Our Wishes for You

Dear Sprout and Bean,

Daddy and I love both of you very much. Everyday we pray for you, share big dreams about your futures, and wish on lots of stars on your behalves. Below you will find a simple scattering of hopes that we have for each of you.

1. Simply put, we hope that you follow your dreams. If you are passionate about something, always know that your something is special and not silly. Each one of us is blessed with gifts. Be sure to use yours as much as you can. Don't misunderstand us, "mainstream" hobbies and careers are fantastic choices. However, should you have a desire to have your life's work to be a little out of the ordinary, that's just fine with us. Always remember that our world needs beautiful, twirling ballerinas and super cowboy heroes as much as it needs lawyers and doctors. We need painters to inspire us, astronauts to explore the Milky Way, and preachers to teach us about the most important things in life. Dream your dreams and live them out.

2. Never ever tease anyone. Do not laugh at someone else's expense. Abhor mean games that have been developed to break another's heart. We were all made in God's image. The Creator of all things molded each of us in our mothers' wombs. Our Father loves each of his children and so should you. Should you ever be placed in a situation where you are tempted to taunt another with your words or condescending stares, flee immediately. Befriend the friendless, pray for them, and pray that the hearts of their tormentors would be softened. And should you ever be the ones who are teased, remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Always know that you were made specifically for God's purposes and plans for your lives. Nothing was a mistake. Not one person on this earth can negate that fact.

3. Be honest and truthful. Do not use others as scapegoats when you make mistakes. Listen to constructive criticism. Learn from each and every error that you make. Take responsibility for your actions. And do not blame others for your shortcomings. Each one of us will say things that we will regret. We will act foolishly. We will jump to conclusions and we will be judgmental. However, just because you messed up one day does not mean that you have to mess up the next day as well. Every moment we have a choice and we can change our paths that we are currently on. Be sure to watch your feet.

4. Your daddy and I are doing our very bests to lead by example. However, we fail in this area all of the time. And when occasions arise that we disappoint you, know
that although we love you with all of our hearts, we are still mere humans. Your daddy and I are sinners saved by grace -- nothing more and nothing less. You may look to us for guidance and direction; we will always do our bests for you. But when we are wrong and when we fall short, do not despair. Remember that God is the only One who is perfect. He is the only One who will never let you down. Always look to Him to lead you, to guide you, and to direct your paths. Daddy and I look to Him, too.

Know that these are just a few of our desires for you. However, each wish on this list is very important to us. As time passes, I am sure that we will have lots of discussions about all of our hopes and dreams and thoughts and actions. And we can't wait for you to share your insights and your aspirations as well.

Love always,
Mommy

Letters

Dear Sprout,

You are a very sweet and a rather observant little man. Two of your very favorite things are music (just like your dad) and books (just like me). Yesterday at church you did something too sweet not to mention. Sprout, you love praise and worship time -- you stand up and in all seriousness, you wave your arms like an acclaimed orchestra conductor. Last night, you took your love of music to the next level. After praise and worship concluded, you reached for a hymnal on the back of the pew in front of you and Daddy handed it to you. You opened it on your lap and started singing with your softest, sweetest voice, "Lalalalala." At home, we gave you a "retired" hymnal and you opened its pages and sang in that same sweet voice. You have a sizable collection of books, but that music book is now very special to you. Daddy and I are amazed that you can already tell the difference between a page filled with music and a page filled with the written word. You are still a tiny little man, but you always manage to fill us with enormous awe.

Love always,
Mommy



Dear Bean,

I am now 21 weeks pregnant with you. We recently found out that you are a baby girl! Somehow, we knew that's just what you would be. It is such an amazing experience to watch you during an ultrasound. You look a lot like your brother did at this age, except you are much longer. In fact, at this past doctor's visit, you were holding your little head with your feet while wiggling your toes (see picture above). It looks like you have quite a personality already! It has been so much fun anticipating your arrival and dreaming about you. This past weekend, Nana Twyla and Hannah bought you some of the most precious clothes -- what a joy it was to admire little dresses and imagine the precious little girl who would wear them one day. When I hold your big brother, you feel his warmth and your squirm around just for us. Sprout will look at my tummy, and say "Baby!" with the biggest grin that a boy could ever have. We all love you and you'll have plenty of hugs and kisses waiting for you when your arrive. Thank you for bring so much joy to our family already.

Love always,
Mommy

GS

I am not usually one to write posts this personal in nature, but I have been convicted to do so. Here it is:

Not long ago, a wonderful man named GS was called home to Heaven. GS was a kind and gentle-hearted, yet strong man. He loved his family and he loved his church ... and everyone loved him. GS was the custodian at our church. At his funeral service, Pastor Don reminded us that "custodian" is defined as "care taker." We could not have asked for a better care taker in God's house.

GS's passing hit Andrew and I hard. His death was not expected and we always anticipated seeing him every Sunday. We know that every man will die, but in a way that's always hard to believe and even harder to accept. However, GS's funeral was a beautiful and poignant reminder of the free gift the Jesus Christ wants to offer every single one of us.

Please take a moment to read the information presented in this link: http://evangelismexplosion.org/resources/steps-to-life/

Many people confuse Christianity with "religion." On more than one occasion, I have had people ask me if I was a "religious person." This is not about being this religion or that religion ... rather, it is about one's personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am a sinner saved by grace ... nothing more, nothing less.

I did not become a Christian until I was an adult. To be completely honest and transparent with you, I remember waking up at night sweating with fear at the thought that I would die one day. The whole concept made me feel hopeless and at times I wondered what the point of life was in the first place. I was never a wild child, per se ... but my outlook on life and my view of the world in general was completely different. I went to church and I studied a lot before I accepted the free gift of salvation. For me, it was the realization that Jesus was present from the beginning of time that helped all of the loose pieces fall into place. The very first chapter in the very first book of the Bible has a scripture that reads, "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).

Let me make this clear, I still fall short every single day. I still do not understand everything and I still have questions ... but this is expected, I am merely human and not God. I am sure that I will learn lots and lots when I am in Heaven one day.

Please know that I am sharing this information out of my love for you. I wish that I would have known this Truth since childhood ... I would have lived my young life a lot differently. And as a mother, my single most important desire that I have for my children is that they come to know Christ at an early age and that they walk with Him for a lifetime. I apologize for not sharing my faith with you sooner.

As a closing to this special blog, please keep GS's family in your prayers. We rejoice in knowing that GS is in heaven... but he is missed nonetheless. GS reminded me (and many others) just how important a saving faith is.