiel 37:3-6)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Visit: Home – Returning to Center

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Well, today I return home to husband and children. It’s been an eye-opening and interesting visit with my parents; timely and necessary. Grateful to know that I don’t have to pick back up the burdens I laid down this week – wonderings about the past, present, and future. Rest and peace. My husband reports that the children have been doing exactly what I prepared them to do – without me hovering, so I will try to approach my interactions with them from a new perspective when I return.

I’ve always defined home as “where you find yourself; a mindset.” So if I’m leaving home to go home…what now? Home is in the heart. My journey continues.

“17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,
and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;”
(Isaiah 32:17-18)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Visit: The 13 Stairs – Obstacle or Tool of Ascent?

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I am acutely aware of the fact that my parents move at a different pace, rate, and speed now that they’re in their 70s. In spite of accumulating a few aches and pains to be expected from 7 decades on the planet, they’re both blessed with good health and they remain self-sufficient and able to live independently – for which we’re all grateful. Nevertheless, as someone who tracks steps on a Fitbit daily, I found myself listening during this visit to the way they approached their staircase.

The cadence was different from the spry steps exhibited a few years ago during my previous visits, and I wondered if their staircase was considered friend or foe. After they’d commit to the climb with a sigh or preparatory set of breaths, I heard the running start, the resigned climb, and the carefully accelerating descent. I see the “just in case” cane in the corner and the array of pain-relieving rubs just an arm’s length away from the comfy chair.

I do understand the impact of time on our bodies. However, to see it brought to life in front of my face was eye-opening.

“Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.”
(Psalm 18:36)

“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”
(Psalm 119:133)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Visit: Finding Me – In the Midst of Family Foibles

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foibles – a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone’s character

So what family doesn’t have characters with a minor (or major) weakness or eccentricity? Exactly. Family can put the “fun” in dysfunctional. Not sure what I’d planned to find (or not find) out about myself during the introspection of this trip, but I’ve seen, realized, and learned a lot. Like the fact that I like to end up with precisely equal portions of everything on my plate (down to the last proportionate bite) came from the way my dad ate – in a circle from the outside in because he had a plate with a warmer under it when he was young. Or acknowledging that my love of reusing practical and beautiful things played out the same in my home as in the corner where my mom had displayed several pretty gift bags filled with fluffy, sparkly tissue paper in a windowsill. Hoarding? Likely. Justified? Absolutely. Reusable and regiftable? Indubitably.

As much as we like to believe we’re the unique originators, there’s always an origin beyond ourselves. Behaviors, habits, traits, and personality quirks can run in families – and as much as we may try to deny it, we bring much of the baggage along with us on life’s journey. What to do in order to lighten our load? I guess acknowledging is the first step.

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”
(Proverbs 1:8)

“My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”
(Proverbs 6:20)

“Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.”
(Proverbs 23:22)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Visit: I Am My Father’s Daughter

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For all that he is and for all he is not, I must admit that I am my father’s daughter. Sitting in the house where I haven’t lived since high school, it was kinda like a slow dawning, even though it was intuitively obvious.

As I ambled to the kitchen for more of mom’s delish organic soup, I saw the “welcome station” stocked with popcorn, fresh citrus water, and other snacks. Then I realized, “As a daughter, I don’t only have access to what’s offered or set out…I can have anything in the house because I am an heir and it’s my inheritance!” I know it’s really simple, but in this moment, it struck me as profound. I peeked under the bathroom cabinet and saw 2 unopened bottles of fragranced hand soap – and knew that I only had to ask if I wanted to take them down the road with me (side benefit of coming from a family of unconfessed hoarders…I know she’s got more soap stashed somewhere else…probably a tip-off from the 4 boxes of Lipton Onion Soup Mix in the pantry along with various groupings of other shelf-stable apocalyptic staples).

Anyhoo, I started to really look at the black-and-white pictures displayed of my relatives I’d never met – wondering what their facial expressions were revealing or masking. And I realized my place in this microcosm called family. And I was grateful to be part – and in this very place, at this precise moment…rife with all its complexities, unanswered questions, and latent possibilities.

“But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
(Isaiah 64:8)

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
(Luke 6:36)

“I and my Father are one.”
(John 10:30)

© Copyright 2019 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Planning Gone Mad: The Vacation That Wasn’t

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Every parent has experienced that fleeting moment of fantasizing about what they’ll do when everyone else in their household is occupied and they get to hold in their hands the elusive concept of “free time.” I had scheduled the entire week after Thanksgiving for vacation away from work – last year, it looked like we’d use that time for a cruise to celebrate 18 years of marriage (“This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:23). However, still recovering from our family’s summer vacation travels, we agreed for the sake of practicality that our planned getaway week as a couple would become a “staycation.”

Therein lies the rub.

I had NO PROBLEM in my mind with being away from work assignments on my desk and my regular routine of meetings, conference calls, and status updates. Unfortunately, someone forgot to inform my children that I was on vacation. There is no way of reconciling in my brain getting up for a parent/teacher conference before the sun was up…which meant I was awakened by my alarm clock…during the second day of my vacation. Definitely not my idea of vacation. That just didn’t make any sense to me.

Just like my child being behind on assignments and having a questionably less-than-stellar grade and saying everything was okay in that class (hello? reality check!) didn’t make sense to me. This junior Nancy Drew had to investigate…and what I found was not pretty. It kept me up late that night (of the same day I’d gotten up EARLY) coaching the child to completion of the late assignments so they could be turned in ASAP.

And I realized with a wan smile: That’s life. There’s no glossy brochure, 24-hour buffets, or smiling concierges waiting on you hand and foot. Life is about responding to needs in a timely manner. My child needed me and my husband…immediately. And we responded accordingly. Because life is real and vacation is fleeting and temporary.

What happened to the relaxation I thought I’d earned? Yeah, I’m still waiting on that! LOL

I was grateful that we were home and available to address the immediate needs requiring parental attention (it took a united front of me and my husband to help triage the child over this hump). Surely, coming home to foolishness would’ve blown whatever temporary high we’d received from sun, sand, gentle breeze, and ocean waves. Yet, my week didn’t go as I’d planned. It rarely (if ever) does. Because I’m not in control. I don’t know why I keep getting surprised by this unchanging fact. But as I mature, I realize that it really is better that I’m not in control – because God IS!

Regardless of the shenanigans and antics, I am thankful for my week of vacation. It was a series of days that the Lord made for me to rejoice and be glad in – no matter what situations or circumstances arose. I was surrounded by those I love for an extended time when I could focus on them – and that is a priceless gift that couldn’t be purchased on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any day.

“This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
(Psalm 118:24)

© Copyright 2018 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Li’l Microphone Hogs: Sign ME Up

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While driving to work this morning, I heard a classic gospel song, Sign Me Up (for the Christian Jubilee, write my name on the roll…). Instantly, I was transported back to my grandma’s Baptist church where I first sang in the Youth Choir. I smiled when I had to admit that – even 30+ years later – I still felt a li’l twinge of somethin’ thinking about my friend getting that solo (instead of me)…and I had to laugh. Granted, I had my own assigned solo, and I probably didn’t even want to lead “her song,” but for some reason at that time, seeing her take the microphone on that song just got my goat! LOL

As backup and fill-in director of my current church’s Youth Choir when needed, I got thrown into leading a rehearsal at a few minutes’ notice a couple of months ago. I was NOT ready for the 4 and 5 year-olds. No, really. My children are teenagers now, so all the dramatic stuff that goes along with that younger phase is in my rear-view mirror. As we worked on a song until the Director arrived, I got this burst of inspiration to let different children try the lead. When I asked for volunteers, all three of the littlest girls eagerly raised their hands. Uh oh, who to pick first?

Well, the one I selected to go first did a great job and had a strong voice. I gave the obligatory round of applause and prodded the children to encourage their fellow choir member for doing a fantastic job. When I pried the microphone from her hands to pass it to the second volunteer, I noticed that three lines into the song, the first leader was just standing there…not singing…sulking in protest. At age 5. Wow. I whispered to her, “Now we can’t be like that, sweetie; everybody gets a chance to praise the Lord with their voice!” Not easily cajoled, she was at least moving her lips by the end of the song, even if her heart was a few steps behind.

Whew – crisis averted! Until Volunteer #3 finally got her moment in the spotlight…and then I had two disgruntled soloists pouting at me from the front row. When the Director finally arrived (which seemed like an eternity later), I was more than glad to turn those tiny tot singers back over to her tutelage (I know my limitations, and I was nearing my “patient lovingkindness with a group of children on a Saturday morning” quotient)!

In retrospect, that was a humorous turn of events. But how often – as adults – do we still wish we had what someone else has? Do we know what it cost them to get it – or what sacrifices they continue to make in order to keep it? There’s no room in the Body of Christ for covetousness – we’ve gotta cut out the foolishness if we want to see our names on the Heavenly Roll!

“2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers,
whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.”
(Philippians 4:2-5, KJV)

“2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree and to work in harmony in the Lord.
3 Indeed, I ask you too, my true companion, to help these women [to keep on cooperating], for they have shared my struggle in the [cause of the] gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people.
The Lord is near.”
(Philippians 4:2-5, AMP)

© Copyright 2018 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Veggie Tales: Dying on the Vine

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cucumber shriveled 7-23-18

A shriveled cucumber in our garden caught my attention. Not able to provide nutrients or nourishment, it languished. I knew it would never make it to a salad on MY table! Its label said “cucumber,” but its presentation said “washed-up has-been.” Sure, it was in the right place, surrounded by like kind…but it was deficient (lacking something), and the overwhelming evidence of its inadequacy presented itself as the sun beat down mercilessly on all the garden’s inhabitants. It was a pitiful sight.

Could this offer a similar parallel to us in relation to those who surround us? We want to show that we’re just as healthy, healed, and whole as the next person, but deep down inside, we know that we require the touch of the Master Gardener to tend us back to vibrancy and vitality. Whether we need an adjustment of our intake of sun, water, fertilizer, or even the dreaded (but necessary) pruning, we know we need His presence.

Today, I encourage you to take every shriveled cucumber in your life, lay it at the Masters feet, and ask Him to do a work of restoration in you. It won’t likely be instantaneous, and it will probably involve process and obedience – but it’s worth it to be connected to your Divine Source. Stay connected to the True Vine, and watch Him cultivate something beautiful in your life.

“4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
(John 15:4-5)

© Copyright 2018 by Kayren J. Cathcart