Neena's SPORT'S FLASH: BULL PIN OR DUG OUT YOU VOTE

I AM SHOCKED TO FIND MYSELF SITTING AT A TEXAS RANGERS GAME FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS SUMMER!  But it is my husband's very favorite date and I just could not say no.  Watching and listening to him is like a "reality TV moment" as he  truly transforms into a very interesting creature and he makes me laugh.  He becomes a  sports newscaster and ranger coach!  I only uttered an occasional "oh" while he gave a play by play account of each player's history as they took their place on the field.   While the pitcher, the man known for his strong arm, walked to  his lonely spot on the mound he filled me in on his sad life.  Sitting and listening intently Rich began to  tell me that Harrison  was their starting pitcher early in the season.  He was injured and now is in the bull pin.  I said "oh"  Rich kept talking, when he took a pause I ask the question:  do they get paid if they stay in the bull pin?  He said "Yes, why do you ask?"
I said, "Well if  I were a pitcher I would just stay in the bull pin.  Why?  Because the balls go 84 mph and faster, it is very hot, and when they start to lose it is the pitcher who gets  booted off the field!  NO ONE ELSE! It is not a quiet ordeal.  He is escorted off  with the JUSTIN boot advertising flashing all over the stadium  The flashing of lights are neon and near humiliating.  The flashing of lights is the  public announcement of the pitcher's boot.  If that is not enough to ruin the pitcher's self esteem forever a live band appears on the same neon sign with the flashing lights.  I look around  and everyone begins line dancing to BOOT SCOOT'IN BOOGIE.  The crowd burst into song as  the pitcher walks slowly to the bull pin with head hung low.   The crowd just sort of gets crazy!
 I also noticed the crowd does all sorts of strange things:   when a players runs faster  or he nearly kills himself sliding into a base the sign of the claw appears or the flashing of fake antlers.  My husband, yes the one who color codes his shirts and refuses to participate in most of my foolishness, stands tall leading the crowd with the "claw" or "the moving of fake antlers" on his head!  For three hours I smile and watch my husband do these very strange things and talk a mile a minute and I love watching how HE watches a ball game as a playful little boy.  I also love feeling like his date.
 My "unpaid editor" just informed me when the Pitcher gets the boot he goes to the dug out,  not bull pin,  where he will wait out the long night.  I said, "Hummmm I wonder if I am wrong on this.  What do you think?  Let me hear your VOTE:   Dug out?  Bull pin?

Neena elf with Santa at the game!

Well  that heavy discussion about the game only took us to the second inning.  I was wondering what would happen over the next 7 innings that would keep me very interested.  Just as I was beginning to get restless Rich nudges me and says, " look to the right....God has sent your best friend here to the ranger stadium, your emotional soul mate.  Take a picture the kids will never believe it:  Elf of 40 years meets up with Santa at the Ranger game and it is only September."
He even gave me his business card!

The game ended and Rich said, "Do you want to go to the playoffs?"  I said, "Maybe, will Santa be there?"  He looked at me and said, "I think I'll take the boys!"
The ride home I had to smile.  Here we are a couple married over 40 years and I just watched my husband do the claw and the antler dance in a crowd of 39,000 Texas Rangers fans and he just watched me go sit on Santa's lap in a crowd of 39,000 fans in September.  I just shared part of the recipe for "how to stay married for 40 years".

Tooth Fairies please come forward!

More Treasures from Neena’s scraps of paper

Ok parents it is confession time from Neena....yes I forgot too and I have it on paper to prove it!

Here are my personal examples of letters that are more precious than gold.  They became some of my “life lessons”. I smile at the mercy my children gave me that many times was not deserved.  They readily always forgave my selfish ways. I did ask for forgiveness for forgetting their teeth but it took a long time before I actually changed my ways.  Still they forgave and now we all laugh!  Most would not save all these little scraps but how happy I am that I did.  The authors are my children and they are unedited.  MAN! What priceless memories and laughter.  With seven children that means a lot of teeth and a lot of chances to redeem myself ...thank you God for the number of teeth you gave us!  You God even understood that tiny little detail...

Dear Tooth fairy,

Please take the tooth I am sick of taking care of it.  It has been here under my pillow for two days.  I need the money.  I am sorry I said bad things about the tooth fairy.  I did not mean you were stupid I just meant it was stupid to have to put the tooth under the pillow.

Love your friend,

 Seth

PS.  I do love playing all my Moms dumb lets pretend games like the fairy and elf.  I just act like I don’t in front of my friends so they won’t think I am a nerd.  We do sometimes have to wait three days for one tooth just because we don’t write a letter.  I will tell Rachel I am sorry we put her in the box again.  It was Micah’s idea.  I am sick of Leah getting in my stuff and then she screams but I will try to be nicer but it won't be easy.

Another similar example:

Dear Tooth fairy,

I think it is unfair that I get only a dime for my teeth and most of my friends get a quarter and they get their teeth picked up the first night.  I am tired of waiting two days for pick-up.  Mom says a raise requires an appeal.  I think that is ridiculous. Other families do not have to go to court over the stupid tooth fairy.

P.s. Please consider the need for a raise.  If you decide on the raise is it retroactive?  Just put all the money together where I can find it.  Since I lost my first tooth I always have to wait for at least a day extra. I am twelve and have been losing teeth for at least 6 years.  Mom gets a kick out of the elves and the fairies. 

P.s.s Bring some flowers for my Mom! She needs rest and flowers.  If you don't

want to spend the money on those things just give it to me.  The money,  NOT the  flowers HOHOHO funny joke 

 Love your friend, 

Micah

Dear Toothfairy,

I am sory I said I did believ in you.  I am  sory, if you herd me and I doubt that you did, say those swer words.  I don’t belie you are real but my mother likes to purtend and we all have fn purtending too. I am getting help with this letter from Micah to spell the words.  Anyway I have decided not to quit purtinding in you because it messes up the fun and I don’t get pad for my teeth.  I am neding the money so plese accept my apalegy.  Oh and I found where I put the other three teeth that I lost.  I hope you pay me 25cents a tooth.  For 4 teeth that makes $1.00.  If you want to give me what everyone else gets is .50 a tooth then you could give me $2.00.Micah is fixing the words for me. 

Caleb Peter with baby sister Rebekah.

Micah says to ask for a bonus because of the late delivery.  He says to put in a wrd for him and seth but nt the grls .that wil mak Rachel and lea run away agin so I say give the grls a raze too. Micah dosnot kno this part I am saying. Oh Micah is the oldest kid.

Love 

caleb peter Hobart

 Dear Toothfairy, 

Micah and Seth said you are stubborn and you won't take the tooth unless I write theletter. They had to write you too in order to get the  money.  Other kids just put a can out.  In fact some kids don't do anything and  they get money under their pillow and a nice note!  We are the only ones who  have to write a note.  It is not fair but I am doing it because I need money.  I  would like a dollar a tooth.  Micah and Seth said to always ask for interest . My tooth has been here a week I think it is rotten now.

Love rachel   

Ps Seth told me to run away because I did not get my tooth picked up.  He says that when you are not listening.  I think he wants me to run away so I think I  will move my stuff to his room tonight.  I have a lot of stuff too.  Leah is  coming with me.

will move my stuff to his room tonight.  I have a lot of stuff too.  Leah is coming with me.




Funny memories are some of the best ways that God uses to bring attention "habits of the heart" that need transformed.  Below are some personal comments and teaching points for parents. 

What looked like an innocent loss of memory to a parent is perceived as a broken promise to a child. My children could not articulate it as such, but it was indeed a broken promise.  It did require an act of recovery from me.  I needed to apologize, ask forgiveness and silly as it may seem to many, seek repentance.  I had the intention of remembering the tooth fairy job.  I just forgot.  I was not deliberately deceitful but when it becomes a pattern it can cause real hidden anger in a child. It was a PATTERN of broken promises that I had.  One of the most dangerous things we can do is not recognize our ungodly patterns as parents. It did create a form of distrust and anger.   Remember the family is the primary classroom and it is the primary social group.  In this classroom, called a family, is where trust is developed or lost.  The family is the first social setting where they see and imitate the habits and values the parent models. 

·      What was leaned in the family as the primary classroom:

1.    Anger, resentment

2.     Disrespect and lack of trust for the parents

3.    The family creates the first experience with God the Father

Those sound like exaggerated points over just the tooth fairy but the point is there was value placed on the tooth fairy by the parent but the follow-up was missing.  Over time it is the little things that add up to cause frustration, anger and indifference in families.  How do these little things not become BIG cancerous diseases in families?  Admit you were wrong as a parent and ask forgiveness AND make restitution.  In this case DOUBLE the cost of being a forgetful tooth fairy.

Parents assess your self frequently. 

Do you promise to bring treats and then forget?                                                            Are you late picking up in car pool?                                                                           Are you late getting places with your child?                                                                                                                   Do you say you will call and then do not?                                                                                                                                                 Have you ask your child if you keep your word?

Head on with a TEXAS TECH FREAK

Question of the day?  What does it mean to be a Texas Tech freak? I could not figure that out so I ask my son in law Ryan who happens to be just that: Texas Tech freak, which means that he thinks just because his career as an architect was started on that campus that he has to decorate the neighborhood with double T’s and dress in red and black until the football season subsides!  I really was not too much involved the “GUNS UP”  issues that he seemed to have until their first baby arrived exactly one year ago.  Why did that have anything to do with me?  With the resounding message of the ultra sound that said “I am a girl”  he traveled to Lubbuck from Dallas  to buy fabric (he was not aware he could go to JoAnnes Fabric and buy it for 2 bucks a yard) and he gave it to me, Neena the seamtress! 

Somehow the fabric from Lubbuck crawled away from me never to be found again!  The first football game has passed (they won…I think) and Grace’s uniform that will match their house for the next three months had become a crisis.  However, on Saturday Joannes in Dallas saved the day as they traveled to the fabric store more double T fabric.

Feeling the shame of not caring about the football season I tried to redeem myself and quickly made a pillowcase dress that would be the envy of others who post on Ebay store, craigslist or Sports boutiques across the nation. 

I delivered yesterday, smiling, anticipating the great hurrah that every mom of seven kids and seven grandbabies deserves!  The first response:  “Why are the double T’s upside down?”  My response “Are sure sure they are?”  “yes”  UPPPPS so goes the life of Neena

Welcome to the World of Neena!

I was called Mrs. Hobart, Karen, Karen June or KJ most of my life until my husband and I moved from northern Iowa after the birth of our first grandbaby, Jacob.  First born Jacob was in charge of my new name. I was Nana for two years and then one day he woke from a nap and said, “I think you should be Neena!” I’ve been Neena ever since!

I have hundreds of journals and thousands of scraps of paper reveal the treasures of my heart. Thus the name of my blog was also born:  Neena’s Scraps of Paper. 

The treasures of my heart are:  First and foremost, my love for Jesus!  How He showed me in His mercy and grace that our past has a voice but only for the purpose of building His kingdom.

Second, my love for my husband who puts up with all my scraps of paper that follow me wherever I go.  He loves me in spite of my weaknesses and allows me to follow God’s voice as I hear Him call. He has listened to my endless adventures with Jesus without interruption for over forty years now.   He was an only child until he was 12 and then had two brothers so he was more than content with one child maybe two.  However, he allowed me to let Jesus decide our family for us and we were granted seven children.  He was a superintendent of schools for thirty years while we experienced the heartbreak and joys of parenting.  In our forty years of marriage we have walked a journey together and it continues today.

Third is my intense love for my family, our nation and Israel.   I will introduce our children individually later but for now let me tell you their names.  Their names were chosen by their Dad and represent our love for the nation of Israel:  Micah, Seth Aaron, Rachel, Leah, Caleb Peter, Sarah Elizabeth, and Rebekah.

Fourth is my love for my friends that God has orchestrated in my life and the role he has called me as a mentor and family coach. 

Fifth is just finally recognizing that God created me and all my many interests. That He loves me perfectly with all my imperfections. I love to write, sew, pretend, paint, read, problem solve, speak and create.  I love anything that brings laughter and builds the intimacy of families. I look forward to sharing my Scraps of Paper with everyone!

Love,

Neena alias Karen Hobart