2:27 p.m. Today's project was to pay the city utility bill, and praise the Lord as I drove downtown for providing the funds in His timing, and in answer to prayer! Both of our mortgage payments had cleared as well, hallelujah!The finances came from two unexpected sources: a direct deposit from our annuity (which I'd requested in writing but hadn't thought about lately); additionally, my daughter Heather brought over 2 months' worth of payments to me for her Parent Plus student loan from her Brooks Photography School attendance.
Heather (featured with me in "switched" outfits) has resembled me physically since she was a tot; in fact, we were featured in a newspaper mother-daughter lookalike contest when she was three. We're about the same size, same blue eyes, natural hair color, and for good or ill, we both have very outgoing personalities! The party starts when Heather comes in the door.
Heather's current job, which requires "suiting up" for official events, is as an administrative assistant to Republican Assemblyman Bill Emmerson out of Rancho Cucamonga. A more senior staff member told me yesterday that Heather has revitalized the whole atmosphere in the office since she joined them, and they just "love her to death!" That's a lovely thing for a mother to hear, because we raised our family to believe that "The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) Joy and laughter, absurdity and uproar, were the hallmarks of our home. The Christian life, without qualification, is the most exciting life possible this side of heaven!
An unusual characteristic of our family was our involvement in local politics. Steve, the kids and I campaigned tirelessly for my three successful election campaigns for Riverside School Board on a "Back to Basics, " "Parents' choice" platform. The district was turned around as teacher union political control was broken, crude sex education was tossed, teachers could pray together during their lunch hour, and instruction in phonics was reinstated. We as a family attended many events and conferences, and the kids knew the major local political players. The Lord called me to public service, and 13 years later, called me to leave it, as I began spending more time in women's ministry and missions.
As is often the case with kids of well-known parents, mine vowed that they "hated politics" and claimed to be totally burnt out. And that's okay--they are free to live their own lives, just in the Lord, is my abiding concern. Heather, who married last year, has tended to lean to the liberal side, but we can agree to disagree fairly agreeably. The five kids never fail to vote, though!
Imagine, then, my surprise when she accepted a position with a Republican assemblyman! Steve and I enjoyed a good chuckle over that, even doing a little boogie dance of victory on hearing the news! Hee Hee! Yes, conservatism had seeped into the kids' subconscious brains! Our groundwork was not in vain, even though we have had to endure their protestations. Once they have kids, they'll become even more conservative, when high taxes taken from paychecks affect more than just themselves. Our oldest, the 34-year-old father of two and former business owner, is more conservative than we are!
Heather has risen rapidly in the Emmerson organization, representing him on Tuesdays in Grand Terrace; doing official photography; and creating event invitation layouts. Just yesterday, she was responsible for the advance work for Assemblyman Emmerson's visit to a Colton elementary school.
"Train up a child in the way (s)he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," Proverbs 22:6 says. Heather's been bitten by the political bug--YES!
And I don't mind if Heather keeps on using the designer suit I once wore for my swearing-in to a third term of office! She does Mom proud.
aw thanks mom that's really sweet
ReplyDelete