Thursday, December 30, 2010

Wow! What a Ride!

2010 was incredible!  I set some personal goals at the beginning of the year; some were met, some are still waiting.  As for Scott and the girls, they put up with me for another 365 days!  Sometimes they were the reason for the paths we chose and the detours we made, and sometimes I was responsible -- they were always gracious enough to go along for the ride.  Either way, it was a heck of a year, and I've LOVED every minute of it.  You make it easy and you are worth it!

Steven and Joe, my heart and prayers have been with you every day; I long for your return in 2011. 

So, "Goodbye 2010, and thanks for the memories and growth you left behind!"

Winterthur

Olivia's Authors' Tea

      Chichester's Senior Prom

 Summer Storm

   April DooDah Parade

  Easter

 
Harrisburg

 Scott and His Mom

SMILES!

 Drama Queens

PA Renn Faire

 Sick for Halloween :(

"Wonder"-ful
Isaiah 26:3-4

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

You Will Be Haunted By Three Spirits...

Isaiah 32:3-8
 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
 The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
 For fools speak folly,
their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness
and spread error concerning the LORD;
the hungry they leave empty
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
 Scoundrels use wicked methods,
they make up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.

As parents, what do we do when our child is being hoodwinked?  Human nature urges, "Confront that liar and give him a piece of your mind!" -- or worse, your foot.  Mom counsels, "Slow and steady wins the race.  Just keep talking to him; you stay on the straight and narrow, and your child will too."  The voice of Experience kibitzes, "It's deja vu all over again!" (Sometimes the little Jewish woman who lives inside my head sounds a lot like Yogi Berra)  Scott suggests, "We need the ghost of Marley to summon the spirits and show her what is really going on; to float her over there so she can see what is really being said."  Wouldn't that be cool?   

I don't doubt, many of us have to deal with an irresponsible relative who makes your child all manner of promises they have no intention of keeping.  Or an ex who, motivated by sheer spite, deceives or coerces a child into abandoning those things -- or people -- he truly loves?  Or a child who is so spoiled rotten by others, only you (or so it feels) are left to be the heavy, the tightwad, the funsucker?  Will they ever see the forest for the trees?  God says, "Yes."

God is a God of justice, especially when it comes to people who lead His children astray or do them harm.  God has hand selected you, the parent for His child, to do what is best for them.  If you are walking with God, seeking His will and praying for wisdom -- for yourself and your child -- He will not let you down.  What comfort we can take in His promises to us!


Monday, December 27, 2010

What a Dog Knows

Our "delicate little flower," Tinkerbell, has a favorite toy -- her Kong ball. She loves Kong more than anything. She can't wait to play with it; she can't wait just to have it between her paws -- to know it’s right there, beside her. And if she can manage to engage someone in a game of fetch, all the better.

Yesterday she did just that, and she had Scott doing the fetching! You see, he’d thrown the beloved Kong under the fence and out of her reach. She waited nearby, all the while, her eyes shifting anxiously from the spot where Kong had last been seen to her “daddy,” the one she knew would help her in her darkest hour. She was sure he would come to her rescue; she would have been disappointed and confused had he not. Her initial petition for help was less like a pleading, but more like a “this is too far for me – you will have to do it.” She did not wait hopefully or uncertainly, she waited confidently, eagerly for him to do that which he always does – provide, give, restore…

To paraphrase: if a dog knows – beyond the shadow of a doubt – what her “daddy” is willing to do for her, why are we insecure and skeptical when we approach the Throne of Grace.

 Hebrews 4:16 (New International Version, ©2010)
16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.