Where is she?

 

I usually go for pink more than red, but I really love these red tulips- every year they look so pretty next to the woods in our backyard...

We are at the familiar stage in adoption where I know that our child is out there somewhere, and I feel like I need to find them NOW, because they need to be here with us!  It's like a constant ache in my heart that someone's missing.  I have felt it while we waited for each of our adopted children, with AJ I felt this way for 2 years.  I sure hope it's not that long this time.  We are slowly getting closer.  When you adopt through the state, first you complete your homestudy, then you look through the waiting children and decide which ones you want to submit your homestudy for. (This is the point we're at).  Then the child's social workers will look through however many homestudies they have and decide which family would be best for the child.  Sometimes they might only have one homestudy to look at, sometimes 10.  Even though we get to pick a child from the list we have no control over whether the child's team will also pick us!  That's when faith and trust in God and His perfect plan for both us and the child come in.  I am so glad he can be trusted, he has proved himself over and over again!

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!

 

~Louisa Stead~

 



Variety is the Spice of Life

Have you ever considered the vast variety we have in our world?

 

Just think of all the different types of flowers, some have five

petals, some have six, some have too many to count.  They come

in all different shapes and sizes and colors.  Some smell soft

and delicate, some smell sweet, and some don't smell good at all! 

 

 

Then there are the birds.

 

A robin does not sing like a cardinal,

and a chicken definitely does not soar like an eagle!

 

 

Trees don't just have different types of leaves, they also

have different types of bark, different shapes, and different fruit.

 

Animals not only don't look alike, they also have very different

character traits.  A dog acts very different from a horse!

 

(photo courtesy of PD)

 

So what's my point?  All of the amazing things that are easily

observed in the world point to a wise and loving Creator.

 Only God could have such creativity, and all the wonderful,

funny, pretty, and majestic things he made are here to bring us joy.

 

Praise the LORD from the earth...

you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and maidens,

old men and children.

Psalm 148:7,9-12

Those good gifts we don't think of

We tend to want to make our kids' lives as easy as possible, don't we?  We work hard to provide them with plenty of food, clothes and warm beds, not to mention just what they wanted for Christmas.  It is completely natural for us to want to give our children good gifts, but lately I've been wondering about those good gifts that we don't usually think of, things like-

~a compassionate heart
~humility
~genuine love and care for others
~selflessness
~gratitude

Those good gifts don't come naturally or wrapped under the Christmas tree.  God teaches them to us through the experiences of life.

I suppose the reason I have been considering this lately is because we are in process to adopt an older child through the foster care system.  Many well meaning people think that it is not wise to adopt out of birth order, let alone bringing in a child with lots of baggage, who might drag down your children.  I can understand their point of view, but rather than looking at adopting an older child as a detriment to our children, just think of all the benefits!

Wouldn't it be great for our children to learn-

~compassion for people who come from hard, hard backgrounds?
~humility- that the world doesn't revolve around them? 
~to love someone unconditionally, even though they might be hard to love at times?
~to put another's needs before their own?
~a thankful spirit for all they have been given?

I'm sure there are many ways to encourage these attributes in our kids, not everyone has to adopt an older child. (:  But I'd encourage you, if you have kids, to not spend all your energy shielding them from every harmful outside influence, that just leads to pride- they think they are "better" than everyone else.  Rather, provide your kids with opportunities to interact with others who are different from them so we can show them God's love!

A little cheer on a dreary morning

Do you need a little cheering up on this dreary morning?

(At least, it's dreary here in our part of the country,

we're supposed to get sleet and snow today.)

Listen to these words from Isaiah-

we have much to praise God for!

 

 

I delight greatly in the LORD;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

 

For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise

spring up before all nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11

 

Thinking about Alice

 

Along the way to the stone house is this old barn foundation.

Now it's all covered with vinca vines, planted by someone years ago.

As I was walking past this afternoon I noticed something I'd never

seen before.  There at the end of the cement walkway through

the middle of the barn was this name and date.

 

Alice was the only daughter of the man who built the stone house

back in 1882.  In 1911 she would have been 22 years old.

 

Do you ever imagine what people might have been doing 100 years

ago, on the same spot where you live now?  I can just picture young

Alice, heading out to pick some spring flowers for their table.

 

Maybe she stopped to rest and look out at the prairie grass

and listen to the birds singing up a storm like they were today.

 

People who built their homes out of stone back then wanted

their place to endure.  They had an eye for the future.

Unfortunately for Mr. Cox, who built our stone house,

his family did not endure to live and farm on the place

for generations, but that's another story.

 

Home is such a nice place to be, and I can imagine young

Alice setting her pretty flowers on their dining room table.

She lived her whole life here at the stone house.

 

Here is a link to the story of the beginning of our stone house.

 

I am joining these blog parties- feel free to visit for inspiration!

Cottage Style Party

Home

Home and Garden Thursday

 

 

Little Girl Garland

 

My mom and I had fun sewing this little girl garland last week!

It took a little longer than we thought it would- but turned out

so cute!  It was fun creating each girl's dress.  If you'd like

to make one for a little girl you know, here are the directions we used.

No longer in darkness!

Listen to these verses- it is amazing who we are in Christ!

 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,

a holy nation, a people belonging to God,

that you may declare the praises of him

who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

 

 

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God,

once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

 

Praise the Lord we are no longer in darkness!

 

(~We had a fun time fishing at the creek this afternoon~)