I'm having an egocentric day, perhaps. I'm in the mood to tell you....things. About me. Some of which I seriously wonder if I've ever told anyone but Tim or my closest home-girls, and maybe not even them. So if you are as interested in my story as I am in your stories (and I truly am - 99% of the time, when you are physically with me at lunch or dinner or whatever, the conversation will be about you, and I'd be asking you all sorts of stuff) then just keep on reading, because you are about to be amused.
Or deeply concerned for me.
Where to start?
1. I was a bed-wetter until the age of 13. It was pure, unmitigated awfulness. I had all the traits of a disturbed child - heard "voices" in my head, thoughts of suicide (only thoughts!) anger issues, the whole bit. And bedwetting.
What changed? I lie not...it was the active grace of God in my life, and the charismatic renewal in the 70's. My parents left a somber, dead denominational church (and I do realize denominations are not all dead) for a charismatic church, and I began to be bathed in the presence of God every Sunday. I did have several supernatural spiritual experiences as a child - for example, I remember receiving ministry one evening, being overwhelmed by a sense of pure love and power, and that was the end of the voices in my head.....forever. Literally, the night before, I had heard them, and that night I slept in quiet peace, and not one time, ever again, have I been tormented like that. No voices.
Unless I'm just messin' with ya. I joke about hearing voices now.
2. I taught the Bible for the first time when I was 17 - to about three hundred people at my church, and even gave an altar call. (Bold, no?) The altar was full.
3. I was married at only twenty years old, and gave birth to identical twin girls nine months (and twenty minutes) later. Honeymoon twins.
4. I was ugly in middle school. I'm talking u-g-l-y. I had no self confidence whatsoever. I was homely and I knew it. Then, something happened, and I entered a beauty pageant at age 17 (the Junior Miss Pageant) and almost won. I came in third - each of us girls in the top three were within tenths of a point of one another. So I really did almost win.
And - of all things - I scored the best...out of every single contestant....in (are you ready for this?) not grade point average. Not my interview, though it went well. Not in physical fitness - my dance was a fiasco. I took top score in...
poise and appearance. Apparently God really does make all things beautiful in His time.
Don't hate on me. In that season of my life, I needed that. Honestly, I've never been all that proud of that little fact about me, and I'm not stunningly attractive today - but I'm not above wanting to be.
5. I was president of the Knoxville chapter of Teenage Women's Aglow in the 80's. (Anyone remember "Women's Aglow"? It was the age of Christian women in power suits, silk scarves, and big earrings.)
6. At one point in my walk with God, I wore a headcovering. Only for a couple of months - until my then-pastor took me to task, a little known fact for which I thank him to this day. No disrespect to those women who do wear head coverings, but today the very thought makes me cringe. I am forever grateful to God for an Enlightening Grace that pulled me out of the clutches of legalism. It was and still is a process.
7. My husband bites his nails, and that irks me. Oh wait...that isn't about me, is it? I think it sort of is, because that one thing is the Great Secret Irk of my life. He's doing it right now.
8. I love him in every other way. He's adorable and selfless and definitely cute in a baseball hat.
9. I'm loyal as a hound dog. Friends are friends forever in my world - you have to treat me and my husband with a lot of disrespect before I'd even think about kicking you to the curb. Even then, I wouldn't. You'd have to leave me. But if ever you do - I don't chase you down - I have too many other friends who do love and need me. So I won't follow you home, begging you to bring your Barbies back to my porch. I just leave the light on for ya. You'll be back. You like your girlfriends witty and good looking. You'll miss me eventually.
10. I'm a lot of things - I swear sometimes, am known for too much sarcasm (its a gift) and I feel more deeply and pray more than most people will ever realize. But for some reason, I've never been a jealous woman. Your success is mine. I want you to be as blessed as possible - no strings attached.
11. I'm a freakish combination of a Sophia Loren wanna-be, and Mother Teresa. I think deeply, love God radically, read real-books like some women sit in front of Facebook (all day, every day) but refuse to live without high heels, red lipstick, and the occasional glass of wine.
That's all for now. Whatever. I'm so glad we had this little talk. I'm going to hit "publish" before my better judgement takes over...
