Remembering
For our family, March is a time of remembering.
March 13, 2004: The day that Carson David entered our lives. There's that old expression about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb. Well, Carson came in like a lion- 20 days early- and has been roaring ever since. Determined. Confident. Stubborn. Strong willed. He's 10 years old, and, he's spent every minute of that decade perfecting his leadership skills. I should probably hire him out as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies so he can train their CEOs. If nothing else, it would give me a break from trying to lead him. :) He's also the most intuitively sensitive kid I've ever met. Introverted. Thoughtful. Compassionate. He's equipped to rule the world, but he'd rather take care of it. From his vantage point on life, he desires nothing more than to be a missionary who hikes to villages never before touched with the Gospel. He has all the details worked out. As he tells me about it, I realize I believe him. He's going to do whatever he decides he desires to do. No more trying to lead this child. I'm just thankful that he'll let me walk next to him.
March 15, 2011: We moved to Panama. Three years. Has it been that long? Has it only been that long? I feel it all. We spent all Christmas break praying over our next step. Our original term has come to an end. Our next move? Our next location? Here. We're not leaving anytime soon. God isn't done with us. We're here until He tells us to go. I've never felt more fully at peace during any other single moment of my entire life's story. What does tomorrow look like? I have not a clue. But I'm confident in the One who knows.
March 21, 1995: Tony asked me to be his girlfriend. I said, "yes." I'm pretty sure that 19 years ago I didn't envision where that yes would lead. This life isn't what I expected. Chloe and her friends like to chat with me about when I was a kid. (which, in their minds, happened in black and white) They almost always want to know what I wanted to be when I was their age. "Did you want to be married?" No. "Did you want kids?" No. "Did you want to home school (the kids I didn't want)?" No. Then, they laugh about how foolish I was. Because, you know, 6th graders know everything. And, as I think about ir, I laugh about how foolish I was. I thought that my plan was so grand, and I thank God that He ignored my plan.
As we've celebrated all these occasions, I've gotten to see just how perfect the Lord's plan is for each of us. We had two families over for Carson's birthday. Each of my kids had a friend for them to play with. Not one of those families did we know when Carson was born. Or when we moved to Panama. We just met one of these families last fall. And, yet, I'm aware that I need these exact people in my life in this exact season. I couldn't make it through my journey without doing life with these people. And God knew it. He knew Chloe needed a really good friend. He knew we needed people to keep being our friends after we left the school. He knew I needed dear friends. He knows just what we need.
And, it's my pleasure to get to remember and celebrate.
March 13, 2004: The day that Carson David entered our lives. There's that old expression about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb. Well, Carson came in like a lion- 20 days early- and has been roaring ever since. Determined. Confident. Stubborn. Strong willed. He's 10 years old, and, he's spent every minute of that decade perfecting his leadership skills. I should probably hire him out as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies so he can train their CEOs. If nothing else, it would give me a break from trying to lead him. :) He's also the most intuitively sensitive kid I've ever met. Introverted. Thoughtful. Compassionate. He's equipped to rule the world, but he'd rather take care of it. From his vantage point on life, he desires nothing more than to be a missionary who hikes to villages never before touched with the Gospel. He has all the details worked out. As he tells me about it, I realize I believe him. He's going to do whatever he decides he desires to do. No more trying to lead this child. I'm just thankful that he'll let me walk next to him.
March 15, 2011: We moved to Panama. Three years. Has it been that long? Has it only been that long? I feel it all. We spent all Christmas break praying over our next step. Our original term has come to an end. Our next move? Our next location? Here. We're not leaving anytime soon. God isn't done with us. We're here until He tells us to go. I've never felt more fully at peace during any other single moment of my entire life's story. What does tomorrow look like? I have not a clue. But I'm confident in the One who knows.
March 21, 1995: Tony asked me to be his girlfriend. I said, "yes." I'm pretty sure that 19 years ago I didn't envision where that yes would lead. This life isn't what I expected. Chloe and her friends like to chat with me about when I was a kid. (which, in their minds, happened in black and white) They almost always want to know what I wanted to be when I was their age. "Did you want to be married?" No. "Did you want kids?" No. "Did you want to home school (the kids I didn't want)?" No. Then, they laugh about how foolish I was. Because, you know, 6th graders know everything. And, as I think about ir, I laugh about how foolish I was. I thought that my plan was so grand, and I thank God that He ignored my plan.
As we've celebrated all these occasions, I've gotten to see just how perfect the Lord's plan is for each of us. We had two families over for Carson's birthday. Each of my kids had a friend for them to play with. Not one of those families did we know when Carson was born. Or when we moved to Panama. We just met one of these families last fall. And, yet, I'm aware that I need these exact people in my life in this exact season. I couldn't make it through my journey without doing life with these people. And God knew it. He knew Chloe needed a really good friend. He knew we needed people to keep being our friends after we left the school. He knew I needed dear friends. He knows just what we need.
And, it's my pleasure to get to remember and celebrate.
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