Today I am Thankful for...

...Mrs. Bollman, Mrs. Beehler, and Mrs. Martin. My sons teachers. As the school year draws to a close I am grateful to these women for the mark they have made on my children's lives. Stephen is more than prepared for Kindergarten. Jackson has made so much progress in reading and math. Alex has once again made it onto the Honor Roll (this meant raising a grade which takes a lot of effort). All of these accomplishments have been achieved because of the teachers that have taught, encouraged, disciplined and walked with my boys through this past school year.

...my little brother. He has persevered through medical school and will graduate this weekend. (Number 3 in his class-guess who got the brains in the family?!) I love that he knew what he wanted to do for years and kept pursuing that dream. He will now move on to do his residency which will be another commitment of many years. The commitment, time and dedication that he has displayed is something I respect and love about him. I am so thankful that he is my brother. (Plus all the free medical advise is a great perk.) Congratulations Ben! I love you!

...my grandmother. She had a bad episode earlier this week and we are wondering if her time here on earth is finally coming to an end. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and she has had it for over 11 years. She has been in some type of specialized care for about that long. My grandmother is one of the people I most look up to in my life; even now in her present state. I will never forget the times I spent with her. She was a great cook and I loved her cookies. I loved to sit on the stool and watch her (and occasionally help) prepare dinner. I can also remember sitting and listening to the local Christian radio station with her. I remember her preparing and teaching Sunday School lessons. Her love for me and my siblings was so tangible and real. We never doubted her love for us. I only wish that I would have had time with her as I have gotten older. The chance to talk to her about life, kids, marriage, etc... But I am thankful for the time I did have and those memories that will always be a part of my life. I am thankful for the few moments I had with her back in December, and the chance I had to tell her how much I loved her and how thankful I was for her and her impact on my life.

A Question to Ponder...

What are you doing RIGHT NOW that requires faith?

Do you love well?

We have been talking a lot in our house about loving each other well. We are working with the kids to learn the greatest commandments. First, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and the second (which is equally important) to love your neighbor as yourself. Of course then we have the conversation about who our neighbors are: (Alex) "everyone we share the earth with" (Stephen) "those people around you".

I then will take it a step farther and get them to admit that their neighbors, include their brothers and parents. (They are good at loving their sister.) We are currently talking about the fact that we can say we love someone but if our actions don't match those words then we are not doing a good job of loving each other. If all we are doing is complaining and whining and fighting with each other we are not showing the love we say we have for one another. This is tough, because there have been many times when I have not treated my kids or husband well. But we also are talking about how apologizing is another way to say that we love someone.

These lessons with the kids are truly being driven from my passion to know the love of God and to be able to pass that on to others. Because of this passion I am praying about starting a women's Bible study based on the topic of love. I hope that whether this becomes a reality or not, that I will continue to strive to live in the love that God has for me and then share it with those around me, not just in my words but in my actions.

Do you love others well?

Today I am Thankful for...(even if it is Friday)

...Presby Preschool. Two of the three boys have now graduated from Presby. (Jack graduated from a different preschool in town.) Last night it was Stephen's turn. It is hard to believe that we are just few short months away from three children in elementary school. We have been blessed in our two rounds at Presby to have the same teachers each time. This has allowed us to develop such a special relationship with them. The only downside for Stephen was that he was often called Alex. We only hope that those teachers will be still be at Presby 2-3 years from now. This preschool has blessed our lives and they have played such an amazing role in preparing our kids for their futures, educationally and spiritually.

...a doctor who listened. I was nervous about seeing my "female" doctor this morning. He has previously diagnosed me with endometriosis but based on the way it was diagnosed I have been feeling a little frustrated lately. He basically diagnosed it based on symptoms and family history-which I was originally fine with as I knew that I had endo. However, I am now wondering the extent of the endo and how to proceed, not just for this year but for the future. My doctor listened and agreed to help me find more information. Unfortunately this can only be done through laprascopy. But it is progress and it will help yeild information to make a more informed decision. I am so glad he truly heard me and my frustrations and fears. He is a good man.

...the weekend. Some weeks just need resolution and the weekend is good for that. And of course this weekend we are going to Chicago for my neice's birthday party. YEA! A weekend with family members-those are the best.

Amazed

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene..."

Yesterday was one of those days. It was very emotional as I worked through the heartbreak of a dear friend's news. Also I dealt with the emotional roller coaster of seeing others losing their battle of life here on this earth. Young and not so young. It is hard to look at the harshness of this life and not feel overwhelmed and heartbroken.

Last evening after coming home from my great job in one of my paid off vehicles and enjoying a yummy dinner with my family, I sat on the deck of my 3 year old house, with my loving husband, and watched our 4 healthy children run around and play in our beautiful backyard.

I don't know what the future holds, but for this moment I will chose to see the reality of God's amazing blessings in my life. He has allowed painful times in my life, but the painful times are a reminder that I am being pruned. And I can't be pruned if I am not attached to the vine. Praise God! I think too often I find myself dwelling on the painful pruning process, whether that be waiting for it (like waiting for the other shoe to drop) or experiencing it. And in that time of dwelling I miss the moments of fruit that God allows in my life. I have been amazingly blessed.

"How Wonderful! How Marvelous! is the Savior's love for me."

Today I am Thankful for...

...prayer. It is the National Day of Prayer and as I was listening to Focus on the Family this morning, it was cool to hear various people pray for our country. I could hear the passion and desire within their voices as they cried out to God. It brought tears to my eyes a few times. We have been given such a gift to be able to have a relationship, involving active conversation, with our Creator, God and Savior.

...thunderstorms and sunshine. I love thunderstorms. And I love sunshine. We had both today. This morning there were rumbles of thunder and then this afternoon the sun was shining. I love springtime.

...my mom. Mother's Day is Sunday and I want to give a "shout out" to my mom. I have been blessed with a mother who I know has consistently prayed for me and loved me even during the ugly times. She is a beautiful woman. She loves God and others well. She loves my husband like he was her son and she is a wonderful grandmother to my children. She plans family gatherings with great food, but the fellowship and laughter around the table is what is best. (And she's a great cook so that's saying something about the environment she has created for our family.) My mom is someone I look up to and love more and more with each year. She is someone that I hope to be like. She is constantly seeking God and I love that she sets that example for me, my siblings, my children, her small group of young girls and the women she teaches each Sunday. God has blessed me immensely by giving me the mom He did. I am so thankful for her.
I love you mom!

Belief

OK, quite honestly I have no idea how many people even visit and read my blog, but I wanted your thoughts, whether you check in here daily, weekly, it's your first time, etc...

I have been pondering this thought for a number of weeks. I have been studying the book of Acts with a group from work. We had a conversation about the fact that when the apostles and disciples would preach, the messages could be "boiled down" to simply "Repent and Believe!" In Acts the people did just that, they repented and believed. Many times it was not just one person affected-there was often a "trickle" affect, so what changed in these individuals lives when they repented and believed? We all pretty much know what repentance looks like, but what does belief look like?

So here is the question I would like you all to ponder and respond to, "What does belief look like in your life?" If someone, not truly knowing Christ, came to you and asked you to explain the message of "repent and believe" what would you say?

I look forward to seeing your responses. I hope that this challenges you to think and pray about your own personal relationship with God. I know it has challenged me.