I found Minja right in front of the playset

Eric holding Minja

Minja came to live with us 8 days ago.  We were all in the backyard playing when I looked down and there in the middle of the grass was a little baby box turtle.  I immediately called the kids over to me and we all took turns holding this wonderful little creature.  My resourceful little Amy found a box to put the turtle in while Eric and Paul looked around for decor and food sources to place in the box.  After the turtle was in its new home for a few hours we finally came up with a name.  Well, Paul came up with it.  

MINJA

After the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  But Paul doesn't say 'ninja', he says 'minja'.  Why just the other day he said that he wanted to be a 'minja' for Halloween.  So that's how Minja got its name.  Eric and Amy call it 'Ninja' because I guess they don't see Paul's sayings in the same way I do.  

We fed Minja grass and tomatoes, but I never saw it eat.  After being with us for 8 days we decided it was time to let it go.  But before we did, Amy took some nail polish and wrote her initials on its shell.  So if you ever see a standard box turtle with ACM painted in metallic turquoise on its shell, then by all means get out your iphone and take a picture, give it some love and call us.  

We love you, MINJA.  You will always have a home here...

Official release into our side hydrangea bed

ACM in metallic turquoise nail polish.  We love you, Minja!

True hospitality

We moved into this big ol beautiful house exactly one year ago.  I remember thinking about all of the wonderful times we would experience together.  The huge family holidays, lots of birthday parties, summer cook-outs, and on and on.  I asked God to teach me hospitality.  I asked Him to help me be a good hostess.  

When we go to other folks' homes for supper or a party, I notice things like how a table is set and how the home is decorated.  I totally notice the food that the host has prepared and how it is served.  How is the furniture arranged for optimum flow of traffic?  where are the drinks in relation to the food?  How present is the hostess in conversing with her guests?  I notice all of that stuff.  

Well, we have lots of people staying in this house right now and they are exhausted.  They don't care about the flow of traffic or how the flowers are arranged.  They are broken.  They need a hostess who knows what it is to be broken.  They are hungry.  They need a hostess to has strong arms to hold them and empty shoulders to cry on.  They need Jesus.  I have been given a glorious opportunity to host some folks who - in the eyes of American society - don't have thier act together.  But really, who does?  

Loving the unloveable, serving the ungrateful, washing the dirty, feeding the hungry, comforting the broken - this is true hospitality.  This is where Jesus has me.  Big sigh.  After all, that is what HE has done for me.  Amen.