Samuel

I was in such a dark place.
I was drowning in a sea of sadness.
My life felt so empty, so meaningless.
I found out about you and I cried. 
How on earth could you fit into our lives?
Seriously, this had to be a joke. 
Then I accepted you. Embraced you.
I savored the kicks and hiccups.
I imagined things would be different.
I thought your entrance would be healing, but alas I was wrong.
I will never forget we thought we lost you. You scared the shit of out me.
How could someone I never knew I wanted be taken away from me?
But then you came and you were perfect.
Tiny and perfect. 
And my happiness was still far away.
Your presence brought joy to my life, but I still had so much healing to do.
Then as the days passed, I allowed myself to become enamored of you.
It all makes sense now.
God gave me you.
Now, don't get me wrong, I know your purpose is much greater.
But God gave me you.
He gave me you so that I could genuinely smile again.
You have taught me that it is acceptable to love despite having experienced such loss. 
You were a tiny vessel sent to restore our family's joy.
And the healing commenced. 
Your name means "God has heard".
And yes, He heard.
He heard my heart. He knew I needed you.
You are my ray of sunshine.
I love you Samuel. I love you.

something small might make a difference

After my pastor's message this past weekend, I absolutely have to do something. I cannot just sit here in my house passively. I came across this idea while pinning (imagine that) and just have to share it with everyone. Blessing bags  from the Kids With a Vision blog.

For the bags around here I'm thinking of doing the following:
Put everything in a gallon size ziploc bag
chapstick

packages of tissues

toothbrush and sample size toothpaste

comb

soap (although they might not have access to a shower?)

trail mix

fruit cup

granola bars

peanut butter & crackers

pack of gum

band aids

mouthwash

coins

hand wipes

warm pair of socks

hand sanitizer

deodorant

note of encouragement

Any other ideas for the Tennessee area? I'm hoping to get started on these within the next week or so with some others from my church. Who else wants to make these?

Let us show them justice

My pastor gave a message tonight on showing justice to others. We should show justice to others the way that God does to us. We don't deserve any of His grace or blessings, yet He still continues to pour it out. What if we, as Christians, actually showed others the justice that God shows us? How do we do this? Perhaps it could be as small as skipping your morning Starbucks every Friday morning and donating the money to your local food bank. Maybe it means skipping a lavish family vacation and taking the money you would have spent and giving it to a family who is homeless? Or maybe it means, taking half of your clothing and giving to someone who has nothing to wear?

This week my prayer is that I will be open and receptive to what God is showing me. How would He have me show justice to others? Mercy is definitely one of my spiritual gifts, along with creating. Hospitality ranks pretty high up there too.Perhaps I may be able to use one of these gifts this week.

If all Christians gave simply a tithe and nothing above it, can you imagine how many fewer people would go to bed hungry each night? Have you ever really thought about a child going to bed hungry? I mean, I've been on a diet and gone to bed hungry by my standards. But wow. Just thinking about it makes me cry. Malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality according to the World Health Organization. About 14% of the world is undernourished. Christians, there are children dying because they have nothing to eat, yet many of us sit around with extra weight to lose, simply because we eat too much. Our refrigerators are packed to the brim and we complain we have nothing to eat, and there are children whose muscles are deteriorating and bellies are bloated because of a protein deficiency due to malnutrition.

I'm not going to lie, I have trouble sleeping most nights. But tonight I am losing sleep for a different reason. I pray that you will challenge yourself to live just a little bit more simply so that others may simply live.  Whatever it may be, just be open to the change.

Pinspiration

So, I am definitely addicted to Pinterest. I started pinning on our way back home from Hilton Head at the end of July. It was a superb way to pass time. Now admittedly, I said I would not pin because it seemed to be a time sucker. And I have to set limits on myself, or I get carried away. I have the app on my phone, which is great when I'm nursing Sam or waiting in the car rider line at Harrison's school.  I've actually started using Pinterest for saving sites, rather than using the bookmark toolbar on my browser. It is just way easier to find my stuff and I love the picture option.

All of this pinning definitely has me feeling inspired. I was thinking it might be fun to have a little challenge/game. I've only used a few of my Pinterest ideas so far and I'd really like to start using at least one a week.  There are definitely things I'm pinning for future reference, but just as many I'd like to do now. So, who is with me? Here is what I'm thinking -

Create an album on Facebook or a Board on Pinterest (or both) for things you are actually creating or ideas you are using. My challenge is to upload something to  it at least once a week. Definitely more often if you are really that motivated! This way we are just sitting here pinning away and not doing anything with these fantastic ideas. Let's call it the Pinspiration Challenge. If you are in, then comment on my blog or on Facebook. Happy Pinning!

Oh, and if you have no idea what I'm talking about. Here is Pinterest. I'll be happy to email you an invite if you want one.