A Place in Heaven

Drew has spent several months praying for so many during his bedtime prayers. Most of those for whom he has been praying were/are afflicted with cancer. He has been so faithful, on his own, to remember each one, every night. In November, we explained how one of those friends he was praying for had graduated to Heaven. It was the first experience we had with trying to explain this in relation to someone he knew, to help his four-year-old brain conceptualize our/his friend dying on earth and living in Heaven with Jesus forever.

In the last week, we lost another friend to cancer. However, once again, we are comforted by her being in the presence of her King. However, it was once again time to attempt explaining to Drew. With one discussion like this under our belt in recent history, we tried to be a little more specific with our explanation. It seemed that perhaps that helped a little.

Fast forward to last night, when it was once again time for bedtime prayers. When listing all the names he was going to remember in his prayers, he asked if he could pray for the two friends mentioned above. We affirmed his desire to do that; however, we reminded him that it is the families of those two friends who need our prayers now and that our friends are in heaven, so they have been healed completely. He was in need of further explanation, so we reviewed the concept of them not being on earth anymore and our not seeing them again until we are in Heaven.

Then came the statement that melted my heart, and my tears fell: "Daddy, is cancer a place in Heaven?"

Oh, sweet precious Andrew. It is so hard to explain these things... these are not things that are easy for Daddy and Mommy to know the words that are perfect. It is so important that we share all these things with you, even when we know the news will hurt and cause your heart to be sad for a little while.

My tears, my melted heart... they were a result of his strong desire to think, to consider, all the things being discussed... his attempt at grasping two very abstract concepts... his desire to understand why it was their time to go to Heaven.

In the meantime, just a reminder that we are so grateful for what each of these two special ladies was to our family over the years, and that we are thankful for the years the Lord did give them on this Earth... our lives, including the lives of our children, have been enriched because of them.

What to Do with Christmas Photo Cards...

... once Christmas is long gone?

You want to keep them for the keepsakes they are, but where do you keep them so that you will eventually revisit them?

This idea was adapted from another mom who shared what she did with hers a few years ago. She keeps the photos and includes them in her weekly planning calendar that hangs on her family's refrigerator. Her family then spends that week praying for the family whose photo appears.

I don't use a weekly calendar method, nor do I have my calendar on my refrigerator. Instead, I cut out the photos, tape/glue them to card stock, write the family name under the photo, and thread them on to two binder rings. We flip to the next card each day. They hang on my calendar, right near my desk, where we all see the family for that day. The idea is that we individually, and corporately, pray for that family as much as possible in our prayer times that day. Now, some days go by, and I (or we) haven't been as faithful as originally intended. Then, we just leave that family up for another day, so that we are sure they have a full day during which their family is covered in prayer. Once Christmas is over, I look forward to making many more beautiful additions.

Enjoying the Gulf

We are, quite literally, soaking up the beach as much as possible right now. I even made one trip the other evening by myself with both boys (something I would not even consider under normal circumstances!). I grew up in Southwest Florida, and have lived here my whole life. Dave has always lived on the coast, also - part of his life on the east coast, the rest on the west. We have both always had the wonderful gift of the beach. All the memories, the fun, the experiences... it was such a large part Dave's childhood, and mine. It saddens us to think it could be taken away from us. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it breaks our hearts to consider the possibility our children may not have the blessing of the beach for any portion of their childhood. We are praying against any harm from the oil spill in the Northern Gulf, but we are most definitely taking advantage while we can, just in case we can't in the near future. And, we ARE enjoying every second of it!

The Old Man...

I can feel it as he moves... a slow, persistent saunter, without trepidation... it is the 'old man' trying to creep back up within me. He cloaks his intentions with rationality and relativism. He whispers mottos of self-preservation and expects me to join the cause.

As I prepare to embark on the journey of life with two children, more specifically, having another newborn in the house, I am, ashamedly, traversing ever so closely to that fruitless road of selfishness.

A little history
I was the poster child for selfish the first few months of Andrew's life in our home. I acted, and re-acted with the attitude that I was the one who had done so much, given so much, lost so much (sleep, of myself, normalcy, etc.). I was not as giving to my husband as I had previously thought I would have been during such times. I did not attempt to do anything special for him; I expected everything to be done on my terms. The Lord used that time in my life to illustrate in the most tangible way for me at the time my true nature and my need for His power to work through me.

Back to the present
As you think of me or my family in the weeks leading up to, including, and following baby boy's birth, would you please pray for my heart and my attitude? Along with all the normal prayers (which are all very welcome and very important) for the preparation, birth, recovery, etc., would you please pray that I not be tempted by that crooked 'old man' who wants to get his way again? The Lord has used my initial journey into motherhood to show me what selfish is. I want to 'pass the test' this time, and I want to model love, patience, understanding and peace to my family during this beautiful time of transition in our lives.

My Sister is Expecting!

For those of you who have not heard, my little sister, Jaime, is pregnant! She is due in mid-February, and we are so happy for her and Gary. I would appreciate (as would they) your prayers for her and little baby during this time. In a few weeks, they should find out if they are having a boy or a girl.

I don't have eloquent words or smart phrases to make this post sound either way. I am just summarizing to say that God is at work, and so clearly in ways that we, or others, may not choose. I am, however, choosing to recognize the situations as the inroads in which the Lord is creating a path that will more closely connect me with His Son, Jesus. In it, I will choose to allow His refining process and to be grateful for it. The testimonies of several families, whose burdens are so very great and heavy, are an inspiration to me of how to reflect the glory of God.

Miracles

My prayer life lately has taken a turn for the intense, bold petitioning kind- the kind that doesn't let up, that brings you to the throne of God and His grace to intercede for the situations of those placed on my heart. As I have been pursuing in prayer, pleading with God, for miracles in these situations, I am reminded of two very true miracles performed in the life of my family in the last few months. I don't call them miracles for dramatic effect; instead, there is no doubt that but for His grace, protection and sovereign hand, each situation would have had a dramatically different outcome.

One was in late February of this year. We hadn't made our news of being pregnant public yet. I think I was between 9 and 10 weeks, and over the weekend it appeared I had miscarried. I don't really know how to describe how we felt, so I won't try. Let's just say it was a terribly long weekend, and it seemed as we were going to the doctor on Monday merely as a formality. We expected, and believed, the worst. However, during our ultrasound, there was baby, heart beating as strongly as ever! Only the Lord could have done that... there is no other explanation for how everything occurred. While overcome with unspeakable joy, thankfulness, happy tears, and a myriad of other emotions, we suddenly realized, once again, how personal our Lord is. He chose to touch our lives in a moment where He saw the need and knew the outcome. He met us in our moment of despair and reminded us of His hand.

The second was just about a week and a half ago. Dave was at work on a Friday morning, and Drew and I were at home getting things ready to go grocery shopping. The phone rings- it's Dave, he says he's hurt and that Rodney will talk to me. Rodney tells me what happened and I am frantically racing to get Drew in the car, get out the door with everything Drew needs and I need, not knowing what to expect. I meet up with Jennifer to take Drew for me because I don't know how badly Dave is hurt and how long I will have him at the doctor's or the hospital. While moving some furniture, Dave caught his finger and got a small cut. He was standing in the kitchen, rinsing it off, and he passed out. He fell straight back, like a tree, according to his co-workers, and his head bounced off the tile floor twice. He woke up pale, sweating, and in pain, with his co-workers trying to get his attention. After a long afternoon at the hospital, the ER doctor was very surprised to report that Dave had NO fracture in his skull and no other trauma to his brain. She gave him a clean bill of health, that she stated more than once was quite unusual for such a fall. We know that the Lord protected Dave's head. There is no other way the outcome would have been the same. Of course, the more I think about this event, the more it frightens me, but that is not of the Lord. There are SO many ways it could have been much worse, but, praise the Lord it was not and my husband is healthy and whole. It was a miracle for our whole family, but I consider the part personal to me was God, once again, meeting me in my moment of despair, not knowing how I would find my sweet husband once I got to him.

It is in the moments of reflection on these two fairly recent events in my life that I can approach our Heavenly Father with the burdens of those whom He has placed on my heart, and confidently say I know ALL things are possible with Him. He commands our destiny, and there is nothing in the lives of these dear ones that can take them from His hold. As the old Rich Mullins song says: In this world we will have struggles, but He gives us His peace, so that where He is, there we may also be.

I don't know if you are struggling with something in which it appears there is no hope, or there is only despair, but be encouraged that the Lord IS with you. He will never leave you, and He holds you in the palm of His hand. Miracles do happen!

There Goes the Neighborhood!

What is that pulling into the drive? Is it... could it be?


No, surely its not... I thought the Beverly Hillbillies were lost somewhere in California...


Oh, now I see... its Drew's new playground!


I wish you could have seen us rolling along at 35 - 40 mph all the way home from Northwest Cape Coral on Sunday. We saw people giving us the funniest looks. It was so entertaining to watch as everyone's heads turned while we went by.

A very sweet family was going to throw this playground out, and at the last minute, decided to list it for free. We called right away and made arrangements to go pick it up the next day. We are so thankful for their giving hearts, and for the husband helping Dave load everything. I obviously would have been no help in that regard.

Before we knew it's exact size, and before we planned how we were going to get it all home, a sweet family at church was discussing the weekend with us after Saturday night service. Once we told them what we would be doing on Sunday, they realized we would need a trailer (before we did- Dave hadn't even seen the pictures of the thing yet). They graciously offered their trailer to us to use. We are so thankful for their willingness to help.

Having a playground in our backyard has been something we have wrestled with for some time. We kept going back and forth between whether it was really a need or a want just because we are parents who wanted to give something to their child. We have prayed for over 5 months about what we would do; we were not willing to step out of our budget to buy something just because we wanted Drew to have it. We kept praying and waiting; we had seen a few free ones listed before, but called too late. When I had called about this one, it had only been listed for 10 minutes. All our thanks goes to God for His provision, even in something as 'small' as a playground for Drew and, one day, his little brother.

Mighty Prevailing Prayer

Anyone reading, or read, the book by Wesley Deuwel: Mighty Prevailing Prayer? Your thoughts, please.

Here we go...

Satan's little minions are attacking the physical well-being of each of us today. David feels like he is coming down with something (hopefully he won't). I am fighting off an infection as we speak. And Drew... he has had a runny nose since yesterday, and I pray it clears up soon, for his sake. There is no such thing as a 'cold' with him because of his asthma. It always means lots of rescue meds, including one particular steroid that I passionately dislike. Then, to top it off, sweet boy was messing around on the couch tonight, fell off backwards, and hit his head on the edge of the coffee table on the way down. Nice little knot on the back of the head, but otherwise seems to be okay. However, close observation by Dave and me will continue through the night. We are praying for strong immune systems and if sickness has to occur, praying that it will end before the weekend. We have lots of important things to do as a family in the coming week!