31 Days of Hope….

*I’m linking up with The Nesting Place for the 31 day writing challenge!

The Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines hope this way:
to cherish a desire with anticipation
to desire with expectation of obtainment
and…
to expect with confidence
There is so much in life that we dare not hope for…that we dare not expect…but though the days are hard and the nights may be long we still can hope for morning.  We still hope that God will meet us exactly where we are….
Let’s talk hope the next 31 days…lets anticipate that God will meet us where we are and fill us to overflowing.   Let’s believe together that we are enough and that He is so much more than enough…

Day 1: When you have lost your hope... 
Day 2: Where hope and faith meet... 
Day 3: What the princess didn't know...
Day 4: Hope is risky business...
Day 5: It just might be hope.. 
Day 6: The Lord is my portion
Day 7: When the world tries to steal your hope 
Day 8: Where does hope come from...
Day 9: Moving out of fear...
Day 10: Hope is a thing with feathers...

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God  is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills….
Hab. 3:17-19

In the end….

A couple of weeks ago I cried myself to sleep.  I am 37 years old but I went to bed bawling like a baby.    We are now 15 months into this journey with Abraham and Isaiah.   I have been so angry I thought my head would explode.   I have been so dog tired I literally couldn’t take another step.   I have been so discouraged by the behaviors I was seeing that I dreaded the morning.  I have doubted myself.  I have doubted our system.  I have even doubted God.   But you know what I have never done?

Regretted a single moment.  Not.even.one.

Last evening I picked up two infants.  Last night was long;  up every hour with a newborn.  This time we go into it with the intention of reuniting this precious ones with their parents… last time we knew that we were headed toward adoption.    My heart aches for these parents and babies.  May God heal and redeem…

I know, I know it sounds crazy.  WHY would we take on two infants when we already have our hands full?    I can’t explain.  All I know is God says go and we go.  

Why in the world are we doing this?

Happy Fall!

It feels like summer just got here and now it’s gone…as quickly as it came.

The days were full of lambs…

and lush pastures….

and attacking bottle babies.

Lots of smiles….

and of course, work!

Technorati Tags: summer,farm,sheep,lambs

Peach Cobbler

The timer beeped on the oven just as I was walking through the kitchen.  It’s been one of those days….one child is sick (and screaming) another child is upset that I left him at home to go grocery shopping (and screaming) and I am a bit sick myself (and considering screaming).  Today was the second day of homeschool and the peaches absolutely could.not.wait one more day to be canned.

As is typical for me, I had wonderful plans for all that we would learn today.  The children with their sweet cherub faces would look up to me with smiles, me, the doting mother meeting each and every need.  

We have so many expectations of ourselves as mothers…so many lines that must be crossed or we declare ourselves failures.  For a moment I was overwhelmed by that list left undone but I decided to look at the day in a different light.   There are only so many hours to do all that must be done and in those hours I did so much more right than I gave myself credit for….

I spoke kindly when the child mashed his peanut butter sandwich into the table.  Consequences were given but not with anger.

The peaches did get canned and the jam was made.

Everyone was clean (well, mostly) fed and loved on.

The dishes were washed and put away.

And the peach cobbler was delightful.