For the week of: Monday, July 21st 2008

"Mickey Moments"

Spring has bounced by faster than even the adorable Tigger could imagine!  We’ve been making so many wonderful memories I hardly know where to begin. 

Many of you have kindly asked for a report on the Disney trip, so you know what they say…”a picture is worth a thousand words”.  I am crazy in love with every single person in these pictures.  I know full well the frailties of my family, but those are not for me to mention (I can hear my boys thinking…”sure wish she’d have been of that mindset when we still lived at home”.) So I’ll just say they are the most wonderful ten people in my world and I am honored from the top of my hair-colored head to the soles of my calloused feet to call them family. 

Okay, for purposes of identification in future pictures, I’ll spell out who is in this official vacation picture in front of Cinderella’s castle. 

Starting on the back row on the left is the daughter-in-law we prayed for, Rebekah.  You know sometimes God just answers your prayers more graciously than you could have even imagined?  Yep, that’s what He did when he brought us Rebekah. She is absolutely precious, a mother extraordinaire to our grandbabies and a cheerleader to her husband.  We’re spoiled for any future daughter-in-laws, that’s all there is to it!

Rebekah is married to our firstborn Chris (in the hat).  Chris endured being the guinea pig of two very inexperienced parents and still speaks to us…amazing!  Chris is an avid reader of non-fiction writers of the faith and I enjoy so very much hearing his heart about the things that matter as he seeks how to walk out his life pleasing Father.  Some of my very favorite worship songs are songs he’s written.  He is patient beyond belief with his mother’s ineptness on matters involving computers and continues to be the webmaster on two websites under my care in spite of the headaches I am certain I bring upon him.  When he smiles, it makes my heart joyful.

The next gal is one of our two like-a-daughters, Donna.  Now let me say loud and clear, she would hold that place in our hearts regardless of her relationship with our middle son, Brian, but I would be lying through my teeth if I didn’t say my heart does the happy dance at the thought of these two dating each other.  Donna loves Jesus with a boldness that makes my heart smile so I can only imagine what it does for Him.  Her smile is contagious, her gentleness toward those struggling with their faith a joy to behold and her desire to draw close to the heart of God inspiring.  She is easy to love and hands-down one of the people I “like” the most, too.

And that would be our second-born son, Brian, next to Donna.  Brian was our first child of faith, deciding to take His Lord’s name on in baptism at a tender age.  His walk has been one only the Lord understands to the fullest at this point in his life.  He absolutely has one of the kindest hearts of anyone I know and it is a delight, always, to be with him.  He laughs easily and loves carefully yet with depth and conviction.  Time spent with him is always a privilege.

Jeff is the baby of the family and his brothers would insist is the spoiled one!  Jeff brings comic relief to just about every situation he’s a part of.  His nephews love it when he’s around and on our Honduras trips (he seems to be able to make about 3 of those trips a year), his voice is the one that cheerfully wakes everyone at the crack of dawn…not always entirely appreciated by those who think morning is a dirty word!  Jeff is at the place in life where he wants to know Jesus, not just know about Jesus.  I can’t wait to see how God reveals Himself to Jeff’s seeking heart.  I’m proud of him for the search he’s choosing to make.

Our other like-a-daughter, Jen, is the last one on the back row.  Many of you have met her when she’s traveled to speaking events with me.  She lives in Honduras where her heart is drawn to the suffering, helpless and hopeless.  She is nestled into the very deepest places of this momma’s heart and I truly cannot imagine why God would be so kind as to bless me with this gal but I’m not about to give Him the chance to re-think it so I’ve snatched her up and now call her my own.

Now to the next row.  Our oldest grandson, Dylan, is 10 years old and I absolutely adore this child.  His mind moves in a gazillion different directions at the same time and he has questions about every single direction.  In the car yesterday, he wanted to know the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties and then wanted an explanation of the Catholic faith.  Heaven help the children!  He still gives his Grandma hugs in public and woe to the first kid who tells him that’s not cool.  Dylan went with us to Honduras in March.  I pray it will be the first of many opportunities for him to seek out ways to serve those who so desperately need to encounter Jesus in our serving hands and feet.

My beloved Rick is beside Dylan; the man who has shared 35 years of life with this gal and I haven’t always made it easy on him.  He is by far the most unselfish of the two of us when it comes to sacrificial living for each other.  He would give up every comfort he has to provide for mine.  Our years together have seen a walk in deep valleys that didn’t see sunshine for a short window of time.  But by the grace of an Almighty, faithful God, our journey has been richly blessed and our life together is sweeter than sweet.  I don’t say that in a prideful manner, truly I don’t.  I just mean we’ve both learned the worth of each other’s love and give it due respect and honor.  I’m keepin’ him!

In front is the adorable 5-year-old Ryley.  Oh goodness, this is one child you really do want to eat up cause he’s so stinkin’ sweet.  His heart is tender, his spirit innocent and his smile captivating.  The word grumpy can rarely be used to describe this boy and I am as excited about his future as God’s child as I can be.  He likes to car dance to praise songs and so does his grandma.  We rock the car, let me tell ya!

Then there’s 9-year-old Wyatt.  I fall in love with this kiddo every time I see him cause he breaks into a smile every time we see each other.  He is such an easy kid, with a heart so easily broken I fear for the first girl who breaks his heart cause this grandma will eat her for lunch (lovingly, of course).  He loves living on a farm and wants to be a farmer and police officer when God grows him up.  He has been asking about the things of God…woo-hoo!

Well that’s us.  For what it’s worth, I am inept at so much of the mother, wife and grandmother thing so mothering this family has meant some heartaches for my children at times.  But I would gleefully shoot anyone who tried to harm one hair on their sweet heads and pray against satan in their lives with a raised fist and stompin’ foot.  They belong to Christ and there they will stay, in spite of me, in spite of their dad and because of the grace-giving blood of Calvary. 

Lovingly,

Kay

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