Brotherly Love

I LOVE watching my son love his little sister. He is extremely protective of her, so tender with her and they can laugh together like nobody's business. He often helps her, teaches her things and even tries to keep her out of trouble. They are finally at the age where they can play together and even enjoy doing a few of the same things. Now, he is still your typical almost 6yr. old boy and sometimes gets annoyed with her and says he thinks she's boring because she can't play certain things with him but when it comes down to it, he simply adores her. I can't even remember what happened yesterday but some act of tenderness beyond his years made my heart swell up with gratitude and a desperate prayer that their relationship would be preserved over the years. There really aren't adequate words so I thought I'd share a few pics that capture their sweet relationship.


Meeting her for the first time. I remember being astounded that this 3 1/2 year old bundle of energy approached her so gently and was enamored with her from that moment on.



There are no words!



After his first day of Kindergarten. He missed her SO much!!



Helping her get her shoes on the wrong feet! :)



Joining Little Miss in her bed for book time.



And finally, at their pretend "wedding" (planned by the groom) where they danced and sang. He insists he's going to marry her when he grows up. We assure him he'll change his mind someday! But for now we know that simply means he loves her more than any other girl in the world.

Better Late Than Never?

Well, it's a new year and as you may remember from last year, that calls for a new word. I usually so enjoy the process of thinking and praying about my word for the year. It naturally lends itself to the right amount of reflection and a healthy dose of hope for what's to come. As you can imagine, I was a bit disturbed when this year I just kept coming up blank in the process. Reflecting on last year, and how I really did grow in the area of simply enjoying, came pretty easily. But every time I began to think about the days ahead my mind was a big, blank screen. B-L-A-N-K. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. N-A-D-A. And then a couple of days into the new year it came to me rather unexpectedly. Well, actually IT didn't come to me but the process of backing into it began. I was lying in my yoga class pondering the fresh start of 2011 and one word kept coming boldly to the forefront of my mind. Fear. "Fear?", I whispered in my mind to the Lord. I don't get it. And He began to gently show me that I was unable to think forward about the new year because my heart was gripped with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the unpredictable. Fear of what all those days awaiting MIGHT bring. Fear that I might not be able to handle what they may bring. There were a couple of big things staring me in the face. Some parenting challenges that have been increasingly discouraging and simply overwhelming at times. An inevitable health issue with a loved one that could bring great payoff OR great loss. A significant change in our life as a family that holds great potential but also feels a bit scary to let go of what we are leaving behind. I realize that for the most part these are not life and death situations but somehow still daunting circumstances that tempt my heart to fear. So,as I lay there I began to think about the antidote of fear. The one thing that drives the fear away. And that is FAITH. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, Hebrews 11:1. I spent some time thinking about what it is I'm hoping for in these specific situations. And I realized there are no guarantees that what I hope for or think best in those situations is what will happen. But as I meditated on that verse a bit more I began to think of all the people listed in the rest of Hebrews 11. They hoped for a Messiah they would never see. They lived in such a way that evidenced their certainty of his coming even though they never saw it come to pass in their lifetime. I began to realize that that, too, is my real hope. Not that my circumstances will be manageable or turn out "well" from my perspective. But that He WILL come. Come into the circumstances of my life. Come into those overwhelming places and be who He says He is. And FAITH that he will not just be those things but be those things for ME. When my perspective shifts from what those days ahead may hold to WHO holds me up and walks beside me in those days I'm strengthened to face them with the FAITH that allows me to move forward with certainty and assurance that He will meet me there. FAITH, being sure of what I hope for and certain of what I cannot see.