Pinch Me

You've heard it said when something seems too good to be true...
This is Sam.

Sam-I-Am.

That's what I call him.

And now he's five.
Already.

My Little-Hunter-Man-Samuel.

 He makes me smile.

Samuel was not always a part of our family plan. He came to us as a surprise package.  :o) 
I was just 40 and, well, being pregnant right then wasn't even on my radar.
But he was an answered prayer.
After Joshua, I really wanted to have more children. I didn't want Josh to be a lonely "caboose". I prayed hard for more, but, long story short is that the answer was "no". At least that's what I thought.

When the + sign that says "yes" appeared, our family life was a bit frayed. We were letting go of a lot of things.  But Samuel came, and he was something to hold on to. And I held him a lot. He was one of those babies that needed to be held all the time. And I was one of those mamas needing something to hold onto. So we held on to each other. I held him and he held me. Literally.
(Funny how right now as I am plucking out this little story, I hear Samuel singing as he goes down the stairs: "Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from Heaven above, with wisdom, power, and might. Our God is an awesome God" . How fitting.)

I would hold this little snuggle-bundle and while he was little and nursing, he would find my skin and roll it between his tiny chubby fingers. And squeeze. And pinch. And roll some more. Always holding on.
When we were not nursing anymore, he found my neck. His little hands would reach up and squeeze the skin on my neck. Roll and pinch.

And now, my little man, my Sam-I-Am, is five.
F I V E.

He's the present. He's the gift.
And I think he's too good to be true!!
And guess what? I don't even have to say "Pinch me", because he still does.
He brushes my hair away from my neck and finds me. Holds me.
Such a reminder every day of God's goodness. His faithfulness. His sovereignty.

So I will say it.
Pinch me.

So good and so true.

This Treasure: Her New Life Story

It was Sunday. The same Sunday I was driving home under the morning stars and the sleepy moon. That very day that I had remembered God in His place and me in mine.  His ways and His thoughts so far above my own. Him creating and breathing life into existence from nothing other than Himself. And I wonder if He smiled, laughed aloud at the wonderful secret. Shook His head knowingly.

The lesson of our worship service that Sunday morning was from the 23rd Psalm. God leading us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Walking through low valleys under the shadows of death and You are with me. And from Matthew 6:19-21. Where are my treasures? I knew these words. I had heard them spoken and read them many times. But this day, I remember my brain filling and swirling with new and familiar thoughts. Wishing Hubby was in the chair next to me instead of between airports. I wanted to spill it all out, all of this "Yes" I was feeling.

It was on this Sunday in January. She was driving under nighttime stars after work, going home. She called to say she wanted to stop in if that was okay. All the boys were just tucked in bed and her sister and I were visiting quietly in the kitchen. So yes.

She came in out of the cold and dark and left her Pilot running in the driveway. She and her sister leaned in,  resting elbows and turning in stools at the counter. We talked of our day. Church. Words spoken to our hearts. And she remembered the text of the lesson she heard while she sat with her husband and young children in a worship service during the same hour but in a different town. It was in Matthew. Where was her treasure?

And she shared a conversation that took place only just earlier at work and how they scoffed at the notion of a God who would require change. And it spoke to her heart. Where was her treasure?

That wasn't all. She said she had been wrestling with all she had been given and was she just being so selfish, and how her husband doesn't get real emotional and how he was the day the judge said he was officially and legally Savannah's Dad, and the recent deaths of young people and she wondered where she would go if that young person had been her. And she asked when was her dad going to be home? Because, she said it so quiet, "I want to be baptized".

And in that moment my world tilted and tears spilled and there was this rush of all those prayers becoming this moment of thanksgiving. And this mama and her daughters were in the kitchen hugging and smiling and crying all at the same time. This treasure.

And then there was later. She and her sister continued in conversation after all of this. After she had gone home and I had gone to my bed under a star-filled window, her sister was going to text her the link from Bible Gateway to a passage in Romans, and there it was on the home page, the verse for the day, Sunday, January 8th, 2012 : Matthew 6:19-21 ...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...

So, all these hours from the morning stars to the evening stars, from the beginning of time until this very moment, this God and His plan, He knew. He knew as I looked up this morning and this night, and all the many mornings and nights before when her dad and I breathed prayers that reached past the heavens...I am awed and overwhelmed. 

And this God of the universe, the One who breathed the stars across the heavens and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4), He knit her together(Psalm 139:13), breathed life into her body (Genesis 2:7), and called her by name (Isaiah 43:1).  She has heard her name, spoken and called. And she answered "yes".  Yes to the treasure that is only in Jesus.



Buried and Raised. Born Again. January 18, 2012

  (Her husband and children there, her brothers, her dad in the water with her, Scott to pray.
There is video of these moments, if only I knew how to transfer it from my camera to this page!!)

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians

    We two H tribes are moving through these January days together. When the natives are restless and the skies outside are so blue and the snow is so..well,....gone, sometimes these mamas reach for their war paint and say, "all you inside---out!"

Young warriors set off to do what it is that young warriors do.

They fashion traps made from ropes vines. 

Then, they must rest while they wait for the young maidens to

 renew their strength with fresh venison cooked over a blazing fire.

 Satisfied, they head away from the village to attend to the work of the day.

  

This involves scaling rugged cliffs to secure an enemy look-out;

and crossing dangerously uncertain frozen waters

to gather wood the villagers need to survive these harsh winter months.

And after a long day on the prairie's edge, the young warriors return.

These mamas have put away their war paint.

They have prepared their peace- offering

 The gift is accepted, and the frontier is not so quiet again.

Today we are linked up at The MOB Society and "Let's Hear it for the Boys!"

Mom Heart

In recent months, I have been so freshly inspired in my role as a mom and as a homeschooler by the writings of Sally Clarkson. She has "been there and done that" and writes to encourage moms, whatever the season of motherhood one might be in. I only wish I'd found her sooner! I write this post to all moms and moms-to-be to encourage you to stop by her blog and read her heart. You will find it in the right sidebar and can visit with just a click. And if you are considering homeschooling, or maybe you already are and just need some fresh perspective and inspiration, I highly recommend the book she co-authored with her husband, Clay, Educating the Whole Hearted Child!

Below, you will find some information for her upcoming Mom Heart Conferences. ( I am hoping for a little getaway in January (maybe even with my girls!) to attend the conference in Colorado. Yay!)

For Your Mom Heart!!

(For more information, scroll down and click the Mom Heart button in the sidebar! Once there, find the location you are interested in and click on the "more info" link to see workshop topics and scheduled speakers.  :O)  )