Thank-FULL

Last weekend we went to Cambria (on the coast of California, a couple of hours away from where we live). And God taught me a lesson about thankfulness. On Saturday afternoon we went to the beach. I had this big plan to build a big sandcastle. We had buckets, shovels… we were set! Except the beach we went to didn’t have great sandcastle-building sand like I remembered. It had pebbles. Lots and lots and lots of pebbles and a little bit of sand. And once we got there and we discovered that Lowell was right and I was wrong, we couldn’t just go somewhere else, because we were waiting for Lowell's brother and his family to meet us there and we didn’t have cell service.

We sat down and tried to build a castle with the little bit of sand that was there, but it collapsed. So we just played in the pebbles and dug holes and fed and chased sea gulls and searched for “gems”. Mikaela had quite a beautiful collection of pretty rocks (her "gems") and by the end of our time there, we were all hunting with her. Well, in the middle of my gem hunting, I found a real treasure: thankfulness.

About a week ago, I was asking God about my tendency toward regret & disappointment. For example, I was really sad when I found out we could have sent Kamin a camera and other gifts when he was referred to us. I wished we had known and was in a small way grieving the loss of pictures we could have had if we had sent something earlier. But God showed me (as I pondered the regret issue) that a big part of the solution is TRUST. I needed to trust Him that it was fine and maybe even good (for whatever reasons) that we hadn’t sent anything before. If it hadn’t been fine or good, He would have done something about it. So I could trust Him, grieve what we had missed and move on.

That day at the beach, after we had been there a while having a very nice time, I was still wishing I would have remembered the beach wasn’t sandy so we could have gone somewhere else. Then God opened my eyes. Toby and Lowell were having fun trying to get the waves to make water go into a hole they had dug. And Mikaela was in paradise!!!!! She loves pretty little things as much as anything in the world and she was surrounded by them! And they were free! And she could collect as many as she wanted! And her mom was helping! And I was on the beach, listening to and watching the waves (one of my favorite things in the world to do). What in the world was I doing still wishing for something else? And that’s where I discovered thankfulness. When I stopped wishing for something else and started being thankful for what I had found instead, the regret and disappointment started to evaporate. And I also realized that thanks-GIVING is really quite easy when you’re thank-FULL to start with.

Y, Melissa

Who Me? Distracted???

OK, sorry everyone!  This is just a quick note to tell you why I haven't been blogging much recently.  First of all, my hubby, kids and I went to the coast last weekend.  We had a wonderful time and I'm hoping to share some pictures from our trip in a few days.  But the other reason I haven't done much blogging is that I've found another internet distraction!  (Please don't feel betrayed...)  J

 

It turns out that our adoption agency has a web forum where families from the different country programs can "talk" to each other (post topics and replies) and it has been amazing how much it has made our adoption feel more real to me.  I get to see pictures of other kids and hear from people who are travelling right now to meet their children or will be soon as well as families who are just starting the process (which reminds me how far we've come!)  They are a wonderfully supportive group of people and I love them already!  You can take a look at it if you'd like, too.

 

So anyway, I just wanted to let you know I'm not gone forever...  just distracted!  (I know, that's so strange!)  But I have lots to tell you about (surprise, surprise) and hopefully will get around to it soon!

 

Y, Melissa

 

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"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:17b-19

Hmmmmm.....

Well, I had a lovely Mother's Day weekend and I hope the rest of you did too, (whether you are mothers or not!) But I was busy and didn't have time to write anything for the blog. So I thought I'd share this thought-provoking quote my friend Lisa gave me last week (instead of adding nothing!!!) While there are some parts of it I don't completely agree with (or would say differently), it still resonates with me.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brillant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlighted about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Marianne Williamson

What do you think? Back next weekend... : ), Melissa

What's in my head right now...

Planning for our church's Mother and Daughter brunch next Saturday... 

 

Deciding whether it will be best for Toby to start or not start kindergarten next year...  (don't even get me started.  I have obsessed about this way too much!!!)

 

Discovering places online where families who are adopting or have adopted through our agency can post questions and answers for each other...

 

Reading blogs by families who have adopted or will be adopting soon from Thailand...  (Which is where, in case you're interested, I found a link to this article in the Bangkok Post about foster families (with the Sahathai foundation) like the one caring for Kamin.)

 

Realizing school is going to be out in less than 6 weeks!   Wow!!!  I'm quite excited about that...  J

 

Wondering how my relationship with God is right now and if I'll ever be up early in the mornings to pray consistently again...  but trusting Him to help me stay close.

 

Wondering how I'll do on housekeeping this week while I'm getting ready for the brunch Saturday and if I'll get enough other people to help (I already have a lot) or if I'll still try to do too much by myself because I'm not good at gauging how much I can really do in any particular amount of time...

 

Thinking I need to work on our taxes (we filed an extension again this year) because I want them to be done before I completely forget the year 2007.

 

Trying to take life one day at a time and enjoy the special moments God gives us because they really are treasures and (I think) meant to strengthen us for the journey...  (I'll tell you more next weekend about my thoughts on this because I'm talking about it at the brunch.  You can pray that God will speak to all of us and that we will hear Him!!!  Thank you!!!)

 

May your week be filled with truth, peace, hope, strength and courage as You walk with Jesus one step at a time...

 

Y, Melissa