This provided a good laugh for me today

Putting up the tree

Couldn't help but notice an absence in our tree decorating tradition this year. One might think that since her presence was never really there to begin with, it shouldn't be that hard/different when decorating this year. However, there are tons of memories of Christmas last year. Not sure if I voiced this to anyone last year, but I was really looking forward to forming our own family traditions this year for Christmas. I remember last year thinking that this would be the last time Luke and I would decorate the tree as a family of two, the last time we would carelessly steal away to Marshalltown for almost a week with no thought of how that would affect anyone/anything else but our cats.



Well, as we decorated I thought of Grace. As I hung her ornament on the tree I remembered her and cried for her all over again. And then as I thought about the almost full year that has passed I thought about all that God has done in my heart. He has been faithful. I thank the Lord that He is patient with me and everyday He helps me. Not a day passes that I don't feel a little sad about it, but those days don't pass without a reminder of the Lord's care for my heart.





We will always remember you, Gracie. We are so thankful for those months of carrying you, and the hours we got to be with you and hold you.

Playing

I don't feel like a teacher today.
I feel like a little girl playing pretend.
Are they buying it?



I just like this picture.

Something to be thankful for

I've prayed off and on the last two weeks for something to be thankful for.
This morning our pastor gave a really great message on things we can be thankful for in the wow and the woe, since we know both things happen in life--the wow and the woe. Three things we can be thankful for no matter what life will bring:
1. God answers prayer
--It may not be fair, but it's excellent
2. God breaks down barriers
--See God, not the barriers. God will remove them if it furthers His mission
3. God's soverign plans are unstoppable
--The gospel is unstoppable

I'm praying for more things to be thankful for...that God would overwhelm me with the knowledge of the blessings I have in Christ.

Hear my prayer, Oh God

It's not that I don't know WHAT to pray, it's that I don't know HOW to pray.

When Liz went into labor and had Collin too early I prayed more fervently than I'd prayed since college.
When I went into labor and had Grace too early I prayed more fervently still.
Now that a best friend from highschool faces trouble with her baby only six months along I come before the Lord to pray, but I'm at a loss. I don't know how to do it.
"What do I have to say, Lord? How do I have to say it to get You to listen to me? What are the magic words that will change these circumstances, that will stop the contractions, that will miraculously change the issues that need fixing? What do you want from me??"

I'm at a loss.

I know what I want to have happen, but the stark truth is that God's plans are very often different.

I know the truth about prayer: that God does hear every prayer, He listens, He answers every prayer. What I'm not sure about quite honestly is if His answers would be different if my words displayed more faith. I constantly get different messages on this, so I'm just not sure. So, yesterday in my car I found myself wondering how to pray. "Lord, I know what I want for my friend, but I don't know what I have to say to show you that I'm serious about this." Funny thought. The Lord knows I'm serious. He's serious too. He's serious about caring for His children, and accomplishing His glory. It is my belief, hard as it is to say, that He's serious about His purposes even if that means suffering for His children.

Well, I'm not meaning to say there's no hope for my friend. There most assuredly is! I'm not with her and I don't know what the doctors are saying, but there's always hope.

In my car yesterday since I didn't know how to pray, I found myself repeating over and over again, "Yes, you can! Yes, you can!" Thanks to Barack Obama for that one. Jesus can heal, Jesus can stop contractions, Jesus can create new life and sustain it for 9 months in the womb and bring it to a healthy delivery--this is what we are praying for so many expectant mothers that I know of around the country, including my twin sister who is pregnant again, due in May. Praise the Lord! Jesus can make an infertile womb fertile again. Jesus can take an parts of a body that have trouble working correctly and make them whole and healthy. Praise the Lord!

But will He?

I don't know, and I need to keep learning how to be ok with the times He doesn't.

Silly google.

Office Halloween Party

We had a great night. Very fun. There was Office trivia, trick-or-treaters, lots of food, laughs, and a teletubby!

In the pictures: Julianna as the yellow teletubby

Mike and Kristen Henry as Dwight and Angela

Micah as Jim as Dave

Charity as pregnant Angela with Skittles

Deb as Pam when she won whitest sneakers award

Luke as Halloween Dwight from season 2

Congratulations to Micah and Sarah for winning Office Trivia 2008 edition.

Maybe there will be a 2009 edition...