Joy to Spare

My life right now is a dramatization of that old poem Footprints. The one in which we see our lives as two sets of footprints (ours and God's), but only one set during the hard times - when God carries us. I am being carried now... going for a ride on His broad shoulders. I truly do not think Daddy could have handled another postponement of his transplant, nor another single dialysis session, and God allows us to endure only that for which he's given us the strength. Now it is my turn to be tested. Sick toddler, ailing husband, mango rash*, daily headaches, extra vigilant cleaning & food prep. I mention all this not to cast a line for sympathy but to give glory to God for sustaining me with the kind of joy and peace that comes only from the Maker of heaven and earth. I have, by grace alone, been mostly patient and even-tempered with the boys through it all. It was an incredible blessing to have someone come and clean the house yesterday and will continue to be wonderful for...

Coming home from long trips to the hospital has proved a joyful event. I got a taste of this when, as I recalled in a previous post, Daddy and I returned from a weekend away. Big Bro had actually missed me, hugging and kissing me of his own accord. What new joy I felt! Tonight as the little fuzz-head and I crossed the living room together on our way down for bathtime, I tousled his hair and spoke loving words. Big Bro, in turn, reached over and rubbed my knee. "I have to rub your leg," he said, looking up at me, "because I'm too little to reach your head." His sweet, simple affection is still new, still melts my heart. May I never take it for granted.

Big day today. Daddy now has 3 kidneys. One works great. I am exhausted. I am going to bed. At 9:15. No dialysis. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Big Bro's reached the age of asking hard questions. I struggle to answer them, but somehow he understands. I really think children are more spiritually attuned, although not able to clearly communicate this. I'm starting to get why Jesus said "The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." The other day he was captivated by a dead seal on the beach. He watched it a long time. He asked what would happen to it, and I told him it would go to live with Jesus in heaven. I'm fairly sure this is not the case, at least not exactly, but it seems to be a reasonable answer for little guys. They're spiritually sensitive, not theologically trained. He has asked about it so often over the past week, the questions blur into each other. "Does God like doggies?" Yes, God made doggies and he loves them. "Does God love seals?" Yes, God made seals too and loves them. "Does God love stinky dead seals?" Well, when the seal goes to heaven it's not...

Here is a Ratatouille recipe I found on Allrecipes.com and cooked tonight. After I had assembled it I realized I was a fool for making it for my family - Daddy doesn't like eggplant, mushrooms or tomatoes, and Big Bro & Little Bro don't like over half the ingredients... I prepared quesadillas and set them aside for when my boys balked at my original plan, but... SURPRISE! We all cleaned our plates! (We ate the quesadillas too.) The veggies took a while to chop, and I didn't have the use of my kitchen sink (long story), but otherwise it was very simple. Yield 4 servings Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried parsley 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes salt to taste 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 zucchini, sliced 1 large onion, sliced into rings 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 1 green bell pepper, sliced 2 large tomatoes, chopped Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole ...