Roller-Coaster

The past 7 days have been crazy.  Stressful.  Heartbreaking.  

My eldest son, yet again, has managed to turn my world upside down.

The upcoming 7 days will also be crazy.  Stressful.  Emotional.

I have him home with us.  

He hasn't lived here in 2 years.

It's an adjustment for all of us.

Praying.

Book Recommendation

I am almost finished with this book and it is wonderful!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

On Valentines Day, we show our love;
We express our deep affections.
Those who are important to us
Get cards and sweet confections.

But Christian love is not just for
The ones we hold most dear;
Jesus said "love everyone;"
He made that very clear.

For Christians, it is every day
We should care and love and serve
Everyone we meet in life,
Whether they do or don’t deserve.

Let’s follow Jesus’ good command
To love everyone we meet.
Valentine’s Day every day
Will make life twice as sweet.

By Joanna Fuchs

Sons and Daughters

A sad thing happened the other day.

My daughter mentioned that a girl she knows in school thinks she may be pregnant.

Instantly, I felt my heart skip a beat and my stomach felt in knots.

Later that same day a woman mentioned to me that her daughter (a freshman) was very upset that she has yet to have a boyfriend.

All of this was too much for my heart to hear in one day, but it got me thinking.

First, I told the mother of the freshman girl, what I have told my daughter since she was old enough to understand.

It is important to understand and always remember that each relationship/boyfriend in your life takes a piece of your heart.  You have to take care of your heart and always remember that your future husband deserves your whole heart, not just the pieces that you have given to others throughout your life.  I am proud to say that my daughter, who will be 17 in May, has not ever had a boyfriend.  She is cautiously guarding her heart.

The pregnancy "scare" also got me to thinking.

I have two sons and one daughter.  I sincerely pray that when each one of them says, "We think we may be pregnant" that it is a joyous occasion between them and their spouse.

I do not know this young lady, nor do I know if she has discovered if she is or is not pregnant.  But I do know that a young girl's heart is always seeking for love.  Sometimes that love is filled by her parents, God, and her friends.  Other times she seeks the love from boys, men, basically all the wrong places.  A very long time ago, I was that girl.  I made mistakes, bad judgements, and gave my heart away so that I still feel the pieces of my heart that should be my husband's missing.

I wanted to share this, because it is important for us mothers to always share truthfully the paths we travel with our children.  Some stretches of the road are scary.  Some are difficult to explain.  Sometimes we see more clearly when another shares her journey.

Happy Monday!

Make it a GREAT day!!

Digging Out and Heading South!

Well, we're digging out from the big snowstorm.

My hubby did all the plowing early this morning and we're all good.

We've had today off school and we have tomorrow off too.

Friday we leave for STATE competitions.  They are held south of us, but still in Illinois.  LOL.

So, it will still be crazy cold and snowy.

We had to write another letter to our daughter to encourage her as she performs in front of hundreds of people.

Here is what we said to her...

Dear Caitlyn,

WOW!  You guys did it!!  You’re going to STATE.  You set your sights on a dream and worked hard to achieve it.  It’s been a wild ride to get here, this past year,  but we have no doubt that you deserve it!!  You’ve been dedicated, worked hard, and every single time you get out on the floor you give 110% of yourself, heart and soul.  Your smile lights up the room, your spirit shines from within you.  We have told you before and we’ll tell you again that you are an amazing young woman.  You are truly the hardest working, most sincere and courageous daughter any parent could ask for.  We thank God for the opportunity to be your parent!  Being your parents has changed us in ways that we cannot describe.  You are God’s glorious and beautiful girl. You are strong and you never give up.  You inspire us and make us proud each and every day.    When you were born we knew you would be special, but we had no idea just how special.  We can remember your first dance class when you were just 2 1/2 years old.  You still have that same excitement in your eyes.  And now look at you!  A junior in high school competing at STATE!  Thank you for being a daughter that amazes us every single day.  You have the power and ability to achieve anything you set your mind to.  YOU CAN.  Your team CAN.  

Remember...

It’s not the glitz of the uniform that matters, but the spirit that shines within it.

Believe in yourself and remember that ANYTHING is possible.

Success comes in cans not cants.

We LOVE you beautiful girl.  And we are PROUD of you.

Love,

Mom & Dad

For you and your squad we found this poem to inspire you...

Believing That You Can Do It!

As the day of our competition nears,

Remember the smiles, forget the tears.

Remember the times we've spent together,

Cherish them now, cherish them forever.

Next year it will not be the same,

Some girls lost, some girls gained.

Doing the routine one more time,

To fix that motion and straighten that line.

We've had many falls and lots of tough breaks,

We took our chances but knew what was at stake.

We are all exhausted and ready to rest,

But first we must show the world who is best.

Regardless of what the judges criticize,

Remember they weren't there to realize,

We sweated, we ached, and we worked all the while,

And we hide all the pain with a convincing smile.

So show them now what we have worked for,

Give a little extra where there needs to be more.

Smile and know that we have finished the race,

Regardless of what we win or place.

By Jessica McDuffie

If you are a praying person, please pray for safe travels for all us cheer families and busses heading down to the competition.  Thanks.  

Fingers crossed for a BIG win for our girls!!!