A Piece Of My Heart

I got a random, unexpected phone call last night. I looked at my cell phone's caller ID and my thoughts went "really?"

It was a wonderful treat, this conversation. It immediately blessed me. We talked for a little less than a half hour. There were lots of questions about what is going on in life today but there was lots of reminiscing about the past. "Do you remember when...?" "Oh, and we..."

When The Prairie Daddy and I were newly married we met the foster care coordinator in our county through ministry. And I can't even remember the process or the decision being made because it was such a natural call on our lives but we enrolled in the foster parenting classes and became certified. Our first experience was intense and short lived. We wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into after the 3 exhausting, confusing weeks with a 10 year old boy who needed much more than we could offer him in his brokenness. The "system" immediately asked us if we were willing to try again. This time they asked us if we would take a teenage boy. I was only 24. How could I become the MOM to a kid only 9 years younger than me? They said I could view myself more as a mentor.

We accepted.

I immediately fell in love with the young man the first time I met him. I took him out to lunch to Taco John's (I let him choose) and we hit it off. He came for a weekend and then moved in. We spent just short of a year together before he was moved. We had some really good times and some pretty rough times. But I gave this kid a piece of my heart and to this day he still has it.

I missed him. We've had other kids live with us since then. Every one of them was different. I remember how in the beginning they told me I would "toughen up" and wouldn't get as attached. I didn't believe them but they were right. I think this first long-term kid got the biggest piece of my heart.

And he called.

As we talked he said things like "we need to have dinner together" and "maybe I could go to church with you sometime." And we both agreed that we wished he would have stayed with us through high school. It was amazing for me to hear him say that. We never wanted him to leave and we were committed to helping him finish out his youth but we didn't have that choice. I was beaming. I told him that after Thanksgiving we would definitely get a hold of him and get together. I am excited already.

I have always known in my heart that even though these kids would leave and they might not stay connected and they might mess up, get into trouble, have their caregivers drop the ball on them, drop out of school, end up in jail, etc, no one could ever take away the love that they got while in our home. And I knew sometime, years later, we might get to reconnect and find out that it is true...no one could ever take away from them what God gave them through us. It makes it all worth it.

Wannabe Tween Girl

How I am going from a post about simply being about God to Hannah Montana is beyond me. But I wanted to share a fun video with you.

Did I tell you in September that I helped a friend with her daughter's 12th birthday party? And part of "helping" was learning the Hannah Montana Hoedown Throwdown dance? I haven't ever watched a Hannah Montana movie or show, including the movie this dance came from. The Prairie Kid's sole exposure to Hannah Montana is through watching me and my friend try desperately to learn this dance. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you Google it and check it out. It is quite a dance. Fast, eclectic, interesting.

Well, as we learned the dance we also learned the song. This is the type of song that gets stuck in your head and plays over and over and over again. And The Prairie Kid insisted I help him through the broken record going on in his head to learn all of the words. He ended up memorizing the song and parts of the dance and we've managed to bond in new ways thanks to Hannah Montana. What mother doesn't just dream of her 4 year old son dancing and singing like a pre-teen girl with her? Smile. But, it has been fun and I caught it on video to share. Enjoy.

Simplicity

Sometimes I think we make things so much more difficult then they need to be. I am for sure guilty of this all too often. I can over analyze any situation. I am meditating on simplicity today. I'd like to internalize it, chew on it, imprint in in my inmost being in such a way that it becomes who I am, and therefore is the overflow of my heart.

The Shema. We've been memorizing this in the Sunday morning children's program at church. It is really THE epitome of life.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 4:9

Even though this verse is followed by more information about how to accomplish this I believe it is simple. ("These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." 5-9)

How often during my day, my life in Christ, do I get focused and hung up on things that distract me from this purpose. I love how Beth Moore put words, again, a simple set of words, to the deepest desire in my heart. She said, "I just want to be about God." She follows that statement with "Not about ministry. Not about my own agenda. Not about writing Bible studies. Not about me at all. When all is said and done, I would give my life for people to be able to say, 'She was just about God."

I just want to love God. Obey God. Get to know God better. And through that the rest will work out.

I simply, deeply, madly, steadily, truly, passionately, whole-heartedly just want to be about God.

Wrapping It Up

I am going to finish my "thankful" list today. It has been good for me though!

181. Finding recipes online.
182. A happy preschooler.
183. Cleaning out the toys.
184. Throwing junk away.
185. Picking out things to donate to kids who don't have as many toys.
186. Organized toy shelves.
187. Having a good, deep belly laugh.
188. Non-stick cooking spray.
189. Freezers.
190. Celebrating birthdays.
191. Old friends.
192. God giving me glimpses of "what's next."
193. Armor.
194. Watching people accept the risky calls God has on their lives.
195. Community.
196. Bake sales.
197. Grants.
198. Deodorant.
199. Tape.
200. Finishing projects.

God of Wonders

I knew that there was going to be the Leonid meteor shower last night. I read that even though it wouldn't be the best viewing from the US, that in the pre-dawn hours there would still be between 30 and 300 "shooting stars" every hour.

I have typically been waking up at 3:30 to go to the bathroom. Last night I slept until 5. I decided to peak out the windows and see what was going on. Nothing. I toured the main floor windows going from office to mudroom to dining room to family room and back again. Nothing. I let the dog out and decided I didn't want to miss anything spectacular that could be going on over the roof that I may not know about. I donned The Prairie Daddy's lovely muck boots and my heavy parka and went out to the deck in my pjs. I wanted to lay down but there were two owls hooting, a new cat that has come around our place was near, and it just felt altogether too spooky to lay vulnerable under the dark night sky. So I stood, staring into the beautiful infinity. The stars from our deck our phenomenal since we don't live near a city that can fade them out. On these dark nights with little moon light it is just awesome. You not only see the Milky Way, you know you're standing in it.

I started talking to my Father in my head. I was just praising Him for the beauty of the creation. And then, out of the corner of my eye a great big meteor shot across a short span of sky. I waited. Another. This one not quite so big. I think I only stayed out there for 5 minutes and saw about 5. I wished that I was curled up in a sleeping bag next to The Prairie Daddy for the remainder of the darkness but he was soundly, warmly sleeping inside and that is where I returned.

Lord, thank you for the stars.

"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8: 3-4


"He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit." Psalm 147:3-5

Abundantly Blessed

166. Meteor showers.
167. Maple syrup.
168. 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner for lazy days.
169. Clean sheets.
170. Google.
171. Google images.
172. A clean house.
173. Crock pots.
174. Hearing great news that a friend is finally expecting.
175. Thank you cards.
176. Snow covered mountains.
177. Making plans.
178. Having my hubby call and check in.
179. Mascara.
180. Table cloths and place mats.

So Many Gifts...Thank You, Lord

151. Baking soda.
152. Preschool.
153. Being able to say I am sorry when I sin.
154. A day without plans.
155. Music.
156. Anticipation. I actually like it.
157. Comments on my blog posts.
158. Playing movies on the laptop for The Prairie Kid on long drives.
159. Technology.
160. Patience.
161. Hearing God.
162. Jesus' example.
163. Corn starch.
164. Baby wipes.
165. The prairie.