Teresa’s Blog

Dear Body of Christ,

We missed you all on Sunday, but what we really needed was a one day vacation to the SECOND HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! (Parking $9.00)

The Jenkins/Groce/Modesitt families decided that King’s Island wouldn’t survive without our attendance (money), and seeing that Weird Al Yankovic was going to be there in concert, Sunday seemed to be the obvious choice. (You’re not surprised about our affection for Weird Al, are you.)

My sister and her husband (suffering from a disabling back injury. no less), their three children and the seven of us decided to meet at the Eifel Tower at 10:30am. The Modesitt’s traveled to King’s Island on Saturday afternoon and spent the evening at a hotel enjoying the pool. Well, actually my sister didn’t enjoy it much as she was allergic to the pool chemicals being used.

Our caravan left a little shy of the “butt crack of dawn” that had been MY family tradition, but we were on our way before 7:30am. Mark and I traveled down memory lane thinking of how we used to load a cooler, bags of snacks, pillows, blankets, books, toys, car seats, and assorted children into the car for a one day trip. Now we just want to get there. No frills, just get in the car and go. Stop for air in the tires, stop for three “Egg McMoofins” and a Breakfast Burrito, and we are on our way!

Highlight of the car trip: NO BATHROOM STOPS! Think of it all you dear people out there with small children, NO BATHROOM STOPS. It was glorious! Upon arriving at our assigned parking space in Drop Zone 39, we walked QUICKLY to the entrance. Entering King’s Island post 9/11 is a bit more complicated than it used to be. Metal detectors and plastic bowls are involved. Mark and Andrew got busted for their deadly pen knives and had to leave them in the Security Office for later retrieval. (Don’t you feel safer just knowing that no one in King’s Island is carrying a pen knife?) My brother-in law Jeff, (Mr. Back Injury) had a harder time getting through. He has metal in his spine, and a spinal implant that scrambles the nerve signals to his brain to keep his brain from telling him that he is in HORRIBLE PAIN. This device requires a REMOTE to operate. I’m sure you get the picture. No, really, it’s a remote for control of my pain!

After some much needed relief, (NO BATHROOM STOPS!), we ran the gauntlet pass the “everyone get together so we can take your picture” people and headed for the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion. You get to shine floodlights at the ghosts in this attraction, and they keep score. Momma J.:290, Andrew: 1800. Are we having fun yet?

Our gathering at the Tower was perfectly timed, and we enjoyed a ride up the elevator of the “1/3rd the size of the original” with 27 of our closest “friends” and “Sheckie” the 80 year old elevator operator who took the opportunity to try out some of his new material on the captive audience. (My dog was running a fever the other day so I took him to the vet. Know what they gave him? Mustard. That’s what you put on a hot dog.)

The rest of the day involved much walking, heat, Sponge Bob in 3-D (a MUST in my book) Chili-vision, and generally a bunch of rides. Lest you think that I couldn’t find God in all of this, YOU ARE WRONG. Most of these rides are designed to bring you closer to your Maker and illustrate the value of straight and level paths. Much prayer was being offered up.

The Weird Al concert was being held at King’s Island’s Timberwolf Amphitheater at 7:30pm (6:30pm in Indiana) Now, think about what the weather was like here on Sunday evening. Ah. My children and my husband will tell you that God and I have a thing about the weather. (Elaine can testify to this as well.) So, as the stage dude is announcing an impending thunderstorm with heavy downpours of rain expected, (did I mention that Timberwolf is an OUTDOOR venue?) it occured to me that I ought to pray. We stayed seated and while we did get a little wet, the storm went over and the concert went on after about an hour delay.

Weird Al, what can I say? He opened with a Polka Medley. Perfect, except I’m apparently getting old. I only knew one song in the medley (Slim Shady). He put on a great show of old favorites (My Bologna, Eat It - complete with fat suit, That’s Your Horoscope for Today, and many others), and changed costumes constantly. It was fun to see my family members standing and dancing and being told by the security dude to sit down. Weird Al’s encore was his Star Wars parody songs, so our crew left happy.

After enduring the line of Security Infractors, Mark and Andrew were reunited with their knives and we were able to return to our cars in relative safety.

No trip to King’s Island is complete until a stop is made at McD’s for body fuel to return home by. We were on our way back to Indy by 11:00pm Indiana time.

Vacation in a day. Arrived home around 1:00am (NO BATHROOM STOPS!) and cast lots for our turns in our single bathroom. Collapsed into bed and thanked God for family, friends, safety, and one day vacations.

Yesterday was the 4th of July. Independence Day. We spent the day with family, trying to beat the Indiana heat and humidity and fire off some fireworks without losing any limbs. All in all, it was a nice day without any fire related injuries. (Oh, but ask Mark about his big toe!)

The 4th of July always makes me think of our founding fathers and the sacrifices that they and others have made to allow me to live in a free country. But I think that in some respects they got it wrong. Freedom and independence are not the ultimate goal for happy living. God did not design us to live independently. My mother has become an object lesson to me in this respect.

My mother is a wonderful Christian woman, and has been extremely instrumental in my walk of faith. She is also now suffering from senile dementia. Mom took great pride in her self-sufficiency, and instilled that value in her children as well. Now it is really hard on her as she becomes more and more dependent on others around her to help her do even the most simple tasks. “I can do it myself” - a phrase that is repeated from an early age has now been replaced with “I don’t know what I was doing.” It is hard to watch. I didn’t expect to lose my Mom and still have her here, if you know what I mean. My Dad has been taking care of her, and is learning to do things that Mom always did for us. He is so precious. She is having to depend on him for everything. That just isn’t the way it is supposed to be! We are taught that we should not depend on others - pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - be a self-made man - and any number of other tapes that run in your head. I can do it. I can. What’s wrong with me if I can’t do it?

In God’s way of thinking, we weren’t ever supposed to live life alone. We were designed for relationship from the beginning. (Adam meet God. Adam meet Eve. Adam and Eve, meet God and let’s go for a walk.) But learning this model for living is hard! It is a much more complicated way to live my life. I am forced to think about others and not only myself. The House Church that I am a part of is really helping me. I can’t do it myself, I DESPERATELY need God, and I ABSOLUTELY need other believers around me. The truth is, I CAN’T do it myself, no matter how hard I try! Without God, I can do NOTHING, and He has chosen to use other believers as His hands, arms, mouth, and feet on this earth. I don’t have to be involved in “ministry” in the sense of an organized program. I hid behind that for long enough, and I didn’t find relationships that were satisfying. I know that I felt the most satisfied when I had the opportunity to share in someone’s life and to talk about what God was showing them and what He was teaching me. That kind of interaction is coming so much more naturally now. I am so grateful! I am also a bit sad that it has taken me so long to find this kind of fellowship in the church. I’m not faulting the church - heck, I’ve been part of it all my life - I just wish that I’d paid more attention to the Holy Spirit’s leading that kept saying “There is something deeper. Look to Jesus. Enjoy the simplicity of the Good News!” I’m so thankful that God is teaching me that it isn’t too late to lay down MY life and join others in theirs! The need for others in my life is NOT weakness, (which is the lie that I internalized as I was growing up) it is God’s gift to me.

Thank you, God for the way that you seek after us and place us in relationships, so that we can experience the fullness of life that you desire us to have. Help us to receive those you place in our lives with gratitude and love.