Category: General Family News

Mara has been talking for months about how she is going to dress up as Tinkerbell for Halloween.

In a beautiful story (which I will unfold in another post), Mara received a butterfly costume today from a complete stranger on freecycle.

I hope I never forget Mara’s response. She told me she was going to thank God for her butterfly costume, and then, with a huge smile and beautiful sparkling eyes, she added, “I wanted a Tinkerbell costume, but God thinked of a plan and said, ‘No, Mara, I’ll give you the greatest butterfly costume ever!'”

Mara couldn’t have been happier.

Simple as they were, her words convicted my heart.

How often do I ask God for “Tinkerbell” [or fill-in-the-blank with my desires] and God decides to give me something else?

Do I recognize that it was God who gave? whether it fulfilled my heart’s longings or was the opposite of what I wished?

Romans 8 tells us that “All things work together for good, to those who are called according to His purpose.” His purpose for His children is two-fold: first, God’s own glory, and second, our Christlikeness. God is often seen as most glorious when we praise Him through suffering. We often reflect Christ most during the hard times of life; He died for us on the cross to show His love; in the same way, we show our love for Christ and others through selflessness and sacrifice.

Sometimes we think what it is “good” for us is what makes us happy or what keeps us healthy (or alive) or what will make us successful or prosperous financially. But “good” in Romans 8 means that which gives God glory and makes us more like our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Since His plans for our lives accomplish both His glory and our Christlikeness, they are as Mara said the “greatest ever.”

God, help me to look at my life and see it as it is: a gift from your hand! From each breath I take to the “big things” in life and all the way down to the Halloween costumes. . . what You give me, Lord, is the Greatest Ever!

Knowing that we just went apple picking, a teacher friend pulled out several “apple”-related workbook pages for the kids.

Thank you, Melissa!

So the day after we picked apples, we made apple puppets, which Mara (ignorantly) insisted were “apple muppets.” The kids colored their puppets–or, ‘scuse me–their muppets, and Mara was able to cut most of her muppet out by herself. She also helped apply the glue and stick the pieces on the bag.

Micah was fascinated with the glue–I didn’t want him to become too adept at the use of scissors and glue–so I did most of his myself, while he watched.

After the apple muppets were finished, Mara completed a worksheet of apples–one apple for every letter of the alphabet. She had to fill in the missing letters, and she did great! A couple of her letters were backwards, but she is learning, one step at a time.

After bedtime prayers and song, I sat in the rocking chair, snuggling my two-year-old twerp in his favorite navy blue blanket.

It had been a particularly challenging day for the two of us all around, starting at 3 AM when he walked into our bedroom with his blanket and an 101-degree fever.

Throughout the day, he cried often being sick and tired. You moms know what it’s like to have a sick, tired two-year-old, plus the usual boyish antics:

• He put the fish food container in the dishwasher’s silverware tray (glad I noticed before I ran the dishwasher).
• He spilled his milk, while trying to pour it from his cup onto his plate.
• He wanted more “snack” so he went up to the high chair and took poor, defenseless Carissa’s Ritz crackers right out of her hand. (That’s the first time he’s taken food from the little sister! He’s typically looking out for her.)
• He tried to pull the lit candle out of the jack-o-lantern.

I could go on, but you get the picture.

So I held him close and rocked.

“You know,” I reflected out loud, as much for myself  as for him, “I prayed that God would give me a little boy.–And He gave me YOU!” He smiled peacefully behind the thumb stuck in his mouth.

I rocked him a little more and squeezed him a little tighter. “I love you, Micah.”

His eyes twinkled in the darkness. “Kiss Mommy,” he said, leaning forward.

Lately, he’s started this lingering kiss–on the lips. When he started doing this, I laughed so hard, because it was hysterically funny to me. Now I know: Shouldn’t have laughed. I encouraged him. Now he thinks it’s still hilariously funny and tries to kiss me–only on the lips–every time.

“I love you, Mommy,” he gushed, ever so sweetly.

He gave me a moment for that to sink in as we nuzzled noses. I thought about what an incredibly sweet son God had given in answer to my prayers.

Then suddenly he whispered, ever so deliberately, “Go down-steh-dees [downstairs] and eat ice cream!”

“Noooo, we’re not going downstairs to eat ice cream!” I laughed.

He giggled, still pleading his case, “Sometimes after naps, go downstairs and eat ice cream.”

So I’m left wondering if this child really is so sappy sweet? . . . or is he just trying to con me?