Please Pray for Baby Joe!

Please pray for this very young and very ill baby.  Baby Joe is part of a wonderful family whose mother (Kendra) has a wonderfully helpful blog over at Preschooler's and Peace.  Please pray for them and their family and check for updates at preschoolersandpeace.com

A Hard Blessing

Many times when friends ask how this past year has been (since bringing home our 3 Liberian children), I say that this year has been a blessing, but a "hard blessing."  Anyone who has adopted older children will most likely know just what I am talking about (and also anyone who has had the "pleasure" of witnessing one of my children's tantrums over this past year - LOL!).  

Here is a great post from Courtney at Storing Up Treasures in Heaven entitled The Things they Never Told Me.  I love the way that she describes a behavior she calls "circling."  It is the place we were this week.  Just when I was thinking that "wow, look how far we've come and how great Big Jo is doing" - that is about the time that a past behavior or attitude surfaces again for some reason unbenownst to me and seemingly out of nowhere.  Now, I am happy to say that I was not caught off guard by this (THIS time!) since I am more aware of this pattern and have come to expect it, but I was NOT aware of it for the first 8 or 9 months the children were home and there were days where it was VERY HARD!  

The other part of the "hard blessing" is something that Courtney mentions in her blog (see link above) as well.  It is the way that adoption has brought MY SIN into the light in such a huge way.  You see, I used to think I was SUCH a patient person, a mother who would never raise her voice, always able to keep my composure and communicate well. . . Amazing what adding 3 children and all of their baggage and issues will bring out in you.  Wow!  I have come to the realization that I am COMPLETELY dependent as a mother upon the Grace of God in my life - Grace that I then need to pass on to my children (and there are days where they need A LOT!).  We tend to think of dependency as a bad thing in our culture - we are all about independence - but dependence on God is exactly where I need to be for Him to be glorified in my life.  AND. . . the harder that my parenting journey has become, the more dependent I become so, maybe what I really need is more of these "hard blessings," these refining fires, so that the Lord might burn away all that is not pure in me (and believe me, there's a lot).  

It is only by His Grace that I am enabled to live for His Glory and I hope and pray that my children might receive that Grace as well that they might live for His Glory too.  So, my prayers are not that the Lord might give me a nice life or a comfortable life, not an easy life or a normal life, but a blessed life full of his refining fire.  I would not give up this year of hard blessings for all of the riches of the world.

Organization Week(s)

Well, I'm hoping it will just be one week, but I'm guessing that it might be two or three!  One of my big goals for this summer is to finally go through all of the STUFF we have collected over the past few years and get rid of most of it.  It is amazing to me how many things have spontaneously accumulated in every drawer, cupboard, basket, bookshelf, and especially in the garage in the past year.  I think this is mostly due to the fact that we adopted three children, moved across the country into a temporary house (so we didn't really unpack) which then ended up being a little more long term (so we sort of unpacked but still sort of stashed. . . ) and then moved again (and have been unpacking little by little ever since) - oh yeah, and my husbands parents now live with us too and so all of their stuff is also in our garage.  

It actually doesn't really matter how we got here, what matters is that I am SO ready to live with less stuff!  I have finally figured out that I think it is the STUFF we have that really keeps me feeling busy and overwhelmed and not free to enjoy a sunny day outside with the kids or to take a day to go and help a neighbor as often as I would like (because I am home cleaning or sorting or taking care of stuff. . . or helping my kids learn to take care of their stuff).  I guess I just need less stuff. 

My friend Cyndy over at Walking Faithfully recently blogged about "Enoughness."  What constitutes "enough?"  I KNOW that the American concept of "enough" is way out of touch with the truth of what IS actually enough!  Is anyone else noticing that if you read or write the word "enough" enough times, it starts looking like it is misspelled?  

O.K.  So, the plan is:

Keep only what I know to be useful or believe to be beautiful (a great quote I remember from ???) 

Toss anything broken or useless

Give away anything I don't need to someone who I know DOES need it

Sell the rest at a yard sale in July

My husband's input:  We can have a yard sale IF, at the end of the yard sale, we load everything that is left into the back of a truck and take it to the dump.  I'm o.k. with that, so here we go. . . 

Here's another idea I MIGHT try: 

List on this blog everything that ends up in the KEEP pile - now, that would be accountability.  I wonder how much stuff we would all keep if we actually had to LIST it all out and then let other people read it. . . hmm. . .

2008 Book Reviews

This is just a simple list of books I've read this year along with my brief thoughts. I will update at least monthly to include my latest reads!

JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Kevin Leman
One I've read before, yet always a good reminder. Dr. Leman incorporates a lot about birth order which is especially helpful to us right now with our two first born sons trying to work things out. It is FULL of practical and useful ideas for how to "pull the rug out from under the little buzzards" (as in natural and logical consequences). Focus is on authoritative parenting and encourages against authoritarian and/or permissive parenting. One that will stay on my shelf through these next few years!

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
I can't believe I had never read this book before. From the same author of The Witch of Blackbird Pond (scheduled to read soon), this is a GREAT book that "Mr. Z" and I both really enjoyed. It is a coming of age story of a young boy who braves the wilderness alone while his father goes to pick up the rest of his family. Lucky for him, he is not really alone. . . I won't give it away, but it is VERY similar to The Courage of Sarah Noble (another wonderful book), only this one is for more advanced readers. It makes a very good read aloud and
would be a great "Daddy read-aloud."

MARCH/APRIL/MAY
Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl

Well, you pretty much will either love it or hate it (just check out the reviews on Amazon and you will see what I mean!).  I happen to be in the "love it" category on this one.  This book is not for the faint of heart and Debi Pearl does not tread lightly so as to be politically correct or to not hurt feelings.  On the contrary, she is downright blunt at many points and I found myself WANTING to argue with her about certain subjects but, after searching scripture and praying, knew that I could not.  

One of the most compelling reasons I am giving this book a "love it" review is that I have seen the impact it has had on the 6 of us who have been reading it together.  The challenges and encouragement to have a cheerful, merry heart, to "know what we bought" (check out the chapter on the different kinds of men - invaluable insight!), to focus on the 8 callings in Titus 2, and to serve joyfully have literally CHANGED marriages of people I PERSONALLY know from good to GREAT!

 I know lots of people disagree with some of the Pearl's theological positions and/or parenting philosophies, but it is a shame that so many people simply dismiss this book based on these things - I mean, really, is there anyone out there who has it all figured out and isn't probably a *tiny* bit wrong on some theological point about something. . . and I have yet to find a parenting book that isn't a part of some heated internet "mommy wars" debate at some point on some site somewhere.  So, if you can just read this book as it was written - from an older, godly woman to a teachable, younger woman, I think that you will probably glean some (if not a LOT) of insight, wisdom, and a bit of a "kick in the pants" encouragement to stop whining and complaining and to start to joyfully serve those around you with a happy and contented heart!