Thank You Summit Internet!

You are about to read multiple, new blog posts I just did. And thanks to the internet at the Summit, it only took me about 15 minutes! Wow! That's how long it would have taken me to do one at home. So, a shout out to the Summit for another blessing you sent my way! We may have to upgrade at home! Enjoy!

My Happy Boy!

Have I ever told you how much I love this little guy?? Oh my word...What a blessing!!=)

The Golden Egg

Today our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt followed by lunch. And guess who found the golden egg??? Yep, Stephen, and he was super excited to get the "big Easter basket" he had been eyeing! Caleb had some fun too! Now, how will I ever get them to share that big ball?=)

Easter Fun!

The other day the boys and I did some fun Easter stuff. We had bunny rabbit jelly pitas for breakfast and later dyed eggs. It was simple fun! I've tried to use the "Resurrection Eggs" we have with the boys, but they play with them all year, and I'm missing several pieces. Plus, the novelty is gone. Maybe I should put them up? Hmmm...think not-I'll leave them out with the nativity that's still in Stephen's room. It's worth thinking about all year!=)

Goodbye Training Wheels!

Today Stephen noticed our neighbor's son outside in the library parking lot riding his bike. Stephen then noticed that Josiah, a few months younger than himself, no longer had training wheels on his bike. His very next words to Jeremy were, "I want to try that." So, they did!

Jeremy took the training wheels off, steadied Stephen for a little while, and then let him go. And to our surprise (and even his own), he did it! Wow! My little boy really is growing up!

50 First Dates...Not Really!

Sung these words at church Saturday night:

"You stay the same through the ages.
Your love never changes.
There may be pain in the night,
But joy comes in the morning.
And when the oceans rage,
I don't have to be afraid.
Because I know that you love me;
Your love never changes.
You make all things work together for my good."

Let me admit that I often struggle with songs like these. I feel like we sing empty words and don't realize what we're really declaring to the Lord. Often I find myself mute, really thinking through the words and discerning if I can sing them with an honest, pure heart. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but it's true.

My "toughest song" has been and still is the "Blessed Be Your Name" one. I can still barely utter the phrase, "You give and take away; my heart will choose to say; Lord, blessed be Your name." Really? If He takes it all away will I really choose to say "Bless the Lord's name."

Some of you are thinking that yes, I'd do this, I did it in 2007 when we had our wreck. And yes, by God's grace I did, but I think in reality I still question what my response would be if it all happened again-if God rocked my world and took away everything I hold dear. I just don't know. I pray He would give me the grace to respond in blessing to Him again but really, who can be sure? I know the right answer, and I can easily sing it in church, but do I really mean it? Really??

Anyways, all of this crazy, blow your mind thinking led me to make a list. Yes, 50 things to be exact, that God did in my life in August 2007 that I can look back on and say, "You make all things work together for my good." I think I've known these things all along, but it was freeing to finally write them all down. And I didn't set out to make most of them "spiritual." Seriously, that just kind of happened.

So, for those of you who are still reading this entirely too long and drawn out blog post, I'll begin my list. And for those of you who make it through all 50, God bless your hearts! This is a lot of stuff:=)

1-Deeper relationship with Christ
2-Saw true miracles
3-Witnessed the power of prayer
4-Realized He's all I need
5-Saw His working in intricate details
6-Understood bigger purposes/big picture
7-Overwhelming peace
8-Forgiving love
9-"Preciousness" of life
10-Each day he's ordained
11-Celebrate!
12-Health is a blessing; don't take it for granted
13-He's always there
14-True joy is found in him
15-We can represent him without a word
16-His word is powerful
17-Every day is ordained
18-Extended family is priceless
19-Sacrificial love
20-Humility
21-Grief process
22-Silence is often best
23-Friendship rocks
24-His strength is perfect
25-Be real
26-Life can stink, but he's faithful
27-Love of church family
28-Patience
29-Our children aren't ours-God has a plan
30-How to laugh (look for it!)
31-Life keeps moving
32-Hurting people are everywhere
33-Money is a tool
34-Letting go
35-Perseverance
36-Look for opportunities to share him
37-Rest
38-Thinking before speaking
39-Always say I love you
40-He provides
41-Music is powerful
42-God knows/sees everything
43-He understands a deeper pain than mine
44-Drs/nurses are called by God and need our prayer
45-Don't take for granted the little things
46-God wants to use our kids now
47-Adoption
48-He sees way down the road
49-Heaven is sweet
50-Quietness of soul

There they are...some of them are so random and could probably use an explanation, but I think you get the point...through one huge, life changing event, God taught me things that could have taken a lifetime. Really? What a blessing in disguise. Is my heart learning to say "You give and take away, Lord, blessed be your name" even as I write this? Hmmm???

Anyways, to reward anyone who labored through this entire post, here are some practical, somewhat embarrassing things I also learned=):

How to use a:
-Sliding board
-Wheelchair
-Walker
-Bed pan
-Portable potty thing
How to load a handicap van (yep, on the little lift thing!)
How to get around with only my left hand, including:
-Drying my hair
-Putting in my contacts
-Eating
-Etc, Etc, Etc
How x-rays, MRI's, etc. work
The different bones and how they can be broken
The way kids' necks and eyes are made
How "fun" physical therapy is (Ha!)...How heavy a can of corn can feel!
How to strap on the "cast protection" bath thingies
How to not take a bath for weeks
How to let others bathe you, wipe you (is that too much info???), etc.
Pretty much, how to be a baby again...totally reliant on others!

And if you'd like, I can demonstrate for you how to move around the room on your butt, using only your left hand for support and not putting any weight on either leg. It's pretty awesome! Ha!

So, there you have it. God really does have a plan...and that plan, no matter how tough, offers us the greatest gift of all, Himself and His love!

A Praying Life

This is another book review that I've been wanting to write. Many of you will probably skip right over this entry, because there are no cutesie pictures of the boys, but that's okay.=) I just wanted to share what I've been learning.

Throughout college, I would have considered myself a "decent pray-er." I kept a prayer journal daily and prayed for others pretty consistently (like there's a way to measure this!). Somewhere in between then and now, life happened. I feel like my prayer life kinda hit a wall.

I can't pinpoint how or when this occurred, but it definitely did. Recently, I'd sit on the exercise bike in the morning and try my best to produce a semi-focused prayer that lasted at least 5 minutes. Soon my mind would drift off, and I'd be overwhelmed with all I needed to get done that day. Sometimes I'd get bored praying over the same things and then feel guilty if I thought I might have forgotten something or someone. My prayer life, to say the least, was nearly non-existent.

A month or so ago, something led me to a study guide I had on my bookshelf about prayer. As I began to work through it, Jeremy brought home A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I decided to work through both, but very soon, Paul Miller's book drew me in, and the study guide was put on hold.

I learned so much from A Praying Life. It was simple yet challenging. Things in my "prayer life" are far from perfect now, but it is back in existence. Here are some of my favorite quotes...Hope you're encouraged:

"Oddly enough, many people struggle to learn how to pray because they are focusing on praying, not on God. In prayer, focusing on the conversation is like trying to drive while looking at the windshield instead of through it."

"Because it is uncomfortable to feel our unbelief, to come face-to-face with our cynicism, we dull our souls with the narcotic of activity."

"Learning to pray doesn't offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart. In the midst of outer busyness, we can develop an inner quiet. Because we are less hectic on the inside, we have a greater capacity to love."

"Don't try to get your prayers right; just tell God where you are and what's on your mind."

"The point of the gospel is that we are incapable of beginning with God and his kingdom. Many Christians pray mechanically for God and his kingdom (for missionaries, the church, and so on), but all the while their lives are wrapped up in their own kingdoms. You can't add God's kingdom as an overlay to your own."

"We look at the inadequacy of our praying and give up, thinking something is wrong with us. God looks at the adequacy of his Son and delights in our sloppy, meandering prayers."

"How would you love someone without prayer?"

"We don't need a praying life because that is our duty. That would wear thin quickly. We need time to be with our Father every day because every day our hearts and the hearts of those around us are overgrown with weeks. We need to reflect on our lives and engage God with the condition of our souls and the souls he has entrusted to our care or put in our paths."

And with that...I must go to bed. There are so many other amazing thoughts in this book. I'm excited and challenged about prayer and it's impact on my life and the lives of those I love!