Who inspires you?

In the spirit of getting more 'comment flow' in that section of my blog, I'm throwing out a question to you, my readers, in the hopes that you will respond! 

So, to encourage some feedback from all of you (I'm getting a little lonely on my end~), I would like to know:

Who inspires you?

Come on~ don't be shy! Just list whomever INSPIRES you in some fashion or another ... someone who just makes your heart feel Happy inside when you think of them or their Life or their Story encourages or uplifts you in some way. Maybe it is someone who you really feel has contributed something good to the world in some way.
(Oh!~, and fyi, you can post at the bottom 'anonymously' if you so wish, but it'll still be fun for me and others to see your name in black & white)

Well, since this is my blog, I guess I'll go first ... :)

Hmm?!

I really have quite a long list of names of people who Inspire me ... if I had to start listing them, I am sure it would reach the thousands upon thousands.

Who & what comes instantly to my mind and heart is our Luke who participated in the 2nd Grade Living Wax Museum recently, and he chose to be Reggie White.
(Yah, I agree Luke~ ... he had a Story worth telling and you did a fine job of doing that!)

So, in answer to my own question of Who inspires me?, I will start with my Number One, and that being Jesus Christ, because for me, personally, He and His Life and His Story tops the cake as far as Who inspires me the most in my Life.

Secondly, in the spirit of Oprah Winfrey's 25 year 'retirement' next week from her television show, I will list her as someone who Inspires me in a big way ... the Story of her Life.

And so ~ in Honor and Thanksgiving of Her and the Love she has brought & shared with the whole world, but particularly to me, in some fashion or another (I actually went to Chicago to her show in 1998 ~ all thanks to Mark for finally getting me those tickets!!), I would like to speak of what she has taught me personally over the years, as I essentially grew up with her.

I was, after all, only 12 years old when I started watching her show and learning from her about Life.

All the lessons that I learned from either watching her over the years unfold her Story or by listening to someone she had on her show or a book or author she recommended ... on and on I could go.

Her gifts to me, personally, have simply been priceless and too many to list here. And, the great thing is, I know many, many people feel the same as I do.

Oprah just simply Inspires me ... the person that she is and the person she has so graciously and openly shared with the whole world.

Her Story. Her Life. All of it inspires me.

Her Story of coming up and out of a broken home; to surviving the sexual abuse of a relative; to losing her own baby at the tender age of 14; to fighting food addiction, weight issues, health problems, lawsuits ...

What I most love about her, though, is her willingness to just be herself with others and to not be afraid to be real. She is so willing to show people her heart. She is so willing to be open and honest and vulnerable and transparent with people. She is teachable. She just lays her heart right out there for the whole world to see. And yes ~ I've watched people trample all over it throughout the years and have also watched her endure the criticism and heartache, yet she just kept pushing forward and pressing on through it all with grace and dignity.

I like to call that perseverance.

We've seen her cry with people, laugh loud and big when people are overcome by joy and happiness in their own lives (and this is mostly due to her own generosity & thoughtfulness). We've watched her grace people with many, many gifts of material items and much more. She loves to give back. Pay it forward.

Love.

It is these kind of people that Inspire me.

I would love to share this you tube video with you that was sent to me in an e-mail from a friend. This person, Carrie Underwood --  well ... let me just say that she, too, also inspires me in a big, big way ... Her Story.

This recording is definitely something worth watching is all I got to say!

To enjoy the full video and music, you will need to hit the "Pause" button on my music player at the bottom of the page, first -- and then hit the "Play" button on the video.
{And for an extra special bonus ;) I am giving you some additional 'hints' of others to add to the list of inspirational people ... like who is also in the video with her, plus the lady that he is married to and even the audience members who give her a standing ovation!}

Enjoy!~

Now, if you follow the famous television show called American Idol like I have, then I think you will also agree with me that Carrie ... this simple farm girl from Oklahoma! ... is simply inspirational, too.

And for 'dedication' sake in my blog-posting-style of mine, I would like to dedicate this one to someone much more dear to my heart than Oprah or Carrie or Vince or Amy, and that being my very own husband, Mark, because today he turns 41! And, quite honestly, I feel pretty lucky that he came into the world, as I know many of you reading also do.

But, most importantly, Mark Inspires me more so than any other human being on earth ... my Husband and the Father of our kids.

Because, he, too, like all of them ... just simply loves, loves, loves ... {and if you have the pleasure of knowing my guy well - like I do, then I know many of you will be nodding your head in agreement as you read this ~ adults & many kids alike!}

Mark does Pay It Forward. He serves and gives and teaches and continues to remain true and humble to his most important calling on His Life. And that makes me, his Wife, feel very Happy inside, today, and every day, but especially on today ... his Birthday.

So here's a shout out to you, my hubby, Mark ...

Enjoy Today ... your Birthday! :) We hope you love all of the 'stuff' the kids wanted to get you ... like your big chocolate chip cookie "cake" and your Happy Birthday balloon, the donuts for breakfast, the gifts & cards, seeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie on the big screen ... but above all else, we know what you truly treasure & love & adore -- and that is time spent with us! So thank you for all you do and who you are. Love ya' ~

As I end this blog post, I "dare" or ha! -- shall I say "challenge" someone to go next ... or shall I say 'first' ?! in answering my question ... to add to my already started list of favorites as you can already see~

After all,  ... if you know me, Lori, well enough by now from my blog or otherwise, you will know that I am definitely keeping track 'somewhere' of my Favorite's List of the Most Inspirational People! ... there is a recorded version somewhere, but it is definitely on real live paper & using a pen, instead of a key stroke!

{Yes ... you guessed it! Probably in a journal of some kind, somewhere ... you know how I love those things!}

So, here goes ... the 'survey' is now on :)) ... on your mark, get set, go ~

Who inspires YOU?

Happy 41st Birthday! Thank you! We love you!

O Glorious Day

Today was a day of Rejoicing! for our family because of two very special reasons.

First of all, it was Easter and Jesus Christ is Risen! and Alive! and One day He is coming again ... 

Now that is something to Celebrate! and to look forward to.

Because that will be one Glorious Day ... as it was over 2,000 years ago.

And secondly, today our youngest child, Luke Robert Grade, turned 8-years old. 

A birthday on Easter Sunday! - now that is something to celebrate - yet, more importantly, I celebrate:

His Life!

The Story of his Life is worth sharing with all of you, my readers, because it is a Story worth telling.

If it weren't for the gift of Luke ... I, Lori, would not be who I am today. 

My heart wouldn't have been "stitched up" in the way it has ...  

Healed

My soul would still have a wound on it that I know I never would've recovered from.

When Luke was placed in my arms safe and healthy on this day 8 years ago, I knew what a priceless gift I was truly being given. I knew how many buckets and buckets of tears that I had shed in order to get to that place of holding him in my arms. I knew how hard that broken road had been to walk on. I knew how many times that I had fallen off of it and just couldn't get back up.

And I knew that saying Thank You to my God would never be enough.

Those two simple words for all that we had been given.

As my tears soaked the top of his sweet little newborn head ... and his eyes & heart connected with mine ... and I took in all of his newborn smells & noises ... all I felt was Joy... indescribable joy...something I never experienced before. Not like that. Not in that way.

I simply felt heartfelt gratitude for being given the opportunity, the privilege, the honor ... to be his Mom ... after all that we had lost.

You see ... Luke came into our family after we had walked a very long road of grief, sorrow and loss. It began when our daughter, Emily Rose, died on July 4, 2001 - just 5 days before my due date. An autopsy showed no obvious cause of death. 

We were left with many unanswered questions.

In one single moment our lives were changed forever. 

Then we had to also say good-bye to our twins on 11/29/01 ... as well as another baby in the spring of 2002 and also on July 4, 2002.

I fell into a "pit" that I never, ever thought I would be able to get out of - this is called Grief.

After all, parents aren't suppose to bury their children first. It just isn't suppose to work that way. 

But unfortunately, it does - all of the time.

Yet, that is the hand we were dealt, and it hasn't been an easy hand to play. But I have had to learn how to play it in the best way I knew how - one foot in front of the other. One day at a time.

 I do know for sure that I have never walked it alone ... the broken road that led to the birth of our son, Luke.

Because I know that all 5 of our precious babies are in a really good place ... a place that my own finite, human, limitless mind can't even possibly imagine... a place called Heaven ... and that all is well ... 

it is because of this belief that I have peace.

That peace is also what allowed me to press on ... to Hope again ... to trust that weeping may endure for a night, but joy does come in the morning. That promise from God Himself from Psalm 30 is what I clung to in my darkest, loneliness nights. 

Because that is all I had. He is all I had. And He has been faithful to me.

So when Luke was placed in my arms by Dr. Margaret Carr at St. Joseph's Hospital 8 years ago today,  it just felt like our world was made whole once again. 

A new life ... a new beginning ... 

All at the perfect time with spring in the air and everything else coming to life as well.
 

So today as we celebrated Easter with our family, we also celebrated and embraced the time that we've been given with our Luke.

As his mom on his birthday, the one who his life came through, I would like to shower some love and praise on our little boy who's name means Light.

Luke just has this Light about him that Shines right on through his small, tough little boy body. He is tough - that is for sure! He is "all boy".  He is not afraid to get dirty. In fact, the dirtier, the better. He has so much energy and a zest for Life that I stand in awe of him. 

He can take down his older brother Matthew in a flash {who by the way is 6 years older than him}!

Yet, he has such a tender, soft side to him that will just simply melt your heart. 

He is always the first one to notice when someone's feelings are hurt, or when someone needs help. 

He just loves so simply and so freely. 

So as this day comes to a close and the kids get tucked safely into their beds, I think over this day and all the wrapping paper flying here and there... and Luke 'practicing' on our kitchen floor with his new roller blades ... and all the sugar he has consumed in just a 24-hour period! ... to time spent with loved ones ... to celebrating our Risen Savior and Lord ... and all I can say is that this was a day lived really well.  

A day worth remembering. A day worth Celebrating! 

I hope it was for you and your family too.

Happy Easter to you & your family~

Happy 8th Birthday, Luke Robert Grade !
Shine your Light!
You are LOVED beyond measure!

Friendship

In the past few days while I have been "chauffeuring" the kids here and there in our last lovely Wisconsin April snowfall/hailstorm {I already know what you Wisconsinites are thinking!}, I was listening to one of my favorite radio stations called k-love.

I love this station because they only play positive and encouraging music.
And I definitely need to fill my mind and heart up with that, especially while I'm driving~

I, particularly, love listening to the conversations the DJ's get into with each other, and of course, the people 'out there' who are listening.
Many times they encourage and challenge me to really think about something in a whole different way. 

They were naturally discussing Jesus and Easter because we are in what Christians call Holy Week.
The radio DJ's were discussing just what Jesus all endured
in just one week's time!

Of course, we all know about His Death & Crucifixion & Resurrection, but what they got me thinking about on a much deeper level was this idea of Friendship.

Naturally, my mind and heart did go to that place of what Jesus must have really truly felt when his closest, dearest friends betrayed Him in the worse possible way...at the worst possible time.

I've been there, too, and I highly doubt that I'm alone in that.

Ouch!

The first betrayal involved the “worst” of the disciples as some might say: Judas, who betrayed Jesus with a "kiss" for thirty pieces of silver for his execution. The second involves Peter, who would deny his connection to Jesus 3 different times out of shame or embarrassment or fear
{who knows right?}

I guess I don't blame them. I would like to think I would've been the bold, brave one to stand up for Jesus, and do the right thing.
Yet, I am now all too familiar with my own shortcomings and weaknesses; areas I need to grow in.

I will admit that I, unfortunately, may have done the exact same thing as them...in those circumstances...at that time in history.

Yet, He was Jesus, God's Son, and therefore, Perfect and showed us how to do it the 'right' way.
Yet He did it so well! I think, and It is so hard to do!

First off, I know Jesus probably did what I would've done, and I have many times when I have felt that all too familiar "sting" of judgment, betrayal, or rejection... and that is to just simply cry.

I imagine it to be like one of those gut-wrenching cries that we would never let anyone see.

Yep! Been there, done that. One too many times.
And it is a tough place to be in.

I realized that I, unfortunately, have gotten stuck in that place; that hasn't served me or others well at all. 

I can so easily imagine and go to "what Jesus must have felt like" when I read what His friends did to Him, but when I look at it from a different vantage point, that being... not my own...

I think, How many times has it been me doing the wounding? {gulp!}

 Yes...I remember how many times it has been I, Lori, who did the 'stinging'...with my words, or the tone of my voice, or just simply my body language.

But what Jesus did so easily and so freely and so Amazingly Well was to simply Forgive.
And He didn't even need to ask Why? a thousand times, like I've always felt the need to.

Jesus just kept on forgiving over and over...as many times as it took... 

In fact, He says we should forgive 70 X 7 times, which if my math skills are serving me correctly, then that means 490 times! Yikes! That's a lot of times.

Now that is hard to do, especially when the wound cuts very, very deep...
and especially when it is from the same person.

With that being said, Jesus never promoted being a "doormat", either. He taught about Balance.

I've had to learn the hard way about this ... there is always a balance to everything.

And what simply Amazes me again - is that when Jesus came out of the grave, when He rose again, He told Mary to go tell His disciples and Peter! Yes...Peter - His friend who denied even knowing Him.

Now that is Forgiveness.
Now that is Love.
Now that is Friendship.

And I think Peter could simply not resist the pull of  Jesus' Love - it was just too hard  to resist! :)

Anyway, when I think back over my Life - to all of my Friends that have come and gone...some already in Heaven... many have stayed awhile... and have taught me lessons that I never would've learned otherwise...
Some I've had to let go for one reason or another; I will always treasure the memories.

Then my heart returns to the present moment, the Here and Now, and I think of all of the people in my Life currently who I like to call Friend...

Or I call them my kindred spirits...or my "team"...my Best Friends...
{male and female alike...young and old...wearing skin or fur...blood relatives and not...'blasts' from the past...wearing white lab coats or not}

And I realize that just like Jesus, they have loved and accepted me for "me"...unconditionally, without judgment. They have extended mercy and grace to me when I didn't deserve it.

They were silent, even when they sensed I may be walking straight into a mistake, yet knew "me" and my heart's intent well enough to know that it was my mistake to make... and my mistake to learn from ... and then my mistake to hopefully grow from.

They forgave me for the times I hurt or disappointed them because they loved me so much.

It is as simple as that.

And I like to call that Friendship.

The real kind. The kind that you can trust wholeheartedly in. The kind where it is safe to share your heart.

The kind that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

I like to think of them all as "gifts" - straight from God Himself from Heaven above straight to me, Lori...
my Friends...

I would like to end this post with this note to my Friends...
{I hope you know who you are!}

Thank you...

Thank you for showing me what true Friendship looks like, and for showing me how to do the job of Friend well.
The kind of friend that I want to be and
the kind of friend I continue to strive to be.

P.S. If you've never tuned into the television show that airs on Lifetime (or you can get past seasons at the library) called Army Wives...then you are truly missing a "gem" of a show about Friendship, plus much, much more!
And yes...I'm talkin' about the real kind!

Check out the movie Soul Surfer

I took the kids to see this newly released movie yesterday called Soul Surfer because they were off from school for Parent/Teacher Conferences. It was to be a "fun" day instead of "clean up the house" day.

It was actually quite Amazing! and I am so glad we went. I would highly recommend it. Watch the trailer here:

The movie is about the true story of a teenage girl named Bethany Hamilton who practically lived her entire life in the water in Hawaii as a surfer just like her parents and brothers. It was just their way of life. {Can you imagine?}

It was her love...her life. She is faced with her dreams coming to an end when a shark literally bites off her arm, and she is faced with the likely possibility of never surfing again.

It is the story of great Courage and Bravery and Strength of a young girl when faced with insurmountable obstacles. It is the story about Family; without that she couldn't have Soared like she did. It is the story about true Friendship.

It is a Story about FAITH. 

The belief and faith Bethany's family & friends had in her was impressive actually, yet I think what was most special of all was what she learned from her Dad; their relationship. What he taught her about herself. What he believed she could do, even when she couldn't believe it in herself.

So, I hope you get a chance to go see it if you haven't. I think you will leave the theater looking at the world in a whole new & different way!

And I highly suspect that the Sun will just seemed a bit brighter to you as you are walking (or maybe skipping!) back to your car - like it did for us!

This feeling of Hope in the air...

Just this feeling of being Inspired to doing something big!

And really... that all really is Good.

Recently, I myself have personally discovered at a whole new level what this movie truly represents ~ the message it is bringing to the World...~ Bethany's message to the World...what Life is really all about...

Love