Reflecting

Lots of things have been making me reflect lately. In particular, I have thought a lot about how the Lord answers prayers. Prayers where we ask for direction and guidance, prayers for peace, prayers for health, all kind of prayers. It has been interesting to me to see how my life has unfolded since moving up here. It was never in my plans to home school, yet it has been a real blessing. Too funny that it was such an enormous headache to get to that point.

I have started watching a neighbor's kids for her while she is at work. One of the kids is an 8 month old baby girl. She is stinkin' cute. Really. I don't usually think that babies are cute, but let me tell you, this one is a doll. Having had my kids fairly close together, mainly the last three, I didn't realize that this meant they don't really have any memories of babies being at our house. (because they were all too young to remember) Which is quite ironic, being that it seems to be my only memory. haha. With One being at home during the mornings and finishing up school work fairly quickly, she has had time to interact with this baby and with Four. She and Four have built a sweet little relationship, one that without One being home schooled may not have happened yet. Both of them look forward to "recess" time (when school work is finished) so that they can play together.

The other day, One picked up the baby we watch, hereto known as GG, who had happened to just have a blow out diaper. I can't tell you how many of these diapers I have changed over the years. The number is endless. Somehow though, One has no recollection of such an event. It was hilarious to watch her face go from laughing at the giant toot to a creased eye brow as the smell started to increase. The creased brow quickly turned to panic as the poop began to leak all over the two of them.

"What do I do?!" she cried out to me, holding GG as far away from her as possible.

And this is only one of many experiences she is getting to have. And I am very glad. Very thankful. I'm not going to be having any more babies (WooHoo!!!) but I don't want any of my kids growing up not knowing what to do with one.

I heard something this past weekend, a reminder to have faith not only in the Lord, but also in His timing. This is something that I will probably have to remind myself of for a really long time, patience not being one of my better qualities. Another thing that I heard was that when God gives you something to do, it's not your battle, but His and He will make sure that it gets done. Sometimes we feel like we cannot do what is expected of us or what we feel we should do, but thankfully, it's not up to us to make it happen, God will provide the way-we just have to be willing. This doesn't mean that we don't have to try, or that it won't be hard, just that we don't have to figure out every little detail, that we don't have to know exactly how something is going to play out, that God will get it done.

My mom and dad live in beautiful Tennessee. Seriously, love that place!! There are churches everywhere. Everywhere!! And they all have billboards or marquis with words of inspiration on them-it's nice. Recently my mom saw one that she shared with me. I have tried to remind myself of it on days when life seemed a little too "not how I had planned." It reminds me just who is in charge and that it's all good. The sign said,

"The task ahead of you is never as great as the power behind you."