Thankful for life in the cracks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

There is so much to be thankful for this year.
There are the things that are always in my list…

Jesus
Family
Friends
A house to give me shelter
A home to share life, love, laughter,
Food on my table
Health

But God has been stirring in me so much more to give thanks for…

I’m thankful for dishes piled up in the sink still needing to be washed
Because of the quality time spent over a meal that they represent
I’m thankful for muscles that are still sore after a week
Because they represent where I’m going instead of where I came from
I’m thankful for all the tears shed this past year
Because they drew me closer to God
I’m thankful for the constant Spiritual attack we feel under the pressure of
Because it means that the enemy feels a need to fight against me
I’m thankful for the move my good friends and neighbors are making even though I am going to miss them terribly

Because it means I will have new opportunities to be a light for new neighbors
I’m thankful for the constant chaos that I feel with toys and stuff strewn all over my house - all the time.
Because it represents the young ones that I love so much who are healthy and able and vivacious

I'm thankful for the friendships that aren’t the same anymore
Because in my grappling with the fact that I can’t make people want my friendship God shows me how much my grief resembles His when I don’t choose Him.

I’m thankful that God is in the middle of the deep cracks in my life that cause so much pain sometimes.

For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17, 18 NLT

There is abundant LIFE in the cracks!

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So proud!!!

I am SO PROUD of my brother!!!!
Yesterday, he graduated from paramedic school.


He and his wife have made some really hard choices for him to get to this point.
And he finally made it.


A few years ago, I sat with my brother at the mall at 5am on the day after Thanksgiving, listening to him tell me how he was taking this step to change careers.

About how he knew he had missed his calling and had to follow God's lead in this.

How every time he passed an accident on the road he had the urge to stop his car and get out and help.

He would be giving up a very successful career, in a job that he excelled at and made very good money in. Not the worldly choice to make, but he had a calling.

He knew the cost and was asking me to be praying for him as he and his wife prayed about this decision.

Congratulations Derek!!!!

Have I told you yet how PROUD I am of you?

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Christmas Cards for a 5 year old boy - Meet Noah Biorkman

Update: Noah passed away on Monday November 23. Please continue to pray for his family.


Hi friends. I'm posting once again with a plea for prayer.
I don't know this family or anyone involved, but read about it here and felt compelled to share it with you too.

This is directly from the blog post I read...

A dear friend sent this to me, and I’ve done some digging to see if this situation is really true. I wish it wasn’t. This is what she wrote: Dr Tom Curran is a radio personality, and he is in the process of setting up a 24 hour live) online Rosary where people around the world can meet together online and pray. One of the prayer requests last night was for a family in Michigan where 5 year Noah is in the final stages of his 2.5 year battle with Neuroblastoma…a particularly vicious form of childhood cancer with a 0% chance of survival. (If you’ve read the amazing book Gloria’s Miracle you know how ruthless this disease really is.) Well, Noah is probably not going to make it to Christmas so the family is going to celebrate the holiday this coming weekend. Apparently, Noah likes Christmas Cards and receiving things in the mail. The request was sent out to have people flood their mailbox with Christmas Cards encouraging Noah in his final struggle! If you could take a moment to send him a Christmas Card in the next few days, it would really be appreciated!
The news about Noah’s early Christmas has spread through a number of radio stations. This is Noah.

Noah’s address is below.
Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountain View Circle
South Lyon, MI 48178

There is also a radio station collecting cards for the family.
I have read a few entries on the care page his family has set up for him.
The latest update was posted yesterday. He gets to see Santa on Friday and Sunday is his family celebration. His prognosis is 1-3 weeks at best. He is on A LOT of pain medication to help him be able to walk and play. He lives with his mom and grandma, but dad lives nearby and he gets to go to his dad's whenever he wants.

If you want to pray for them specifically, or send cards to his parents, his mom's name is Diana and his dad's name is Scott. The above address is mom's. On the care page she gives dad's address as well:
Scott Biorkman
3480 Petoskey Way
Milford, Michigan 48380

I don't ever want to know what it feels like to be in their position or Angel's parent's position. My heart is breaking for these families, but God is using the outpouring of love that is coming in to help this family get through this. Here is a quote from their most recent update:

This is the hardest thing that we have had to deal with on a daily basis and the packages and cards and messages have been a great distraction for all four of us (my mom is included in this group as she lives with me). Noah's spirit is undeniable and you can see it in his eyes and smile. He has a way about him that is both unique and special. Yeah, yeah I know, I'm biased, but it has been amazing to watch.

Praise God for the opportunity to come together as His body in unity to pray for and minister to this family. From my reading, I'm not sure where they stand with God - all the more reason to pray for their family.

Here is a news report about Noah.
I have some letter writing to do today!

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Prayer request

Hi friends,

I am passing on a prayer request from a dear friend.

You can read the request here.

Not only does Angel and his family need prayer, but so do the families of the friends of Angel's.

My friend specifically needs to know how to help her 8 year old daughter who loves Angel dearly understand the seriousness of Angel's condition.

He truly needs a miracle.

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As Promised...

Halloween pictures!

Meet Captain Hook, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell!

My kids were pretty funny about this this year.

Molly was adamant about calling everyone by their character name, but Mason was adamant about being Mason. Merritt went along with both of them.

Molly was soooo incredibly cute.

We didn't even show her her costume until it was time to get her dressed (even though we'd had it for over a month) because we knew she'd want to wear it all the time, and I didn't want to have to clean it or repair it. So when I got it out, she was ecstatic.

I got her dressed and then sat her on the bathroom counter to put her hair up (because she had to have Tinkerbell hair.)

When she saw herself in the mirror she said to me, "Oh mommy, I Mollyrooscay no more. I Tinkerbell. See? I have Tinkerbell eyes."

And when we were out and about in the neighborhood, she would run and tell me, "Mommy, I FLY!"

Merritt played it up as Hook. He loved every minute of it.

Mason loved his dagger.

Can't you just hear her telling me about her Tinkerbellness?

I love this picture. See the mask Bruce is wearing?

That goes to Mason's Mr. Incredible costume and he wore it all evening as he passed out candy.

The kids in our neighborhood think Bruce is the coolest.

(Most of them have had him as a substitute.)

Here she is flying...

(Aren't those wings great? They even light up.)

Molly almost didn't make it home before sleep overtook her.
And in the middle of the night that night, she woke Bruce up talking in her sleep.
She was saying, "I fly. I fly."

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Soccer

The last time I posted about Soccer was 2 years ago.
And it was about Merritt.
This year Mason is playing.
Merritt opted out this year - and last year (and maybe forever?).
2 years of soccer was enough for him.
You see, he's not too keen on running for an hour straight, so soccer isn't really that high on his list.
Mason, on the other hand, doesn't mind the running and is loving soccer.
And he's doing really well.
His head is constantly "in the game".
Check it out for yourself:
(Warning: glowing uniforms - you may want your sunglasses for these pictures.)



















I hope you all had a nice Halloween.
We did.
You can check back tomorrow for pictures of the kids all dressed up and ready for sugar comas.

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