Fork In The Road

04 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in My Journey

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Many years ago when I was 14 years old, I had asked my mom, “When is daddy coming home?” It had been a couple of days and I didn’t know where he was. He was a ‘good ‘ol boy’, my dad. Everyone’s friend, the Country Singer. Guitar in hand, always ready to give a tune to anyone who would listen. That was actually the trouble, anyone did listen and lonely hearts drew my dad away from our family. My brother was 17 months older than me and had his own band and was headed down the same road. My little sis was so young, just 5 years old. Mom said, “He’s not coming home. He said ‘a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.” And that was it.

I had a case of hard luck. Mom didn’t have a very high paying job and I was in a private Christian School with my sister. I had caused my parents unthinkable grief the 2 years prior and had earlier that year had my life turned around by an encounter with God that changed my life. I had since, spent a lot of time talking to Him and getting to know him better. One night I was in my bedroom, down on my knees when I got a picture in my mind of a fork in the road. There was a wide, nicely tarred highway going one direction, and in the other direction, there was a winding, deep sandy road with thorns and debris and steep spots. That night God gave me a choice. I could go on that wide road and cruise through life and do pretty good for myself and love God and be a good Christan. But I would have to choose. Well it seemed like a no brainer! Until he showed me more.

He showed me that it would be okay to live a “normal” life but that if I would dare to take a step in the direction of the tiny little road, that he would take me places I never dreamed. My prayer to Him since I gave my life to Him was that my life would make a difference and that I would go wherever he said to go and I would do whatever he said to do. So that night, I saw myself -in this life altering moment of choice, take the hand of the one I chose to follow and we started our journey with one step, with room for just 2, at the fork in the road.

Transition: Friend or Foe?

03 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in Growing Pains, Lorato House Rescue Centre, Love Botswana Outreach Mission, Marriage

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Lackey Family

 “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. That’s what my grandpa, “Cowboy Baker” used to say. The reality is, as my circumstances change around me, I gotta change with it. That means doing things differently than I have become comfortable with. My own mom, the Matriarch of the Baker family, known for her tenacity and grit, otherwise known as “the bull the granny suit”, just now retired at 70. Well, she didn’t really retire, she now has her own consultancy and has earned the right to speak to anyone who will listen about water conservation and preservation. Awarded honors from Governors and Presidents, she Chairs one board and sits on 2 others having to do with earth altering water issues. But the day job is now passed. That part, is retired.

Here I am at 50, in Africa, 4 kids. I pioneered an organization together with my husband for 25 years.  A staff of over 120 and even more volunteers serving in programs with a reach on average of 10,000 people monthly. It grew from “me n pop” to what it is today. Now comes the hard part. The part that has to be hard for anyone who has birthed it, burped it and changed its dirty diapers. We’ve seen it grow exponentially and now its time to let it go so it can outlive us!

 Whew! What does that even look like? Oh, we’ve had the specialists in, we have a growth plan and all that. But the heart part is what I wasn’t prepared for. We aren’t “leaving” as such, but we are in transition. We are told that we are now at the policy making level and have the role of inspiring the team and casting vision for them. Yikes! That is what got us this far in the first place! The policy part, we had little to do with, really. Through the years, key people came in and helped us do that. At some point though, maintaining the growth of what is, and cultivating new ground with new seed for fields yet unknown, seems scarey to me. Why? Did I think I would stay here till I died? Actually, yes, I did! I guess I thought since it was for life that I committed, that meant that’s how long I would do it. Who does it belong to? Me? Not really. God? You bet! He started it and He will complete it.

 When I married Jerry, 25 years ago, I said I wanted to help make his dreams come true. Has that changed? Together we have built dreams, some have been his and some have been mine. But its time to dream again. I gotta be “the wind beneath his wings” like the song says. Seriously. We have lived an incredible life. Do I want to finish my race with my life partner? You bet I do! He is a pretty amazing guy to hang out with. Adventure finds us – together! Neither of us are ready for the rocking chair. (Except I will always be ready to rock our babies at Lorato House, our orphanage for babies!) We have been immersed in this work together and is it possible that we could now dream for the future? Do something different?

 Like my mom, we will be at the Board level for some time. 5 boards to be exact. I am learning what that means, but woven into it all? The sky is the limit! So let me gather up my things, and embrace this thing called Transition, it is my friend.