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thousands of thanks
a great friend of mine gave me a book the other day. i usually don’t do much reading but i LOVE this book. one thousand gifts by ann voskamp is so poetically written. she writes about truly waking up and living in grace by living thankfully. she begins to see God’s hand in everything, the good and the bad, and give thanks. she expresses the JOY that is present in giving thanks. lately i have had moments of pure joy just stopping to rejoice in small thanks, like giggles, or the wind rustling the leaves…simple, yet rich. just the other day, i stopped after receiving one of those phone calls, i was…
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delighted
lately i have found myself stopping in my tracks to just stare at gracie. we have this connection, it’s fun, it’s unique, it’s love. we have these little games we play with each other and she responds to my expressions with pure joy. oh my goodness, i can’t get over her giggles. we just look at each other and start laughing. i have been overwhelmed with pride over her development, her intelligence, personality, and overall spirit. she is so full of life!
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catching up…organizing memories
Click here to view this photo book larger Shutterfly allows you to customize your photo book just the way you want.
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seventeen months
dear gracie,you light up my life. i look forward to hearing your giggle and seeing your bright smile. you have grown into a little girl with a huge personality! i never in a million years imagined that someone who has only been on this earth for seventeen months could be so full of joy, knowledge, sass 🙂 and love. i look into your eyes and i see greatness. i look into your heart and see goodness. you have learned how to press my buttons but that usually makes me giggle. you are just like your daddy and love to make others laugh. it is neat to see your reactions and…
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back to work
my sweet summer break is over, i return to work on monday. i don’t feel incredibly rested or healed but i do feel like i have a fight to fight. i’ve got families to support, kids to love and coworkers to invest in. i just learned that a sweet kiddo dear to my heart relapsed. and just a few weeks ago, one of our babies passed away. cancer continues to invade lives and rear its ugly, unforgiving head. i can’t seem to escape the effects of it despite being away from work, my heart hurts for those families, grieves with my coworkers, yearns to hold someone’s hand to comfort…so back…
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change of plans
i had great expectations for this summer break from work, particularly that we would be called right away with a foster placement and we would have plenty of time to adjust before i returned to work. oh my goodness, i had it all planned out in my mind. well i don’t believe that my hopes stray from the Lord’s plan for us but clearly my timing is off. “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (isaiah 55:9) i’m very familiar with this timing thing as i definitely struggle with being impatient. i have this sense of urgency…
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sabbatical
i’m off of work for the summer! due to some overstaffing issues at work, nurses were given an opportunity to take a leave from work this summer…and i took it! i knew that i needed a break to rest and heal my heart. my prayer is that i will be renewed and rested so that i can continue to care wholly for my kiddos when i return. my phone rang the other day from work and it was a call to inform me of a patient passing away. we do that as a courtesy so there is no shock when we walk in for our shift, it’s supposed to allow…
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the kitchen sponge
we all know you’re not supposed to use sponges to do dishes anymore because they soak up all sorts of bacteria and it never goes away. sometimes i feel like a sponge. so saturated with stuff that it’s difficult to empty. my heart soaks up fears, anxieties, other people’s burdens, lies, hurts, etc. i know that God blessed me with an especially tender heart which i give Him all the glory for and serve Him with as i care for families of chronically and terminally ill children. He created me to yearn for loving the orphan. my heart was made to empathize. i’m not great at squeezing it out. i…
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the fatherless
my heart has been more heavily convicted than ever about adoption. i’ve come across some amazing stories via blogs or meeting people in person that have left me speechless. left me eager to say YES and grow our family through adoption: “for in you the fatherless find compassion.” Hosea 14:3. the fact is that there are far too many children without homes, without parents and we have been blessed with extra love, attention, resources, etc to give. “God sets the lonely in families” Psalm 68:5-6. my mind naturally thinks about the stumbling blocks that keep preventing us from immediately opening our door; i’m thankful for the Lord’s provisions and timing because He will take care…
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you’re ONE!
precious gracie. you have brightened this world. i rejoice in the blessing of you. i love you and i cherish you.
