grace and strength

I enjoy reading blogs. Sometimes I end up reading the blogs of complete strangers just by clicking on link to link to link...

That happened tonight. I eventually read of a young mother who died of cancer yesterday. Honestly, I couldn't read the whole thing. It made my heart hurt too much. I clicked it closed, praying as I did that God would give her friends and family the grace they would need for the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.

I started thinking about the weeks and months after my dad died when people would say, "How can you go on? How are you coping?" I didn't really know how I was...I just was. I heard somewhere along the way the notion that God gives us the grace and strength we will need for the stuff that will be in our path, so if the stuff is in someone else's path, we can't figure out how they are coping because God didn't give us the grace and strength for that stuff. That makes sense to me...it helps me when I can't figure out how kids will go on after their mom died of cancer yesterday.

It makes me wonder what grace and strength God is growing in my boys. What will be in their paths? Will they know great joys? deep pain? Will they realize that God has given them the grace and strength they need? I'm counting on it. I know He is faithful. I've seen what He can do. I believe He will carry on the work he has started in these three.

My Sweet Little Cousin Hal

I do so love to take pictures, and I do love my precious little Canon Rebel, and I'm growing to love Photoshop Elements more and more as I make my way through "Photoshop Elements for Dummies" (oh, but I'm NOT kidding!!). All three of these loves are coming together as I've taken some senior photos for friends and family in the last week.

The first of these photos were of my sweet little cousin Hal...

...well, he is sweet, and he's still my cousin Hal, but he's not little anymore. Hal has grown into a very handsome and thoughtful young man. He even found an "oldies" station (you know, REO Speedwagon and all of those other "oldies"!) for me as we were driving from place to place taking photos.

Here are a few of my favorites. To Hal's mama...your jump drive of pictures will be in the mail in the next couple of days...it was my honor to capture your little boy, or, I mean, your young man on film.

3rd Grade

Mrs. Nicholson was my 3rd grade teacher. I wore french braids almost every day. I practiced piano every morning before school. My sweet pretend brother was born that year. We now call him Bubba. Mrs. Nicholson had young daughters. I wanted to be a mama like her when I grew up. We visited my aunt and uncle in Texas that year. It was the first time I'd ever flown on an airplane. I got my name on the board for pulling Jacob Sterenberg's hair. Mrs. Nicholson told him I teased him because I liked him. That made me cry and run to the bathroom. I hid on top of the toilet seat so that no one could find me. I had a red notebook. We kept our notebooks on a shelf at the back of the room. I learned to draw pretty flower vines. I made flower vine drawings for everyone I knew. I don't remember a single friend from that year. I'm fairly certain I had a lot of friends. I gave Mrs. Nicholson a sun tea pitcher for a gift at the end of the year.

Isaac starts 3rd grade tomorrow. Mrs. Nicholson is his 3rd grade teacher. I wonder what things he'll remember about this year when he is 34...

I can hear the school bells ringing...

It's almost time for our little preschooler and 3rd grader to go to school this fall. One of the ways I can tell its coming is that Grammie takes us out to eat and to buy new shoes. Grammie buys the shoes every year, and the sizes just keep getting larger and larger...its astounding!!

No Safer Place

Earlier today I told Tim that I had a strange uneasiness about something but I wasn't sure what it was. As we talked I realized that, although I couldn't put words to it only moments before, I'm feeling uneasy about leaving Simon in Marshall while the rest of the family goes to Mexico. To be honest, it will be nice to have a break from caring for a very fiesty toddler, but it won't feel quite right without him either. Our conversation reminded me of what I wrote in my journal 3 years ago when we were leaving both of the older boys to go to Haiti. I've put it in my blog before, but I thought I'd share it again...

"We’re en route to Haiti as I write. We left Marshall at 10:30 this morning. My heart was heavy, yet hopeful, as I left two of God’s most precious gifts in Marshall. The heaviness came from knowing I will miss them—their smiles, hugs, kisses, orneriness—and they will miss me—my hugs, kisses, my lap, my touch in the middle of the night. The hopefulness came from knowing they will become more like Jesus and I will, too. This is so much more than a mission trip to Haiti for me. It is a statement TO the self in me that is still left MADE BY the Jesus in me that I hope is growing daily. The Jesus in me is saying that I choose to live fearlessly. Nothing is worth more to me than bringing glory to my Father. My comfort, my peace, my safety, and my agenda have no value to me. They have been crucified. Even the comfort and safety of my boys is not more important than walking daily right beside my Savior. I have felt uneasy about going to Haiti from the very first mention of it, and yet, I feel no uneasiness at all because I know my Father and I trust Him. Who else loves me like He does? Who else knows me like He does? Who else loves my boys like He does? I rest in the shelter of His wings. I lay my boys in the shelter of His wings. There is no safer place."
` from Jennifer’s journal, July 2006

It must be summer!!

Since school ended this spring, we've been busy with basketball camp, soccer camp, jr high church camp, baseball games, and who knows what else.  So, this week is the first time it's really felt like summer vacation for us.  The boys know mama's feeling like summer when she breaks out the whale sprinkler and ice cream on the porch.  There's just nothing like it...

 
 

Having a Great Week at Jr High Camp...