Did You Know?

1. Our church celebrated "Trunk or Treat."  Families decorate the trunks of their cars.  Children dress in costume and "trick or treat" from trunk to trunk.  Neighborhood families and church families come.  It is great fun.  I put together a "Paper Moon Photo Booth."  And by 'paper,' I mean two full pieces of paneling.  I'll leave you the picture and post about how we did it, and what we would do differently later this week.
2.  Five of my six children were home for the weekend!  So excited.  Our oldest, Patrick, flew up to visit from Georgia.  Our third son, Brian, drove three hours to visit.  Our weekend was filled with friends and family.  Exactly the way I like it.
   
3. "In sickness and in health."  Few people consider sickness and suffering when choosing a person to marry.  Kevin A. Thompson tells us to ask a vital question, one that he asserts is far more important than how this person will look in the morning or what bad habits they might have that have not yet been revealed.  The Most Overlooked Characteristic of Who You Want to Marry  You want to read this.
4. National Adoption Month:  Four young siblings in separate foster care placements, are hoping that a special someone will hear their plea to be adopted together.  See their plea here.  There may be children in your town or city who are looking for someone to love and adopt them. 

National Adoption Awareness Month

     Did you know that November is National Adoption Awareness Month?  As an adoptive parent this speaks to my heart.  Wynter, from Made to Mother, is celebrating Adoption Month by hosting an adoption series on her blog.  She will be sharing the real stories of adoptive mothers, adoptees, birth mothers, and adoption organizations.
     Wynter was a twenty year old college student when she was faced with a heart wrenching decision that resulted in giving her son up for adoption.   You can read her story at Made to Mother or purchase her book, The Secret Inside of Me on Kindle (affiliate link).

    Wynter is sharing our adoption story later this month.  I am so excited to participate.

Cinderella

     Twenty one years ago, my friend Janie  asked me to pray for her neighbor, Lori, who had just given birth to her fourth son.  As the mother of three boys the same ages as Lori’s first three, I understood completely why she needed prayer.  Shortly afterwards, at a church potluck, Pat and I met Lori and Denis and the four of us became close friends.
     God has a sense of humor.  The Lori and I who did not know each other, had married the man of our dreams on the same day, honeymooned in Disney World in the same hotel, had mother-in-laws named Florence, and gave birth to sons, and only sons, in fairly rapid succession.  The only way for either of us to have a daughter, was for me to adopt our Patty.  Our boys played soccer together.  Lori’s were the talented ones, mine, unfortunately, had their mother’s athletic prowess.
     Over camping trips, shoe shopping, family dinners, celebrations, weddings, and hospital visits, our lives and hearts have been knit together with love.

Keke Palmer was Cinderella and Sherri Shepherd the Wicked Stepmother.

     Lori and I were even born just three days apart.  Each year we celebrate our birthdays together.  It has been harder since we lost Denis three years ago right before Lori’s birthday.
     Last week, Lori and I went to see the Broadway musical Cinderella.  The music was by Rogers and Hammerstein, which means the songs were the ones that we remembered from childhood.  Cinderella was a movie that came on once a year starring Leslie Ann Warren.  I remember, my wonderful teacher assigned it as homework.  It was the best homework ever!  Oh, how I loved that movie.
     Lori and I were transported to France in the days of Princes, Fairy Godmothers, Ball Gowns, sparkly shoes, white horses, and Royal Banquets.  It was magical when Cinderella’s rags changed into a sparkly white poofy tulle gown complete with tiara and updo before our very eyes.  Lori and I were amazed. We could not figure out how it was done.
     I was once a freckle-faced, tinsel toothed Cinderella rescued by a young prince named Jack.  You can read the fairytale Embracing Your Cinderella, The Ball, and Midnight.
     The story of Cinderella is something everyone can relate to.  Feeling alone and unworthy, working hard for people who just don’t appreciate you, the monotony of doing the same things day after day, being treated like a servant instead of the child of a King.
     But God gives us beauty for ashes.
    In Bible times it was a custom for people to, like Cinderella, sit in ashes during times of great mourning or difficulty.  But the scripture says that God will take our difficult, depressing situation and give us beauty.  He will pick us up out of the ash pile in life and make something beautiful out of us.  He will wrap us in the white robe of salvation.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean…. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:  King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  ~Revelation 19:11-16

       I pray for all of you a true fairy tale ending.  May you marry the Son of the King.  I will see you at the Banquet.

Leaving LoDebar

A figure from the fountain at the Bronx Zoo

     Mephibosheth was a grandson of the first King of Israel - King Saul.  King Saul had died and David, of David and Goliath fame, had become the new king.  It was very common for ancient rulers to kill the relatives of a previous king in order to further establish their own claim to the throne and eliminate any competitors.  Mephibosheth was five years old when the news came that both his father and grandfather had died.  His nurse picked him up and fled to save his life.  Unfortunately, in the chaotic turmoil, Mephibosheth was dropped and his legs were permanently damaged.
     Fifteen years passed.  Mephibosheth grew to be a man, still dreading the knock on the door, hidden away in a town called  “the place of no pasture,” LoDebar.   LoDebar was barren and desolate, a place without nourishing green grass.  Mephibosheth went from prince to servant, from the lushness of the palace to a land of desolation, from wholeness to cripple, from security to fear.  Mephibosheth expected to die on the sword of the king, instead he received a blessing

     David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’  Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.  They called him to appear before David.  The king asked, “Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”  Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet.”  He is in Lo Debar.”  So King David had him brought from LoDebar.  When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.  David said, “Mephibosheth!”
     “Your Servant.”
      “Don’t be afraid for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.  I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
     Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
     Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.  You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for.
     So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.  Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table and he was crippled in both feet.  ~2 Samuel 9:1-13  Edited for length, but not meaning.  Please read this in your Bible for the complete text.

     When Mephibosheth met David, he fell flat on his face in submission and recognition of his tenuous situation.  He confessed that he had the worth of a dead dog, back when a dog was just a dog. Crippled Mephibosheth was restored by the anointed king.  He was invited to dine at the king’s table, to share the king’s bread, and to sit in the place of the king’s sons.  Instead of living in the place of no pasture, Mephibosheth lived in Jersualem, the king’s city, the city of peace.  He was no longer a helpless and poor cripple hiding in fear.  He was a wealthy and powerful man who enjoyed daily access to the king.
     Mephibosheth is a picture of you and of me.  An unhappy sinner hiding and running from God; exiled in LoDebar.  We have been made lame, dropped while running for our lives.  We do not walk the way that we should.  We know that someday we, too, will have to face the King.
     But the merciful Father rescued us through His Son.  Thanks to Jesus; His life, His death and His resurrection, we are suddenly taken out of LoDebar and invited to the city of peace.  We are brought to the banquet table in the household of the King. We are no longer orphaned and lonely.  We are made rich in Jesus and through Him have direct access to the King of Kings.
     Jesus says:

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.  ~Revelations 3:20

     Mephibosheth continued to be lame in both feet, but now those feet were under the king’s table.  I invite you today, to leave LoDebar and place your crippled feet under the King’s table.

Family Style Exploding Box

Lid of the box

     Here is an exploding box that I made for friends who moved clear across the country.  We sure do miss them.  Our friends had adopted a baby boy, the same age as our Connor.  A few years later, to their great surprise, they discovered they were going to have twin boys.  A year after that, another surprise.  Twins again!  This time, a boy and a girl.  Their youngest set started kindergarten this year.

Side View

     I had taken some pictures of their beautiful children just before they moved.  There are pictures on both sides of each of the panels.  I love that the box just explodes with their children.

Opened to reveal three layers.

     The SVG file I used for the exploding box can be found here.  I used a Zing, but if you do not have a machine that will cut for you, an excellent tutorial can be found here.

Pictures are on the front and back of each panel.

     Now I want to make another!

Updated:  This post was featured by Bonnie at PinJunkie!  Thank you so much!

Sons and Daughter

     Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who resides on the clouds - His name is the Lord - rejoice before Him.  A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling.  He sets the lonely in families. ~ Psalm 68:4

     Parenthood is an amazing adventure.  It is a road riddled with twists and turns and unexpected bumps.  It’s also a journey filled with wonder, grace, and joy.
     Pat and I never intended to have six children.  When we were first married, and talked about how many children we would have, I wanted four.  Pat wanted two.  In the end, we did both.  Our first three sons arrived the conventional way.  Our next three children arrived through the miracle of adoption.
     My older boys were in their early teens when Pat and I became foster parents.  One beautiful June evening, we were asked to open our home to a three year old girl and a seven month old boy, both of whom had the chicken pox.  A few hours later, Patty arrived clutching a much loved doll.  She had big brown eyes and a fearful, but beautiful smile.  Anthony came into my arms and snuggled into my heart.  A few years later,  a judge made official the adoption that took place in our hearts that night.  We had four sons and one daughter.
     Shortly after Patty and Anthony’s adoption, we learned that their birth mother was expecting another child.  We agreed to accept this child also.  My boys wondered who would have to share their room.  Patty and I wondered if this baby would be another boy or if Patty would have to share her princess status.  My husband wondered if we were nuts.  When we received the phone call that a baby boy had arrived; I laughed and said, “We needed another one of those.”  We picked Connor up from the hospital when he was just three days old.
     Adoptive parents never really know for sure exactly what we are getting into, but birth parents don’t either.  There are days in the lives of every parent when you want to tear your hair out and cry, “This is not what I signed up for!”  I have been picking up lego’s for 29 years.  I have finally graduated out of car seats.  I have slept in hospital beds with my arms wrapped around a sick child.  I’ve worried when they’ve come home late.  I’ve attended hundreds of parent teacher conferences and countless holiday performances.  I’ve lent my son an earring.  I’ve overseen enough homework assignments to fill a library.  I’ve had pool water spit in my face and baby spit-up on my shoulders.  I’ve been blessed with tadpoles and dandelions crushed in a chubby fist.  At one point we had one son in the Navy, two sons in college, and our baby in day care.  I can bore you to tears tell you about my kids accomplishments.  I am fiercely protective of them and want only the best for them.
    We do not know a lot about our children’s birth mother, but this one thing I know,  she loved her children.  She loved her children enough to give them life.  We are so grateful she did.
     Our children, all of them, have enriched our lives far beyond what anyone could have told us.

     ...because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  ~Romans 8:14-17

Updated:  This post was featured by Judith at Wholehearted-Home!

Best of 2012: January - April

     Hello.  I hope that your Christmas was warm and wonderful.  I've been enjoying my family this week, but wanted to share with my Holimess family, too.  So please enjoy this list of my best loved posts from 2012.
January:
     Each year I choose a word to focus on.  My word for 2012 was "Dwell."  The original post was Dwell Deep.  I learned a lot from this word.

     Our Anniversary post is very precious to me for the love that it represents.

     My brother's have always been my Super Hero's.  I enjoy sharing stories about growing up with the pair of them.

February:

       Drink up!  was the prompt for a photography link I posted to.  My children loved this prompt.  I promise that Cheers the Goldfish was not harmed.

     True Love  was a Valentine post dedicated to my special Valentine.

March:

     A Great Leap is part of our adoption story.

     The Great Auto Heist is a humiliating, for me, story about a suspected car theft.  The pictures that accompany it, also humiliatingly, have nothing to do with the story.  I was just playing with my kit lens trying to take macro's.

April:

     In April, I shared about my father and his difficulty when his sailboat left the dock without him in Return to Me.

     The Yoke's on Me is a favorite post about an ABC Bible Scrapbook that I made for my mom for her birthday.  She loved it!

     Come back tomorrow for more favorite posts!

31 Things: Jewelry

     When I was young, I used to peer into my Nana’s jewelry box.  It was overflowing with long strings of multicolored beads, ornate broaches, dangly bracelets, bakelite bangles, and chandelier earrings.  It didn’t matter if Nana was wearing a housecoat, bathing suit, or a dress Nana always had some bling.  How I loved to play dress-up with her jewelry.  I draped her necklaces and layered her bracelets over my skinny frame.  My ear lobes were pinched by the screw-back and clasp earrings.  Nana took me to Times Square to get my ears pierced on my twelveth birthday..  I was thrilled to wear those little golden studs.  I faithfully twirled them and doused my ear lobes in rubbing alcohol until they healed.

     My Grandmother, on the other hand, wore very little jewelry.  Her wedding rings, a watch, a pin on her coat, and for special occasions, a pearl necklace.  Her stash of jewelry was small.  The pins on her coat changed with the seasons.  A sparkly candle for Christmas, a flower basket in spring, and a jeweled leaf for fall.  Her watch a simple Timex with large numbers and a second hand which she used as a nurse for taking pulses and reading blood pressure.  

     Her daughter, my mother, enjoys jewelry.  Mom has beautiful rings, bracelets, and necklaces; souvenirs of far away places.  Others were  selective purchases from QVC and Home Shoppers Network.  She generously thinks of me with jewelry for my birthday and Christmas.

     Grandma gave me her mother’s engagement ring.  Great grandmother’s diamond is a round, slightly yellow, old mine cut diamond.  The facets sparkle brilliantly.   Pat had it reset for me in a golden filagree ring.  

     Like Grandma, I keep my jewelry simple.  I usually wear a necklace.  My current favorite is stamped with the words “Kindle” and “Dwell.”  My words for 2011 and 2012. 

I also wear bracelets.  I switch them from wrist to wrist when I am trying to remember something.  I wear a simple wedding band.

     I started a Pandora bracelet on the anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis.  The first charm was a faceted pink quartz to celebrate one year of survival.  Pat added a pearl bead on our thirtieth anniversary.  Other beads were added for trips and celebrations.  I am happy to have added two more beads for the gift of two more years of life.

     I give Patty amethyst jewelry.  The beautiful purple stone is February's birthstone.  When we adopted her I gave her a tiny gold bracelet with an amethyst charm.  Since then I have presented her with amethyst rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  1 Peter 3:3-4

Project 52: A Great Leap

     It was a warm evening in June the first time I glimpsed my beautiful daughter Patty.  She was three years old.  Her brown eyes peered up at me from behind the leg of a Social Worker.  Her brother, Anthony was thrust into my arms.  They both had the chicken pox.  Patty had a tattered doll clutched in her arms.  I loved her the moment I saw her.  She followed our boys around the house.   Fortunately, they all had the chicken pox already.  They soon had her laughing and giggling.  

     Isn't she adorable?  Three years later a Judge made official the bond that was formed that evening. 

     Patty turned seventeen this week.  I don't know where the time has gone.  I must have blinked.  Surely, she is still only three, or maybe four.

      Patty wants to be a pastry chef.  She enjoys baking cakes and cookies.  My husband baked her birthday cake.  She told him what she wanted.  Patty likes camping and shopping, not necessarily in that order.  Her favorite color is purple.  She loves pandas.  Patty can not resist chocolate in any form.  She drinks tea - not coffee.  She is good at math.

     The family went to dinner to celebrate at Red Robin.   Patty loved it when the wait staff clapped and sang a birthday song to her. They presented her with an ice cream sundae.
     The "big leap" is me realizing that my baby has grown into a very special young woman.  I can't wait to see what life holds in store for her.

Sing to God, sing praise to His name,

estol Him who rides on the clouds -

His name is the Lord - and rejoice before Him.  

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows

 is God in His Holy dwelling.

He sets the lonely in families.

Psalm 68:4

For more awesome pictures of Great Leaps go to Darcy at 3boybarians.

-Donna

Miracles

      Parenthood is an amazing miraculous adventure.  It is a road riddled with twists, turns, and unexpected bumps.  It is also a journey filled with wonder, grace, and joy. 

     Pat and I never intended to have six children.  It just sort of happened, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.  Our first three sons arrived the conventional way.  Our next three children arrived through the miracle of adoption.  

     My boys were in their early teens when Pat and I became foster parents.  One beautiful June evening, a social worker called us to ask if we would open our home to a three year old girl and an eight month old boy, both of whom had chicken pox.  A few hours later, Patty arrived clutching a much loved doll.  She had big brown eyes and a fearful, beautiful smile.  Anthony was placed in my arms.  He snuggled right into my heart.  A few years later a judge made official the adoption that took place in our hearts that night.  We had four sons and one daughter.

     Shortly after Patty and Anthony’s adoption, we learned that their birth mother was expecting.  We agreed to that baby, too.  My boys wondered who would have to share their room.  Patty and I wondered if it would be another boy or if Patty would have to share her princess status.  My husband wondered if we were nuts.  When we received the phone call that a baby boy had arrived; I laughed and said, “We needed another one of those.”  We picked Connor up from the hospital when he was three days old.  He is now a boisterous ten year old.

    Adoptive parents never really know for sure exactly what we are getting into, but birth parents don’t either.  There are days in the lives of any parent when you want to tear your hair out and cry, “This is not what I signed up for!”  At one time we had three children in college and one in day care.  Consider that I have been picking up Lego’s for 28 years.  I have slept in hospital beds with my arms wrapped around a sick child.  I’ve worried when they’ve come home late.  I’ve attended countless parent teacher conferences and holiday performances.  I’ve overseen enough homework assignments to fill a library.  I have refused to get a tatoo.  I’ve lent my son an earring.  I’ve been blessed with tadpoles and dandelions crushed in chubby fists.  Our children, all of them, have enriched our lives far beyond what anyone could have told us.

     Our lives have been changed by adoption, but they are not only about adoption.  Our lives are about family.  

Psalm 68:4-6

 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
   extol him who rides on the clouds
   rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
   is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,

   

Has your life been changed by the miracle of adoption?