A Quote for the Day

Well, chaos has been abundant here.  Time is fleeting.  It is almost Wednesday and it hit me early this morn that I am leaving for a three day home school conference on Thursday!  Yikes!  So this is a quicky. An update on us, we are good.  Alli has started softball games, keeping us busy two nights a week.  Tyler has finished spring soccer and is trying out for the traveling team next week (chaos multiplied).  Anna is obsessed with water and has a daily need to soak in the sprinkler, slip and slide or tub...generally in that order.  Thomas is....exhausting, but good.  He sneaks out the backdoor the instance you aren't looking and he L_O_V_E_S to be outside!  We are officially a self-employed family -go mudjacking!  Prayers for the biz phone to ring ring ring are much appreciated!  I have been writing away (no not here obviously for those of you who have been whining...thank you for missing this), but writing submissions for some upcoming publications...hoping someday someone who doesn't already love me, will love one of my manuscripts enough to publish it!  So prayers for that are much needed too!  Oh and we have a new baby.  I'll tell you more in a later post :)

so on to the quote. 

My cousins Sean and Emily are an amazingly beautiful couple.  They share the kind of love you read about.  Em graciously shared this quote that she read.  I love it. 

Love is about bottomless empathy, born out of the heart's revelation that another person is every bit as real as you are.  And this is why love, as I understand it, is always specific.  Trying ot love all of humanity may be a worthy endeavor, but in a funny way, it keeps the focus on the self, on the self's own moral or spiritual well-being.  Whereas, to love a specific person, and to identify with his or her struggles and joys as if they were your own, you have to surrender some of your self.

I love how God created one specific person to love me in a way that no one else can, to understand me, to put up with me, and to be my partner.  I love that in the process of learning to love another, we intertwine our branches and become one big strong tree, bearing each others burdens, sharing each others fears and enjoying each others accomplishments.  Thank you God for creating Eve for Adam, and seeing that it was good :) 

Blessings on you and the one's you love tonight.

My Brown Eyed Girl

I am long overdue for a post, but life is busy at the end of the homeschool year, the beginning of mudjacking season, and on the very special 7th birthday of our second born!  So although it is belated, this post is dedicated to my Allerina Ballerina.

We never find out the gender of our children in utero.  I love the suspense, the excitement, the guessing.  Mostly the torture it inflicts on the extended family and their desire to buy pink or blue...ha!  I knew, KNEW Ty was a boy.  Every ounce of me was sure.  I was right!  So the second pregnancy I was pretty sure again that I would have another boy.  I was literally shocked when Matt delivered our baby GIRL!  And once again, I was instantaneously, totally, completely, in love.  Every doubt about how I could love another as much as I loved my Ty...vanished.  There is no explanation, you just do.  In an instant your love is multiplied, not divided, multiplied. 

 Our Alli was/is a force to be reckoned with.  A beautiful, energetic girl.  A perfect baby, slept at night, rarely cried.  But as she grew in size she grew in energy as well.  Full of life, zeal, love.  There was two modes on her system, awake or asleep.  Some days it felt as though she never stopped moving from the moment her eyes popped open in the wee hours of the morning until the moment she was wrestled to bed at night.  Oh how I prayed for her little spirit.  On my knees by the side of her sleeping head, "Dear Lord, I pray for her fire to burn for you.  For all this energy in her little body to some day be used for your glory.  Help her find a lower gear, but to keep her fire for you!" 

She has grown into a marvelous little doll.  I adore her loving and giving heart.  She is on FIRE for the Lord, she relates everything to Jesus, and she teaches me each day how to love Him more as well.

I asked her in the weeks prior to her big #7, what sort of cake she would like this year.  Last year we did a castle, the year before was something princess as well.  This year, she wanted a Jesus birthday.  Yes she did.  My hearts bursts with joy to see her soar in His love.  The way she chooses to honor Him, to share the love of her Lord with others.  If only I could be more like my seven year old.  I pray she never losses her resolve.  That she continues to love and share and glorify Him. 

My beautiful brown eyed girl is growing up.  She is my affectionate, artistic, compassionate, energetic, committed, vibrant, confident, resilient, angel.  I love her dearly.  I thank God for allowing me to be her mommy.  How very blessed I am. 

Beautiful baby

You're sweeter than strawberry pie

Just like the morning

Your smile brings the sunshine

jj heller