After a week of boiling temperatures and floating around the pool, today I awoke to a rainy morning and, once again, a storm had hit our internet provider. Yikes! All week, I had been considering sharing several of God’s stories with Moms of Faith. God had revealed some really cool stuff among all the commotion here. However, I was debating exactly what to select to share with you all. Since I had planned to pop on the ole laptop first thing in the morning to submit “Hott Flashes” (my editor’s deadline is by 6:00 p.m. on Fridays), Dan was already up at the crack of dawn with news: last night’s thunderstorm had completely wiped out the internet service. Perched here on Hott Mountain, the provider utilizes our garage as an antennae to receive and distribute to other customers. Still in my pajamas, the tech guy arrived. Bad news! We needed new equipment, something called a router. Hummmm… Looks like I would not be logging on any time soon. And honestly, I was still tossing around a … [Read more...]
What to Do When Your Children Are Shushed in Church?
Rut-row, I’m in rouble! (That’s my best Scooby impersonation!) I don’t know about you other moms and dads out there, so this week I will just come right out and ask you all: Have you and your children ever been “shushed in church”? I guess maybe I should preface the course of events with a little explanation. When the Hott Family arrives to Sunday service, we are typically running a few minutes behind schedule. Managing to get four kids and one fiancé ready for Sunday church service is a little like brain surgery around our house. Oh, who am I kidding? We’re always, yes always late! So, due to our persistent punctuality problems, we tend to sneak in the back door of the church and head right for the very back pew, all the way in the balcony; behind the entire congregation. This prime pew paradise is also great for large families like ours. Especially after cramming my Hott crew in over the last decade or so, we have filled the row with infants, toddlers, teenagers and all … [Read more...]
Sunset Celebration
Among the West Virginia hills, our family has a tropical tradition originating along the shores of Key West! Sound like an unlikely combination? Add toddlers, teenagers, cousins, neighbors, s'mores, and guitars and you're instantly in the Hott Family's nightly tradition: SUNSET CELEBRATION! Secluded among the trees on our mountain ridge, we were first unaware of our sunsets until a devastating Parkinson's diagnosis for my young husband in 2008 found us in need to renovate our home. After making some accommodations for a first floor master suite and planning needs for future facilities, we managed to shake up our rooms and re+arrange not only our house but our daily lives. Funny how the news of a chronic illness can make a seemingly smooth life change to something shaky as a "fiddler on the roof"! Just as this classic play is immersed in traditions of faith, Fiddler on the Roof reminds me that in an instant, what we believe to be God’s plan can change and the only constant we have … [Read more...]
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