Family

This has been a strange week. Many events and conversations have centered around the same theme. Life is short; family is the most important thing in life. God has reminded me to build new relationships, value and maintian the pre-existing bonds, and to pray for the opportunity to reach out to new people. I was reminded of the importance of family (biological and adopted).
Around midnight Friday I settled down in my chair to check my email one more time before going to bed. The house was quiet. Everyone was in bed. I was happy to have the time to unwind. To my horror, I discovered an email about a dear friend, Alli Walker. Many of you know that she fell from the second story of her home. God was there. He protected her. She has two hair line fractures on her skull and a broken rib. She is healing wonderfully! God is good, all the time. Her parents are a testiment of people who are sold out to Christ. Their faith has not faltered. They continously thank God for the good in the situation. They praise Him for not allowing the situation to be more serious than what it is. Please pray for Alli, Hannah, Becca, Emily, Joshua, and Tammy. I thank God for bringing such an awesome family into mine and my family's life. Karoline loves Alli. They have become like sisters. Their family has made our transition to Greenwood much easier. Karoline has never had a friend like Alli. I pray that they will have a lifelong friendship.
God has also blessed our lives with wonderful neighbors. Since our parents are five hours away, we needed an older Christian couple to be a daily, Godly example. We need that accountability. We have adopted Mr.John and Ms.Joyce. I feel so safe knowing that they are next door. Every Sunday and Wednesday, I know that they will leave to enter our Father's house. They display the fruit of the Spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness." Gal. 5:22
On Friday afternoon, my mom, dad, and neice drove up from Georgia. We had the best visit ever. I hated to see them go on Sunday. It was nice to be around them. People who know you so well, and still love you. After being Christains for so long, my parents are still growing in Christ. They are passionate about Him and about each other. They have been married for over twenty years, and are still madly in love. They have such an awesome relationship, and I know that it comes from putting God first.
I'm so happy to hear that my brother and sister are growing stronger in their walk with God. They have such a sweet family, Russ just turned one this past week. Praise God for him. Sarah Francis is a mirror image of her mommy. She sounds and looks just like her. I loved getting to spend time with her. Karoline, Louis, and Sarah Francis had the best weekend. They played hard. The highlight of the weekend was when Sarah Francis picked up the devotional and wanted to read. Alison and Michael are raising their children in a safe home where Christ is the center.
Karoline will turn three this Tuesday. Praise God for blessing our family with such a special little girl. She keeps us laughing. She is so beautiful. She loves life. She is learning so quickly. It's hard to believe that she is going to be three already.
I thank God for Louis. He has a tender heart. He loves other people, and puts them first. He is learning Bible verses, and tucking them away in his little heart. He is going to do great things in the name of Lord. We pray that Karoline and Louis will come to know Jesus very soon. Also, we pray that they will serve God for the rest of their lives.
Most importantly, I thank God for adopting me. I have sinned so many times. I thank God for His grace. I thank God for introducing people in my life to encourage and teach me. I pray that I will display fruits. I pray that people can see my joy, and want the same thing. I pray that my family will be set apart from this world.

Slipping Sands

A little afraid of the sand,
tiptoeing, reaching up, and crying for help.
Unsure of her steps,
confused by the color and texture,
wanting the familiar.
She misses out on the castles.

Celebrating the dirt,
Running, taking off his shoes, burying his toes,
releasing giggles of delight, and trying to expereince it all.
Underneath his hat, he glows.
Making new friends and castles that only last a momment.

Clinging on my hip.
Afraid of the waves, the salt, the sound and the size.
She buries her small face in my arm,
as I introduce her to the sea.
Longing for the grass and her shoes,
We head toward the boardwalk.

Unwilling to hold my hand,
he jumps waves and explores the water for sea life.
Wanting to see what lies beyond where I stand,
he is always slipping farther away.
He sees no danger.

I hold tight to their hands,
wanting to slow them down.
Afraid of the world out there,
not willing to let them go,
I long to keep them safe,
Wanting to savor their childhood,
I lead them to safety.

Summer's End

Wow! Summer has gone by so quickly. We are tired, but excited about the beginning of a new school year. I have so many things on my mind. I find it difficult to sleep. It amazes me how the first day of school still makes me nervous. After twenty three years of first days, I'm still excited about all the new year has to offer. Last year was wonderful. God blessed me through 20 wonderful 3 year-olds. I cannot wait to meet my new friends. I know that God has great things instore.
My prayer is that God will grant me the wisdom to say just the right things. My goal is to spend each day smiling. I pray that I will will be an encouragement to my collegues and my students. I pray that seeds are planted. Also, I pray that I'm a good witness to the children and parents.

Karoline and Louis have grown so much over the past year. I am amazed by how quickly they learn and grow. The picture on the bottom was taken last September. The picture on the top was taken last month. I praise God for watching over them. He is so good!

Be Still

It seems like we are always going somewhere. I'm recovering from a stomach virus. The most difficult part of the virus was being still. It was agonizing watching my husband cleaning and fixing meals for the children. I felt guilty. The first line of verse Psalm 47:10 is posted on a sign next to our backdoor. On the way out to work or school, I often pause to read it. "Be still, and know that I am God". I get so caught up in rushing from one event to the next, that I often forget to rest. I have always had a hard time relaxing. When the children were babies, I cleaned while they slept. My wise mother told me to sleep while they slept, but I thought that I had too much to do. So, I often found myself exhausted. Sadly, I'm often too busy doing trivial things than to stop and spend quality time with my Father. I try so hard to do things on my own; it is difficult to wait on God's timing.

There is more to the verse than "Be Still". The remainder of the verse reads "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." If I don't praise Him, someone else will. How sad! I should never lose an opportunity to Praise His Wonderful name. He has taken such good care of us, and forgiven me of so many mistakes. He has never left me. You have reason to praise Him, too. If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, I pray that you will. He will forgive you, now. You do not have to get your life right first. If you try to get your life right on your own, you will never successed. He loves you and wants to forgive you.