September 25, 2008

the good years

busy week
adjusting
to another little one
three months old

whew
i forgot
how much babies need
but oh, how cute

she'll be spending
the first three days
of the week with me
and half of thursday

so far so good
the boys are in love
and want her to play
unsure why she can't

she was cooing
(oh what a sound!)
and i said she was talking
monkey man wanted to know
why he couldn't understand her
if she was talking and all

very logical
these boys are
and trying to explain
well, it was beyond me

so that's what's going on
around here
little poochy cheeks to kiss
boys that are growing so fast
seventh grade missing assignments
soccer games and cross country practice

and one tired mommy

but these
yes
these are the good years

September 19, 2008

irony

little man
went back to school
today
finally

and he was not happy

neither was baby girl
when she went back
a few days ago

she decided
she wanted to protest
electricity
after it came back on

she organized this protest
in her mind
as she had her hair straightened
by her friend
using an outside plug

she lives in a world of irony
that girl does

but the drama
of the power outage
now drifts into history
at least around here

now it's full steam ahead
into autumn
the leaves that clung so tight
will now freely fall

again
the irony...

September 16, 2008

trapping mice in the dark

the wind storm began
on sunday afternoon
and by evening
more than half of the city
was without power

and this is a big city

stores were closed
schools canceled
gas stations ran out of gas
trees blocked roads
power lines were down

hurricane ike
reared his ugly head
all the way up here
in ohio

i cannot even imagine
what's going on in texas

we went without power
for almost exactly
48 hours
a very long 48 hours

little man wanted
to watch a movie
and after explaining
that electricity
makes the tv work
he wanted to know why
the electricity was still broken
since the wind had stopped blowing

and then he went on
to ask for a movie
five or six or a hundred
more times

it's amazing how much
we rely on technology
in every day life anymore
the kids seemed like
boats set adrift
without tv
video games
and dvd players

opened my eyes for sure

we had some good family time
grilled the meat from the freezer
(we still lost most of it
and all of the frig stuff too)
and just enjoyed each other
by candlelight

and my saving grace
was my favorite game as a kid
baby girl and I rediscovered the game
mouse trap
in the waning daylight
of the first day
with no power

the contraption
as little man called it
was awesome
and hours were spent
trapping those mice

i never knew i'd have so much fun
trapping mice in the dark
but i sure did

September 12, 2008

really real

Sponsoring a child through Compassion International had been on my heart for awhile. There just never seemed to be money in the budget to do it. I'd go through the pages of children on Compassion's website and feel the pinch in my heart that I couldn't help ALL of them, let alone just one. I mean, we were rebounding from having two mortgages for two years and it just wasn't feasible. Or was it?

The entire time we were under the crunch of having both mortgages, we were never late on them. Every time I was at the end of my rope and thought we wouldn't make it, God stepped in. Every single time. Out of nowhere, we'd receive a check from something odd or a reprieve on something that was due. He was faithful. So after much prayerful consideration and discussion, we decided to be faithful to what I thought He wanted us to do. We sponsored a child.

A couple of months ago, I introduced you to Julio. I explained all of the reasons that I felt our family could use this experience, including my kids learning that others didn't have it so lucky. I also wanted to share the God-hurt I feel in my heart for people in need, especially children. I chose a child the same age as my youngest so that it might be easier for him to make a connection. But in all that, I don't think it was really real to them.

Then, last week, we got a letter! Written by his mother, it gave a better picture of who Julio is and what he likes to do. But most of all, as my husband said, it made Julio real. He watches TV, goes to school and plays baseball. Just like my kids do. He has a mommy and a daddy, a sister, and a brother on the way. My kids identify with family. Now that he is real to them, they notice the picture I put on the refrigerator door months ago. They high five the picture as they pass by. And yesterday, my son told me that Julio looks like a little boy on his soccer team. That tells me that Julio is real to him. And that makes me excited!

Because these children are real. Each child has only one sponsor. That person is able to make a real connection with the child and make such an impact on a child's whole life! That is huge. To learn more about what a sponsorship would mean to a child, click here and read about the objectives of the program. It's so much more than just meeting their physical needs. It's helping them become viable members of their society and breaking the chain of poverty. It's about showing them who Jesus Christ is and what He has done and will do for them.

Maybe you are tired of reading about this on my blog. I'm sorry. I just can't think of these little children who have no control over where they were born or whether they have money or not. I can't stand by and let them go. Some of you have said that there are children in our own country that need help, and I agree. But there are programs out there for the children here. Sponsoring a child may be the only hope for some of these children in foreign countries. And some of them have been waiting more than six months for a sponsor. Imagine them looking at the other kids and knowing they have sponsors. It's just too much for me.

If you have reservations about sponsoring, spend some time on the Compassion website or email me. I'd be glad to try to answer your questions. If I can't answer them, I'll get the answer. All I'm asking is that you think about it. Pray about it. Don't do it because I want you to, do it if God says to do it. Because ultimately, we are all real to Him.

If you already sponsor a child, blog about it or leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to pray for all of these kids. And if you choose to sponsor a child, I'd love to know that too! If you can't sponsor a child right now, could I ask you to at least pray for Compassion International and the children waiting for sponsors? Thanks. Getting off my soapbox now...

Oh, and if you feel the need to get on your soapbox every now and then (and who doesn't?), you can sign up to blog for Compassion too. Just click here.

September 11, 2008

won't we always remember?

the morning dawns
sunny and cool
a lot like that morning
seven years ago

blogged about it
two years ago
but the memories remain
no matter how long

still hard to take it in
as hubby watched
newly released footage
from that day

it was awful to hear
the sirens
as heroes rushed
to do the job they loved

so very sad to me
to now know
they would rush in
but few would come out

having been to nyc
twice now
makes the atrocity
all the more real to me

i cannot fathom
that this happened
in the grand ole us of a
land of the free

but it did
and it proved something
the mighty usa
is still the land of the brave

saying lots of prayers
for all those affected that day
and that's pretty much
everyone

be with us today
dear God
and remind us
that good trumps evil
every time
even when we question it
even when it isn't blatant
even when we hurt
You are still there
and You will be glorified
come along side of those who hurt
and give them Your peace
Your everlasting peace
amen.

September 3, 2008

monkey preschool

for years now
i have waited
for those elusive minutes
to myself

today
dropping off one kid
and then another
the anticipation built up

the list of things
i could do
went on and on
but instead i went home

to an empty house

and almost lost it

how many times
in the past few years
have i looked around
and dreamed of this day?

ashamed to admit
that it was lots
and usually the requests
were more like begging prayers

so yes
i was able to breathe
a little easier today
in the silence of a few hours

but it sure was lonely

and all i really wanted to know
was when they could come out
and play again...

 
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