The most wonderful news!!

Yesterday, Sunshine got saved!!

She has prayed to accept Christ as her savior several times in the past, but I've always wondered which of them were sincere, since she could answer all sorts of questions about salvation and sin correctly, but something didn't feel right. However, only God can truly judge and know her heart, so I kept hoping that she was saved.

But this last week, she has expressed an interest in it several times, and finally yesterday she asked some really intuitive questions, especially for a 6 yr old. We had a GOOD talk, maybe 15 minutes long or so, and despite the many interruptions from her siblings, she kept focused on the topic. That tells me it was truly important to her.

So we prayed together, and afterward, I told her that she is God's child, and so that makes her and Mommy and Grandma all children of God, which would make us... "Sisters?" When I told her that was right, she got a real kick out of it. Then I pointed out that if God is the King of kings, then she would also be a... "Princess!!" Oh, the grin that spread across her face!! She couldn't stop smiling!

So I am thinking this time is real. Oh happy day!!!!! And I got the honor and priviledge of pryaing with her, leading her to Him. Can there be a greater honor for a mom?

"If I've told you once,

I've told you a thousand times...!"

We probably heard that a time or two growing up. We might have even said it to our kids. I personally haven't yet, but then, my oldest is only 5. Give me time.

But the thought occurred to me today: what if God were to say that to me? How would He finish that sentence?

Hmm. So here is my list, in no particular order. I'm sure it would be even longer if I mulled over it for a few days.

"If I've told you once, Lily, I've told you a thousand times; _______________ !"

1. Meditate on Me, not those things around you like inconvenient circumstances, annoying people, and wrongs done.
2. Stop lecturing people in your head. Let Me deal with them in My time, My way. You mind your own problems. You've got enough of your own sins to be concerned about.
3. Talk to Me first, before friends and family. You'd be surprised with how fully I can satisfy your need to "get it out." Release it to Me. Let Me be your everything.
4. Live in the present. Remember you don't know how many days I will give you.
5. Be patient with your children like I am patient with you.

So how about you ladies? What would your list look like?

Inexcusable vs Unforgivable

"You can't forgive him! If you do, he's getting away with it!"

That's what I heard every time I felt convicted about forgiving someone who hurt me. It's certainly what it felt like. But thankfully, as a wise friend once told me, emotions are not truth. Just because my feelings tell me he gets away with something if I forgive him doesn't mean I have to believe it. Because it's not true.

Really think about those words: inexcusable... unforgivable. Are those words interchangeable? Well, some people use them as synonyms, but they aren't. Inexcusable means there is no excuse, that it can't be waved away as if it were nothing.

Forgiveness does not magically turn their sin into something that was alright to do. Is that God's attitude when He forgives us? That it's only a sin until you're forgiven, and then it's just unfortunate? No. It's a sin before and after the forgiveness. The difference... is in the forgiveness.

The first thing I did, when I realized that forgiveness wasn't making those sins against me "ok" was I said it out loud. It was so freeing to do that! I said it over and over. It was WRONG. Inexcusable!

"But not unforgivable!" says another voice.

To forgive someone is to not punish them for their wrong. To allow them the grace and room to change. And if I didn't forgive him because I thought he shouldn't be let off the hook, well, then whose place was I in?

Punishing his sin isn't my job. It's God's. Those who wrong us aren't getting away with it; He knows, is watching, and is working, though we may not see it.

Forgiving someone isn't easy, especially the deeper the hurts go. But it isn't impossible. It starts as an act of the will. "I choose to forgive him. I choose to lay down my anger, and I will not punish him, not even in my mind." And at first it has to be done at least once a day. In cases like mine where that person is such a basic part of your life, it has to be done many times a day. Oooh, that just was hard.

But soon God begins to soften our hearts. The anger and hurt begin to fade, and eventually those painful memories become facts, not open wounds.

Forgiving isn't easy. But who wants to shrivel up into a bitter old woman? And if I want to be a sweet old lady someday, I gotta start being a sweet young woman today.

Gentleness

I've not been very patient with the kids lately, as you know. I'd love to say that after I wrote that post that everything righted itself, but it did not. That fix was a temporary one. I'm still hormonal and grumpy. And tired. And short-tempered. And tired. And hormonal. And tired. LOL

But as I was having my time with the Lord this morning (a challenge for me, but I can't keep my evening routine of studying because with dh here at night now, it isn't working out), my attention was caught by this phrase in Psalm 18:35 - "thy gentleness hath made me great." David was speaking of God's gentleness. That's a rather unique phrase in scripture, isn't it? And it caught my attention. I mulled over it awhile, thinking how did God's gentleness make David great?

Hmmm, well, David (and I, for that matter) did not deserve God's gentleness. What we all deserve is God's immediate judgment for the sins we commit, right? But He is gentle with us. Long suffering. Patient.

God was gentle with David, instead of harsh, and through time and patience on God's part, David slowly became what he was.

Hmmm. This is what my children need of me. Gentleness. Not snapping at them when I've told them 100 times... or on my snippy days, told them twice and now have no tolerance. They need from me a lifetime of gentleness, mercy, discipline, and love to mold them into what God would have them be.

That brings up a question: how is discipline gentle? What is the alternative? With God, discipline is the gentle option. Loving guidance that, yes, sometimes is SO upleasant and painful. Is it fun when He brings us through difficult trials to bring us back to Him? Nope. Unpleasant and painful. But what is the alternative? Do you know where I'd be without Him? Do you know how horrible my life would be without Him? And my ETERNITY without Him? *shudder* Oh, His discipline IS the gentle option.

So it is with us as parents. Our discipline is the gentle option, or else our children will grow to be unruly, disrespectful, disobedient... and unhappy adults. But also, practically speaking... if I'm being harsh, I'm getting in the way of my children actually seeing where they were wrong. If their eyes are HUGE because I'm wigging out over their 300th argument of the day, how can they see anything but my hissy fit and frustration? How can I ever get them to focus on their part in it all if they are just intimidated by Mom and thinking they don't want to cross me again?

I do think it is ok for our children to see us angry over their sin. God gets angry with us. But my discipline and my treatment of them should never be in the heat of my irritation or anger.

Sigh. I've failed miserably lately. Yeah, I know, the hormones aren't my fault and make things harder. I know you've all been there. But it doesn't excuse being a shrew. My hormones aren't their problem. It is mine.

Military Mommy has a great post that is along these lines, too. Her prayer at the end is so right on. It is wonderfully convicting and encouraging, all at the same time. Take the time to check it out.

You can't please everyone

So only work on pleasing... Him.

I have some friends from college, "S" and "S," who have issues with infertility. Try as they might and pray as they did, no babies came. People at their church, friends, and family all made comments like, "Aren't you pregnant YET?" and "Don't you two want kids?" and "When are we gonna hear an announcement?" As you can imagine, this caused them MUCH pain. Then one glorious day, they travelled to another continent with intentions of adopting one little fella... and came back with him AND his older brother. Praise God!

People on the other end of the spectrum are not immune to people's comments, either. We've had 4 (and hope for more!), and I've gotten all sorts of comments. Especially because they've come close together. My grandma constantly brings it up, asking me to not have more. I've got an uncle who is convinced I'm ruining the kids' lives by having more kids. Yes, ruining. He's said so to my face. Not too long ago in a grocery store I got a comment from a man who told me he needed the number of my psychiatrist. Yes, he was meaning about my family size.

During the retreat this weekend, the adults kept saying over and over how lovely it was to go somewhere away from the house and NOT hear things like, "Better you than me!" or "Don't you have a tv?" or "Why would you want this many kids?" or "Don't you know what causes that?"

See, family size is a VERY personal thing. It is really ONLY between the couple and God. If you have no kids, fine by me. If you only have one kid, fine by me. If you only have two kids, fine by me. If you only have 12 kids, find by me. If you have 20, fine by me. I'm not you, or your husband, or God. It isn't any of my business.

You can't please everyone, so don't try. Pray about it; talk it over with your spouse, and do what you feel God is leading you to, whether that is a small or large family. And then ignore anyone who says hurtful comments. And remember... they may not mean to be hurtful. Oh yes, some DO know they are being rude and snarky. But some just stuck their foot in their mouth without even knowing it. They are curious and so want to get that across in a cute and funny way... but they don't actually make in the humor department.

And if you are one of the people who has asked some of these questions, please consider this: how is your question supposed to make those parents feel? Remember S and S? How did they feel when people asked those questions? I know how they felt, because we talked about it. They felt pain. Being unable to have children was on their mind a lot already, and to have those questions levelled at them was painful.

And people who have large families - would you believe that our babies are not always welcomed into the world? Yes. My other grandma doesn't want to hear our announcements. I've friends who, when announcing pregnancies or births, actually get told horrible things about how that baby was a mistake. Several people have had family members get up and walk out of the room in disgust.

The fact is, folks, that family size is so very personal. Just like how much money you make. Or how many times a week you and your spouse have s*x. Think that's not the same thing? Sure it is. Would you walk up to a family member (or worse yet, a person in the store) and say, "How is your s*x life? I've noticed your hubby is grumpy lately." Uhhh, no. And if you did, they'd ask you what business it is of yours. And it is the same thing - many people equate the size of the family with money and irresponsibility with their fertility.

So if you really want to know what is going on in their life regarding family size, whether you wonder why they have no kids or why they have 16, ask it with a genuine heart to understand. When the conversation is over, you may not agree, but so what? They still deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.

Some great quotes

From church bulletin:

"What have you done today that nobody but a Christian would?"

From Sting My Heart's post called "My Wander Years":

"Your life is already planned; don’t refuse to follow."

Well, music to someone's ears...

I don't know about you, but my kids seem to hate my singing. If I sing a song in the middle of the day - do you know what I hear?

"I like it better when you whistle, Mom."

Or...

"I like it when you hum."

Or Sweetheart will cover his ears and blurt out, "No zhing. NO ZHING."

Why, er, thanks. LOL

During our family devotional time, they are fine with my singing. Of course, they sing, too, so they probably don't pay much attention to me then. But at bedtime, they sincerely ask me, and even sometimes plead (believe it or not) for me to sing. Go figure, lol.

In fact, we have this tradition that I'm not really sure how it started, but I sing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" to them. I sing it many times, each time inserting a different child's name instead of "Bonnie." They really love it. If Sweetheart is crying and not liking bedtime, it instantly calms him down. He asks for it by saying, "Back. Back." Let me tell you, it took me awhile to figure out what on earth he was wanting, lol!

But really, music is such a big thing for me. I love music. It is such a boon to my spirits, my attitudes, and my perspective. Do you find the same to be true?

I find so much strength in singing praise songs! It gets my focus off whatever is troubling me, and puts it back on Him, which is where my eyes should be. In my most troublesome times, singing songs of His goodness and His provision are a constant support. Praying relieves the need to vent or get it out, but praise fills up those spots with something else, something better. Something fulfilling!!

And what's better yet... God doesn't mind hearing my voice. (wink)

God's provision saved my son

In the last few days of March two years ago, something was very wrong with my (then) almost-four-month-old baby boy, Sweetheart. I'd taken him to two different ERs in 24 hours, and each set of docs and nurses passed his symptoms off as multiple infections that would pass in a matter of days. All I knew was that he was very sick and not at all like himself. I was instructed to follow up with his doctor in a couple days. I did, but when I arrived at the office, I was told the doctor had moved on to his new assignment (military doc), and we would be seeing his replacement. My heart sank, because even though the doc and I had trouble communicating (he had a thick accent and I often misunderstood him), at least he knew my son.

Our new pediatrician was an "older" doctor, in her fifties. She looked Sweetheart over, took detailed notes as I relayed the events of the last few days, even noting what day certain newer symptoms appeared. She sat and thought and thought, and started pulling out her huge medical books. I had very mixed feelings... I felt like I was finally being seriously listened to, and it was nice to see she had an idea what it could be, but it was also intimidating to see her flip through the pages, muttering names of diseases.

She found the page she wanted, and let me read it with her. She mentioned the onset of different symptoms my son had and how they had progressed... she gave me a name: Kawasaki disease. Yup, just like the motorcycles. Basically, it's the inflammation of the blood vessels, and it can result in death, especially if untreated. But if caught in enough time, the child will have no lasting damage to the heart.

She made a few calls, and very quickly, we had an appointment at a nearby hospital with a team of doctors. They looked him over, had a conference, and decided our son had to be hospitalized. He stayed a total of four days, during which he was given an IVIG, which is an intravenous dose of immunoglobin. He had a whole team of doctors that regularly had conferences during those four days to discuss his progress and to see if we had any concerns or questions.

Over the next year, Sweetheart had to have periodic exams of his heart to watch one particular artery. He was also put on lose doses of aspirin for 3 months. We got really chummy with the pediatric cardiologist. And Sweetheart hated those ultrasounds and EKGs.

God had His hand alllll over that whole situation. He gave us the perfect doctor who didn't dismiss the symptoms. The team of doctors at the hospital was also military, and several of them had just returned from assignments in Hawaii in the weeks prior, where KD is much more prevalent. These men were quite experienced, and they, too, arrived at just the right time.

Sweetheart was given a huge green light a year ago: the artery that was affected by the KD is fine now, and you cannot tell that it ever was.

So today I hug him a bit tighter and praise God that my fella is so healthy! I could have easily lost my little boy, but God took care of him. Even by moving military doctors around the world to be at the right clinics and hospitals at the exactly right time. Isn't God wonderful?

Oooh, I'm so excited

I've been questioning and searching the Bible regarding two specific questions I had, and wow, did the Lord answer me tonight! He answered both questions! I am so thankful and feel such a peace over this now. I have scripture that clearly shows me the answers, and it feels so good to KNOW. God is gracious. He not only gave me the answers, but I think I see how those answers fit into the big picture. Wow. What a wonderful plan God has, and He allowed me to get a glimpse tonight why He did things the way He did.

WAHOO! I'm joyful! God is indeed marvellous and am I SO thankful that His ways are not our ways. This is much more beautiful His way!

Using our experiences as testimony to Him

Job 22: 23 - 27, 29 (I left out some phrases to show the parts that blessed me)
"If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up... Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee... When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person."

I love the comfort, the reassuring truth here!

Eliphaz (Job's friend) is telling Job that if he just will return to God (he mistakenly thinks that Job is being punished for straying from God), then this will be his testimony. While he is wrong about Job, he is right about what happens when you whole heartedly and humbly repent and turn to God.

1) You will be built up. v. 23
2) You will prosper. v. 24,25
3) God will be your defense. v. 25
4) You will have your delight in God. v. 26
5) He will hear your prayers. v. 27
6) You will be a testimony to His saving grace!! v. 29

My favorite part is #6, v. 29: "When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, 'There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.' " Isn't it so true? No matter what we go through, we may be an encouragement to others who will travel down the same path, whether that path be one of repentance or one of trials. We are able to not only feel their pain and know how to better pray for them, but we can also be a testimony to His grace, His forgiveness, His patience, His love, His provision, His leading, and His answers!!

Father, thank You so much for how you turn every single thing in our lives to Your ultimate glory!

Surrendering each day

As a mom, of course I have plans for each day. Vacuuming, a trip to the store, or what-have-you. But as they often do... plans get delayed or cancelled altogether. Children misbehave, traffic is horrible, or well, the day is just B-A-D.

Last night I was doing my personal devotions before bed, when God struck me with something in Job chapter one.

(I'm paraphrasing this in my own words...) In this chapter, Satan appears before God, and like a proud papa, God says, "Hey, have you noticed my Job?" It's like He takes out the pictures in His wallet. (Oh, to have God brag on me! I've seen this over and over in my devotions where God says that so-and-so is obeying and has a good testimony. I so VERY much want God to be pleased with me!) Anyway, He brags about Job to Satan, but Satan just sneers and says, "Well sure. You've got this hedge of protection around him. Anyone would be able to be faithful then. But make life hard to handle... heh, then we'll see." So in verse 12, God says,

"And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord."

God gave Satan permission; everything that happened to Job, God allowed. The same is true for ME and MY life. It's easy for me to see the big trials and such are allowed by God. (And those are truly hard to be faithful in, like Satan insinuated.) But I forget that even the little things in my life are allowed by Him. What about a bad day? I should not be angry at my horrible day. This, too, passed God's fingers. Okay, so the day didn't go as *I* planned. Will I allow it to go as *He* planned? He allowed this trial, this annoyance, this day. In those times I should humble myself and ask God what He has for me today. Surrender my plans, take a deep breath, and follow. No, even more than that. I should praise Him for intervening to show me He had something more than my own plans included. I look at Job as a great example. When he heard how all his children were dead and all his livestock were dead (his wealth in those times), he bowed down on the ground (verse 20) "and worshipped." Wow. Complete surrender.

I can view each bad day or upset plans as either a time to strengthen my dependence on Him (what joy! an opportunity to be closer to Him!) or as an opportunity to be a light for Him. Are my children being horrible today? Great! It accomplishes both of those things - I need Him for patience and kindness when they're being horrible, and they need me to show Him to them and to lovingly bring them to Him so they may see their sin.

I recently saw this little blurb I'm about to share on a board I frequent, so I cannot take credit for it. In fact the gal said she got it out of a book, but she couldn't remember which book, so sadly, I cannot give credit. But here it is:

"I am here:
~by God's appointment
~in His keeping
~under His training
~for His time
First He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place, in that I will rest."

*If anyone knows which book that came out of, please tell me so I can give proper credit.

Thanks for the Unlovely

On Christmas break from my freshman year at college, I was in another family's home for one night. (Their daughter had taken me most of the way home.) Above the sink hung a wonderful plaque, and sadly I cannot remember the actual words, but I remember the basic premise of the plaque.

It gave thanks for the dirty dishes, for it meant she had food to prepare for her family. It gave thanks for so many dirty dishes because it meant she was surrounded by many family members. And it gave thanks for the dishes because well, it meant she had dishes.

I've often wished I could find that plaque. I have never seen another one, but I would love to have just such a thing to hang in my kitchen.

However, in the spirit of that plaque, I will give thanks for the "unlovely" things in my life that at first would not spring to mind to be thankful for.

1. For disobedience and defiance of children - their sin of rebellion is not hidden from me, and I can pray for wisdom in how to deal with it. You cannot pray for sins you do not know your children have.
2. For the hurt of my marriage troubles - it gave God an open door to so many other things in my life!
3. For not getting that curriculum last year when we should have had the money- because then God laid it on the heart of a good friend to just give me hers, as she wasn't going to use that curriculum after all. He answered my desires in a much more wonderful way than I could have ever thought.
4. For losing the quality of my devotional time this week - I've been trying to rearrange my schedule, which meant doing my devotions while the kids were up. That did *not* work. It just showed me even more how much I love my quiet time with Him, and confirmed some things I was turning over in my mind.
5. For the lack of my husband being with us right now - less laundry! (LOL I couldn't resist. But truly, I miss him horribly. I love him so very much!)

That reminds me

My previous post gave a link to another blog's post. It reminded me to post the following poem, which I came across in a church bulletin. This really is a powerful thing if you fully contemplate the meaning.

Judgment Seat

When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ,
And He shows me His plan for me;
The plan of my life as it might have been,
Had He had His way and I see...

How I blocked Him here and I checked Him there;
And I would not yield my will,
Will there be grief in my Savior's eyes,
Grief, though He loves me still?

He would have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the paths I cannot retrace.

Then my desolate heart will well nigh break,
With tears that I cannot shed;
I shall cover my face with my empty hands,
I shall there bow my uncrowned head.

Lord, of the years that are left to me,
I give them to Thy hand;
Take me and break me, mold me to
The pattern Thou has planned.

--By Martha Snell Nicholson

Lord, please keep my heart tender before You. Please don't let my desire for comfort and ease keep me from serving You with my whole heart. Please always let me seek You for the sake of You alone, and not for selfish wants. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God has blessed me with wonderful sisters!

I have two sisters, both younger than myself. I can talk to both of them about anything. With them I feel safe and truly loved. They know my ugly sides, I bet even better than my husband does, and it doesn't matter. They still love me. They actually like spending time with me. Gasp! ;) No, really. We laugh over the dumbest things, I promise. I have no idea why, but we giggle over very lame things together. We can't seem to help it! I can act like a complete fool with them. And they just laugh.

Just today, my youngest sister told me that she was contemplating who was her best friend. Who did she name? Me. Wow, did that bless my socks off!

It's funny how life turns things around, like relationships with siblings. As kids, she and I did not get along. We rarely did anything together, even. There were enough years between us that it made it hard. We were not a homeschooled family, so we spent little real time together as sisters should (my parents both worked, and I was given the role of making sure she had her homework and chores done - not exactly a sisterly role). When I went away to college, well... there went what little relationship I had with her. I didn't even really know the real "her" during my college years and early marriage.

One unexpected blessing has come out of being separated from my husband and temporarily living back here with family... restoring and even improving upon my relationship with my youngest sister!

Now, my other sis... wow, has she blessed my family over the years. When I was pregnant with my 2nd child, I also had broken fingers (both hands were bandaged/in a cast) and could not care for myself or my oldest. She took a break from college (which was in another state) and lived with us so she could care for me, my home, and Sunshine, who was a toddler. She bathed me (!!), helped me dress, even fed me at times. She cooked meals for us, cleaned the house, was a second mommy to Sunshine... what a blessing she was.

Yeah, I'm blessed.

"And if that had been too little"

This phrase comes out of 2 Samuel 12:8. Nathan has brought rebuke to David from the Lord. God's words to David are, "And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things."

Last night, while I was having my personal time with the Lord, I read this verse and was convicted immediately. One word leaped to my mind - it was a woman's name. I won't say this woman's name, because she is a friend in cyberspace, and perhaps she may read this post. But she is a woman who seems to have it alllll together. I *know* that things cannot be perfect in her life. There has to be problems somewhere. But going by appearances, she is supermom and her marriage is bliss. Sigh. I look around at my life, and I feel so pathetic after hearing about the latest thing in her life. Her kids are always spic-n-span (she has more children than I do), her house is always spotless, and she just has it all together.

Ok, so see where I'm going with this? I have been struggling with being jealous. Now, before you assume that means I don't like her, that is NOT true. I enjoy her a lot. We can chat and giggle. I enjoy her company. I am not saying I want her to not have those things she has. Please don't think that! But I struggle with thinking stuff like, "Boy, THAT must be nice." It leads to discontentment in my heart and a critical spirit.

Then last night... I was reading and that phrase "and if that had been too little" jumped out at me, and her name came to mind. I stopped right there and had to ask forgiveness!

And so, right now, I want to give God praise for all the wonderful things He has given me, for what I have is NOT too little. It is more than I deserve!!!

1) Christ lives in my heart, and I have a secure heavenly home waiting for me!
2) God loves ME. Right where I am, which has obviously been at the bottom of the Poor-Pitiful-Me barrel.
3) I have a husband. I have someone to share my life with... I have a husband. That is a wonderful thing!
4) I have a husband who is a good provider. He works hard at whatever job he is given, and over the years, he has been rewarded well for it.
5) I have 4 children - and I would NOT trade them for the WORLD. They are wonderful kids who love their mommy. Each has their own hilarious and fun personality, and they bring me so much joy!
6) I have a warm place to live! My parents are kind enough to let us live with them while my husband is away. They've rearranged their own things so we can have some of ours here. I have my own room with the baby, and plenty of room for my clothes.
7) I have more than enough food to prepare for our family of 7 (myself, the kids and my two parents).
8) The kids have warm and attractive clothing and good shoes on their feet. There are people in this world who cannot say that.
9) Through the trials of the last few years, I have grown to love my heavenly Father much more than I did before. I know I can trust Him with my family, my marriage, and my future. I know I can trust Him to meet my needs.
10) We had the means to get nice Christmas gifts for all the people we love!
11) I have a reliable vehicle that is roomy enough for all of us!
12) Everyone is doing well physically! The kids are growing well and are happy.
13) Sunshine is learning to read! That is so great to watch!

The fact of the matter is, this cyber friend only shows what she wants the rest of us to see. I forget that rather often. And even if her life was perfect, then I ought to ONLY rejoice with her.

And, there is something that I tell my kids often. If you can't be thankful for what you have, then it will be taken away. Perhaps I should heed my own advice.

Good one-liner

"Time heals grief; and love prevents scar tissue."

Don'tcha just love that quote? Good food for thought!

Why the lilies?

Hello! I am Lily.

Well, actually, that is not my real name, but rather my pen name. I am married to a military man and have 4 children. At the time I'm writing this, my children are ages 5 yrs, 3 yrs, 2 yrs, and 5 months. I have been married for nearly 7 years.

My children have pen names, too. I will call the oldest Sunshine, my 3 yr old will be Sugar-n-Spice, my 2 yr old will be Sweetheart, and my youngest, Shortcake. Those names represent a small portion of their personalities. Sunshine is a very happy girl who so very funny. Sugar-n-Spice is a huggy girl who also has a rather mischeivious side to her. One moment she is a darling child and the next you are tempted to sell her to the gypsies (wink). Then there is Sweetheart. He is a mama's boy all the way. He wants to be near me all the time, which I love. And Shortcake is our newest addition - all smiles and giggles already.

So, back to my title... why the lilies? Well, there have been some bigger trials for me in my life lately. And in Matthew 6 of the Bible, there is a passage that talks of not worrying about anything that will come tomorrow. Some of you may know it well. In the middle, Christ says, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin..." He says that if God takes such good care of them, then He will do much more for us, and to, "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." So I wish to be a lily. To toil not or spin, just let the Lord take care of me.

~Lily