Eye of the Tiger...

Dear Friends,

Welcome!  My Dad would say to me "Ronda Honda, Pumpkin Pie, kiss your Dad or he will cry," and I would say "cry!"  What a little stinker I was!  No, I am sure I was adorable...My mom would perm my hair because I have seven cowlicks, so I looked like little orphan Annie.  I am almost 30 now.  I am married to an amazing man, truly, not just saying.  I have two little boys, Kael, 3 and Caleb, almost 2.  I have played guitar since I was 13 and should be a lot better at it then I am, but they say practice makes perfect, and well, with two toddlers running around my guitar doesn't make that many appearances outside it's case these days.  Sam keeps encouraging me to get it out and take it to church with me.  We are part of the Praise Team at our church here in Joplin, Missouri.  Right now I sing back up and lead, and have used my guitar a few times.  There are enough guitarists, I don't think mine is needed.  Waiting for God to tell me otherwise. 

Right now it is 3:45am as I am writing this.  I am not an insomniac, nor am I so super excited about writing this Blog that I woke up early to get a head start.  No, the answer is Kael, my 3 year old.  He has never slept well at night.  He would always get up in the middle of the night for about 2-3 hours and play from the time he was just a baby.  His teacher just this last week told me about maybe using a weighted blanket.  Kael has a sensory integration disorder, I think they are calling it a Processing Integration Disorder now, they keep changing the name.  Back in October of 2010 we took him to the doctor for a rash and the doctor said he wasn't concerned with the rash (which cleared up like a day later), but he wanted Kael to be evaluated for Autism.  Kael has made huge leaps and bounds since October and most of them we saw almost immediately leave him when we switched our food to all natural and organic, and quit using cow's milk and make the change to Almond Milk.  I will write much more about this journey in another blog, because it is something we deal with daily...like me being up at 3:45am, well now 3:50am.

I am going to bake Biscotti this morning.  I am going to try two different kinds.  I love to cook and I love to bake.  Really the truth is I am a words of affirmation junkie and so when I make yummy food and people rave about how yummy it is it makes me feel super happy.  I really enjoy making things from scratch as I have had to learn to get back to basics for Kael's nutritional needs.  This morning I am going to make two kinds of Biscotti: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Lemonlicious.  I plan to send these to my Mother for Mother's Day.  My family lives in Washington State, I just moved to Missouri in August of 2010, and I miss them so much.  Every morning my Dad makes my Mom a Latte...for those of you who know my parents know that this is serious business.  My parents then also enjoy a piece of toast with peanut butter and a nutty seed mixture sprinkled on top...this light concoction fuels them throughout the entire day (as they rarely eat lunch) and then they make a nice dinner and enjoy it with one another...but back to the biscotti!  When I was in my late teens I started baking and Biscotti was one of my first cookies I tackled.  Everyone loved them, so naturally I kept making them.  I would make all sorts of variations and then give them away as gifts.  My Mom really enjoyed these with her morning latte so I thought for this Mother's Day I would send her some Missouri Jam (Blackberry), Flax seed Peanut Butter, and some Biscotti, and a few other little things that I will fill the box with.  The Post Office will let you ship regardless of weight if you can get it in their flat rate box, so you had better believe I am going to get my money's worth!  When I am finished with the Biscotti I will take pictures and post tomorrow with the recipe.

This last week I have been challenged in the sleep area because of Kael.  Sam was away for work one day last week and the little boys tag teamed me all night long, first one was awake and then the other...this little momma got no sleep that night.  Every morning is early, but that morning was really early.  Sleep is important, I felt so lousy and unfocused the last few days.  Sam was like "are you pregnant", and I was like "NO! I am tired!"  And he was like "oh, sorry, I will sleep in the other room with Kael so that you can get an entire night sleep uninterrupted."  No joke, my husband is awesome.  In fact there have been times that I am totally in the wrong and he will apologize to me!  He is a keeper.  This morning, with a few nights of OK sleep under my belt and a cup of coffee in my hand, I am feeling pretty good.  My dear friend Lisa is always sending me encouragement via text at just the right times.  I will be super emotional and having a pity party and *ding* text message appears telling me that I was on her heart and she is so thankful for me...LOVE HER!  And I love God for putting me on someones heart when I am really down, or angry, or missing home.  The other day she called me Tiger...like, "you are going to have a great day Tiger."  So I call this post Eye of the Tiger because this last week I have been reminded of the Ultimate prize.  In Hebrews it says: 

Heb 12: 1-2 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I amaze myself with how quickly I forget what the point is sometimes.  And get distracted by the details and run myself in circles.  Paul says in 1st Corinthians (Good News Version):

1Co 9:24-27 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.

My friend Melissa ran a Marathon yesterday, 26.22 miles!  She did it in 4 hours and 20 minutes.  She is a hardcore focused individual that when she puts her mind to something, she doesn't falter.  She trained her body and prepared for this run with diligence.  She didn't just wake up and say, "hey, today I think I will go run a marathon."  So naturally to prepare for my race I need to train.   I need to be in God's word so that I can be prepared.  Really the greatest challenge I find to my own walk is complacency.  I get numbed by my day to day, and the other is Love.  Love is the most important quality for a Christian to exhibit and I need to love people more.  I am learning these things and He promised that he would complete the work in me that he started (Philippians 1:6).  And when I stop to think about the simplicity of my charge (to love people and spread the Gospel)...I feel embarrassed that I fail miserably at it every day.  If I keep my eye on the prize, He gives me every tool and equips me so that I can be most effective for Him.  I need to keep my eye on the prize and pursue it with zeal.  I am to love, and be lovely.  I was in awe of Him the other day when I read that in Heaven there is no need for the sun or the moon, because Heaven is illuminated by His glory.  Amazing.  Corey Reichelt, a young man from Washington who lived all his life with a degenerating disease, went home to be with Jesus yesterday.  I think about Corey, who was bound to a wheel chair most of his life, is right now with Jesus basking in His glory and getting to dance.  I bet he will dance a long time.  That lucky duck!  Send prayers to his family, while they know that Corey is whole and with his Lord, it is hard to let someone go.  He will be missed, but we look forward to seeing him again.  It is in this hope, that we press on and not give up.

I am so happy to get to have this opportunity to share with you.  I will tell you that I am not the greatest mom (my children are usually dirty, and if you are lucky they are dressed), and my house daily looks like a tornado touched down (or rather Hurricane Kael followed by Hurricane Caleb), and my husband is often my griping board (unlike sounding board which I envision to be a lot more pleasant), but I am a woman on a mission.  My mission is to love and be lovely.  Thank you for stopping by!

Ronda