July 24, 2008

life happened

I know, I know, I promised vacation pictures and deep thinking posts not too long ago.

Life happened.

I'd been on a waiting list to have surgery. The kind of surgery isn't important (or more accurately, I don't want to go there out here on the interweb) but they called on July 1st and said I finally would be able to have it done on July 23rd.

Right smack in the middle of Vacation Bible School at our church. And I was in charge of the Preschool part of the program. Notice I say was, because although I did two days of it this week, my wonderful mom rescued me by doing the other three.

Surgery was successful and I have a long term recovery ahead of me. But at least there is light at the end of the tunnel now.

So I still will get there with the pictures and the posts. But first, let me get these pain meds out of my system. Otherwise, who knows what I will say?! It's taken me two days to get this much written, as it is.

I'll be back soon. :)

July 6, 2008

last tween year

i remember
the awkwardness
of twelve

being big
but little

having my opinions
but not being heard

wanting to play with dolls
but feeling dumb for doing it

my body changing
but not making sense to me

hating the peer pressure
but not knowing how to say no

wanting to be respectful
but my mouth having other ideas

putting outfits together
but not knowing if they really match

playing with makeup
but seeing a clown in the mirror

wanting a best friend
but never knowing who i could trust

trying to be confident
but second guessing my every move

the list goes on and on
and some of them are still true

but mostly
God and i worked it all out

i'm excited to see
how God works it all out for you

my baby girl

happy number twelve

July 3, 2008

braces

a trip to the orthodontist
in preparation for the big day
little rubber bands
jammed between her molars

today her mouth hurts
as the teeth protest the move
and a diet of jello and pudding
is quickly growing old

two weeks and counting
until the big day of braces
she is actually excited
in that unknown kind of way

i took a moment
to look at her smile
being with her dad for the summer
i don't see it much

(well, i don't see it much
anyway
she is almost twelve
after all)

i watched those big teeth
in her small mouth
and thought back to a time
when her teeth were small too

she'll be twelve on sunday
it's so hard for me to believe
she's almost as tall as i am
but in her mind, she's much taller

every year
as the birthdays pass
i wonder just where the time has gone
and how they got to be so big

so yes
she is excited about her braces
i'm sure the novelty will wear off
way too quickly

but for me
those braces symbolize
yet another step forward
another step in growing up

and i wonder just where oh where
my little baby girl has gone
but i look forward to watching
her blossom into a young woman of God

pretty smile and all

July 2, 2008

julio

Meet Julio. He's 5 and from the Dominican Republic. He lives with his mom and dad and one sibling.

He's also the newest member of our family. Well, kinda. We are sponsoring him through Compassion International. I love their motto: Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. How cool is that? By committing to give monthly, we help ensure that Julio will receive medical and dental care, be able to attend school, and be given at least one balanced meal a day. Most importantly, he will be involved in a program that will teach him about Jesus Christ.

For a long time now, I've had it on my heart to sponsor a child. Ever since I was a little girl, I've felt the God-hurt of compassion when I see people suffering. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I want to reach out and put my arms around them and help them know it's going to be okay. The children are what touch me the most. They have no control over their circumstances, nor do their little hearts understand what is happening. Luckily, they are resilient but that doesn't mean it's easy.

I think that if I hadn't got married and had a child so young, I would have ended up in some foreign country loving the daylights out of some kids. That's actually still a dream I have. I hope one day to have the financial resources to be able to go on mission trips.
Right now, it just isn't feasible monetarily but someday. There is no fuller feeling of Christ than loving and working hard in His name. Sometimes God has to take our mistakes and make blessings out of them. And I am blessed for the road I've taken, and I wouldn't trade my daughter for all the love in the world. I'm just saying that I have always felt the pull of these kids.

I hope to make this a family project. It takes you out of your comfort zone to think of another's needs. My kids need that. They forget or don't care about how blessed they are. Unfortunately, they are materialistic. Common for a kid, but worth working on. What better way for them to understand than to show them an actual child who they can pray for and write letters to? Julio's favorite activity is baseball and that will go over well here. I also picked a child close to my son's age so it would make it more real for us.

I'm not saying this is for you. But I do ask that you think about it. We are so incredibly blessed and we could, in turn, pass that blessing on to another family. That's what being a follower of Christ is all about.

 
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