For being such a huge basketball playing family, I don’t have any photos of us actually playing basketball. How pathetic is that?? It is probably just because I am the only photographer and I like to play, so I don’t often take a camera to the game because, I don’t want it damaged and I want to play as much as they are. Anyway, this photo will have to suffice. It was our oldest son’s Eagle scout project. My then fourth grader, drew and painted this tiger for the middle of their court. But I digress, since I haven’t even started to discuss what this post is about…..
Yesterday, we attended Shorty’s community basketball game; 3rd and 4th graders playing full court. We have some unique rules to encourage learning and allow everyone to play. First, their quarters are only 6 minutes long. Every 3 minutes of clock time, play is stopped to switch players, no other substitutions, unless there are injuries. No pressing (guarding/defense in the back court–behind the half court line) is allowed, unless it is the 4th quarter and your team is not ahead by 10 or more points.
This is very much considered a learning league. Third grade is the earliest age you can participate. The referees are usually younger college age young adults (mostly men), so they are learning as well. Usually play is pretty loose as the season begins and as the boys/girls learn more and become more skilled, the refereeing becomes tighter. We are at the beginning of the season.
In Shorty’s game yesterday, the referees allowed significant traveling, significant double dribbling, hardly any foul calls (even when a couple kids ended up on the floor). I heard one of the referees telling specific players to get out of the key (there is a three second rule of being allowed to park in the key) several times. Now, those of you who do not play, may not think too much of what I have described. But if you understand the game of basketball, even on a learning level, you have to hold a specific standard in order for the children to properly learn how to play the game. The calls were so easy-going (one kid even stepped out of bounds to retrieve a ball and brought it back into the court, dribbling and they just let it go), I’m not sure what they were playing was basketball. We seemed to have a three travel rule—the whistle wasn’t blown unless you had traveled three times, consecutively. Those kinds of rules, make it difficult for the kids to learn how to play the game. Next time, they are not as likely to get such lenient refs and then be confused as to why their level of play is a problem today when it was alright the last game…..
So I got to thinking (scary, I know, but hang with me)…..
I am so grateful that, like the referees, the Lord allows us to play the game of mortality at our level. He does not expect more of us than we are capable of. He loves each and every one of us where we are in our current development. He expects just enough more of us that it requires faith, diligence, work and obedience to do the next thing He wants us to. He constantly gives us something to do that requires us to stretch and learn and grow. Sometimes it is scary and overwhelming. We are afraid. We pray for guidance and assistance to do what He asks. Sometimes we don’t even realize we have grown until we have an opportunity to look back and see it. But He would never call the game on a professional level when we are only a first, second, third, ….. or tenth year player.
However, unlike the referees in Shorty’s game, the rules are still the rules. We don’t get a pass or get to bypass the consequences of smoking just because we didn’t know it could hurt us. We still have the consequences for making choices contrary to the rules. We would still get called for traveling the first time we did it.
Isn’t that amazing?? There is an inherent balance there between mercy and justice. The eternal rules are consistent over time, space, and individuals. But the accountability rules are more flexible, measured by understanding, heart, and intent.
Now I’m going to divert for just a minute and then bring it back together.
Yesterday, I also had the opportunity to visit with a sister who is in her late 50’s and has never received her patriarchal blessing. She knows what it is and that it has been available to her, she just hasn’t ever gone through the process of receiving it. I do not know all of her circumstances, but I believe she has been active most, if not all, of her life.
A patriarchal blessing, among other things, is an opportunity for the Lord to tell you how He feels about you, what your strengths and weaknesses are, a warning voice as to particular things that will cause you, personally, trouble. It is personal scripture to you, about you.
As a parent, I take every opportunity my children will allow me to discuss those same things about each of them. They are unique. Their personalities are very different. They have different talents, abilities, gifts, struggles, temptations. My job as their mother is to help them navigate this life and to take the information they have and learn how to make the most of it and learn how to make proper decisions to bring about their exaltation and that of their families.
What if I never had that opportunity to speak to them, to pull them onto my lap, or into my arms, or just to look into their eyes and have them know how much I loved and valued them, or to warn them when I thought they were heading in the wrong direction. How much more difficult would their lives be?? (I am not saying that if you have not had your patriarchal blessing that the Lord doesn’t talk to you, but when you can have one of those conversations, verbatim, written down??……it’s a little different.)
The Lord already knows who I am and what I know and how much I should be accountable. He knows how I learn best and He knows what circumstances and people to put into play so I can lean how to play this game of mortality and come out a winner. He knows the rules and requirements. He has given me mortality to be able to learn how to play at the professional level, eventually. But He doesn’t require that level today……but I know the rules and recognize on a daily basis that I am not playing at that level.
Then He constantly reminds me that is why He came to earth……to make up the difference for what I cannot do and what I cannot become today.
So I probably could continue this, but my little family just arrived home and now there is too much commotion to think :-). That being said, I guess I am finished. Happy pondering my random thoughts….
1. People, people, people. We had so very much fun having our college boys and Grandma and Grandpa home for Christmas!!! What a great time! I was so sad to send them back to college….and all of my little people were sad and emotional too. It is so very hard on those little people. I had no idea.
I am the oldest child at my house. When I left, that was it—I left. Now on this end, as the mother, with the big kids coming and going, it is so emotional for the little ones. We have to have lots of talks about wanting our college boys to become good men and wanting them to be prepared to support a family and the spiritual growth they will have where they are instead of staying here. We love having them home and the little ones get so excited. Then the night before they leave or the morning of, the little people struggle. Friday night Shorty was struggling to be nice to people and to be obedient. (Departure time: 7:30 a.m. Saturday) Saturday afternoon, Sun admitted to being mean to people over and over again because she was so upset that Scuff had left. I just really had no idea how difficult it is for the little people.
2. Back to the routine. Having the big kids home and extra relatives in town, our schedule and eating was all out of whack! I think I didn’t really do any laundry until yesterday (for three weeks….). I started laundry on Friday and kept the washer and dryer functioning pretty much non-stop during waking hours. I still have four loads that I know of (for myself) and Sun has two.
Drew and I have committed to our eating and exercising schedule beginning tomorrow! Ugh! But it will be helpful in the clothing department…I would like most of my clothes to fit again 🙂 Classes begin on Monday, including seminary. I am looking forward to putting the little ones to bed just a little early tonight so we can be awake and prepared for tomorrow.
3. Teething. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I am soooooooooooooooooooo done with teething! Poor little Spike, Spike. He is the worst teether I have ever had! He is super clingy. He only wants to be held. He won’t eat anything. He refuses, most of the time, to take medicine that would help him to feel better.
I could not figure out why I was so exhausted and frustrated with him yesterday. Then I realized that I had prepared four breakfasts for him and he had eaten none of them, including a glass of rice milk. He was whiny and hanging on me and crying and had been for a while. Then I thought, oh, he is hungry and hasn’t eaten anything I have given him. What will that kid eat??? Oh! I added chocolate to his milk (I know, bad mother….some days it is more about the nurturing than nutrition!), and fed him half an avocado. Then he ate the other half. Then he was happy. Then we did the entire scenario over again at lunch. By four pm, I forced ibuprofen down him and we had a less dramatic evening, though he still got up in the middle of the night. Maybe once these eye teeth cut, we will finally sleep! OK, well, maybe after the two-year molars!
4. Putting Christmas away…..
I don’t know about you, but with all of our guests and fun that we have been having, I have not bothered to try and put away the decorations. It took me several days to be willing to put them up and now I am taking more time in putting them away. Part of that, of course, is that I am spending my time nurturing a teething baby. Alright, alright…..I will put them away this week.
5. The crazy basketball schedules have begun. So our schedule on Saturday looked like this:
5:30 a.m shower
6:00 a.m. help everyone get up and have breakfast, say goodbye
7:00 a.m leave for the airport to take the college boys to catch their plane.
9:00 a.m. leave the airport for home
9:30 a.m. arrive home, grab breakfast
9:45 a.m. leave for 8th grade basketball tryouts
10:00 a.m. basketball tryouts
11:00 a.m. arrive home
11:30 a.m leave with honey to deposit $ in the bank
12:00 arrive home and feed people lunch
12:45 p.m. leave for a baptism
1:00 p.m. attend the baptism
2:00 p.m have a conversation with someone at the baptism
2:45 p.m leave the baptism, pick up Shorty for a basketball game he was suppose to be at right now
3:00 p.m. Watch Shorty’s basketball game
4:20 p.m. left the basketball game, came home, prepared dinner.
5:00 p.m. fed people, began the last 3 hours of Pride and Prejudice that I fell asleep during the night before
6:30 p.m went walking with hubby
7:00 p.m read and prayed with kiddos, turned back on Pride and Prejudice
8:00 p.m. put kiddos in bed
9:00 p.m. finished Pride and Prejudice
10:00 p.m. Headed to bed
2:00 a.m. up with the baby
3:00 a.m. back to sleep
Church in the morning (Yea!!)
What a beautiful holiday season we have had!!! Drew’s parents have been with us!! Our college boys have been home!! We ordained Scuff an Elder and baptized Smiley. That day we had doughnuts for breakfast and pizza for dinner, which was GREAT on the cooking scale and not so much on the bathroom scale. We also managed to squeeze in family photos that day. Here are a few photos from my camera and the goofing around we did.
Stay tuned for the more professional looking ones. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been to have our missionary home for the family photos. But the truth be told, we wouldn’t want him anywhere else. I have been trying to decide if we should try to photoshop him in. How do you feel about such things?? I kind of think that it should be a photo of the people who are here now, the way we are. But my mother heart wants everyone to be included. Spanky is a part of us. He belongs! He just was on an errand for the Lord when we happened to take the photo. And let’s be real. With so many boys, we will not all be home for a very, very long time. Our family photos from here on out, will not be able to include everyone all the time. I guess we just keep trying to include as many as possible as often as possible?
This year I participated in Stephanie’s 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. With all of the many things that were going on during the Christmas season, I have to admit, it was a little bit much for me. But here is what I learned. The first few days were not a problem. I made some significant plans and followed through. The next few days, I didn’t have specific plans. My head would hit the pillow and I would think, “Darn it!! I forgot to do some random act of kindness today!!” At which point, the Spirit would gently remind me that I had spend half an hour talking on the phone with a sister who needed support and comfort, or I had baby sat on the spur of the moment for a friend, or I had taken dinner to so and so. I realized that I lived the 12 Days of Christmas challenge, without much thought. It was a normal part of my life.
After day 7, I quit worrying about it.
Some things I would like to do better next year:
- have a specific plan for each day
- include the children in the planning and implementation (this year I talked about it with them, but I would like them to either help do something fun or practice it on their own and then report their efforts to the group…maybe during Family Home Evening?)
- follow through on each day
- start making the plan maybe in July!
This is the second year I have participated in the 12 days of Christmas. Last year I focused on one person. This year I tried to participate with Stephanie’s ideas. I do really like the fact, when I am focusing on giving to others, the holiday does have more meaning for me, especially as a random act to multiple people.
Thanks for the ideas!!
| photo credit: moviefone.com |
Every year we watch Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life. I am usually busy preparing the holiday meal and so I run in and out of the movie spending most of my time in the kitchen while the family watches the movie. This year, I really, really wanted to watch the movie, so I spent most of my time watching the movie and here and there running into the kitchen. (Confession: This year we actually ate on paper plates, but we did use the China the night before. And I never did make it to the shower….Oh well. 🙂
As I was in the kitchen during one of efforts to manage dinner and watch, I had an epiphany. I have George Bailey disease. For those of you who have never seen the movie, George Bailey’s (Jimmy Stewart) only real desire his entire life is to get out of the ‘crummy little town’ where he grew up. He wants to see the world. He wants to go to college. He wants to become someone and do something that is far, far away from Bedford Falls.
Now, I do not live in the same town where I grew up. I had the opportunity to go to college. Though I didn’t finish everything I wanted to do there, I have a degree. I accomplished some of the things I wanted to. Unfortunately, I have always wanted to do and be more than I am. I have been ready for a while to be done with the path the Lord has asked me to walk. (Not in a spiritual sense, more a temporal one.) I constantly struggle against the worldly desires of my heart to do what the Lord has asked of me and to be where He wants me to be. Even though I have many, many blessings, I struggle to be satisfied and appreciate the loaves and fishes the Lord has seen fit to bless me with ….and I want different ones. Does that seem to be the lot of the natural man or woman in each of us, or is it just my natural woman??
Why???
Why is it so very difficult to be and do what the Lord asks and appreciate the very deep gifts and blessings He has given to each of us? Why do we look at others and see in their lives things we lack in our own? How do we learn to be grateful, content, happy in our sphere and then to bring that joy, happiness, and peace into the lives of others? Do we somehow feel that God must love us less because we do not have the things we want? Do we not remember that God is a perfect Father who loves us perfectly…..that He knows what we need to develop the characteristics within that mirror His own perfected attributes?
I know that being and doing what the Lord asks of me is developing within me characteristics that are difficult for me to put into practice. I know if it were left up to me, I would never develop those qualities because it is hard and I prefer a life free of difficulty and pain. I would overemphasize my strengths and the things I am good at and where I would receive the praises of men (because I, personally, think I need those things in order to be successful. I certainly appreciate them more and it makes it easier to do the things I am not fond of.) However, in His infinite wisdom, the Lord has seen fit to put me in a place that severely limits worldly praise (motherhood, lots of it) and even occasionally evokes criticism and judgement. I have had to learn to do what is right in the face of the ever great and spacious building, always in earshot of their mocking. (In case you didn’t know it, I am a people-pleaser and I like people [all people] to like me.) I am super sensitive and it hurts my feelings when people don’t like me. (Pathetic, I know.)
These thoughts and ideas have been coming to my consciousness ever so slowly over the course of the last few years. I am still not embracing my position and am far, far away from expressing gratitude for them. But I recognize their eternal significance and the spiritual peril I place myself in if I try to run away from the process. I have been praying for a change of heart, a place where I quit wishing for the illusive greener grass of another pasture.
THIS is MY pasture. I need to make the grass green, that may take a LOT of water and fertilizer, unfortunately. I need to find some flowers and trees that I like. I may need to learn new skills so I can manage the pasture properly and make it beautiful. If I am willing to put in the work and effort, it can be beautiful. I may have to tear down old barns, or places where I have not been willing to put in effort or the weeds have overgrown due to my lack of attention. But the Lord is completely aware of all of those spaces. He knows the beauty that lies within and He knows what landscaping will make that old heap of junk into a luscious garden, if I will only trust Him and do what He asks—-where, and when, and how. Why am I so very attached to that old heap? Because it is comfortable? Because it requires no effort? Because I enjoy having a pile of garbage in the yard??
It is time, time to clean out the old and allow the Master Gardner to do with my pasture what He will. I don’t want George Bailey disease. I want to appreciate my pasture. I want to be willing to do the work to have an oasis from the world. I am afraid of pain, and growth, and pain, and sweat, and pain. Oh give me the strength to move forward. Give me a new heart of faith and hope and determination. Help me to put forth the work and effort necessary to clear away that old barn and pile of old junk.
It’s a wonderful life, Carin. It truly is. Maybe if you are willing to work and trust, you’ll get your wings, just like Clarance.
“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” ― Orson F. Whitney
1. I made rolls this morning for Sun’s school Christmas party………………..the house smells delicious!! I am just sad that I didn’t pull one out to eat before I sent them all with her to school. I will have to make some more later 🙂
| photo credit: sltrib.com |
2. We started our holiday celebrations early. Last night Drew and I went to a friend’s house and watched the BYU bowl game. It was amazing!! I LOVE football. It was Van Noy’s night! Two touch-downs by the defensive back! Plus numerous other things that I will not bore you with. He was totally amazing! The game was completely boring until the fourth quarter and then we made some adjustments and just exploded. It was AWESOME! Go COUGS!!
The big boys went and hung out with some friends and watched a late showing of the Hobbit. They didn’t get home until after midnight. Because we were all up late, we slept in just a little and everyone was late for everything this morning!! The big boys got up grumbling for family prayer and went straight back to bed. I forgot that Smiley had a class performance this morning. Yes, he was late, and because I was late taking everyone everywhere, I didn’t get to see him perform. Drew had him sing his little song for us in the car as we were driving. He wasn’t too happy about that because it was a solo instead of a class performance. Needless to say, not a great start to the day. I think we should have just cancelled today and started the holiday last night.
| freephoto.com |
3. Cereal. We even had cereal for breakfast and we were still late! Cereal is a BIG deal at our house. About six years ago we quit having cereal around almost all the time. I started cooking breakfast every day. It is also when we started making all of our bread. I cut out the cereal because we were looking for ways to improve the budget and I couldn’t find any more places to cut. Praying about it, I was told to start cooking breakfast and to make all the bread. When we made this change, we could save $200.00 on our grocery bill—-NO JOKE!! Who would have thought cereal and bread would cost so much, but at our house, it did. And I was not even a nice cereal buyer!! The most sugar I would allow was Honey-nut Cheerios and Frosted Mini-wheats——–no Captain Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Count Chocula—-none of that! Even though we were so totally late for the day, the kids were very excited for breakfast!!
4. Pitter-patter of little feet. My baby has started running through the house, especially when he is chasing or being chased by one of his brothers. It is soooooo cute! I love the sound of his little feet running across the hardwood floor. The only thing cuter is hearing the stomping of the feet on the bathroom floor because some little boy has waited too long to make the trip and can barely hold it in while he is trying to drop his drawers. I made that comment in front of the older boys the other day and one of them looked at me quizically when my husband jumped in, agreed, and offered his opinion. It was too sweet to see that the memories of little people in the house had a soft spot in his heart too. Then the boys asked if all of them did it. Hmmmm………yep, all of the boys did it, not their sister, just the boys. I guess we’ll be hearing those little feet again in another year or so, as we enter potty-training.
5. Swimming. Just an updated report on our swimming expeditions: We have not been swimming as much as we were in the summer, but we have continued once or twice a month. Smiley is dog-paddling!!! Woohoo!! He still will not float on his back or his face, but he is almost confident enough that I will not have to worry about him too much in the pool, though I would be a lot more comfortable if he would just choose to float! We will keep working on it! Shorty is all over the pool and so is Sun! Yea!! I was so worried about how we were going to teach them all to swim and how we were going to pay for it!!
That was another prayer answered. The only pool we have open is a 20 minute drive, so the time, plus the gas, plus the number of times we would need to go to be proficient, plus the lessons, for the number of people—–OY! I didn’t know how we could possibly manage that. So since last summer I have been thinking and praying about how we could do it some other way—maybe a hotel in the area would rent me some pool time?? Heavenly Father had a better answer. A friend who is investigating the church and has children my children’s ages, moved to a complex with a pool. They were allowed to bring friends. We made a weekly play-date at the pool. The kids learned to swim and we talked about how to apply the gospel to your life. Win-win all around—-temporally for us, and safety issues, eternally changing for them. Gotta love it when the Lord’s plan is so much better than yours!!
Here is Heather’s five things today!!
| photo credit: diapers-n-heels.com |
Well, here we are in the wonderful holiday season—plenty of warm feelings and lots of food (usually) with people we love (or are suppose to). If your family is anything like mine, sometimes these get-togethers can cause more stress than times of enjoyment. Here are a few tips for emotionally managing these stressful situations:
Little things:
—Dress up. Just like a job interview, our behavior is better and our performance improved when we are dressed well. We tend to behave more like our attire: casual dress, casual manners; sloppy dress, sloppy manners; formal dress, more formal manners. You do not need to over-dress, simply dress nicely and appropriately. Even just dressing a step above the normal dress for the activity will help you act more appropriately.
—Don’t eat things you shouldn’t. If you are allergic to it or it will upset your system in some way, do not eat it, even if it is Aunt Gertrude’s special dish and she makes it every year and it will hurt her feelings if you don’t. You are not responsible for Aunt Gertrude’s feelings. (We will discuss that a little later. For now, if you shouldn’t eat it, just don’t do it!) You will feel better if you do not, and as such, you will behave better.
—Use I statements. When discussing anything sensitive or talking with sensitive people, consider saying things such as, I feel (this way) when (these) things happen. I react (this way) when (these) circumstances are in place. As opposed to saying: You always…….., I can’t believe you would…….., You never…..
‘You’ statements feel more like you are attacking the other person. ‘I’ statements are simply telling about yourself. It is difficult to argue with an ‘I’ statement.
—Think of sincere compliments you can give to others in your family, especially when they say something critical of you. Remember that a soft answer turneth away wrath (Proverbs 15:1) When someone says something unkind, simply pay them a sincere compliment and see how the feeling in the room changes.
—Refuse to take offense. Remember—your feelings, your responsibility. Don’t be easily offended, even if they say the same thing every year and it bothers you every year! This year, chose not to let it bother you.
—Talk to your own family. If there is an issue with my family, I talk to them. If there is an issue with my husband’s family, he talks to them.
—-Prepare the children. Let them know the plan of the get-together and that the departure time is tentative. That way if you ask them to leave before they are ready, there will not be a huge blow-up because they have unmet expectations. Compensate them if they really made a sacrifice (they had to leave before dessert was served, without warning….offer them their favorite dessert at home, or another compensation that would ease their feelings of being treated unfairly.) Also, explain the ‘rules/expectations’ of the event (i.e. I know we feed the dog scraps from our plates at home, but here we cannot do that).
Big Things:
—-Remember that you are not responsible for other people’s feelings. Your feelings are your responsibility. Their feelings are their responsibility. That doesn’t mean you can go around and just say whatever you want to or treat people badly. But if someone says to you, “You always hurt my feelings!”, the truth of the matter is that you cannot hurt their feelings. They have chosen to have their feelings hurt by their interpretation of something you said or did. Usually we do not intend to hurt someone else, it just happens. At those times you can say, ‘what was it I did or said that hurt you?’ Then they will probably not be very nice to you and tell you what it was. You can correct the misconception or just apologize that their feelings are hurt and indicate that you had no intention of saying something that was hurtful. [This goes with the Aunt Gertrude example above. You are not responsible for making her feel good by eating her dish. If everyone stopped eating it, maybe she would quit making it. Right?]
—Be willing to leave. If things do not stay nice, or make you uncomfortable, you are free to leave and return home or to the hotel. If you are staying with your family, take a break and go to the movie or shopping or anything to remove yourself from a negative situation and give yourself a little time to think (even if you are just reading your scriptures in the car!).
—Put boundaries in place. At some of our family gatherings, we have had to say, “We love visiting with all of you and we would like to spend time with you. But it is very bad for our children to see (this behavior—at our house it was yelling at each other) and we don’t want that to be a part of our family. So if (this behavior) happens, we will ask you to leave, or we will leave” (whatever the circumstances may be). Luckily my husband had that conversation with his family (without me or the children) so it was not embarrassing to them. Other times, I have had to pull someone aside and say, “Please don’t treat my children that way. I am very capable of correcting them if it is necessary.” Then I discussed with my children (later and privately) why the other person’s behavior was inappropriate and evaluated how they are processing what has happened to them.
—Where children are concerned, remember that it is more important to be their parent and teach them properly than it is to please your parents or other family members. Children should learn to feel comfortable in their own space. They should not have affections forced on them if they are uncomfortable. They should not have to eat things because of how someone else feels about it. Help them learn to be respectful and courteous, but also support them in expressing their appropriate opinions and boundaries. It is important for their development and for your relationships with them.
If your family is so difficult that you cannot do all of these things, pick a few manageable ones on the list. Remember, some is better than none. As your confidence grows, you will be able to put more boundaries in place and nurture your ability to interact with others. You may find one day to even be able to spend quality time with people you once found toxic.
Happy Holidays and specifically Merry Christmas!!
I do have to say, though, with the amount of butter and sugar in this recipe, there is NO WAY you would taste the measly 1 Cup of Beans you put into it. I doubled our recipe and we are allergic to nuts, so I eliminated those.
Our young adult, Scuff is home for Christmas!!! He shared this video and story with me and I just thought it was too beautiful not to post!! Enjoy….watch the music first, then the story, then you’ll want to watch the music again……….trust me.
Now the story:
One of my very best friends growing up was adopted. She had a deep desire to know her birth mother and the circumstances around being placed for adoption. It was something that was always in the back of her mind, and sometimes in the front of it. It was of particular interest to her because she wondered about her nationality and health histories.
Two Christmases ago, she sent me a letter letting me know that she had indeed found her birth mother and her birth family. She finally had the answers to so many of her questions.
I have other friends who have adopted their children. They love them dearly and they are great parents.
Adoption is a wonderful gift!! It is a very unselfish choice for a young woman to realize that a family with a mother and a father will offer her child a gift she may not be able to. This song and story simply touched my heart and reaffirmed my feelings.
buildingeternity.org 