It’s been the weirdest stretch of months in my whole entire life, unless you count the year or so I spent going to the Armory with Brother Todd getting autographs of all my favorite pro wrestlers. I’m not sure if mama made him take me or if I just begged enough to appeal to his softer side. I could feel the electricity before we ever entered the building, almost like we were part of the crowd where Rocky Balboa would take on Mr. T, the aisles barely passable for all the riffraff donning their favorite wrestling t-shirts with their cut off (likely acid washed?) blue jeans.
The crowds and the sticky gym floor was no deterrent for my eye of the tiger determination at getting what I had come for and nothing warmed my 10 year old heart more than taking my red autograph book right up to the likes of Crusher Blackwell, Andre the Giant, and Ric Flair. (If you love me at ALL you will open a new browser and google the previous 3 wrestlers and pause for a moment of silence and imagine my ten year old self studying those autographs with all the passion a ten year old could muster. God Bless pro wrestling. And God Bless America.)
It’s a crying shame that by the time Hulk Hogan took on the Iron Sheik, I had moved on to bigger and better things, like watching George Strait take the Southern world by storm on CMTV. Nobody has time for wrestling when there are country music videos streaming 24/7 that must be memorized and reenacted. Using a brandy sniffer for a microphone. Because obviously.
All that to say, life is weird.
For starters, I just celebrated my 7th year of writing on the internets.
How did this happen? The internet has become a teenager while I’ve become middle aged, which makes me old enough to be its mama. Meanwhile, I have in fact become the mama of adorable 20 somethings who are doing amazing things and charming teenage girls who are about to break my heart and start high school. Why does the universe think I can handle these things without an all out break down?!?
Then there’s my own roller coaster life.
I was the poor appalachian girl who by all accounts should never have made it through high school who grew up to become a doctor who then gave up medical practice to homeschool her girls who gave up homeschooling and then somehow got a book deal and wrote a book TWICE that took her to some very hard emotional places (although the book still isn’t ready for the world), who found her passion for healing again and can’t stop thinking about (and talking about) how these little drops of love (and the business opportunity they’ve created) are totally changing everything about her life. Whew.
And did I mention that we also started renting out our little mountain cottage, which has added a whole new dimension (and workload) to my life? Did I mention the weirdness of it all?
Side note: We also rented out our actual house that we live in during the week we’ll be on vacation, which is also kinda strange and fascinating at the same time. We are considering trading it out in the future for other fun places we want to visit. Brilliant? Weird? Sign me up.
Not to even mention other things that I can’t talk about but that are keeping my heart twisted up and full. That’s another story for another year that’s needs to be covered in bathed in much prayer.
I don’t know what to say except that life is quirky but also wonderful.
It may not be Andre the Giant whose name makes my heart beat faster these days but this life keeps me in awe none the less and I still want to somehow find a way to hold all the things and people that come in and out of my days with the same child like wonder that I held that little red book with Ronnie Garvin’s signature on the front page. Coke stains and all.
We’re barely surviving some days and then some days managing to squeeze every ounce of life out of the hours, hoping that the one thing that remains the same is gratitude.
A blessed thankfulness that by God’s grace, we are here to live another day with our whole hearts and our whole attention, with hands and eyes wide open for whatever he chooses to give or take away, and with whomever’s hand He uses to bring His blessedness to us—whether it looks like a gift or not at the time and whether the gift comes as a man who stands 7 feet tall dressed in a unsightly tights or an adorable 20 something with a barrel o’monkeys mustache or even a letter from an editor that feels for all the world like it’s not a gift at all even when deep down I know it is.
I hope you’re watching for it, too—for the way He weaves a beautiful story on the weirdest days out of the strangest little bits of mismatched yarn using mostly our fears and frailty. He knows what He’s doing and He loves us so much in spite of ourselves. In spite of our sin. In spite of our grumbling. In spite of our failure to see the gifts most days. We are loved for the sake of Christ, who has given us His name and made us His own.
That may be the weirdest and most wonderful thing of all.
p.s. my newest fascination besides Instagram is Periscope. It’s a free live streaming app that seems like it’s gonna be a whole lotta fun! My handle on both is “lifeingrace”
What a pleasant surprise 🙂
Perfect timing-
Keeping you in my thoughts & positive prayers 🙂
Love you!
Beautifully written, and beautiful pictures! I always love reading your posts, they ground me and remind me to be grateful in a big way. It’s wonderful!
I so appreciate the love and encouragement!
xoxo
Been missing you, Edie.
So happy to “see” you! You hit the nail on the head, sister – life is weird and wonderful and heart breaking and full. And it IS all a gift, a saying I used to roll my eyes and shake my head at.
And, ahem, I didn’t have to Google any of the wrestlers ’cause I grew up with them on NWA first & then WWF. And my 10 year old self is jealous.
xoxo
I still roll my eyes sometimes!
Mucho love.
🙂
I have been researching renting our home as well. Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!
I’ll try to remember to post about it!
Another facet of your multifaceted life being revealed! Pro wrestling! (Andre and Ric. I love Andre from The Princess Bride.) My daughter went through that with Braves baseball at the same age. She wrote to Chipper Jones and he sent an autographed photo about 2 years later. She had totally forgotten about it. The thrill was nearly gone. 😉 I miss your writing here. I’m glad I’m finally on instagram. Listen to the Lord. Those editors don’t know His plan for you.
I’ve missed your sweet face Renee!
Mucho love.
xoxo
I just love you so much. I love reading your thoughts…they are so similar to my own a lot of the time. I am so excited to know you’re renting your cottage. I would love to stay there. Thanks for the encouragement. xo
Awwww, so thankful for you.
xoxo
Pro wrestling? How odd you mention that, I had a similar fascination with WWF (when it was still WWF). I knew I liked you! Such a timely word, thank you for the encouragement Edie.
mwahhhhh!
Mrs. Edie! For the years I’ve known you, you’ve been a great influence to me, so I wanted to say thanks! I’ve read this blog since I moved to the Low-country, and I can’t tell you how much I love reading about how impactful you are. I love to follow your stories about, family, faith and change!
Say hey to the whole family for me!
I so love and adore you Summer and miss seeing you! I’m so thankful our paths crossed for a time.
Much love to you and your family. Loved seeing your mom, Honor, and Journey.
xoxo
Edie, it is SO good to see you again! Your blog is one I visit several times a week. I love your style, your emotion, and your heart. I’ve studied your home decor like crazy. So much so, that I’m considering buying your Horchow couch. I wondered if you could tell me if you love it and if you think the couch is good for tall guys and lounging. Thank you and good luck with the book. You are a dear and I and your fans adore you! XO
You are the SWEETEST! And I ADORE my Horchow sofa so much! It does sit a little low which works perfect for me and I’m thinking it might not be the best for someone really tall. It’s pretty low sitting.
Thank you so much for the love!
xoxo
Rats on the couch. Thanks for the info, though. It’s a lot of money for something that might not be perfect. I’ve gleaned loads of other ideas from your home’s decor, though…and your fantastic recipes!!!!! You are a star in my book–I read several blogs and they usually run their course for me in a month or two–but not yours. Yours is a keeper. XO P.S. If ever I can gift you an art print from my Etsy store as a way of thanking you for influencing my life so positively, I’d be honored. If yes, just reply or email with the one you like the best and an address for mailing. Hugs, kisses…and good vibes, sister.
I continually remind myself that life is, indeed a journey. Ups and downs. Surprises (good and bad). We get one earthly life and I’m going to live every moment to the best of my ability. Thank you for the inspiration and words of wisdom.
Yes, thank you, Terri.
xoxo
Thank you for such a heartfelt post. It was so nice to hear from you again. You have such a lovely blog and are a beautiful writer. Good luck with your book!
I think it is neat that you rented out your home to go somewhere else….could I ever do that? I don’t know ~would totally depend on who it was!! I am in awe of you being a wrestling fan!! LOL!!! That should be a trivia question about you!! My husband has written and published his first book and is on to the second~ so I feel your pain. Rejection is bad no matter how old we are when it comes!! I am glad you posted this..I have missed you terribly!! Y’all enjoy the rest of your summer…it seems like this year it has just flown by!!!! Love you and God bless you!!
Your words bless me. 🙂
So glad to read your words again! I pray you move forward with the book. Your Lent devotional was balm to a weary soul. I quote you all the time to my daughter and friends. They all know you as “my best friend Edie” 🙂 God bless you and hope you have a wonderful rest of the summer. Maybe one day my husband and I can rent that little lake house. We promise ourselves one day now that the kids are all married and gone we are going to take a weekend for ourselves and sit by a lake somewhere. Thanks so much for the post!
First of all, anyone who loves Pro Wrestling (especially the stars from the 80s) is an automatic friend of mine. I live in Texas where the Von Erichs were king. So I feel ya there. More importantly, however, is the fact that I find the timing of this article to be absolutely perfect. I, too, have been in the middle of transitions in my life that I don’t quite understand and have been having a hard time keeping my balance in the midst of. I rest in the fact that God has it ALL under control and that I really don’t need to spend my time worrying about it. Thanks for the post and your transparency.
I love reading your writing, Edie. You have a gift. I miss you but I understand that there is life to be lived outside of the blog.
Edie I love it when you write a post, it is like a breath of fresh air. Also I would love to trade my house for yours anytime! Haha! Only problem is I probably wouldn’t want to leave 🙁
It’s so wonderful to see a post from you Edie. I miss you!! 😉 I certainly understand why you haven’t been around though. Still looking forward to your book. I have full confidence in your writing skills! Lucky folks renting your home. What a perfect location. We have many friends who have homes or campers at Cherokee for the summer. 🙂 Beautiful spot. 🙂 Life is such a roller coaster. I’m glad I’m not the only one on this ride. 😉 Enjoy the rest of your summer!! 🙂
You gave me a fantastic idea….Normally I pay someone to house sit and feed animals, and tend garden. I totally forgot that there are those people out there that would pay for that privilege.
Yeah!
Are you adopting? I love chubby little legs just about more than anything in the whole of God’s Creation.
XO, although I don’t sell my oils, I use them regularly and love them, and giving them as gifts to my friends.
EDIE, you dynamite, God & book-lovin’ whirlwind of LIFE, GLORIOUS LIFE!!!! I apologize PROFUSELY that it’s been a while since I left a comment. But I just wanted to write a semi-succinct (For me–HA!) little note to tell you that I continue to keep you in prayer and every time I pick up C. S. Lewis or encounter him in a discussion at church, etc., I THINK OF YOU AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL SMILING FACE AND EVEN MORE GORGEOUS SOUL!!!
Sooooooo much has been going on in my life that I can’t even begin to synopsize here (My first book is coming out, living back in DC, then moving back, etc., etc. –that’s just the tip of the cliche iceberg), and I haven’t had time to blog AT ALL, but just know that you are loved and lifted up in prayer. You are a miracle, you truly are. Well, I know we all are miracles, but you, well….you are somethin’ special!!!
Love/hugs/blessings,
Lana