It’s Not Cracker Jacks—But There’s A Prize In Every Box!

It's that time again... pull out an empty shoe box, and fill it up for a needy child as part of the Operation Christmas Child program. If you aren’t familiar with Operation Christmas Child, or are unsure if you would like to participate, please consider this: Some 8 million suffering children in more than 90 countries on six continents will receive personal, gift-filled shoe boxes through this kids-helping-kids project. For many of these children, the shoe box gift will be the first gift they have ever received. Operation Christmas Child began in the United States in 1993 with 28,000 shoe box gifts. Since that time, the kids-helping-kids project has collected more than 61 million shoe box gifts and hand-delivered them to needy children in some 130 countries. Find out more here: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/occ/

Bounce House Blessings

With the holidays quickly approaching my thoughts naturally turn to the many blessings I have to be thankful for. It’s easy to run down the list of “big” one, the boys, our home, the food we eat, our health. But in reading 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks” I begin to think about the smaller things, like “I’m thankful we are able to set the bounce house up in the bonus room so that the boys can burn off their extra energy in the winter without literally bouncing off the walls of our living room” … and “I’m thankful for that moment on Saturday morning, when the boys are all curled up together on the couch watching cartoons, perfectly content and happy”… then I wonder, ‘am I teaching them to be thankful, do they know how blessed they are?’ It’s not easy in a “world of plenty” to teach kids to recognize; and be truly thankful for, all of the wondrous gifts they have been given. So, I did some research online and found some great articles, filled with not only suggestions and tips, but thankfully some reassurances that we are already doing many of the “right” things. There seemed to be three or four areas that all the articles touched on… limiting monetary or material rewards, and instead giving love and praise—a child who is given a reward for every “achievement” will come to expect rather than appreciate the gift. Second that children who are given responsibilities around their own home gain a better understand of the value of things, and tend to be more grateful for what they themselves have. Third that by encouraging children to help in the community or to support charitable causes we are helping them to; by seeing the plight of others less fortunate that we are, understand how truly blessed they are. The final thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that the most important thing we can do as parents is to teach by example. Showing gratitude to others, staying positive in even the most difficult moments by finding the (possibly hidden) blessing, and remembering to openly say prayers of thanksgiving for not only the BIG glorious gifts from God, but also the little ones, the ones that makes each day it’s own blessing.

The Gift of Face Paint

1 Corinthians 13:6-7, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (NIV)

As a mother, I some times lose focus on what a very important role I play in the circus of our daily life. I begin feeling overwhelmed and under-valued. I wonder about my identity. I recently had the idea that being a mother is much like being a clown… I’m not “Julie” anymore, I’m hidden behind the face paint of “MOM”. I love being Mom, but it’s easy to get distracted by the chaos of it all and forget that MOM is not just a title - it’s a gift, a gift of love. I came across this verse from 1 Corinthians and while reading it I started replacing “love” with “Mom” … and found it very comforting. I do rejoice in truth, and not in evil, I protect my children and would gladly give my life for theirs. I trust in the Lord and His plans for me and my family, I am a hopeful cheerleader—encouraging my children to be their best. And, with God’s guidance I too will persevere, because I am MOM; a loving gift from God to my sweet children.

When they move from the Carousel to the Tilt-A-Whirl

Some times it’s hard to let them grow up.

I recently picked up the book: Meditations for Mothers (Moments with God amidst a busy nest) by Elisa Morgan (president/CEO of MOPS) and in flipping through the pages I came upon a prayer that touched me deeply.


Dear God, help me understand that my goal as a mother is to raise a child to independence from me and dependence on You. Give me the courage to cooperate with the unfluffing process, even when I would rather stay cozy in the soft places of my nest.

~ Elisa Morgan ~


It reminded me of a struggle I had a few weeks earlier while preparing for the beginning of a new chapter in our family’s story; Hayden’s first day at Kindergarten. I was having difficult time with the idea of letting my baby boy, my first born son, my sweet sensitive child, go off into the world—the big, scary, and some times mean world without me! I turned to “The Birth of Moses” Exodus 2:1-10 and thought how much harder it must have been for his mother than for me, I kept thinking over and over; “when she could no longer keep him hidden, she sent him off - how painful it must have been for her.” I knew that she had no way of knowing the great plan God had for Moses, and he was such a tiny baby when she had to make the decision to let him go. I went to sleep that night knowing that it would be a rough morning, but that I was raising my son for God. I could not keep him from growing up; all I could do was help him grow into the kind of person he would one day be proud to have become, the kind of man God wants him to be. I wish I would have found Elisa’s Meditations for Mothers before school started this year, but I have a feeling there are going to be many more days—much sooner than I am even now ready to admit, that I will benefit from this prayer. As mothers we strive to hold our children close, keep them safe, ensure they know just how deeply they are loved, and how important they are. It becomes so very easy to forget that our job, our goal as parents, is to prepare our children, these little gifts, for the purpose that God has chosen. We watch them grown from helpless little infant, into a baby crawling around, then to a toddler taking first steps, a preschooler chasing friends around the yard and then elementary student heading off to school, the list goes on and on. The years go by so quickly and every time we turn around, we have to give up a little bit of our hold on them, handing over to them a little more independence from us. Nevertheless, because we are strong, because we have taught them; through our words and actions, to depend on the power of God, we know they are ready. Like Moses’ mother we too know that God will be there watching over our children. And luckily, we also know that (unlike Moses’ mother) we will be there for our children if they waiver, if they fall – we are not sending them off to a life without us, we are simply stepping back and letting them use the skills we have given then. We must put our fait in God and trust his plans for them, and for us. It’s not always easy, and quite honestly it some times hurts, but in the end our reward is great.