Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone! Here's my gratitude list for the day.

• First, I am thankful for choice. Today is Thursday and I am able to make a conscious choice to be thankful! It isn't always easy. And some days, there is no doubt in my mind that the devil is working overtime. He does everything he can to influence me to be ungrateful, crabby, upset, etc. In spite of that, I can choose to turn my face towards God and see His blessings in my life. It is MY choice to make.
• Second, I am thankful for the beautiful sunrise that was happening as I was driving to work this morning. A reminder of God's beauty in nature.
• Third, the amazing weather that our loving Father has blessed us with lately. The kids have loved being outside and soaking in the warmth and sun.
• These precious faces that greet me every morning when I wake up. Today, I took a few minutes to play with them as I was getting ready for work. What fun to hear them laughing and giggling as we were chasing each other around the house. (Forgive the alignment, I couldn't get it to center correctly - ugh!)

Matthew in his favorite new church shirt - a gift from Grandpa Jerry so of course it is THE BEST! By the way, do you see the personality in that face? Oh my!! He does indeed enjoy being the center of attention.

                             

 Maia in her princess dress - which reminds of another thing to be thankful for. My sweet friend MaryAnn who blesses Maia with such beautiful clothes!

My two favorite guys!  Hanging out with daddy and watching tv is Matthew's favorite way to spend time.


I would love to hear what you are thankful for today!!

Little pick-me-ups

I know, I know... it's been quite a while since I have posted pictures of the kids and done an update about them. My goal is to do that this week. Last night, I was looking at photos of our trip to bring Matthew home - the difference in both kids is so amazing. God is good and He deserves all the credit for their transformation! So, be patient a little while longer and I will get some new pics up.

This morning, I am reminded of how important it is to remember that we have the ability to make a difference in other people's lives without even realizing it. I want to be an extension of Jesus' hands and feet, for everything I do to reflect Him. I ran into one of my former co-workers at the gym this morning. She shared that she had visited the blog yesterday to get a "little pick me up." What a sweet gift that was to me - I often wonder if the seemingly random thoughts I post make a difference to anyone. Sometimes, it seems like this is just my outlet and a way to chronicle some of this journey with our children (instead of relying on my great rotten memory. It touched my heart that she would feel like our blog was something positive and inspirational. So, remember - you never know whose life you might touch with your prayers, words, actions or realize the impact you have!

Mulligan Stew Giveaway

Julia is another adoptive mom whose blog I follow. She adopted her son Aaron from an institution that is very similar to the type of place that Matthew would have been transferred to if we had not brought him home. Julia is doing an amazing giveaway to help some wonderful adoptive families bring their kiddos home, as well as grow grant money for some Reece's Rainbow children (like Laurel who was blessed by many of you with my LoveNote giveaway. Please visit Julia's blog and be part of this opportunity to help others. You could win some really great prizes!!

Thankful Thursday

My post may be a little bit rambling today so bear with me... there is a point - lol!

My circle group at church is reading a wonderful book called Having a Mary Spirit in a Martha World by Joanne Weaver. The words speak so powerfully and personally to me that I am often in tears as I read. They are words that echo my heart. Anyway... this month's chapter was talking about service to others and Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. We discussed how God often calls us to serve others in ways that are uncomfortable for us. I shared a story that I had read about Beth Moore being told by God to comb the hair of an elderly man in an airport. Now, I am great with talking, giving advice, encouraging others. But, I'm not that great about practicing what I preach. In fact, I'm pretty darn bad at it. If God spoke to me asking me to do something similar, I'm not sure I would have been faithful enough to act. I left our group that night not really giving a whole lot of thought to how God might make that personal to me. Silly girl!

Yesterday morning, I was reading my devotional and it talked about the challenges I would face that day and how I needed to look to God instead of circumstances. I prayed about it, but again didn't think much about how this was personal to me. THEN...at work, my co-workers and I found out about an upcoming change that will affect all of us. It won't change the job I do or how I do it. But, it will take me out of my comfort zone, away from the familiarity of my current work environment - patients I know well, colleagues who I am truly blessed to call friends as well. It will require me to serve differently. How did I respond? Honestly, not well at all. It was all I could do not to spend the whole day in tears. I went home last night, ate dinner, put the kids to bed, and went to bed myself. I just wanted to wallow in my misery.

This morning, I woke up early and read my devotion. It was talking about seeking God first, looking at His face and seeking His strength. Hmmm... maybe He was speaking to me?? I left home with a little better attitude (although there was still room for a LOT of improvement) and headed off to the gym to exercise before work. While on the treadmill, I was watching a female Christian speaker who tells it like it is. I enjoy that about her because she really challenges me to look at my perspective. Her topic was about our heavenly father calling us to be obedient, to ACT, to quit feeling sorry for ourselves and our circumstances. To choose to keep our eyes focused on what is important - GOD!! Yep, I was convicted. There was no doubt I was supposed to be hearing that message right now because it definitely applied to  me.

Which brings me to what I am thankful for this Thursday.

• I am thankful that God speaks to me. That He calls me out of my warm, cozy, little comfort zone and stretches me. That even when I am whining and crying, God is there. He reminds me that the things I am complaining about really don't matter in the big picture. If I would just stop kicking, screaming, having my little temper tantrums, maybe I could see the blessings that come from challenges (BTW - God gave me a good giggle with that one. He told me to picture Matthew's tantrums and consider the fact that mine were probably worse similar - oh, I have so much to learn).
• My beautiful kids. Last night when I got home, I crawled on to the bed, desperate for some peace. The kids quickly got on the bed and cuddled up to give me lots of attention, hugs, and kisses. What precious gifts they are and how blessed I am to be their mom.
• My sweet hubby. It's hard for him to understand all this emotional stuff, but he does his best to be supportive. I am so appreciative of his tolerance for me - definitely beyond what I often deserve. I love him so much!

What's on your Thankful Thursday list? 

Love Notes and the weekend

First, a Love Note update. Three more of you have redeemed your certificates. All for the same child. A beautiful girl who is so close to aging out of the system. Once you turn 16 in her country, you are no longer eligible for adoption. Can you imagine what that would be like? To know that in just a few months, you will be 16 and you will never know what it is like to have parents, to grow up in a family. To know that you will be transferred to an institution that is unlike anything you can possibly imagine (blog post coming on that subject soon). It must be heartbreaking. I'm praying that a family will step forward in faith to bring this precious young lady home. And thanks to Michelle, Betsy (my SIL) and Joanne (my MIL) for choosing to bless Laurel with their Love Notes!

We had a nice weekend. Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. I love Saturday mornings. It's the only day of the week when I don't (usually) have to set the alarm. When the kids wake up, they come upstairs and crawl into bed with us. It's our time to cuddle and giggle - special bonding time. I thank God for those sweet moments. We had lunch with my parents. Hadn't seen them for a while so it was good to visit a little bit.

This isn't from yesterday, but here's a picture of

Matthew with one of his favorite people - Grandpa Jerry (my dad).

Today, we went to church and had lunch with Mark's parents. It was nice to spend some time with them as well. The weekends sure go faster than I would like. Back to work tomorrow. Now that we are done with doctor's appointments for a little while, I'm hoping to do an update on how the kids are doing very soon.

Thankful Thursday

Today, a couple of thoughts immediately come to mind as I think about what to be thankful for.

• The ability to hear when God speaks. Yesterday was one of "those" days. It started out ok, but by the time I got to work I was just crabby. No nice way of putting it, I was not in a good mood. I told the person I work most closely with (Anne - who is also a dear friend) that I was going to close my door and try to get my attitude straightened out. Recently, I brought a bible to work and put it in my desk. That's where it has stayed. So, I pulled the Bible out and started reading a few verses. Then, I had to get back to work. I usually have internet radio on as background music. All of a sudden, I paused to listen to the tune of an instrumental that was playing - trying to decipher what the song was. "It is well with my soul" - well, that stopped me in my tracks. It sure was not well with my soul at that moment. I began to sing the words to the song (in my head, not out loud or I would have scared all the patients and staff - lol) and suddenly, I felt so much better. God spoke to my soul, giving me peace, helping me to change my attitude. And even though the day didn't improve much, I was able to get through it without the negativity that was so present before. I am so grateful for his soft, tender voice when I take the opportunity to listen.
• Speaking of opportunity, the next thing I am thankful for is the opportunity to trust my heavenly Father. There have been times in my life when I have wondered why God has chosen certain paths for me. As I have walked down them, instead of focusing on God, I have let stress and anxiety overcome me. Recently, I've had a few of those moments (I will probably share more specifics in a different post). But, I am reminded that God holds the future. I have the opportunity to make a conscious choice to trust that HE is in control, not me. Trust that He knows the plans for my life and that if I rely on him, God will reward that faith. Trusting in my Father will draw me closer to Him, calm my fears and questions, and bless my life.

What are you thankful for today??

So much to catch up on

There are so many things I want to write about... updates on how the kids are doing, some thoughts about adoption, and sharing my heart about the subject of institutions in Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, a longer post is going to have to wait a few more days.

Mark has been sick since Saturday, likely influenza (high fever, chills, body aches, respiratory symptoms). He's exhausted after climbing the steps from our lower level to the upstairs. Yesterday was Maia's first day without a fever. Poor thing, the antibiotics she's taking for her UTI have given her diarrhea and her bottom is sore. And Matthew woke up around 3AM with a temp of 104.3. The lowest it's been since then is 101.8. He's been miserable, keeps telling me "Mama, Dima no good" as he holds his head. Poor guy has slept all day, finally woke up enough to eat a waffle with peanut butter for dinner and watch a little tv. Now, he's headed back to bed. He looks tough. :-(

Thankfully, today was my day off. I'm feeling ok at this point - just trying to take care of everyone else and stay healthy myself. I'm almost glad to be going back to work tomorrow to escape the germs - lol! Might be helpful to fumigate the house. ;-)  Anyway, I'll try to get an update going in a few days.