Mind Doodles

The Wheels on the Bike Go Round and Round---Or Do They?

You tell me. . . .

Cousins

I have ten cousins in my family.  I am the only girl.  We didn't get together that often because we were in military families and were stretched across the United States. There were a couple of occasions that  I remember us being together--When my aunt and uncle came home from the Netherlands and for my grandma's funeral.  I don't have great memories of us all vacationing together, being together for holidays, or having fun sleepovers as kids.  And although we spent individual time with each of the families, over the years we have lost touch and rarely see one another.   

Our children have had a completely different experience.  The favorite times in their lives center around times spent with their cousins--on both my side and Greg's.  I'm so thankful for the bonds they have.  Whenever we travel to Indianapolis, if at all possible, Greg's entire family gets together.  It's not always easy--four of our nieces and nephews are adults.  But this kind of time is a priority for all of us.   We don't do anything special. We eat, sometimes play games, talk and laugh a lot.  I see our girls blossom in this atmosphere and it always makes me sad that times like these happen only about once a year now.   

I have only one sibling--my brother, Richard.  He and his wife, Shelly, have four kids and live in Colorado. Colorado is a long way from North Carolina.  Seeing each other is a huge investment for both of us.  But, we are committed to it.  Our kids absolutely love being together.  Right now, my nieces are here visiting with us.   I must say, it is so much fun having them. There is nothing dull about having four teenage girls in one house. There's a lot of giggling and not much sleep going on. But, in the grand scheme of things--sleep is overrated.  

Kelsey and my niece, Alicia, have been looking at colleges together.  They will both be seniors.  We've talked about how great it would be if they ended up rooming together at the same college.  I know it's only a slight possibility, but it warms my heart that it is even something that they are talking about.  

For the past year, I've been wondering. . .is there something we can do to ensure that these relationships will remain strong?   I hate to think that they will grow apart--especially when I consider how much they mean to one another.  The bonds that they share are worth nurturing and hanging on to.  

So, here's to cousins!  There really is something to say for extended family.  And, here are some pictures of my kids at their happiest times.

   

A Sad Day

Wasn't it just two days ago when we were celebrating the great news with the Haitian Children's Home? Crosspointe Church had just taken up an offering to cover the cost of the land so that more orphaned and abandoned children could be cared for.  

Today, we received devastating news from Danny and Leann Pye, our missionary friends at the Haitian Children's Home.  Their 3 year old boy, Jabez, passed away very suddenly this morning.  I can't imagine the pain that a parent feels at the loss of a child.  It must be the most heart wrenching ache imaginable.  Please pray for the Pyes as they mourn the loss of this precious little boy and as they walk through this very difficult time with the kids at HCH.  

A Great Day!

Yesterday was a truly amazing day at Crosspointe Church.  I am so thrilled to be a part of a community where we can see evidence of life change in such incredible ways.  (It was even better than Oprah's Big Give reality show.) 

Our people accepted the challenge to give the $385,000.00 for the land that the Haitian Children's Home needed.  It was a big request.  We took up the offering last Sunday and yesterday we got to hear what happened.  If you want to see it yourself, check this out.  Not only did we get the $385,000.00--we gave $405,800.00 plus some change in just one week!   I must say it was one of my best ever moments in church.   Afterward, everyone was singing their hearts out in worship to the God who made this all possible. It was so much fun to be a part of.  It's a moment I will never forget. Now, that in itself it fantastic. . .

But, what made the morning even better for me was getting to be in Kidspointe North during the second hour. Kris Loomis, our Kidspointe North Director, had challenged the kids to participate in giving as well.  She does such a great job of communicating how they can make a difference, too.  They raised $390.00 all on their own!  It was so much fun being in there with them when they heard what their offering was and then how much the entire church gave.  One girl even asked the kids coming to her birthday party to bring money for the Haitian Children's Home instead of bringing  gifts for her.  I love stories like that!  

I am so grateful to be along for this ride that God is taking us on!

In Honor of Father's Day--

Here are a few reasons that my husband, Greg, is such a great father.

1.  He's been fully engaged with his kids from the day they were born.

2.  He didn't mind playing "Pretty Pretty Princess" or "Beauty Shop" with his girls.

3.  He's a "get 'er done" guy--for anybody, anytime.

4.  He's trustworthy.

5.  He cares about all of the details of their lives.

6.  He's fun to hang out with.

7.  He changed diapers.

8.  He's a good driving instructor.

9.  He's set the bar high for their future spouses.

10.  He's tender-hearted.

He's a keeper.

 

What I am learning today. . .

Today I reread a chapter from a book that really hit home.  The book is Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. It's an awesome book about how God uses the act of parenting our kids to shape our soul.  The chapter I read today is called "Leaving".

I find that's the phase Greg and I are in when it comes to our parenting.  We're not leaving--they are. Parenting is a constant act of letting go.

I actually starts pretty early.  I remember the days when I would carry the girls around all the time either on my hip or in a backpack.  Then they learned to walk and they wanted down.  They wanted to walk on their own.  There were so many things that they wanted to do on their own.  

I find that parenting is just the never ending process of loosening my grip on my kids.

     When they went off to school and their teacher became the adult that they talked 

about all the time--and with such adoration.

     When they began making real decisions for themselves--even bad ones.

     When they became drivers and I wasn't always with them to backseat drive.

     When they started dating and needed a little privacy.

     As they start looking at colleges and the reality of their soon-to-be-absence sets in  

It's hard.  And quite often I find that I do it wrong.  I hold on too tight.  

Why is it that it is so much easier to trust God with every other thing in my life than it is to trust Him with my children?  He's their Father, too.  He's guiding them in the same way that He is guiding me.  It's just all about surrender for me.  Surrender control.  Surrender my kids into the hands of the One who loves them even more than I do.

So, that's the phase of parenting we've passed into.  I'm learning to trust God more.  He's stretching me right where I need to be stretched.   

Spending the Afternoon with Some of My Favorite Friends--Books

I spent some time this afternoon at the bookstore.  There is little I enjoy more than exploring the shelves of books at a bookstore or library.  I love to see what is new out there.  My list of books I want to read is much longer than my list of books I'm reading.  

I ran across a book that sounds like a good option for Father's Day.  I haven't read it, but I spent some time skimming it and I have read many things by this author.  It's called The Father Connection:  How You can Make a Difference in your Child's Self Esteem and Sense of Purpose  by Josh McDowell.  It looked like a really great read and I'm sure I would enjoy it if I were a dad.  There was even a section at the end with 60 fun things a dad can do with his kids.

While at the bookstore, I also checked out the kids' section, like I usually do.  Looking at kids books always reminds me of this.  You should check it out for a good laugh.

The Best Deal in Town Just Went South!

So, what's the deal with the popcorn combo at Target? 

It is my favorite splurge, BUT, today I ran in to do some errands and thought I'd grab a combo. 
When the lady rang it up, I saw that there had been a 50% price increase!  50%/!!!!!  Are you kidding me?  What's the deal with that?  The total was $1.62.  Since I only had $1.56 with me in cash, I had to forgo the combo and just get the popcorn.

What a bummer.  Oh well, it's back to the McDonald's cone for an afternoon splurge!

Things We Did Right as Parents #2

Let other people love our kids. 

 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but actually, it's not. It is a very difficult thing to do. 

When our kids are babies, it's often very hard to pass them over to someone else to hold. There are a couple of reasons for this. 

1. We are protective--We don't want germs on them and we really don't think that they are as safe with someone else. 

2. We love holding them ourselves. I get it. I was there, too. We just couldn't get enough of our kids. 

There's even a type of pride attached to having our kids only want to be with us. Just think of how your heart thumps when your child reaches out to you and is only satisfied with you.

But, here's the danger--If we don't pass over our kids, then people don't get the opportunity to become attached to them. (Now, keep in mind, I'm not talking about taking this to the extreme.  I'm talking about healthy relationships.)

That's something we learned early on. We saw that because we were generous with our kids, then our friends fell in love with them. They couldn't wait to see them and hold them. And our girls felt very comfortable with these other adults in their lives. 

There have been some really great benefits to this: 

We rarely ever had to pay for a babysitter. Honestly, people called us and asked us if they could take our girls for the evening. (And who doesn't love a free babysitter?)

Those relationships have been long-lasting. Over the years these friends have been invested in our kids' lives on so many levels. 

Believe me, none of this took away from our relationship with our daughters. It actually enhanced it. 

There is plenty of love to go around.