Reflections

Recently, I have been posting a lot of short stories. I love introducing new characters, building the climax, and hitting my point home. The process of writing a story is simply amazing; but lately I have been thinking about some of the most amazing stories I have ever heard or read. They all share a common element: Each and every one of them is true.

My family has a tradition of exchanging funny stories when we have company over - and trust me, we have a lot! A house full of seven kids(well, one's at college now) is never without excitement. Often times, our company will have a couple stories of their own to share. It's always a very encouraging time. I believe every person in this world has a story to share. Some may bring laughter, others tears, but whatever the case, they can be more touching and uplifting than any best-selling book because they are true.

On February 26th, I was reminded of my family's story, and God's working in it. Six years ago, my family adopted three new members. You can read more of the story here or check out even more on my mom's blog. As I reflect on that day, I am reminded of how changed I am because of it. Each and every one of my family member's are changed.

Our story might seem pretty amazing to some, but I want to remind you of the greatest story ever told: God's story, and His pursuit to get us back into a loving relationship with Him. Because His Son died for us, now we can be adopted into His family, even though we are so unworthy and imperfect; and His story is true!

When Time Flies and Memories Linger - A Story of Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving, I am taking a break from the story I've been posting, and I am posting this story. Don't worry - I'll get back to the other one soon. Happy Thanksgiving!



For my wonderful big brother...

High in the branches of the ancient oak tree, Katy peered eagerly into the distance. Her brother could arrive any day, any hour, any second now. She imagined him in his seaman's attire, taking long strides down the dusty road towards home. His bag was thrown over his shoulder, and he was whistling some sailor's song. Katy could almost hear the joyous notes. She glanced hopefully at the road, but only tiny dust devils swirled around in the dirt. The only sound was that of the rustling leaves and a twittering bird on a nearby limb. Katy sighed and reluctantly climbed down the tree. Oh, how she missed Ryland! They used to do everything together, before he went off to sea. She longed for the days when they used to splash in the pond, skip through the meadows, and read in the Oak tree. He encouraged her to do the hard thing and face her fears. Now she had to face them on her own. Life just wasn't the same without him. She wished children never had to grow up and leave home; but time flew faster every day, every hour, every second, until it was zooming by at an uncontrollable rate. Responsibility became a bigger burden every passing year. Now all Katy could do was thank God for the childhood years they did have and the memories that still lingered.

As Katy dragged herself up the porch steps, Skittter, Ryland's dog, sauntered over to greet her. Katy reached down to pat Skitter's brown head. The dog whimpered, looking longingly down the road. Her big, hopeful, watery puppy eyes made Katy want to cry. “I know, Skitter. I miss him too.” She scratched the dog reassuringly behind her ears. “He'll be home soon.” But what if he wasn't? What if his ship went down in a terrible storm? What if pirates had attacked and killed him? Katy pushed the thoughts aside. Ryland would come home. He said he would. Katy gave Skitter one more pat and reached for the door handle. The smell of roasting turkey and baking apple pies drifted through the windows. Dinner would be ready soon, but Ryland wasn't there to share it.

Skitter suddenly let out an excited yelp. Her ears perked up, and she darted down the road into the setting sun, where a lone figure tromped through the dust. His strides were steady and long, and he wore a seaman's attire. A lighthearted whistle pierced the silent air. He stopped and stooped down to pet the tiny brown dog scampering to meet him. She jumped at his legs and her tail trembled with excitement. Katy's heart jumped to her throat, and she let out a scream. “Ryland!” She flew down the road, her hair blowing wildly behind her and her skirt threatening to trip her. Ryland looked up, his face streaked with the slobbery mud trails Skitter's tongue had left behind. He grinned when he met his sister's eyes and opened wide his arms to accept her into an embrace. Katy stumbled into his arms, laughing and crying. Behind her, she could hear the slam of the front door and cries of, “Ryland's home!” Soon Mama was flying out the door, tears streaming down her face and her hands and apron still covered in flour. The rest of the family tumbled out the door after her.

Shortly thereafter Katy's family gathered around the goodies at the dinner table. They held hands, bowed their heads, and Papa lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving. The meal talk mainly consisted of Ryland's tales of the sea. He no longer talked like a boy, but his words reflected a man of growing wisdom. Katy was somewhat sobered by the change, for she had missed the boy. Still, this new man inspired her to also grow and change. Life would never be same again; but Katy now knew that the change was for the better. Silently, Katy decided to embrace the change. She lifted up her own prayer of thanksgiving for the memories she had, the future ones still to be made, and the brother who created them.

Happy Mother's Day

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." Proverbs 31:28-31

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers (even though I'm a little late in posting this)! Thank you for all your hard work in raising your children. I know it isn't always easy, and we children don't always seem very grateful at the time. Thank you for your unconditional love, which leads us to Christ's love that is even greater. I especially want to thank my mom, who is always there when I need her. Seven kids is quite a bunch, and she loves us all very much. She faithfully teaches us to love Christ and each other. I also want to thank my grandma, who set the example for my mom, as Lois and Eunice did for Timothy in the Bible. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:5,

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."

I also want to thank any women who may not necessarily be mothers, but have cared for someone in a motherly sort of way. I have many "adopted" grandmas who have played a big part in who I am now.

For those of you who aren't mothers, I want to remind you to share the love that your mother has shared with you. It's a hurting world out there, and it could use a lot of love.

The Best Games Ever

Do you remember any games you made up as a child? Some of the best times I ever had when I was little was when we played games we had made ourselves. We had so much more fun playing our own things such as "Paper men" or "Sea Saucy," than we ever did playing with games and toys from the store. No matter how hard people may try, they can never sell anything that beats the fun of our games. Of course, if we went back and played them now, they wouldn't be as much fun, but then they were a blast. Half the fun was creating the games.

"Run from Cars" was the church kids' classic. The game is basically explained in the name. When we saw a car coming down the street that passed the church building, we would all run to the steps before the car passed us. Now if we decided to be really brave, we would run from one tree in the yard to the other and then back to the steps. If the car passed us when we weren't on the steps, then we were "run over" and we had to go recover in the "hospital." Occasionally we would add in some new rules, but that was the main way we played.

Another church kids' classic was "Sea Saucy." It was about as weird as it sounds. One person was chosen to be the "Sea Saucy." He would live in the area of the building designated as the "sea." Everyone else would go to the area designated as the "beach." Then they would count to ten to let the sea saucy hide. After counting, they would try to enter the sea and get back to the beach without getting caught by the sea saucy. If someone got caught, they were the sea saucy. There was also a rule that if we said "sea saucy," the sea saucy could come onto the beach for a short period of time.

Another game we often played was making skits and acting them out for the adults. Batman, Scooby Doo, and even the Christmas story was acted out. We especially did this at my grandparent's house with all of the cousins. Eventually, however, I believe the adults got annoyed with skit after skit.

Finally, the last game I will mention, and one of my favorites, was "Paper men." Somehow we got into creating and drawing little characters on paper, and then drawing houses and castles for them. We would then cut the people out and play with them in our homes we had made for them. I loved creating stories, so I created almost all of my characters. Often we would have what we called "blow battles." In "blow battles," we grouped our people into two armies. Next we would all blow on the poor little paper people. Any of the people who were flipped over were considered dead or wounded, and the ones that were still face up would continue on to the next round. Who needs those little plastic army men? Paper people work wonderfully.

In conclusion, I just want to encourage parents out there to encourage their kids to be creative. Computers and game systems can be good things, but using their minds to create their own games can be just as fun and more so (and definitely cheaper).

For My Sister

I know that I'm a window

Letting in the Son.

It's my love and it's my duty

To show others what He's done.

I'm a window to a world

Much larger than their own.

If only they will look through,

Oh, then they'll understand.

    My little sister Amber, just had her 8th birthday yesterday. I was reminded how I need to be a window, not only to strangers and friends, but also to my sister. She looks up to me and wants to do what I do. This gives me an opportunity to shine Jesus' light. When Amber looks at me, I want her to see Jesus. I want her to look up to Him and want to be like Him.

    This is a prayer that I wrote a little less than a year ago when Amber was baptized.

Lord,

    Today I would like to pray about my dear sister, Amber. Out of all the gifts that I have received, she is one of the most precious. She is full of joy and laughter. Amber is compassionate and loving. She is an answer to a prayer I used to pray every night before bed. Then, I was like her, not knowing about the great, big world with all of its mysteries and confusions which often devour mankind. Even now I only see a glimpse of it. Today, Amber has given her life to you, O Lord. She has decided to become separate from this world. I pray that she will continue to stay separated from this world and its worldly desires as she continues to grow in her faith.
    Lord, let her shine like a star, so that others may find their way. Also, let her shine like the moon and reflect your glory. O Lord, if she slips and falls into the darkness help her to trust that you will pick her up and be her guiding light on the narrow path. Help her to remember that I love her, and that you love her so much more. You love her with an unfailing love, the love that loves even if she makes mistakes. Also, Lord, help her to remember that you are a just God. You do not let the ungodly go unpunished.
    Most of all, Lord, help Amber to love you, her Heavenly Father, with all of her heart. I pray that she will serve you with all of her strength, never lacking in zeal. Show her that she does not need to be afraid what man can do to her, because you are always with her. Help her to be who you want her to be. I know that you can do marvelous things through her. Finally, I pray that I will be the example for her that you want me to be. Your will be done, O Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

When a Child Prayed

Eight years ago I had no idea what marvelous things God can do through prayer. My family consisted of six members: Mom, Dad, my three brothers, and of course me. My Dad was a preacher, and my Mom stayed home and schooled us. Although there were only six of us, we lived in a huge white house which was around century old. It was connected to the church building where my Dad preached. It was here that I rested in the safety of friends and family. As a result, hardship was a foreign concept to me.

One would think I was a happy child. After all, I had everything I needed. For the most part, I was content; but there was something I longed for. In fact, I would often pray for it when I was tucked into bed each night. I would say, “Dear God, please give me a little sister.” It was not like I was lacking in friends or siblings. In fact, my brothers would play dolls with me. I just wanted a little sister.

It may have seemed like quite a coincidence when my parents started taking foster care classes saying they wanted to take in a little girl. Even more surprisingly, as they learned more about the kids in foster care, they decided we might even take in a sibling group. As a result, when we got a call in May of 2006, the number of children in our house almost doubled. We took in a sibling group of three. I remember going to my aunt's house to wait for Mom and Dad to return with my new siblings. Dad finally came to take us home to meet them. I was excited. When I climbed out of the van, one of the first things I remember seeing was Troy zooming past on Ryan's bike. From the first time I saw him he was full of energy. I do not remember what Michael, who was the quietest and orneriest of the three, was doing, but I remember Amber. She ran and hid behind a tree. I am not sure whether she was shy or scared, but her blue eyes, blond hair, and adorable smile could have captured anybody's heart. She was my little sister.

The year that followed was probably the most difficult of my entire life. Adjusting to three new siblings all at once is not an easy thing, but it was during that time it struck me. My prayers had been answered. I had received my little sister plus two brothers I did not even ask for. I know it was not just a coincidence. It changed my life, but it was for the better. Though they frustrated me at times, like all siblings tend to do, they are gifts from God that I will treasure forever.

Now, life seems to have returned to normal. Dad works the same job. Our church has a new building, and the old one is my grandparent's apartment. Mom faithfully continues to teach us, and all seven of us siblings act like typical brothers and sisters. We still have our little quarrels here and there, but for the most part there is fun, laughter, and most of all love. Life continues on as though it has always been this way. Sometimes it rushes by so fast that I forget to thank God for the many blessings He has showered upon us, but there is something I will never forget: prayer is a powerful tool, even in the hands of a child.