Archive for the ‘Hope’ Tag
July 17…a reminder from Ecclesiastes
The author of Ecclesiastes in the bible tells us:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance…
Well July 17 was like that in our home.
At 9:00 am we took our faithful family dog to the vet for s checkup and a bath.
We heard she was suffering from cancer and should be humanely put to sleep.
At 1:00 pm five of us said our goodbyes to our pet of 12 years.
At 4 we decided we needed a new puppy to turn our mourning into dancing.
At 6 pm Zoie came into our lives.
Zooey was scheduled to be put to death because she was an orphan and there are too many unwanted puppies in the world.
Being in the business of rescuing people we may as well add puppies to that list.
What a emotional roller coaster ride or maybe it was more like finding hope in the midst of calamity.
The truth about Twelve
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: God, Children, Grace, Hope, Be the change
Leave a Comment Twelve is nine weeks now and a joy to all of our lives.
She will undergo open heart surgery in just 28 days.
I spend a lot of time just rocking her.
Six asked me if I ever got bored doing that.
Sounding a lot like Seven I said, “what…showing her God’s love?”
Maybe Seven is rubbing off.
At another time in my life I probably would not have had the time to spare for her…too many meaningless meetings to attend and so-called important memos to write.
But the truth is three other families considered taking her into their home and then turned her down.
Too much work?
Too much risk?
A ship is safe in harbor – but that’s not what ships are for.
God is in the business of saving lives.
We are in the business of helping God save lives.
But here’s the question…arr we saving Twelve…or is she saving us?
From selfishness?
From not caring?
From a wonderful to show the world the love God has shown us?
To be that conduit of God’s love?
Yes…yes…yes…
So long 71
Yep…71 went bye bye.
He spent about five weeks with us and now he is back with his mommy.
Funny, in my new reality, I think I’ll remember him more than most.
Not because he screamed for about three hours every day…but because I was the primary care giver for this one.
71 may be one of the lucky ones.
He went home to mom.
Many did not.
Like all the others we prayed that he would come to know Jesus one day and that he would bring glory to God through his circumstances.
Now we’re waiting for #72.
Bringing work home
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: Be the change, Blessings, Boot Camp for the Real World, Children, God, Hope, Thanksgiving
Leave a Comment She’s at it again…bringing her work home.
I’m talking about Mom and the child she brought home from work yesterday.
A child in need with lots of issues.
A boy.
Is he #12?
Didn’t we retire that number?
Is he 13?
Do we assign a jersey if we’re not sure how long he is staying?
Do we call him #71 for the number who have passed through our family…sounds like food going through the digestive process…not a bad analysis…we need to process…digest the newcomer.
Here’s what blows me down, Popeye…he has some serious issues…not to mention 12 toes and 12 fingers…or that he barfs every time he eats…we are not phased by this.
I think we are amazing…I’m so proud of my family…Lucy taught us to have compassion for those less fortunate…the least of our brothers and sisters.
Our children have love to spare for those that are otherwise unlovable.
Well blow me down!
God has given them…given us the gift of compassion…a priceless gift…we REALLY are being conformed to the character of Christ!
How can you say this without sounding proud?
I don’t want to…I’m mostly surprised…I feel like the caterpillar that all of a sudden notices he’s grown wings.
What am I trying to say?
I think I am realizing that caring for Lucy changes us all…for the better…eternally speaking.
It gave us all hearts…hearts for those in need.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me about this. I need to ponder this some more.
Seeds of hope
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Be the change, Blessings, Children, Hope, Thanksgiving, Together Time
Leave a Comment Our church is in the process of sending seeds to start gardens for half a million starving families in
Zimbabwe, Africa.
It is based on the principle, “give a man a carrot and you feed him for a day…give him a pack of seed and you feed him for life.”
I’m glad God lead us to a church that does more than entertain Christians.
It puts feet to the Gospel.
We all know that faith without works is dead.
There’s another benefit…it instills the Gospel in our children.
I helped pack seeds with Five, Eight and Nine.
It was a memorable event.
We have so much and others have so little.
It is our hope that our precious children will recognize the difference and be compelled to do something about it.
So the seeds we packed bring hope to the hungry…they also bring hope to the not-so-hungry…food-wise anyway.
I hope we can instill a Christian world view in our children.
That’s hope for the future
Working in the new reality
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Be the change, Hope
Leave a Comment Now this is more like it.
Why didn’t I work like this years ago?
Sunny day.
Warm breeze.
Slow walk…slower dog…slower child (Eleven).
Making phone calls…texting…reading and sending email.
Doing business…making plans…enjoying life.
Hey, sometimes you can have your cake and eat it…you just need to recognize the cake when you see it.
Lucy is still the baby of the family
Filed under: Memories, Reflection | Tags: Be the change, Big Family, Hope
Leave a Comment Eleven is irate!
Ten referred to her as the “baby of the family”!
Eleven only heard the word “baby” which is a fighting word when you are under six years of age!
When it was explained that the youngest member of the family was lovingly referred to as the baby of the family she shouted, “Lucy is the baby of the family not me!”
So, in a sense..in a very real and eternal sense…especially in Eleven’s mind and all of our hearts…Lucy is the baby of the family…at least for now.
Once again, Eleven has taught us a lesson…while Lucy is not in our presence…she can be as alive in our hearts and minds as we we want her to be.
May it be that way for all of us!
Spring training
Spring is officially 17 days away.
The weatherman says we’ll be enjoying sunshine and 40 degree days the rest of this week.
I walked three miles today…the first time in a couple of months.
It felt great.
I declare spring training is officially open.
We have races to prepare for.
And thankfully, I haven’t been able to appreciate every day of pre-spring and spring since I was a little kid.
Peeking into the future
Filed under: God, Memories, Reflection | Tags: Blessings, Children, God, Hope, Legacy, Love
Comments (1) The Daddy-Daughter dance finally arrived.
My date (Nine) looked beautiful.
Counting the minutes til we departed she asked me every few minutes, “is it time yet?”
We were one of the first couples to arrive….check in…coat check…photo session…dinner then dancing.
We danced every dance…I should say she danced every dance.
Every time there was a chain dance with all the little girls forming a line snaking through the dance floor she excused herself to join the line.
Next dance there she was holding out her hand for me to dance with her.
Fast dances…slow dances…she was my partner.
Not like the other girls who avoided their fathers all night…my partner was the perfect date.
And in those moments I had a glimpse into the future…at the amazing young woman who was stirring inside her…beautiful both inside and out.
This was so much more than a father-daughter event…it was the unwrapping of a layer of childhood that will never be a part of her again…and a peek at the woman wrapped inside…who will one day bloom and blossom as a spectacular work of beauty, charm and grace.
How blessed am I that I can be the one peeling back this layer.
How blessed am I than I’ve had this privilege before.
How blessed am I that I have the honor of not just unwrapping God’s precious gift to us but to help shape the emerging woman inside.
We know the that the pattern for her future husband molded by a young girl’s relationship with her father.
What an awesome responsibility…one that I can only venture into with daily prayer and guidance from God…for she belongs to Him and my role is that of steward of His precious possessions.
I danced every dance with her that night but I know there will come a day when the other man of her dreams will tap me on the shoulder and ask for the next dance.
I know God has already selected him…that he will walk with God and will love and cherish her almost as much as I do and just a little less than God does.
Thank you for this night…thank you for this child-woman-to-become…thank you for the responsibility.
I pray that I may live lone enough to love her children.
I am truly blessed.
Living by God’s surprises?
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: Blessings, Children, Hope
Leave a Comment How do we know how we think or feel about things?
For me, I’ve learned that expressing myself in places like this, is one way I can know what is in my head.
I guess another way is to listen to myself.
Last night we attended a wedding and connected with some old friends we hadn’t seen in almost a year.
He asked me how we were doing, referring to the Spring of our discontent.
I said God was blessing our lives in amazing ways.
Did that come out of my mouth?
I said we were so much better off than we were a year ago…Holy Cow!
I said I wouldn’t trade the experience of the past year for anything.
And you know…I’m right!
There have been times in the past year when I may not have felt that way…there will probably be days like that in the future…but overall what I said is true for my mindset.
I guess you would call what I just described as surprised by God…surprised…to realize that my life has been transformed through trials. James 1:2-4 is true!
James 1:2-4: “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
