Valentine's Day

Since we were in NC this Valentine's Day away from our beloved, I really wanted to take this "made up" holiday and do something good and fun for the boys, so I began to think of what we could do. We always make homemade valentine cards for family members and this year we decided to make some extra ones. I wanted to focus on LOVE... our love for each other and where that comes from- God. I wanted to put the focus on showing His love to others. So, we pulled out the craft supplies and began to get to work. There was red, white, shades of pink and purple paper. Glue, scissors, stickers, paint and markers...all the stuff that makes it fun..and we had fun! We made Valentines for almost 3 hours! My sister in law, Laura, Henry and I cut and glued and stuck until we we ran out of supplies!

As we were putting the cards together, I spent some time talking with Henry about why we were doing this. Focusing on God's word in Matthew 22:37-39. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So we talked about how making these cards for other people, that tell them of God's love for them, we are in a way loving our neighbors as God commanded us- that we can show others God's love by little and big things that we do for them.

We had spent some time beforehand choosing some Bible Verses to include on the handmade cards to remind others how much God loves them and how He always will love them. Some of the verses we chose were:

Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you." esv

Psalm 100:5 "For the Lord is good: His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." esv

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." esv

John 13:34 "...just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." esv

My dad, Henry and I took the Valentines to a local nursing home. Before we went, I discussed with Henry some of the things he might see and again why we were going to to give these valentine cards to people we didn't know. I was AMAZED at how well Henry did. He actively spoke with the residents, touched them and went up and down the halls looking for people who needed a valentine! It was such a blessing to see him showing others kindness and compassion. We had some wonderful conversations with some of the residents and I really did feel the Holy Spirit at work that day. I felt very privileged and humbled to be there loving other people. I'll remember that first civic experience with Henry forever.

It is my prayer that these valentines and their message from God's word bring comfort and hope to someone who is in need of it. That God will use them to encourage and lift up one of His children and give them hope!

I hope that out of it Henry will begin learning to put others first- not as an afterthought, but with intention and forethought. That Henry and Harry as well as myself will develop a heart that loves to give out of love and obedience to God and I hope it comes with some sacrifice, so that God builds strong character in us. I hope the Lord will continue to grow and use us up for His glory. I am so grateful that his "mercies are new every morning" Lamentations 3:23, and that He is SO faithful to me. The most perfect Daddy who always picks me up and dusts me off and says "lets try again, sweetheart, I am with you. You can do it with my help"...thank you Daddy! I love you.

I'm Back!

WOW! Yes, I know...it's been 2 months since my last post. That certainly hasn't been because there hasn't been anything to record...I've just been on a whirlwind adventure I feel like and really haven't taken the time to 'collect' my thoughts enough to post them. I honestly thought I'd have SO MUCH time to read, blog, and relax while I was on my sabbatical in NC, but things certainly worked out differently! I think I also had a case of the lazies during this time... I sometimes feel like I am just a kid again when I am at my parents house.....

The boys and I have had a wonderful time spending so much time with family and friends. We did visit so many people and made lots of new memories, but would you believe that we still didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see?! I always have the best intentions and I really believe that I'm going to get it all done, but I never do. We'd travel for a couple of days here and then there and frankly, I did drop some plans because I felt I needed to give the boys a rest! They were so great and flexible and I am amazed at how they adapt. The good Lord certainly knew the plans He had for us and gave us personalities that could handle the nomadic lifestyle we've grown accustomed too.

I thought about all the places I've been and decided that I would count all the moves that I personally have made since I left home at age 18 to begin college...17 years ago. Can you believe that I have lived in 18 different places since then! I couldn't believe it! That's more than one move a year! Sweet Henry will be 4 in June and has lived in 4 states. He's off to a good start!

So, I am back. We leave on Sunday for Minnesota. We'll be in a hotel for several days before we close on the 26th. Please pray that we have a safe and uneventful trip and that we (Brent and I)ease back into our lifestyle of living together again. We've really missed one another, but I think we grow accustomed to really only having to think of ourselves when we're apart for times like this. We have to remember to put the other first again and it usually takes about a week to get back into the groove of things! I have missed our family times so much! The boys have missed their daddy and can not wait to be reunited! Its been a long 3 months and I hope we never have to do it again, but we are SO grateful that we had a place to go where we could be loved and nutured away from Brent. We know how blessed we are to have the kind of parents we do and hope that they realize how much we appreciate them.

I'll continue to post some things from our trip to NC, as I go through photos and such!