Little Soccer Girl

Hannah starts soccer in a few weeks. She is so excited and really enjoys practicing with her fellow team members. They started practicing this week. She is doing well for having never played before! I think her favorite part is all the new gear--shorts, socks, shin guards and her first pair of cleats. She has worn her soccer socks since she and Ken got them on Monday (I have had to make sure that they are washed and ready for the next day). I bought her a second pair today, so I wouldn't have to do so much wash! It's fun to see her so excited about trying something new. She is our timid child, so I'm very proud of her for putting herself out there. Our other child, who is not so timid, has been asking us constantly when it will be his turn to play soccer. He will start his baseball class in the fall, but I guess that seems a little too far away for him. :) He insisted on getting some "baseball" pants when we were picking out shorts for Hannah. They look HUGE on him, but he is very proud of them. :) It is gearing up to be an active fall for our little family!

Chicago

Every once in a while (like once or twice a year), the kids and I go along with Ken on one of his business trips. We went with him to Chicago a couple of weeks ago. We had so much fun! We drove up on a Monday afternoon. The next day we all had breakfast together, which was such a treat (at home, Ken is already working by the time the kids and I eat breakfast). While daddy worked, H & H swam in the pool--although Harry liked the hot tub much better. I had to limit his time or he would stay in until his cheeks were red! After getting cleaned up, we walked around the downtown area (we were in a suburb a little north of downtown Chicago), and ate lunch, window shopped, and played with the trains at Barnes and Noble. Daddy came back from doing his work and we went to see a movie, walked to lake Michigan (just a few blocks), and got some Chicago style pizza. The next morning we ate some of the most fantastic pancakes/french toast I've ever eaten and headed back home.

It was a quick trip, but well worth it. What I loved most was spending time with my kids and not being distracted by cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. I could actually talk to them! They are getting to the age where they enjoy interacting with me and each other. I love their little personalities, and to hear the way that they process life and think through things. It was such a blessing to my heart--like balm on a wound. We've had a crazy and somewhat sad summer, and the Lord knew I needed some sweet time with the three people I love the most. It was a good break, and a good reminder of what is important in life--what is lasting. I am so easily distracted by the "to do" list around me that I often forget what God has called me to do--to love and serve my husband and children, and to teach my children to love and serve their Heavenly Father. I will always have floors to clean and laundry to wash and toilets to scrub, but I will not always have these precious souls living under my roof. These children are my legacy, my offering to God--they are the work of my hands.

"So teach us to number our days, so that we may get a heart of wisdom...Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!" Psalm 90:12, 17

Farewell, sweet friends...

We said goodbye to our sweet friends, the Robsons, on Saturday. They are now on faculty at African Bible College in Malawi. Our loss is definitely ABC's gain! I will miss my sweet friend, Jessica. She has been my best friend and sister since we moved here 3 years ago. She has helped me in more ways than I can express here on this measly little blog. I can honestly say that I am a better person from her influence on my life. Our friendship has been one of God's sweetest gifts to me.

Harry is losing his best friend too. He and JJ call each other their "brothers". When we were putting him down last night, Harry cried because he misses his friend. They have known each other since they were 18 months old--they met in the nursery on our first Sunday at Walnut Creek. JJ and Georgia have been a blessing to our family--practically members of it!

We will miss them, but we know that God is going to do great things in and through them as they minister to the students and faculty of ABC and to the people of Lilongwe. If you are interested in reading about the work they are doing, you can keep up with them by following their blog: Robsons in Malawi.

We love you, Robson family! You are in our thoughts and prayers and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Love Happens...at Home Depot

Ken is out of town, giving me a chance to watch all of the sub-par chick flicks that he would only laugh at, were he forced to sit through them. Last night I watched Love Happens. As far as the main love story went, it was mediocre. However, I really liked a side plot about one of the characters who is grieving the loss of his 12 year old son. Walter, a former contractor, is guilted by his sister into attending one of Burke's (the main character) A-Okay workshops on living through the loss of a loved one. Walter has a hard time getting in touch with his emotions, but finally breaks down and tells the group that he has lost everything since the death of his son. His son died on Walter's construction site so he couldn't face going back to work. He lost his company, his wife, is working as a night janitor and can't even walk into a hardware store without feeling the death of his son all over again. As a final exercise, the whole group takes a field trip to Home Depot. In a really touching scene, all of these people who have lost someone significant to them, gather around Walter, and fill up his cart with all the things he will need to start his life as a contractor again. They all leave Home Depot a little stronger for helping Walter.

That scene reminded me of a lunch I had with some friends yesterday. One of us is going through a particularly difficult time. In retrospect, it felt a lot like that scene at Home Depot--we are all in the same boat--none of us has all of the answers or has "figured out" life. We are all, in a sense, grievers, learning to live our lives with God in the midst of pain, disappointment, loss and sorrow. But in that pain and sorrow, we know what to fill up our carts with. Through out the lunch, we just kept coming back to Jesus. Yes, life is painful. Yes, it is often not what we would have planned if we were in control. Being a believer does not automatically safe guard us from deep sorrow (actually, it often opens us up to even deeper sorrow, but that's another post altogether). But we CAN trust the One who is in control. We can look at the cross and see the extent to which He will go for us. We can look at Him and see the depth of the Father's love for us, even when that Fatherly love may not make a whole lot of sense. This is the essence of a life of faith. Choosing to see life through the lens of what God says is true. Though all of life may contradict, God does love us. He has not forgotten us. We are not beneath His notice or beyond His power to protect. He is in the business of saving us from the power and lingering effects of sin and transforming our world through His radical love.

One of the great mysteries about the love of God is how to experience it. I once heard from a youth minister back in high school that the only way to really keep hold of God's love is to constantly be giving it away. That has made more and more sense to me as I have needed others to show me God's love and as God has given me opportunity to do the same. As we encouraged our friend yesterday, we all grew a little stronger as we reminded ourselves that God is everything He claims to be and we can trust and obey Him. We all walked out of that restaurant a little stronger.