Fall 2013-dark leaves

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Children over Cats

Please vote today for Promise Christian Academy to receive a $15,000 grant from Monsanto.  The link takes you to a page where you can read how the school would use the funds.  Basically Promise is a school for kids with special needs.  It's a small and relatively new school that could greatly benefit from the money.

One of my closest friend's daughter goes there, and I've seen first hand what a blessing it has been to her and their family!

Their biggest competitor is a cat shelter.  Now, I love a good snuggle cat.  And I know we are called to care for all God's creatures.  However, I also know that caring for those God created in his own image with unique needs definitely trumps caring for even the snuggliest feline.

Please vote to help Promise win.  You can vote daily until the contest ends in 2 days.  And if you don't mind, ask your friends to vote too.  It's a close race for the top spot.  Thank you for your help!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Transition Prep and Pep

Earlier when I was putting the boy to bed, I asked him if he had anything he wanted me to pray for.  He immediately said, "I don't know."  Well, I know that if I wait in silence long enough (although it doesn't usually take too long), he'll say something specific.

"Mom, you can pray we don't go back to Alabama so I can stay here in St. Louis with my friends."

It's not the first time he's talked about being very sad at possibly leaving here.  It hurts this mama's heart, although I did chuckle that it seems in his mind there are only two "places" we could possibly live.

So we prayed just that.  And I let it go.

I didn't remind him that God has a good plan for us, that he is entirely trustworthy, that where we go is not a surprise to him.  That he already knows if we'll stay or go, and that if we go we can know it's for his glory and our good.  And that it will be good, even if it's hard, wherever it is.  And God will provide all of us with specific new friends and new teammates and new classmates.  And none of this is unknown to God, even if it's unknown to us.

I didn't remind him that our stories were written before time began by a good and trustworthy creator.  That our job is to cling to him, always seeking him in the Bible and through prayer, learning his heart, so that ours are changed and conformed to his, so that we're more able to rest in his knowing and his goodness even when we don't know and don't trust.  Because that is the point of it all.

It's right to have space and time to mourn and be sad.  To ask the Lord for what our hearts really long for.  Our boy needs to be allowed to go ahead and really long for something out of his control, not knowing if he'll get it, practicing the habit of taking his heart to God.  He's learning that the relationship he's building with the Lord is what is going to make him be OK, however his story plays out.

I'll save the pep talk for another day.  For him and for me.




Friday, August 17, 2012

To Run or Not To Run?

So it seems many of my friends are smaller and more fit than they were before (whenever).  Totally unfair!  It also seems that they're all runners.  So what if my baby fat is from the baby who is four now.  I'm still rebelling...





Friday, August 10, 2012

Dear Six Flags

You are not Disney World.  Please adjust your prices and fees accordingly.

Sincerely,
A family just trying to allow their two kids opportunity to use their free tickets.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

External vs. Internal Processor...

...on road tripping.  It's funny to see our differences.

Peaceful:  when the internal processor is driving and the external processor is engrossed in a book.

Tricky:  when the external processor is driving and the internal processor is trying to read.