No clever words...No fancy pics...Just a heart full of love and prayersfor our brothers and sisters in Japan."Please Lord, Help them cool those reactors, and save these people from further devestation".    

"I am mightily made"

 

I had already planned on using this sketch as my "Sacred Sunday" post, when I learned that my dear friend has once again been treated unjustly for no other reason but the color of  his skin. And so, my reflection on this sacred Sunday is... How beautiful our good God must be that we... all different... are created in His same image and likeness. Yet it is no wonder we cannot find Him in this world, when we cannot see ourselves in each other.  My prayer for all of us is to remember that each of us is "mightily made".

***Update***
Thank you to Creating The Hive for featuring this blog post on their site!

 

Why I Love Changing Poopie Diapers.... and Counting Other Blessings :)

I admit it. Changing poopie diapers was NOT always something I loved to do. No, it's true... really ;) In fact, when my twins were potty trained 20+ years ago, I may have been happy to never deal with a diaper of any sort, ever again. Then my infant godson moved in with us. Then I did daycare. Then I did daycare for twins. Twins whose mom used cloth diapers... Then I stopped doing daycare.... LOL.

10 years after my twins were potty trained, I was blessed to have my daughter, Hannah. More diapers. I didn't "mind", but I didn't "love", you know. THE DIAPERS!!! The diapers, of course.  I LOVED Hannah with all my heart.

Then came daycare again. LOTS of daycare, and LOTS of diapers. Then came Caleb. Then came Rebekah. You could say my life has been a LONG line of poopie diapers.

So, what inspired me to "love" poopie diapers?

a miscarriage.

Now, this is NOT a 'fishing for sympathy' post. Believe me. I know lots of people have been through much more tragedy in their lives. I'm not trying to belittle experiencing a miscarriage. A part of me will always mourn my little baby. But I know that many others have been through that, and much more. And I know I have been blessed beyond my dreams.

This is a 'counting my blessings' post.

You see, the day I went home from the hospital, in a fog of grief and dismay, I came home to all the kids. Kids who needed their mama. And among those kids was my 11 month old baby, Rebekah. I held her soooo close. She had already "kept me together" through the illness and loss of my mom. Now, she was my comfort once again.

Then "it" happened. sniff... sniff... Is that a poopie diaper? Yep. Of course. That is what babies do, right?

You might think changing a diaper would be a low point in that already gloomy day. But it was a gift. I'd go as far as to say that poopie diaper changed me more than I changed it.

As I tended to my darling baby's basic need, and freshened up her bottom, a floodgate opened. Realizing I would never be able to care for my miscarried baby, toddler, pre-teen, teen, young adult... in any way, made me appreciate every detail of mothering my other children. Knowing what it feels like to not be able to perform basic... mundane tasks puts them in a different light.

To this day (4 years later), I smile every time I change a poopie diaper. Each and every time, I am reminded of just how blessed I am to have this precious little one to care for.

My life may not be glamorous, and my daily duties may seem purposeless at times. But they aren't. Each one counts. Each one contributes to our home, and my family's wellfare.

I will keep counting my blessing.... One "poopie diaper" at a time.

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Just a sidenote:

Thought my "Sacred Sunday" post would be a nice time to share this...

My husband, Mike, is a church musician. Each week, the diocese of  Fall River, MA records the weekly mass for all of the folks who are unable to attend church because of illness or disability. This week, Mike's pastor celebrated mass, and so Mike played the music. The kids and I watched this morning.

Jake was playing on the floor, when all of a sudden, he heard Daddy's voice. He turned on a dime and made a bee-line for the TV. (or is it a B-line???)

Anyhoo.... He stood there, at the TV, caressing daddy's arm, waving, and doing a lot of dancing. Not sure if Daddy picked "Give Me Jesus" because it's one of Jake's favorite bedtime songs, but he sure seemed to appreciate it none the less :)

I love how much he loves his daddy...

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Feel free to count your blessings along with me, and share in the comments if you'd like :)

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Sacred Sunday 7/18/2010

One way I keep my Sundays sacred is to not work. That is sometimes a tougher challenge than usual, especially if I have a Monday deadline. But I won't question God's wisdom in setting aside and blessing a day of rest. Do you remember "way back when" when all the stores were closed on Sundays? Somehow we always had what we needed. I guess folks were required to be organized and prepared. On Sunday, there was always time for family... time for leisurly dinners, long walks, sitting on the porch watching the rain... I so miss that simplicity. I try very hard to recreate that kind of rest and fellowship for our family. Since 2 of our family members work for the church, we don't get to spend all day together, but we make the best of the hours we do have. I want my children to appreciate the value in "stopping" and taking in that blessing which is so overlooked in our world. It's the perfect time to grow closer to God and closer to each other. It's so much better to begin a new week with that kind of love and nurturing. Scripture says "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." It takes a strong spirit to to pick up the slack of our physical weaknesses, and holy rest is just the prescription.
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"Thank You, Lord for setting aside a day to just "be" in Your presence.