lessons learned in the 3 and 4 year old class

I've spent the month of October being disappointed.  Disappointed that SAMFund isn't "off the ground" as quickly as I want it to be.  Disappointed that no one around here wants to play corn hole.  Disappointed that prayers offered for a young mom's physical healing from cancer have been answered with a no.  Disappointed that a routine surgery for our family's littlest member ended with an 11 day hospital stay.

Wallowing in disappoint has gotten me nothing but a bad mood.  However, teaching 3 and 4 year olds  in Sunday School about Abraham and God's promise has lightened my mood and filled my heart with joy....I'm so glad that God always keeps His promises!  I'm doubly glad that God never leaves us where we are and uses any and all things to draw us to Him, even a children's Bible lesson.

"Look up at the sky and count the stars--if indeed you can count them.  So shall your offspring be."  Genesis 15:5

I'm sure there were times when Abraham thought it looked impossible for God to fulfill the promise he had been given, but all he had to do was look at the stars and be reminded.  I can continue choosing disappointment, doubt, and worry.  Or, I can choose joy--joy that comes from knowing that God always keeps His promises.  I choose joy.  I choose to believe God.  And, when I need to be reminded, I think I'll take a look up at the dark, night sky :).

So long disappointment!

The little boy that colored this is a daily reminder of God's faithfulness and that He always keeps His promises!

"Do not be afraid Abram; I am your shield, your very great reward."  Genesis 15:1

is that you, success? i imagined you would look different.

Sam has discovered the meaning of winning and losing.  And, let's just say that he's like the rest of the world when it comes to losing--he wants no part of it.  If he loses a monster truck race to Uppa, his response is always, "I want to win!  How I win?"  The familiar refrain to his ears from our mouths: To win, you must try your best and work really hard.  But, sometimes in life even when you try your best, it doesn't always end up with you winning.  Whining won't change that.

I don't much like it when these life lessons come to rest at my feet, when I have to go from teaching them to experiencing them.........

After nearly two months of walking around with the constant presence of paint under my finger nails and modge podge stuck every where, I participated in a craft fair yesterday with the hope of making  money for SAMFund.  I had big expectations for how well it was going to go.  I mean, after all, a friend of mine and I had done our best crafting and worked our hardest.  And, I covered this thing in prayer!  Success was going to greet me at the end of the day; of this I was sure.

When all was said and done, I made 10% of the money that I wanted to make.  As a goal setter, that's a hard pill to swallow.  As someone who is in the same camp as Sam when it comes to winning, that looked an awful lot like losing.

Needless to say, success didn't come in the form that I expected yesterday.  It wasn't wrapped up in green bills that would make a great deposit.  Instead it came through conversation with those that stopped by booth 31C and chatted with me about adoption.  I was able to hear great stories, tell of my vision for SAMFund, and share my heart for ministering to families who are adopting.  It took me until this morning to see that all those prayers for the craft fair were not ignored.  He heard, and He answered.  Just not in the way I was expecting ;).

So, today I am thankful for a God who hears us when we call and who never fails to answer.

I'm also thankful for friends who transformed 31C from a spot on the pavement into a respectable craft fair booth, provided shelter from the rain, and didn't seem to mind being led all around the craft fair by a certain little black-haired boy who never sits still!


"Everything contributes to the publicity." Sessalee Hensley

finally fall

Forget what the calendar says; Fall has come early to our corner of the world!  We are leaving the craziness (and heat) of this summer behind behind and looking forward to our favorite time of the year.  Mums have been planted.  The first of many loaves of pumpkin bread has been baked.  Scarecrows and pumpkins adorn the fireplace.  Planning the perfect costume for the church Harvest Festival has begun.  And, anticipation for a certain little boy's birthday is building!

 Yes, fall is here, and it smells like pumpkin spice!

This has nothing to do with Fall, but it's funny.  Well, not to Roux.  He earned extra cat treats for this.

when it storms

Somewhere along the way this summer, Sam has developed a fear of storms and clowns.  The sky turning dark and the wind picking up is all it takes to put him on high alert.  (Or, anything resembling a clown...but that's a story for another day.)

To help him when he feels scared during a storm, I've told him that all he has to do is holler for me, and I will come.  He's put this into practice several times when storms roll through in the middle of the night.  With every roll of thunder comes, "Mama!"  And, with each time I soothe him back to sleep after he's been awakened by a storm, my mind thinks about the storms of life that don't involve rain and thunder.  The storms that shake one's faith and batter the soul.

I know Sam will face storms like these in his life, even though everything in my mama's heart hurts at the very thought.  Preventing him from experiencing them is impossible; showing him where he can go for solace is not.  So, we will point him toward the One who offers shelter from the storm and whose ear is always attentive to our cry.

May he develop a faith that leads him to his Heavenly Father; may he know that God is always with him, even during a storm.

turn on the hose.

One look at these flowers and you may wonder where I get my gardening tips.  I agree that they look pitiful, but truthfully, I am not overly concerned because I know there's an easy solution to their wilting.  Water.  Long moments of sitting under the hose, and these little impatiens perk right up without a trace of wilting.  Water is not just the solution to a problem; it's also the way to prevent the problem in the first place.  On those days when I'm Super-Mom I remember to water my flowers before the heat of the day, which prevents them from ever wilting to begin with.  But, on those days when I'm sliding into naptime with a thin grip on my sanity, my poor flowers face the heat of the day without their daily drink.

How similar we humans are to these flowers.  When we fail to drink daily from a never-ending supply of mercy, which is new every morning, we wilt as soon as the heat of life gets turned up.  When I go into the day, depending on my own supply of patience and mercy, the tank is empty before the day is even half done.  Thankfully, though, we don't have to go through life wilted and running on empty.  The water for our souls is there; all we have to do is take a drink and repeat daily.

"For His mercies never fail; they are new every morning.." Lamentations 3:22-23

this ship is in uncharted waters.

Well, we've left the harbor and are sailing through uncharted waters (uncharted to us).  There is much to be thankful for in what has brought us to this point.

In February, after much prayer and some internal pep talks, we took the plunge and started sharing this dream in our hearts.  When we weren't met with funny looks, we were relieved and encouraged.

What I knew about starting a business, corporation, non-profit, etc. could be written on two lines of wide-rule paper, so Jeremy ordered me a book from his favorite market (Amazon).

Reading the book of legal mumbo-jumbo taught me a lot in regards to how to start a nonprofit, and it showed me that those two lines of information I thought I knew were useless!  The thought entered my mind that an attorney would make quick work of it all, but attorneys cost money.  (Lots of money from what I hear.)

Always the optimist, I was not deterred; I was going to DIY this thing!  (Thankfully, the One who knows all things intervened before this DIY idea of mine ended up like the water wall and other Pinterest fails.)

Through a simple phone call, He intersected my path with that of an attorney specializing in nonprofit law.  Oh, and this attorney has provided me with loads of advice, NOT billed by the hour, while also helping me navigate/prepare/file the sea of legal paperwork required to form a nonprofit incorporation.

Because of this, Supporting Adoption Ministry Fund is now an incorporated nonprofit!  We are official.  This huge dream, born in our hearts, is now a living, breathing thing!  To say I am thrilled, over the moon, excited, passionate, exuberant, pleased....would be an understatement :).

Because of a multi-talented youth leader, we have an awesome logo! (I know enough about my artistic abilities, that I never planned to DIY that.)

Each day I work on something for S.A.M.Fund* (affectionate, unofficial name), and I know without a doubt that this is exactly what God has called us to.  What peace that brings to one's soul.

To God be the glory; great things He has done (and will do)!

More to come.  Stay tuned.



*We're Southern; we give everybody/everything a nickname.

friday night special: chamchijeon

For the past two Friday nights, we have eaten chamchijeon for the Friday night special.  They're little tuna cakes, and Sam is obsessed--maybe because he can eat them with his hands.  Maybe because the main ingredient is tuna, a favorite food.  Or, maybe because he has something the cats want and beg for (tuna).  Regardless of the reasons behind his obsession, I have to double the recipe because he inhales them.  Pair them with fried rice, and there's happy taste buds all around.  (If you like tuna, you will like these.  Except for the sesame oil, the ingredients are familiar.)

With Jeremy traveling, it's been a long week of solo parenting, and my ability to string words together in a sensible way is fading.  So, I will save my update about the nonprofit for another time.  I'm off to stare at the back of my eyelids....