Others Minded

Our youth group, Starbound, raised $400 to spend in the Harvest of Hope catalog for Christmas. Isn't it so important to not only consider the others in our families, but also the others around the world in GREAT need? I think it helps us more than it helps them. For we get truly lost in our surplus and busy-ness. I found it encouraging to see so many of the kids engaging in the fundraising, but ultimately and hopefully in the very heart of God.

Micah 6:8 (New Living Translation)

8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.

After all, all we have is His, isn't it? I'm looking forward to picking out a gift on this Christmas day with my family in hopes that our hearts will expand and mature as we become more others-minded. Take a look at the catalog. Click on the link below. Maybe there is something for you there too?

Harvest of Hope - Partners International - Browse the Catalog

Happy Christmas

I found this video on the 24/7 prayer website. It's a bit quirky, which makes me love it all the more! It so represents the Christian life to me and, thus, a tribute to the power of Christmas. Hope it encourages you!

A Precious Piece of Mail

Today I opened up a precious piece of mail. Pictures of the little guy we sponsor in Guatemala. I reviewed his birthday remembering he was born in 2000 and I felt like he was one of MY kids. "He would be between Audrey and Lily," I thought. It's a small thing. Actually, it should be a bigger thing. We should pray more, write more. It's not a guilt thing. I love this boy, we are committed to him. But our rush of busy-ness too often impairs our outpouring of that love.

Then I read Ann Voskamp's blog who just happens to be in Guatemala right now visiting with Compassion. And she writes about this...piercing my soul with her words:

"How our lives full of cluttered ease, muffle out the songs. That when we go to the places that strip life back to its barest essence -- of courage and love and raw, unmasked pain -- our hearts feel again, beat again, hear again the haunting music of a beautiful, bleeding humanity.

Maybe it's this: God hides with the poor and in the pain and we can only witness Him at His most beautifully creative work in the places needing redemption.

Maybe we are only at our most beautiful work in the same places too --- the places where we don't hide behind the distractions of stuff, where we finally empty our hands of all our possessions and idols and come to God empty and ready. The places where we can make art with tears.

Where the notes can finally soar in the space.

No one tells you that wealth numbs you to life and consumerism callouses your soul to the sacred.

Or maybe Someone did: “"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:25 NIV)

(For her full post go to: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2010/09/whats-really-muffling-out-music-of-our.html)

Oddly Contagious

We spent a few days at a B&B in Manheim, PA with incredible hospitality and amazing property. In addition to their nightly firefly display and charming animals they had a creek. Well now, "a creek," you say? Yes...with good ol' fashioned crawdads, salamanders and leeches. The kind I remember growing up with. Lily spent lots of time down there and even made her own makeshift fishing pole with a stick, string and a paper clip. With this she impaled slugs and worms to bait the crawfish and minnows. After catching her first few, her sisters were lured in. My city girls all caught their own crawdad and put them in cups for observation! I loved it. Made me happy. :)

Just Plain Silliness

So, Caramel the moth died in captivity. Lily was sad and wanted to bury him. Then she had bug mac and cheese in remembrance of him. There was always a smile lingering on her lips of sadness though... as if she knew how just plain silly it all was! And here am I documenting it! Am I derranged? Maybe. But I find my kid's sense of humor to be such a source of joy in my life. Even when it's connected to a death!

CLEAN Water...

Lily did a speech on poverty for her public speaking class recently. What seemed to get her attention the most was that SO many people do not have clean water to drink. In fact, SO many die every day because of the lack of something so basic. Wow. This clip says it in an amazing way. Please watch!

Solidarités International: Water talks from La Boite Concept on Vimeo.

To celebrate Lily's success, I sponsored her in her desire to buy a water filter for a family in Asia who needed clean water (through GFA). A perfect start to the end of her project...

Mint Becomes Caramel

We are not totally sure it's the same creature, but the morning we found Mint's cocoon empty we found this pretty moth hanging out by our window. So, Mint became Caramel. Not the Julia butterfly Lily was hoping for, but she still thinks he's beautiful!

Birthday Fun

Lily turned 8 last Wednesday and we had a wonderful family celebration. Just us. Lily designed the cake and we all decorated it together.

Mint the Calapiddar

Chris found this caterpillar climbing on our island next to a bouquet of flowers and it quickly became Lily's favored friend. She made a home for it, named it, played with it, fed it well (with too many of my geranium leaves...my plants now look sad) and watched it's changes. I just couldn't correct her lovely way of saying it...calapiddar.

Homeschooling and Play

One of the things I love about schooling at home is the never-ending opportunity for creativity. It often starts with something we learned, but to be honest it's opportunity lies even more in the moments when Mom is distracted. This particular day I had a lot on my plate and could not, for the life of me, stay on task with my daughter (now who needs instruction?!). This is what I found her doing...

Crazy?!!

For Alex's 13th we had a sleepover with 17 girls. Yes, SEVENTEEN! Are we crazy?!! Yeah, maybe. But it went well. All teenagers were bundles of fun, energy and general sweetness. AND they all got about 5 hours of sleep. Amazing in my book.








The girls did "blind" make-overs! Some pretty hilarious results!


Just a little not-so-subliminal message to help keep our hearts and mouths in check. :)

A Date with Dad

This does a mother's heart good! And it's so good for a daughter's and a father's heart as well. She knows she is treasured and beautiful, he knows he has loved well. And I know she has a taste of the honor and respect she should expect from (and give to) a man. In our imperfect family, God is here...calling us to lay down ourselves and follow Him.

Christmas Fun

We had lots of fun in the kitchen this Christmas! We did our usual gingerbread house too, no pics yet.




Our good friend, Tamara, spent the day with us making fudge, decorating the fabulous chocolate Christmas trees my sister sent, and making Christmas cards for prisoners. Thanks for a such a special day, Tamara! :)

God Shows Up

I have SO much to be thankful for and yet I have found that my "Thousand Gifts" are taking longer to count than anticipated. Can I have an extension? :)

This last month was unexpected, in many ways. Dear friends of ours lost their little 5 1/2 year old girl, Bailey, the morning after Christmas. It was unexpected and a shock. I guess death is always a shock, but this was not anticipated. And it's just not what we were meant for...originally. It feels so...wrong.

And yet, I find myself thankful for so many things, on their behalf even. I'm thankful for the way I saw God's people gather around them in love, comfort and support. I'm thankful for the hope of heaven and the resurrection that I saw them cling to. I'm thankful for a God who set a steady stream of passages throughout the Bible to steady our feet when faced with such loss. I'm thankful that when the bottom drops out from under us and what we believe is tested, God shows up. And He shows us Himself. But not to everyone all the time. Why?

Here's some thoughts: John 14:21 says, " He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." Do we reduce this to: if we obey Him, then He will love us? What ARE His commandments? Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-40 " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Do you want to know Him in all circumstances? The good, the bad, the terrible? Then, LOVE HIM...with ALL your heart. Believe what He says about Himself...isn't that love, believing the best of someone? Don't give up on Him! He can take your anger and confusion, or whatever it may be. Be honest with Him! If you love Him with all your heart, he will disclose Himself to you.