Crazy Hat Day!

On Thursday it was crazy hat day at AWANA, so here's what I came up with in my infinite creativity! We took Adam's pirate hat and pinned stars to it! I drew the stars, he coloured them, and I cut them out. He was quite proud of his hat, and he wanted to wear it for days afterwards! Noah seems to like it too!

To My Dad

It has been ten years today that my dad passed away from colon cancer. His passing has gotten easier as the years have gone by, but this year seems particularly difficult. Ten years seems like such a long time to be without him, but it has gone so quickly. It feels like he was here only yesterday.

I was blessed to have two wonderful parents who loved each other and my sister and me, and who spent lots of time with us growing up. My dad was always involved in our sports activities and our school work. He encouraged us to always try our best, be honest, be on time as a courtesy to others, and to honour our commitments.

My favourite memory of my dad is just a few weeks before he died. He was in bed (it was afternoon, but he was very tired), and I was lying with my head on his chest. I was apologizing to him for not being the best daughter. I had been a pretty obnoxious teenager and felt I needed to say sorry for that! He told me to stop apologizing, and he said, "You'll never know how special you are." To me, that is such an amazing picture of a parent's love. I am so grateful for the 23 years I had with him, though it was much too short.

I love you, Daddy. I am so glad that I'll see you again in Heaven!

East to West

Okay, this is my new favourite song!

East to West - Casting Crowns

Here I am Lord and I'm drowning
In your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind
Keeps me awake tonight

I know You've cast my sins as far
As the East is from the West
And I stand before You now as
As though I've never sinned but today
I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way

Jesus can You show me
Just how far the East is from the West
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
Cause You know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again
Your truth Is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way

Jesus can You show me
Just how far the East is from the West
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
Cause you know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other

I know You've washed me white
Turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through
To get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel
But by the truth Your Word reveals
I'm not holding on to you
But You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far
The East is from the West
I don't have to see the man I've been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
(The arms of your mercy I find rest)
Cause You know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other (x2)

(Just how far, the East is from the West) (x3)

From one scarred hand to the other

On Cancer...

It's almost 2:30 in the morning, and I can't sleep. I think it's because I had three big diet cokes with supper and now the caffeine is keeping me buzzed. I'm so tired I can't even think straight!

I've been reading on my other blog about how people have been affected by cancer. It is so horrible. October is breast cancer awareness month, so I've gone pink on my main blog. I shared my story about my dad (you can read it on the link above) and invited people to share their own stories. One lady wrote that she is currently fighting the same cancer my dad had, and has been for three years. It looks like she is a believer from her blog profile. She has children and a husband. She says her prognosis isn't good.

What a horrible disease. It seems so random. How can one person get it and another not? Why does one person survive and another doesn't? The hopelessness of it can seem overwhelming.

Fortunately, there is a God who surpasses all hopelessness and randomness. He is in control and He has a plan. I am thankful that the above woman knows the Lord. Her life won't end when (if) she loses the fight with cancer. I am thankful that my dad came to know the Lord on the day he died so I know that I will see him again. (I'll share that story soon!)

Getting Out of the Food Pit!

Okay, it's been awhile since I posted here, so I'd better get something down! Actually, my devotional/prayer life has been going amazingly well. I made a commitment to get up early (VERY difficult for me!) so I can spend some time in prayer before the boys get up. I can't believe what a difference it makes to just commit the day to the Lord and give thanks for His care before I start the day. What a great God we serve!

I've been reading the Beth Moore book "Get Out of that Pit!" It's amazing! I have several pits that I've allowed myself to fall into (and some I've even climbed into on my own). One of them is the pit of overeating. I use food as entertainment, comfort, all sorts of things. Eating, of course, isn't sinful, but I had allowed food to become too much of an influence in my life. Besides being overweight, another consequence is that I think about food constantly - what am I going to eat next? when can I eat that yummy snack? what should I eat while I watch TV? It was all-consuming. I have tried every diet there is. Nothing works.

Beth has shown me that God is the only One who can get me out of the pit. And amazingly enough, He is pulling me out! I actually don't think about food all the time anymore. I don't feel like eating when I'm not hungry anymore (a miracle!). Beth uses the image of holding onto God's leg while He steps out of the pit. That's what I'm doing - I'm holding on for dear life! And He's climbing out with me!

This seems like a small thing, but it was all-consuming in my life. Food was taking God's place in my heart and mind, and now God is taking back His rightful place. I feel a lot freer now. It is amazing - and I can't wait to see how He pulls me out of the other pits I'm in!

Adam's First Day in AWANA

Last night, Adam had his first AWANA meeting. He is in Cubbies! I have to admit that it was very difficult to leave him at the church by himself. I know he wasn't by himself, but this was the first time I had left him for an organized activity and I wasn't in the building! I can't believe he's three! I feel like I just gave birth to him, and he's already in a school-like group!

He was a bit nervous on the way to the church because I had told him that I would leave him and come pick him up afterwards. But once we got there, he saw the other kids and the books, and he couldn't have cared less if I was there or not! (sniff!) I suppose that's a good thing! I had warned him on the way there that he needed to listen to his teacher and not talk all the time (which he has a habit of doing!).

So I went to pick him up afterward, and he had a fantastic time! His teacher said he was quiet (miracle!) but it was probably because there were some loud, energetic girls in the group! On the way home, I asked him what he had done there. He said they sang songs, played games, learned stories. He said that God loves him (yay!). He made a picture with a big "A" in pipe cleaners to spell Adam, and it said "Jesus loves Adam". We hung it on his wall in his bedroom when we got home. Before bed, we went over his memory verse for next week: "God created the heavens and the earth" Genesis 1:1. I can't believe he's already memorizing Scripture. What a great program! He almost knows it already - with some prompting.

I am so glad that he had fun. He can't wait to get his Cubbies vest after two more nights (they have to go three times before they get their vests). He was looking through his Cubbies book all day today! He is so excited! I am so thankful that Adam has the opportunity to learn about God in this way. What a blessing!

How Deep the Father's Love For Us

Time for another song! This is one of my favourites.

How Deep the Father's Love For Us