Run The Race

Since we planned to travel to Texas that Christmas in 2011, we did the "gift-opening"/"special dinner" portion of our celebration on Saturday, December 17th.  Each of us had opened our three gifts we traditionally share each Christmas... Jesus got three gifts from the wise men, so each person in our house also gets three gifts.  As wrapping paper was getting cleaned up, Ron snuck away and reappeared with a FOURTH gift!  Upon opening it, I found a beautiful figurine of a mother holding not one but two little boys in celebration of our son Elliot that would be coming into the world any day. Fast forward to Friday, December 23, 2011... The drive home from the hospital was long and quiet.  I no longer had recollection of the previous Saturday, Sunday or Monday - it was somehow lost, never to be found amongst the grief and trauma of our son Elliot passing away, giving birth to him, and holding his sweet little body that produced no tears or no dirty diapers.  As we

Reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11 Prayer: Lord, change is so inevitable in this life. Help us to do it with joy, peace and grace while knowing that You are faithful. Mold and shape our attitudes and insights. Daily Challenge: Which of your attitudes hinder joy-filled change? Which promote it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Transitioning from "career woman" to something that has its own acronym - SAHM (stay at home mom) has its definite challenges.  Rarely do changes come one at a time for any family - in the last 6 months we have experienced many big changes - a newly adopted 3 year old, father moving here from out of state, change in ministry, etc. I would like to share some practical ideas regarding joy-filled transitions for families - some of these things we did intentionally, some we stumbled into, and others we didn't do, but wished we had! Wake Up Early (Yes...Even Earlier!) “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear