Empathy Building

Nine days with a nasty cold topped off by a twenty-four hour stomach virus. I tend to get a bit discouraged when I don't take a quick turn for the better, but the Lord always uses this down time for empathy building. As I lie so still trying to avoid the feeling of nausea, my thoughts go to all those who struggle with chronic illness. Prayers are said, and true compassion is felt. Heal them, oh, Lord, that they might be healed. Strengthen them with your grace. Help us to be patient in affliction. Enable us to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds. Let our sufferings prepare for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all.

Hopeless Imaginations

Our trip to the apple orchard turned out just as I imagined. Picture perfect weather complete with blue sky, wispy clouds, and cool mountain breezes. Hot apple cider and warm apple cider donuts. Spectacular fall foliage as a backdrop to row upon row of apple trees. Well, maybe it wasn't just the way I imagined. Did I fail to mention that Jada literally screamed for 40 minutes on the way there? Or that yellow jackets enjoy apple cider just as much as I do? Or that people, lots of people, seem to gather at places where their imaginations have led them? Or that plans can be interrupted anywhere by what we have aptly named "baby blowouts?" At one point, John said the most profound thing that was uttered that day, "It's a good thing we put our hope in God." Imaginations can dream up all kinds of "perfect" days, "perfect" people, "perfect" vacations, "perfect" anything, but in a fallen world we are sure to be disappointed in all of them. Let's put our hope in God and praise Him, our Savior and our God.

Plans Change

Having play dates helps to keep the day from seeming too long, and it's encouraging to be with other moms, sharing life in community. So, I try to schedule them as often as I can. This day, though, plans changed, and I found myself without a friend to join me. Three phone calls later and still no one was available. I pondered the unthinkable: striking out on my own, two toddlers in tow. As I drove to our destination, I prayed aloud, "Lord, let us be a blessing; bring someone along whom You desire us to meet." A couple of hours later, I was having lunch with Elizabeth, and her son, Henry. While our children had been playing earlier, we had discovered we were both Christians, and she is in the adoption process with the same agency through which we adopted Jesse and Jada! I hope that we were a blessing to them, for they were certainly a blessing to us. "Thank you, Lord, for friendships in You that build instant bridges and bless our lives with joy."