And so it begins...where did I leave my galoshes???

Today was the first of at least a bajillion...no, make that two bajillion after-school practices for McKenna. She started the 7th grade yesterday and so volleyball practice follows shortly after!!

I can't even believe it. My baby is 12...oh, and the late bloomer...she may be blossoming. Suddenly it is important to fix hair and make up. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about that. Excited - my baby girl is growing up!! Sad - My baby girl is growing up!! Worried - My baby girl is growing up!!

Amazing how one small sliver of time can bring out a tidal wave of emotion. Like the day she was born, her infancy, preschool, her first day of kindergarten, her salvation and baptism... I think God gives us such capacity for emotion because He knows full well that the world will offer us an inadequate umbrella which of course blows broken, to deal with such a tidal wave. He knows that the tidal wave we deal with when viewed in succession with the other tidal waves of life actually equal a tsunami. And the world offers us a little piece of plastic held on a stick with spokes...oh, and by the way...that umbrella of the world...ummm...yea, a lightening rod.

And yet, He steps in and calls it all, "Good," and works it all to our good, and as if that weren't enough He offers us a peace and calm regardless of the 'storm'. And, boy, are there variations of a storm in this thing we do called life. The somewhat eerie, haunting, yet welcome snow storm...like those times when we just want to 'hole up' somewhere, find a warm place and not venture out - makes me think of when I brought my girls home from the hospital...sweet and a little scary. The raging thunderstorm of lightning, torrential rain and wind...like those times of raising a teenager when you are sure the storm has snatched your kid away and has swept a stranger into their bedroom!! The ravaging hurricanes and tornadoes when things are ripped from the fabric of your life...a divorce, a death, a defining detrimental decision. And yes, even in the sweet soothing showers of light rain followed by the rainbow...the kind that makes certain 'flowers' bloom like a beautiful, innocent child coming into her own...Yes, we need some peace that He offers...or at least I do, because I know that the first of two bajillion moments will literally blow by so quickly like the leaves in a sharp autumn wind that I will wish I had reached out and snatched a few from the air just to hold in my hands, examine and, well, cherish for a while. Because with Him, I can see it all as 'good'.

Sappy Girl

I always tease my sister, Kitty, that she cries too easily, but honestly, since I tried to learn as much as possible from her, she taught me well. *grin* I am a sap. Genuinely, I love anything that tugs at my heartstrings. I love shows like Extreme Home Makeover and chick flicks with a happy-ending. I know that many of my friends feel the same way, so I am here today to offer you something sweet and tender. Mull this over. Let it pull at your heartstrings. Take it as your own.

"I am my beloved's. His desire is toward's me. " Song of Solomon 7:10

Or try this one out of The Message:

"I am my lover's. I am all that He wants. I'm all the world to Him."

This is something meant just for you from the heart of a God that adores you. I don't know about you, but I am so much like the heroine in some of my favorite movies. Prone to mistakes, jumping to conclusions, believing the worst while hoping for the best. So I know that I don't deserve the incredible love of our Savior, but I am so incredibly grateful for it. I love that the story has the happiest of all endings. Even if you aren't a sap like me, you can appreciate that!

He is crazy about you and wants the very best for you. You- the individual. You- the person. Not just 'you' the masses. Take this personally. Bask in His love today.