Loving Well...

Have you stopped to think lately about how fragile life is? Have you recently lost a loved one? Bid a dear friend farewell with the future unknown for both of you? Wondered how long you have until your mother or father pass away?

Recent circumstances in my life have given me new insight into loving (others) well. I have attended two memorial services in the last month. I didn't know either of the people very well but I knew their loved ones and that they would be greatly missed. I also knew they would see them again in heaven which brought great comfort. I have said goodbye to a precious friend who is family to us and although our futures may not pass again for some time, I'm sure that our hearts are united for a lifetime. I did celebrate my Dad's life all over again this past May 16th which marked 10 years of his passing. I miss him deeply. Loving well. I'll eternally be grateful that when Dad died I knew I had loved him well. There were certainly years where we were miles apart but in the last few years of his life, God had moved and brought our hearts together. Loving well.

I don't necessarily wonder when my mother will move to heaven because she's in great physical health. However, she's struggled in some areas lately that have brought my attention back to loving well. I'm thankful for our relationship and what God continues to do in us. I was at her house last week and while taking care of some things around the house, I began to realize (again) just how blessed I am. As I was watering her backyard, I remembered playing whiffle ball with Dad and my sister, Risa. I remember running from base to base while Dad cheered me on. I wish he were here to cheer me on today. Love well. I also remember Dad grilling meat in the backyard while Mother made side dishes in the house. Risa and I would set the table and we always sat in the same chair at the table. Yes, we were all about structure. These were things I took for granted. And also things I've brought into our family. We don't eat at 5 o'clock on the dot but we do eat as a family, together, each night. Our table conversation is not as quiet and we do allow singing at the table (at times) as we are hoping to love well. Going down "memory lane" brought me to tears by the end of the day but I was glad I took that trip. We so often forget the good and allow the enemy to create walls in our hearts because of the difficult or painful times in our lives. I feel I'm on a new journey of loving my family well.

Yesterday, we celebrated Abi's "Gotcha Day!" July 15th...the day we received Abi as our daughter. I remember Dad hanging a sign from my ceiling fan each year that read, "Happy Anniversary! We got you ___ years ago today!" Yes, every December 18th, I received a sweet note from him. I love this memory and wish I had saved at least one of those notes written in his handwriting. This time last year we were wondering what in the world we had done...ha! Who was this tiny Colombian looking at us with alligator tears? What did she want?! Speak! Stop crying! It was a hard time but we made it and we are better for it! Joshua recently said he was ready to go back to Colombia. I'm with him! Let's go! There's something about taking your entire family out of their comfort zone, having to lean fully on Jesus and experience the good, bad and very ugly...together. We recently talked about what we thought were the most difficult times. Mine was, by far, the day we woke in Villavicencio to 199 degrees, no air conditioning, bugs flying around, little sleep, hearing Abi scream while Bruce was showering her in ICE cold water and me falling flat on my back on a concrete floor. Yes, I'd have to say that was one hard day for me. It's still not funny but it is a testimony of God's faithfulness. When we (me or the kids) get really hot...I mean steaming hot...I'll say, "Remember how hot we were in Villavicencio?" and they immediately say they aren't near as hot as they thought they were. Yes, our lives changed a year ago...and for the better!

Abi is a bundle of love! She's still tiny...weighing 26 lbs. and wearing size 18-24 month clothes. She turned TWO on June 13th and we had a wonderful party at the Holly Hop Ice Cream Shoppe! I remembered her foster mother making notes about Abi loving ice cream and thought this would be a fun way to honor her foster mother and also bless Abi. If you remember from a year ago, her foster mother gave her ice cream almost daily. She also gave her warm baths each night, followed by a massage using massing oil. Then came the warm bottle of milk with added brown sugar...so much sugar that the milk needed to be a light brown color. And...if she woke in the night, she was given chamomile tea to calm her. OMGosh! No wonder she cried so much when we got her. She was living at a spa for the first year of her life.

Abi is learning her colors and always begins with "boo"...blue. She copies me in saying the ABC's and counting 1-10. She still gets her words mixed up but she will come around. I've tried to teach her to say, "juice please" and she always says, "peas juice" instead. I know that in the Spanish language they turn some words around. She doesn't show any signs of knowing Spanish which is a shame but we don't speak spanish. She may have few words but let me tell you, she CAN communicate!!! She knows what she wants and doesn't have a problem letting us know. It's funny...she's very obedient but there are some things she wants to push the envelope on. And she does. Her favorite words are "mine", "no" and "don't"...lovely, just lovely. Bruce asked me tonight if we have the book, The Strong Willed Child. Does that tell you any thing? Yes, we have it and yes, I'll be starting to read it soon! She says the prayer before dinner, repeating the words after Bruce. She closes her eyes super tightly, folds her hands and holds them tightly then says, "Tay Tu Desus fo ow foo." She loves to dance, jump, swim, run and doesn't mind getting hot. I think we may have an athlete on our hands. Gymnast? Abi got her first haircut this past month...about 2.5 inches. It's curly on the bottom and lays straight on the top. She's the cutest thing you've ever seen in piggies!

Josh will be starting 8th grade this next year and has decided not to pursue swimming this year. This was a bit of a downer for us because he's soooo good at swimming. Instead he will be trying out for basketball and football. With that said, he's been working out a couple times each week to build some endurance and strength. I'm really proud of him. He's also been practicing on his new drum set. He got a vintage drum set about a month ago. It's beautiful and loud. Josh has probably grown 3 inches in the past 3-4 months. He's getting so tall and handsome!

Bella will be starting 2nd grade and is looking forward to school. She likes to learn, be around friends daily and likes structure. She recently got to spend some time with her best friends in DFW while we attended youth camp. She's so dramatic and beautiful. I love her personality. She's goofy one minute and the next she's quiet and polite.

We will be taking a vacation at the first of August and going on a cruise with Josh and Bella. We decided to leave Abi with family and friends while we're away because a cruise is not the best fit for a baby. Or maybe it's not the best fit for me & a baby. I don't want to take her and leave her in childcare (even though I hear it's wonderful) with someone I don't know. Not to mention the size of the rooms. It's like sleeping in a cracker jack box. I also know she couldn't keep up with the activities, etc. With Josh only having five more years until starting college, I thought this would be a good time to take this kind of vacation and the funds are in place...praise Jesus! Abi will be having a great time of her own with people who will spoil and adore her! I can't wait to see the pictures of her own little vacation!

Bruce has been preaching quite a bit this Summer and loves it! He's become a great communicator and messenger for God. His sermons are easy to understand and apply to our daily lives. God is using him greatly to love well. We celebrated our 16th anniversary on July 8th by attending a Texas Ranger game! It was great fun! We parked a few blocks from the stadium and took a ride on a carriage attached to a bike. I loved it! Our cyclist was very outgoing and made $20 in a matter of minutes. Smart guy. It happened to be the hottest night (106 degrees) but we had a ball. The Rangers won and the night ended with a 20 minute fireworks display. I'm sure they did that just for us! ;)

We hope to find a four bedroom house over the next month or two as we are needing that fourth bedroom for our Abi. I know God is going to bless us as we sell this home and the next family that lives here will also be blessed. It's a great home. We hope to live closer to our church and also change school districts (for Josh in high school a year from now).

God is loving us well. He's taking me, personally, through a season of learning to trust Him more. He's teaching me the importance of loving well. Not because someone may deserve it but because He loves all of us well and has called us to love others.

You are loved and a treasure to Him!

Ruth