The Precious Princess

Here she is ... Miss J4! My one and only little girl.

J4 is all sugar and spice. She has definite flair for dressing. Feathered boas, crowns, butterfly wings, ribboned hats and sequined Mardi Gras masks are among of her favorite accessories. She loves having her nails painted, and thinks that you aren't fully dressed unless you have on at least one piece of jewelry.



J4 has an active imagination. She loves to act like a ballerina or a cheerleader. She often pretends to be a mommy or a babysitter with her baby dolls. And if you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she will probably answer a fairy or a Care Bear.

I love my wonderful and amazing boys, but I am so glad that I also get to be the mommy of my precious little girl.

Big, Brave Boy

Why would this picture of my sweet J7 drinking water from the garden hose remind me of bravery? It would be because it took great courage for him to put his face near the water to sip of its coolness.

J7 has Asperger's syndrome. Children with this condition often lag behind in motor skills (both gross and fine), and frequently have sensory issues such as feeling overwhelmed by conditions that the rest of the world would sense as normal. Often, J7 wants to do something, but it is harder for him than it is for most other kids his age. And yet, time and time again he is willing to leap out of his comfort zone and do the very thing that brings him fear or discomfort.




This past year, J7 has done many surprising things. He learned to ride his two-wheeler. He overcame fear of bouncing balls to play on a basketball team. He took swimming lessons despite a major aversion to water. And, perhaps his biggest accomplishment of all, he rode down the zip line at the house of a family friend.

I cannot think of a braver soul than my oldest son.

Mr. Charming

This is my middle child (N6). He's been charming me with his dimples since he was about 10 seconds old. Now he is charming me all over again with his new snaggle-toothed grin. Of course, those gorgeous baby blues only pour on the extra charm! (I try not to be partial, but I do think he is one handsome kid.)




N6 has an infectious laugh and a fun (if not sometimes wacky) sense of humor. He is wildly dramatic at times and quick-witted for such a young guy. But my favorite thing about N6 is that he is simply the best encourager around.

Inspiring ENOUGH quotes

These are a couple of quotes I've come across this year as I've contemplated always having ENOUGH in God.


In essence, there is only one thing God asks of us- that we be men and women of prayer, people who live close to God, people for whom God is everything and for whom God is enough. – The Ragamuffin Gospel



All of You is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. You satisfy me with Your love.  And all I have in you is more than enough. –Chris Tomlin

Friendships

One of the things that I've felt was lacking in my life over the past year was a friend in close proximity. Thanks to the wandering military lifestyle that my family lived over the past 6 1/2 years, I've got many close friends. Unfortunately, they are spread out all over this great nation.

For the past several months I'd been discussing with the Lord on a regular basis about my lack of nearby friends. I couldn't fathom how He (the Lord of all creation and the inventor of friendships) was going to solve my problem. There just didn't seem to be anyone around to fill the position. It's isn't just everyday that new folks move into a farming community with a population of just over 500 that is located 45 miles from the nearest Walmart. I may have even told God that I didn't see any viable solutions to my situation.

And then, God in his goodness, began to show me what my eyes were failing to see. I was, in fact, already surrounded by friends.

my former fourth grade teacher
an elderly prayer warrior from church
a co-worker twenty years my senior
the 80 year old Southern bell who lives next door and regularly invites me over for tea
the church choir director
the librarian

I was so busy looking for another 30-something year old mom that I nearly missed all of the wonderful nearby friends that were loving me all along!

But my gracious heavenly Father wasn't through yet. He placed new friendships before me too ... the pastor's wife who loves to scrapbook just like me, and a coal black Christmas puppy who spends her evenings curled up at my feet making me feel more than loved. Yes, even in tiny towns where no one ever moves, God can bring new friendships. I'm glad He does because I think friendships are one of his finest creations.

God is so good. He sees to it that my cup always runs over with His blessings.

Enough

Enough is my word for 2008.

So often I feel like I don't have ENOUGH of anything. There's not enough time or enough money. I don't have enough energy or enough patience. Perhaps I won't have enough ability to do my job well, or what if I don't have enough within me to be able to manage my kids, my job and my home well. It seems I always feel like I don't have ENOUGH of something.

And yet, the Bible teaches me that in Christ alone I will always have MORE THAN ENOUGH.

The definition that my dictionary gives for enough is "equal to meet the needs." How many times in the Bible are there stories of God abundantly providing much more than is necessary to meet the needs? When Jesus feed the 5000 with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread there were 12 baskets of leftovers! Or how many times is God's faithfulness demonstrated in providing consistently exactly what was needed exactly when it was needed? The Isrealites wandered the in the wilderness for 40 years, eating manna that they collected fresh every morning. It only lasted long enough for just one day, and yet each morning they had a fresh supply to get them through another day.

In my heart, I know that God will always give me exactly what I need, when I need it. I will never be lacking when I trust in Him. I just simply need to train my head to believe it as well so that I don't waste time fretting over not having ENOUGH.

ENOUGH is my word for 2008. This year I am trusting God to provide me with more than ENOUGh of everything I need.