Christmas letter 2013

Another year has come and almost gone and God has been busy in our little family. Our adventures this year included the usual trip to Walmart and if I am feeling really brave I will take the kids out to eat (by myself).

    I did take them all skating this year, which proved to be very challenging. Many lessons were learned and the biggest one was, don't take three kids (including one who is overly dramatic) who cannot skate, to a public skating rink on Christian Music night. People are watching how you handle all three of them as you drag them out the door kicking and screaming. I am sure they all gathered in prayer as we left to give praise to God that we were gone then skated around the rink to the Hallelujah Chorus. When we came home from the skating rink we were greeted by my much aggravated husband and a toilet in the front yard. That, however, is another story for another time.

   Other than that ,the Taylor family has pretty much stayed home and focused on the newest little blessing that joined our family on November 3, 2013. Jacob Matthew Taylor, came three weeks early and weighed in at 8 lbs and 7oz and was 20.5 inches long. He resembles his big sister, Anna with his blond hair and blue eyes. He is already quite spoiled and loves to be snuggling someone at all times. With his arrival we realized that everyone now has a date for Home School Prom.

  

Anna is still attending “Taylor Home school” and is in the 2^nd grade this year. She is learning new things and proving to be quite the little reader. She loves to spend her time either reading or doing anything crafty. Math is her worst enemy but she is learning to conquer it a little at a time. She is especially good at handing out orders to her younger siblings. Her father and I are confident that she will graduate this year top of her class.

   Jaden turned the big 5 this year and spent his birthday riding his new bike. He later became very brave and learned to ride it without training wheels. He is the newest student at “Taylor Home school” as he entered kindergarten this year. He is learning to read and doing quite well at putting his letter sounds together. He loves to write his name and math seems to be his best friend as he enjoys doing it each day. He has put on more dramatic performances then I can count with most of them being in public for all to see. When he grows up he wants to work with his daddy or be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. 

  Ava turned 3 this year and loves to love. She has got a spunky, head strong, personality all her own and you can't help but smile when she enters the room. This year she has conquered potty training. This has made mommy very happy. She also loves to help with everything. While mommy was in the hospital having Jacob, she proclaimed, “Mommy when you were gone I was totally helpful.”

  Jim Bob continues to work very hard long hours at the family business. We are so grateful for his willingness to provide for the family in this way. And Emily stays very busy with the children and home and school. She still cringes every time she is asked the question, “so, do you work?”

   As most of you know for the past few years we have been seeking many doctors to resolve some medical issues that the kids have been dealing with. God closed that door for us this year. After seeing many doctors and several test later, at Cincinnati Children Hospital, we were given our answer that we had searched for, for 8 years now. Anna, Jaden and Ava have a secondary carnitine deficiency and it is genetic. This news was delivered to us when we were 3 months pregnant with Jacob. So we are watching him very closely for symptoms and monitoring his blood sugar levels to make sure they are not getting too low. Medication was given to the other three and has helped them greatly. This condition can affect major organs and we were told that with the medication we shouldn't have anything to worry about. However some damage had already been done to Jaden while we fought for someone to help him. Thankfully it was just muscle damage and we are working on building back his strength. We were commended by the doctor on our persistence to find an answer for them. He told us many times it is misdiagnosed as a virus and when they do find what it is, then it is too late. God has really been at work during our eight year journey. We don't know what is causing their body to be deficient in carnitine, and we may never know. For now, God has closed that door and until He opens another one we will praise Him in the hallway. 

We hope and pray this letter finds you all well and in good health. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of blessings.

Jim Bob, Emily,
         &
The Taylor Tots

Dear Jacob......

                                                                                                                         November 1, 2013


My Dearest Jacob,
   I wanted to write you one last letter before we meet you.  Time is getting close now (a mother knows such things.)  I want you to know what a blessing you are to this family already.  I also wanted to you to know how I knew I was suppose to have you.

 After I had your sister Ava, your name was on my heart.  Your name stayed on my heart for 3 more years.  My pregnancy with your sister Ava was a nightmare.  I did NOT want to do that again.  But I also knew that your name remained embedded in my heart  for some reason.   I loved you and I couldn't explain that to anyone.

   I am ashamed to say that praying was something that I had not done with the others, but this time I was scared.  I had already came as close to death as I would ever want to be, after having your sister Anna.  Jaden became an emergency C-section and was an awful recovery.  Ava's delivery and pregnancy was just a nightmare.   Then there is the fact that there is a genetic medical issue that your siblings seem to have that we knew you could have as well. So knowing I needed a stronger Power to make this decision for me, I began to pray, " Lord, I feel like You want to give us one more child.  I feel as if You have already given me his name. But I also know that I am scared.  There are so many risks involved here.  So I lay this at Your feet.  If it is Your will for us to have another child then we will willingly open our arms and accept it with love.  However if my body is not strong enough to endure another pregnancy and surgery, then please allow me to be here for the three that you have so graciously given us." 

 A month later I passed my fourth pregnancy test.  You were on your way!!  And for several days after that I stayed nervous.  Knowing, the struggles we may face I began to have fears. When these fears would come, God would bring a promise to me.  Philippians 1:6, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion...."

  So I began to praise!!  God answered my prayers in a big way and I had to trust, at this point, that everything was going to be okay.  I had to believe that He was going to see us through this.

  Two months pregnant I told your daddy that your name would be Jacob.  He didn't know how I knew you were going to be a boy, but I did.  I told him that I didn't have a middle name though.  A few weeks later I had a dream. I was holding you.  You were just born and the doctor said, "what is his name,"  I said, "his name is Jacob Matthew."  I woke up and thought, "Matthew....I like it!!" The next day I ran it past your dad and he agreed to Matthew for your middle name (that is if you were a boy.)  I later looked up the meaning of Matthew and it means "Gift from God."  I have no doubt in my mind that God chose that name for you too.

  See, in the Bible it says, in Psalm 139:16, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  I know this is true.  Your name was engraved in my heart before you even began.  God chose me as your mommy before one of your days came to be.  God already knew He needed you to be apart of this world.

 Your story is one that I will always hold close to my heart. From the prayers that were answered, and your name that was placed within me. To all of the verses that have been brought to my attention throughout all of this.  I wanted you to know it too.  I wanted you to know how special you are to us.  You and your three siblings are blessings from God that we could never repay Him for.    I also wanted you to know how much God loves you that He would choose a family for you before you were even thought of and how honored I am to be that family.

  My prayer for you is like the other three.  I  pray for wisdom to raise you and to lead you toward your purpose that God has already designed you for.  I pray that I do not stand in the way of that purpose.  I pray that when God knocks on your heart that you hear Him and obediently open the door and allow Him to come in.  I pray that God works through me and you dad so that the next generation, and the generations to come, can be better than us.

We cannot wait to hold you and meet our fourth blessing from God.

With much Love,
       ~mom~

    "~Wherever you are, whenever it's right  You'll come out of nowhere and into my life..............And I promise you kid that I'll give so much more than I get I just haven't met you yet~"

You Are Special

   I don't know about you but I carry the weight of the opinions of others on my shoulders.  I compare myself to others to the point that I  have either made them look like dirt or have made myself feel worthless. 

  I read a book to the kids that struck something in me as well.  The book is called "You are Special" it is written by Max Lucado.

As the school year starts and words start flying and we work so hard just to be accepted by everyone around us, this is a wonderful book for us all to read. 

  It's about a little wooden puppet named Punchinello. He lives in a little town full of wooden puppets.  All the puppets are different.  They wear different clothes they are different sizes and shapes.  Some puppets are smooth and some are rough.  Some puppets have many talents and others not so much.   The only thing they all have in common is that they were all made by the same wood carver, Eli.  Eli lives on the hill on the edge of town.

All of the puppets carry around a box of dots and stars.  The puppets who were smooth and talented always got stars.  But when the puppets were caught making a mistake and doing something silly or foolish they received a black dot.

Punchinello was full of black dots.  He never did anything right.  He tried really hard to get a star.  He failed every time.  It got to the point where Punchinello just stayed home, so scared he was going to do something even more foolish, like fall in a puddle, and receive another black dot.

One day Punchinello met a girl named Lucia.  Lucia didn't have any stars or dots.  It was the strangest thing he had ever seen.  When others saw how she had no black dots they tried to put a star on her, but it fell off.  Others criticized her for not having any stars and tried to give her black dots, and those fell off of her too.  Punchinello asked how she did it.  She said, "it's easy!  Everyday I go up the hill and spend time with Eli"  Punchinello didn't understand so Lucia encouraged him to go spend some time with Eli and find out.

When Punchinello finally gets the courage to go meet his maker, he was shocked at the love that his maker had for him.  Eli didn't care about his dots or mistakes.  Eli didn't even care that he hadn't earned any starts.  Punchinello asked Eli how to get rid of the dots.  Eli said, "The stickers will only stick if you let them"


Wow.....How many stickers I have allowed to stick to me.  How many times I see my dots and spend most of my time remembering the time they were given to me and what I did or didn't do to earn them and how to get them off  or cover them up before others see them.  How many times I longed for just one star to wear proudly for all to see.  The sad part is that sometimes I tend to give others a black dot just so I can fell like I am wearing a star.  Other times I look at the stars  that others are wearing and give myself a black dot.  How I long to be Lucia,  to not care what others think about me to the point that their opinions don't stick.  To skip up the hill freely to meet my Maker only caring what He thinks of me and knowing that no matter what others think..... believing that He thinks I'm special........and to have that be the only thing that matters to me

"Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load"
                                                                                               Galatians 6:4,5

" Do not conform any longer to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will"         
                                                                                           Romans 12: 2

Don't let the opinions of others stick to you.  Don't compare yourself to anyone.  If you continue to focus on being  apart of this world, you will miss the blessings that God has laid out before you.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opBUb3WcimE  You can view this book here.  It is a wonderful thing to sit and watch with the kids!!!

The End of a long Road, the beginning of a new journey

     


    "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him"  ~Jeremiah 17:7~



 

    Wow!!  It has been forever since I have blogged.   I don't have a lot of time these days to blog with school started back and a fourth baby coming around Thanksgiving.  Talk about doctor appointments out the yin yang!!!

    Yesterday was the ending of our 8 year journey.  I am trying to be excited about this.  But it didn't end how I thought it was going to end.  I thought we would have a diagnosis in hand.  A reason their bodies are reacting the way they do to certain things.  A title that would tell us what their future holds.  We didn't get any of that.  We still face a future of the "unknown" and we live each day treating what we can and watching for new symptoms to rear their ugly heads.

  The obvious has been tested for.  Now we are looking at the  other 1,000 plus "rare" mitochondrial disorders.  Unfortunately this is where science is not caught up.  There is no way to quickly or efficiently test for any of them.  We could do a muscle biopsy, and we could fork out literally thousands more to figure this out with other tests.  It may take us another ten years.  But the fact is that the treatment would remain the same.  So the question we had to ask ourselves is, "it is worth it??  Do we put them through that much more drama for an answer that won't change the treatment??"

So now we know three things for sure.   They do have a carnitine deficiency They do have a mitochondrial disorder affecting the way their body transports energy, and this is genetic.  So now that we have three semi stabilized kids our focus turns to Jacob. Then all of the anxieties come back that I felt with the others.  It's a scary road but one we have traveled on many times before.

During the appointment the following "discoveries" were made.  All three children have a low muscle mass.  This is normal among kids with a Carnitine deficiency.  Jaden was our worst. Also a small heart murmur was discovered in Jaden.  They saw something not normal about Anna's eyes but would not discuss that with us, instead discussed it quietly among themselves. (so annoying!!)  On the papers, that they handed to us at the end of the appointment,  it said that "problems were found but were hidden from our view"  (also, super annoying!!!)

  At this point we feel, as parents, we have done all that we can do to help our children.  The Doctors at Cincinnati have commended us on our determination to find an answer for these kids.  They told us that most of the time  Carnitine Deficiency's  are misdiagnosed as a "virus" and ignored until it is too late.  For that I Praise God.  Only He knows that I don't have a fighting bone in my body.  So any "push" I had came directly from Him.

So here we stand looking at a brick wall.  It is surrounding us and I won't lie, it's disappointing.  I mean we fought for 8 years for an answer and this is where it has taken us???  This can't be our "Promised Land" can it???  I envisioned it so much better than this.  So we turn around,  and we see how far God has brought us. He pushed us toward the country of Answers and once we got there,  He carried us through the land of criticism .  He walked with us through the valley of discouragement.  He held our hands on the road of endless tests. He comforted us along the turns of the unknowns.  He hugged us in the town of the slamming doors.   He wiped our tears in the river of doubt.  While walking up the mountain of anxiety He met us at the top with His peace. And when we entered the community of judgment and opinions He reminded us why we had to keep walking to get through it.  My God has been faithful throughout this whole journey and has given us the wisdom to know where to turn and how to get to the next road to help us.  Even though we stand up against a brick wall ,I know that I serve a God who can put a door in that wall at any time for us to walk through.  So for now I will lift my hands and Praise the one who brought us here.  I will continue to praise Him......even if this is where it ends.

Lincoln County Valedictorian 2013

Dear Lincoln County Valedictorian 2013,

So first of all congratulations on your achievements.  You graduated top of your class.  That is amazing.  But we both know the issue at hand here. Six kids said they didn't want prayer at their graduation this year. And leaders with their "hands tied" said "okay."

I encourage you do do the right thing.  Remember Daniel.  He, among three other men, were administrators.  But because of his exceptional qualities the king had planned to set him over the whole kingdom. He was first of the class, if you will.  Because of this, the other administrators tried to find fault in Daniel.  After watching him they could find no fault.  He did nothing wrong.  But they noticed he prayed a lot to a God they could not understand or see. So they decided to trick the King into issuing and edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next 30 days, except the king, shall be thrown into the lions den.  When Daniel learned of this the first thing he did was go up to his home and in front of his window, and he knelled in prayer, giving thanks to God just as he had done so many times before.

As a result of this he was thrown into the lions den.  God shut the mouths of the lions and not only that when he came up alive out of that lions den God shut the mouths of everyone else who ever doubted His existence.

You have a decision that only you can make.  This is the first test of this little thing called "life."  God has called you to do something greater than to graduate at the top of your class. God is not bounded by walls.  And He doesn't require us to pray out loud in order to be heard.  He hears the desires of our hearts. 

Whatever you decide to do understand that our God is bigger.  We serve the same God today that shut the mouths of the lions so they would not devour a man who went to his knees to pray when he was told not to.  We serve the same God today that walked around a fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and brought them out, without a scratch on them, and shut the mouths of the king. This same God who others have tried to shut out of our schools has walked with you in the halls and protected you and has given you the wisdom to get to where you are today.  And this same God will get you through this too. 

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret- it leads only to evil For evil men will be cut off but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."  Psalms 37:1-9

Praying for you and all who have a choice to make here. May God's wisdom rest upon your hearts and your mind and give you the courage to do what is right.  God Bless

prayers for the kids please

 

"Be persistant in prayer, and keep alert as you pray giving thanks to God"

 

Colossians 4:2

 

 

 

I wanted to take some time today and sit down and ask for prayer.  Our family is headed back to Cincinnati Children's Hospital on Thursday.  There will be more testing on the kids.  Our family has prayed for seven years for an answer. 

On Thursday the kids will be tested for Ketone Utilization Disorder.  After some research on this we realize that the kids have many if not all of the symptoms involved with this disorder.  I don't want to get too into it now, but if this is what they have then God has truly been protecting these kids throughout their journey.  I love it how God is always there to protect us even in the times I didn't ask Him to be.  And especially  in the times when I am so dumb to what is really going on around me.

The last thing we want to do is get our hopes up again only to realize that our  7 year search for an answer isn't over just yet.  It has happened so many times.  The doctors test for something and we say, "this has got to be it!!"  and we get the phone call saying, "I'm sorry this isn't it, so come back and we will do more testing." 

When you are a parent you don't want anything to be wrong with your kids but when you know something is wrong, your heart sinks when it can't be found.  And you become very tired  and helpless when you are asked to "walk" around that same mountain called "testing" for 7 years. 

God is good and I believe He will lead us to the answer we are searching for.  He made them.  He already has the answer. We are asking that you pray for His wisdom to reach the minds and thoughts of the doctors to guide them in the right direction to our answer.  We are also asking that you pray for protection on us as we travel.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, they mean so much to us. I will keep you posted as soon as we hear something.  ♥♥♥

Be a Servant....

"No servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."  John 13:16


Yesterday my nerves had reached their limit.  I was about to blow!!!!  And believe me, I have blown many times before, but yet day after day it was the same thing over and over again.  One child would wake up early in the morning, go to the rooms of all the others, start a fight or two and I would then be awake due to a screaming war over "who had the toy first", or "she looked at me."  

I am not a morning person at all.  I think that it would be wonderful if the world would not function until noon.  I am a night owl.  I have been since my babies were born.  With the chance that  their blood sugars could drop while they sleep I find it hard to rest too soundly as I feel my motherly duties are still needed at 3 a.m.    So while they wake rested and ready to start their day at 7a.m.   I am saying, "give me five more minutes"

God knows I am tired.  He knows I am empty most of the day.  I try to remain obedient to what He has called me to do but there are so many days where I think like Moses..and I say,  "God are you sure you have the right person????"  I pour myself into these kids all day long and I selfishly say, "when is my turn??  When does someone fill me up???  How can I possibly give when I have nothing left to give???"  But just like He said to Moses ,He is saying to me,  "you can do this, you will do this,  I will be with you, if you let me"

I see the fighting and the fussing and I want more than anything for my kids to get along,  to work together as a team instead of against each other.  The oldest has a natural personality of "I am in charge!"  The son in the middle has a natural personality of, "when dad is gone I am the man of the house and I am in charge!!!"  The youngest is very stubborn and has a personality that says, very loudly, "go ahead I dare you to try and tell me to do something.....because we all know I am incharge of my own world and no one tells me what to do!!"

So when I awoke yesterday at 7am, to yet another fight, I knew that something had to be done. I just didn't know what. Screaming at them hadn't worked. Time outs hadn't worked. I even tried to tell them, "you will not leave your bedroom until I get up." That didn't work either. As I am sitting at the table, so tired I couldn't function right, I began to look over their school lessons for the day to gather everything I needed. Keep in mind they are still fighting and at times, even biting.  Then like a slap in the face I heard, "servant."  I thought, "um God how can I be MORE of a servant????  I am waiting on them hand and foot!!  They have sucked the life out of me most days???  "  Then it hit me.  We ALL needed a lesson on how to be a better servant. Especially me.


The bible lesson yesterday came out of John 13.  In those days due to the streets of dust and dirt when you entered someones house you would first meet a servant who would wash your feet.    In John 13 it tells the story of how Jesus,  the Son of God,  the perfect Lamb,  washed his disciples feet.  He humbled himself as a servant and with all of his heart and love, washed his disciples feet. 

So yesterday I got out a tub of water and made each child wash each others feet.   I even got in on the action as I washed the feet of my youngest.  As they washed each others feet I encouraged them to say,  "I am no better than you,  I am put here to love you and to show you ,and others around me,  God's love. I am here to do things for others,  and not to expect others to do them for me.  I am a servant"


We even went one step further and had my son paint Anna's toe nails.  And I let Ava paint my toes as well.    And even though they are not perfect, I will wear them proudly.

They found the activity fun and a lesson was learned by all.  Even me.    Jesus says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" Mark 10: 43-45 (NIV)

Through out the day I noticed little actions of love. Although there was still arguments and disagreements I witnessed my son offering his favorite blanket to his sister who was cold. When it was medicine time I did not hear the usual "ME FIRST!!!" I heard, "you can go ahead of me"

To show God's love, we must be willing to humble ourselves and serve others, and not wait for others to serve us.  Jesus in all of his Glory did not build a kingdom here on earth and command others to serve Him.  He lived His life here on earth, giving his whole heart into serving others.


Are we serving with all of our hearts???  Are we willingly showing our children what it means to be a servant???  Are we serving them without complaining and thinking of ourselves.

Being a mother is exhausting, and most of the time not fair.   Some of us were dealt more in life than we think we deserve or can handle.  That is when the rest of us who weren't dealt such a hard  hand need to step up and serve with all that we have.   By doing this we can allow God to work through us to fill those who are empty.  And if  you feel like you can't take another step and you cannot serve the way you were called to do,  Jesus says, "Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest"  Mark 6:31  NIV

Skating Disaster

Last Thursday was the day that we had a "plumbing issue" in the bathroom.  So my husband was not in the best of moods.  So I weighed my options.  Going rollerskating with a 2, 4 and a 7 year old by myself, or stay home to observe a "non professional plumber" in action.  So off we went.  To our luck it was "Christian Music Night"  so that means it was only $1.00 to get in.

I took the above picture before the chaos began.  Here is how it all went down.

The whole way there I am doing what any mother does.  I was thinking up every possible situation where something could go wrong and then solving the problem in my head before we get there. That way this all goes as smoothly as possible.   

I wore a hoodie, not because I was cold but because it had a big pocket in the front for my money and debit card and phone and keys.  I repeated the order in my head so that it would roll off the tongue when we got there,  "I have 4 people to skate tonight , and we need 3 regular skate rentals please."  We get there and I see that they have something called a "skate mate." So we add two of those to the order as well.  We find a bench to sit on while I get the skates for the ones who need them. 

We are all set to go.  I explain that we are all to stay together and to help each other out.  No pushing, shoving and don't attempt a triple lutz on the first time around.  I, one by one, helped them down off the step.  Now let me stop there for a minute.  A step???  Really??????  Okay moving on.  Anna gets off the step, and immediately goes down.  I told her just to sit there for a minute.  I help Jaden off the step, and he immediately starts to scream.  And I don't mean, "aw he is crying"  kind of scream.  I mean this child is screaming at the top of his lungs as if I told him that a T-Rex was going to be chasing him, and if he didn't learn how to skate before the T-Rex got him, that he wasn't going to be able to come home with us.  I told Jaden that this was "Christian music night" and to please not act like this because I would hate to be judged on how I was about to handle this "situation."

  So now we have Anna on the floor (sitting patiently) Jaden screaming his ever loving head off.  And I reach for Ava.  I put her down, she smiles and off she goes.  Gone!!  I did not see that coming and based on the "situations" that I had resolved in my head earlier, this was not suppose to happen.  I look at Anna and say, "get up and try to catch your sister!"  She stands up and back down she goes.   So I think...."what would Jesus do"...so I left two behind to go get my one lost "sheep" to bring her back. 

We finally get all back together and we go to make our first trip around.  Anna is falling, Ava is showing off, and Jaden.....well, Jaden is still screaming.  He screamed around the first trip, around the second trip and then when we took a break  and he screamed through the break too. 

I suggested that we all go two more times around and call it a night.  I look around and see that someone has taken Ava's skate mate.  I see the little culprit and I am telling you this kid did not need a skate mate.   He is doing turns and "Mary Poppins Heal clicks" in the air.  I remind myself again,  "it is Christian music night."  So I decide to have a talk with this little criminal ......in my head.  In my head I walked up to him and told him,  "your lucky I know Jesus now"  I also said things like, "If you want to go to heaven, you need to return that skate mate to it's owner" and "listen here you little punk, your mother may not care what you do but I am telling you now.....taking skate mates that don't belong to you is wrong!!  Jesus said so,  it's in the Message Bible"  But, truth is while I had all of those pretend confrontations in my head, I looked up and Ava was 20 feet in front of me just skating along.  She didn't care, why should I?

I decide it was time to go ,as Jaden was still screaming.  On our way out Ava decided to throw a tantrum because she didn't want to go.  So she ran away from me.  What would Jesus do???  Well I don't know what He would do, but I ripped up that child and carried her out of that skating rink dragging Jaden behind me.  I load them all in the car and said to myself, "Never again!!!" 

I pick up supper for everyone, including my non-professional plumber husband, and head home only to find the bathroom totally disassembled and the toilet in the front yard.

I wonder if Jesus knew this was going to happen when he said, "in ALL things give thanks"  or if Thursday was an exception for us just once.......

a message

I use the “small” to do big things. I use your weakness to show My strength. I take a worrier and make them into a warrior. Don't ever be ashamed of being small or scared. You are weak but I am strong. Lean on Me more. You need Me. You need Me to guide your mind. You need me to guard your heart. You need me to control your tongue. You need me to control your thoughts. You need me to fight that battle that is raging inside of your mind. You need my Peace. The world that you seek to “please” cannot give it to you. You need to meditate on My promises. You need to understand that I am and always will be with you, today, tomorrow, and forever. Believe Me when I say you can and must trust Me. I want the very best for you. You cannot be in control. You have to let me drive. Each day is an adventure so sit back and enjoy the ride.   Let Me take you where I want you to go and we will get there when I want you to get there. I cannot tell you where we are going, although I know that would make you more at ease. Remain in Me and I will remain in you, because apart from Me you can do nothing.

Love always,

             God

James 3:8, Judges 6:12, John 15: 4-5, II Corinthians 12:8-10, Romans 8:28, Joshua 1:5