Saturday, March 23, 2013

Posts Worth Reading


This past week, I have read 3 blog posts that have just been particularly amazing.  The first two have been making the rounds on Facebook, so you may have already seen them, but just in case:

25 Things Our Sons Need to Know About Manhood
Really, you can just never go wrong with reading something by Ann Voskamp, but I thought this was particularly good.

Raising Daughters in a World that Devalues Them: 7 Things We Must Tell Them
If you have a daughter, know a daughter, are a daughter ... read this.

This one hasn't made the rounds, but I don't know why.  I think it's awesome.  It expressed how I feel (and how I want to feel) in my soon-to-be-the-big-4-0 body.
On Showing Your Waist Grace
I wanted to jump and shout ... and buy clothes that actually fit instead of waiting for the ones in my closet to fit again.  It doesn't mean I'm giving up.  It just means I want to feel better about myself TODAY.

And this...  I read it a couple of months ago, and it has stuck with me.
Women of Valor ... Pinterest Aside
I really should read this at least once a week.  This gave me a whole new, freeing, perspective on that woman with whom I have a love/hate relationship - the Proverbs 31 woman.

Happy Reading!




 This post may be linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family Friday: 5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary, Pieces of Amy Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Friday, March 22, 2013

Matt's Sister

Matt, Julie, and me, circa 1990.
 My brother titled this picture, "Bangs, Braces, and a Turtleneck."  Ha!

Back in the Fall of 2000, David and I had just moved to Bremerton, Washington (just across Puget Sound from Seattle).  Having withdrawals from SEC football (it's just NOT the same in other parts of the country), we discovered there was an Auburn Club that met to watch games in Seattle, so we made the early-morning (because of the time difference) ferry ride over to join in the fun.

It was enjoyable meeting other members of the Auburn Family and sharing that inexplicable bond.  We didn't seem to have too much else in common ... until one of them asked me, "Aren't you Matt's sister?"  And there it was.  Literally 2500 miles away from where I grew up, I didn't have my own identity.  I was Matt's sister.

I shouldn't have been surprised by this.  Although I'm the eldest and "paved the way" through Hartselle City Schools and Auburn University, Matt (and Julie, for that matter) most certainly made the larger impact.   Voted Mr. HJHS in 8th grade, his popularity continued unabated through high school.  Believe it or not, Matt was terrified of starting school at Auburn, but it wasn't long before we were bombarded with "Hey, Matt!,"  "What's up, Matt?," and "How's it going, Matt?" as we walked along the Concourse together.  The boy had made more friends in his first term at Auburn than I had made in almost 4 years.

[Funny story: Matt and I lived together for two terms during his first year at Auburn and my last year.  Before moving down that Fall, Matt told all of his friends that he was "shacking up" with his sister.  I had to quickly set him straight that "shacking up" didn't mean what he thought it meant.  :)]

We got along fabulously during those 6 months or so of sharing an apartment, and I'm so glad we had that experience.  However, it demonstrated our differences in living color.  I was content to work alone for hours on end.  Matt had to have some sort of contact with me or some other person at least once during every waking hour.  When I was just turning in for the night, Matt was just heading out.  I didn't date much at Auburn, Matt ... did.  But we invented a terrific game called Wall Ball that I still miss playing.  (Sorry, downstairs neighbors!!)  Also, ask him sometime about the AbFlex and our version of the Slim Fast plan.  :)


Matt has always been extremely generous - especially when it involved spending my parents' money.  Salespeople quickly figured out the best time to knock on the door of our apartment because Matt always bought whatever they were selling.  He was also quick to buy appetizers for everyone at the table whenever he went out to eat.  (This may or may not have contributed to the number of friends he managed to make.)  It took Dad a while to figure out why I had been able to make the money last a lot longer than Matt....  I have a feeling, though, that's he's still generous even with his own money.

Today is Matt's 36th birthday, and I couldn't be prouder of the man he has become.  God has certainly used his love for people and ease at making friends for His glory.  A couple of years ago, Matt earned his PhD in Practical Theology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.  I like to take a tiny bit of credit for this since I taught him to read using the book Morris the Moose Goes to School.  However, prior to college, I'm pretty sure the only other book he had read was Bo Knows Bo, so "Matt Pearson, PhD" came as a surprise to all of us.  :)


He is currently serving the Lord as the pastor of First Baptist Church in El Dorado, Arkansas, and as a Trustee for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  He has a heart for missions, and his churches quickly become known nationally for their giving and participation in mission work.  He has taught and preached all over the world.  And being the most prolific writer of the Five Blogging Pearsons, you can follow him here.

I'm sure if I visited most parts of Arkansas, anywhere in Alabama, certain regions of Africa, and apparently lots of other unexpected places, I would still be known as Matt's Sister.  That's OK with me.  It's one of my favorite titles.




This post may be linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family Friday: 5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary, Pieces of Amy Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
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