Jaden's Joy

Wish you were here.....

2008-07-14T13:33:00.006-04:00

I hope this post doesn't cause any resentment to any of you but as I am typing I am setting on our bed overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The doors are open and I can hear the crashing of the waves against the shore. Hurricane Bertha is creating some good sized waves, most average 5 to 6 feet. Although the weather is staying around 90 degrees it is bearable with the constant breeze .
The sky is the prettiest shade of blue with white clouds stretched across as if God took a big paintbrush and placed them perfectly on a canvas. It is beautiful. There are a few clouds that it seems God stopped on and swirled His brush around a little longer. They are big billowy clouds that look like a pile of cotton balls. There are black and white seagulls soaring above our heads. The sand dunes are perfectly covered with the swaying tall grass and the broken down stick fences you see in nautical paintings.
As I set and view this scenery I can't help but let my mind wander. If God made all this in one day then what is Heaven like? The bible says we can't imagine.
I wonder what dad must of thought when he got there. Perhaps it was similar to Jaden's reaction....screaming with delight and laughter and could not wait to jump in. I suppose one day I will find out for myself and dad can show me around. I am sure there will be many spots he will want to show me. As I set here with such a view I wonder what dad is doing right now. Perhaps he too is setting by a waters edge while enjoying the company of a saint of old or perhaps he is taking a walk along the beach hand in hand with Jesus.
I am glad I serve a God who is so powerful yet so personal that He cares about me like He does.
Until next post.........take care and I wish you were here........

Jaden's Surgery & Another First

2008-06-14T00:04:00.004-04:00

I would like to ask you to keep us in your prayers, Jaden is having some dental surgery Monday June 16th. I know the procedures are routine but the fact they are putting her to sleep makes me uneasy. I am trusting God that she is constantly in His hands. She is needing 6 caps, 2 fillings, 3 sealants and her tounge clipped. That is alot for a two year old to go thru. The damage to her teeth we were told was due to the lack of prenatal care and the extreme malnutrition she sufferred from in China. She has been thru alot in her two and half years of life and she has overcome more than most of us will ever go thru. I am very proud and blessed to be her momma.

On another note this Sunday will be yet another first in the constant struggle of missing my dad. This Father's Day will take on a new meaning for me because my earthly father is with my Heavenly Father. There are days it seems only weeks ago we watch dad go and then there are days it seems like I haven't seen him in years. I know I am not the first or the last person to loose a father but when it hits you so close it can feel that way. I thank God that He has given me a hope that October 7 was not the last time I would see dad but when my day comes that dad will be healthy and be excited to show me around a place that God has been preparing for His children for many years. Until then those of us that have watched loved ones go home should walk down the path God chooses for us here on earth and live our lives claiming the precious promise that we are never alone and that our home is not this earth.

Thank you Jesus for the victory you give us over death, hell and the grave. Praise be to your name forever and ever. Amen.

the moral of the story

2008-05-16T21:40:00.008-04:00

For the past few months we have made an addition to our bedtime routine. Jaden is really getting into her books. I have to say, I love it as much as she does. Some of the stories I haven't read since my childhood. She recently ran across an old classic that I was happy to see her choose. The story of Pinocchio, I thought would be good for her. It's an entertaining story with a good moral message. The other day she came over to me with a broken toy. She was unaware that I had actually saw her break it. When I asked her if she broke it she responded to me with "the ugee witch" (from The Wizard of Oz) did it. I asked her if she was telling me the truth and she said yes. I asked her again giving her another chance, she grabbed her nose and said , "My nose not growing momma" and then said it was still the ugee witch. What could I do?
I have learned that no movie, story or game is as entertaining as everyday life with a toddler.

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-09T21:47:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I last post. We all have had a bout of sickness and things have been rather hectic. Right now all is well. Thank God.

It is hard to believe I am celebrating my second Mother's Day with Jaden. What a blessing she has been in my life.
On this day though I can't help but remember the years I spent not having a child to hold. Those were some of the loneliest Mother's Days and unless someone has been there they have no idea what void is in someones life.
This will be a short post, (I'm going to do my best now that some things have settled down to post more) we are getting ready for church this morning but I did want to take a minute and say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all women everywhere. Somewhere, sometime we all have had a mother. If there is a hole in your heart today whether it is due to death, miles or infertility I have said a prayer for you that it may be filled with a heavenly Father's love and that His arms will hold you and comfort you in a way that only He can. God bless you.

The Old Paths

2008-04-03T09:41:00.004-04:00

We are approaching a time of year that is going to be very hard on me and my mom. It will be my dad's first birthday he is spending with Jesus instead of us. It is a little over a week away but for the past few days my mind has been wondering back to the "good ol' days" back when I would wake up in the morning in my upstairs bedroom, with no worries, no problems, no bills and no clue :). I really never had any major responsibility growing up as some children unfortunately have. Life was simple in my world even though at the time it may not of seemed that way to me, every child feels that way at least one time in their life I suppose :) I miss those days when all I had to worry about was what color I was going to wear and how big I could get my hair. I was a child who was allowed to be a child and I wasn't expected to grow up before my time and looking back I realize that I am a blessed adult to of had all the experiences I had growing up.

Now that I am a mother, I realize my daughter faces a different world than I did. A world that at every turn seems to desire to rob her of her innocence. We live in a society that seems to push sin upon our children with no shame. Gone are the days that a child can set down and watch cartoons without a parent worrying whether or not that the material is appropriate for them to view. Gone are the days we can send our child to school without worrying whether or not they will come home and while they are there what inappropiate material they are being taught in the classroom, material that has nothing to do with education and learning. (I'll not even go there in this post) What happened to school supplies meaning a new character lunch box, a new pencil box full of glue, scissors, crayons and shiny pencils and of course the latest and greatest trapper keeper? The school supplies being bought now are laptops, blue tooths, blackberries and birth control. Lord help us. Sure some of the things today make life easier and are not all bad. Overall though we have become a society so busy that we sacrifice the most precious gift besides salvation that God has given us....relationships with each other and with Him. We work day and night to provide the latest and greatest thing for our children when all that really means anything in the long run is the gift of our time.

The bible tells us in Jeremiah 6:16 "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls"

Please don't go to the extreme and feel I am saying in order to have the "old paths" we must go back to no electricity and well water, I believe with all my heart God is telling us to choose the important things in life, go back to when life wasn't so complicated and live life to when it is over there will be no regrets, spend time with your loved ones and tell them what they mean to you. God knows when you put the most important things first then and only then will you be at peace.

After dad went home to be with God, it isn't his personal items he left that are important to me, it is the memories of the times we shared together, the love he had for me and the lessons he taught me that mean the most. Those things are what I cherish most and I hope to pass onto Jaden. They far outway any material thing I could ever leave her. As God allows and the generations pass I pray that my children and theirs will always be left a legacy of love and memories of their own walk down the "old paths"

I'll leave you with this thought: Life is too short to be focused on anything other than God and the people you love.

Happy Birthday Dad. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" Philippians 1:3

Adoption: It's a God thing.

2008-03-27T09:18:00.001-04:00

In Little Golden Book's: A Blessing From Above, a kangaroo walks through a valley with an empty pouch and a broken heart. As she walks she encounters mommy animals with their young playing and sharing tender moments the way only a mommy and child can. With her heart aching from the loneliness she stops a moment to rest under a tree. She falls fast asleep and is unaware of what is going on up above her. High in the tree, a nest filled with bird eggs is beginning to feel the excitement of new life. The mommy bird watches with joy as each egg hatches and she sees her babies faces for the first time. As she is watching the last egg hatch she notices that the nest that was once the perfect size for the eggs seems to be very crowded with all the little ones stretching and exploring. When the last little bird peeks it's head through the cracked shell it's sibling stretches, knocking it out of the nest and down below into the pouch of the sleeping kangaroo. With the sudden and unexpected "plop" in the kangaroo's pouch she awakens to see the most precious little face staring up at her and calling her "momma". When the mommy bird saw this her heart ached but she knew that her nest was too small now and that she could not provide for all of her children and the best place for her baby was not with her but with the overjoyed kangaroo. The bond she witnessed between the kangaroo and the baby bird was a love that the mommy bird knew was going to be special one that would last forever. She decided to let love win and sacrifice her child to give a precious gift to someone who without the sacrifice would always be empty and lonely. At the end of the book the kangaroo goes along with her new baby and they play and frolic in the fields and share the tender moments she had longed for. Because of the gift given that day the world is different for all three of them... the kangaroo's pouch is filled and her heart healed and the child has a home and love beyond compare, the mommy bird now has a hole in her heart that can only be filled with the love of knowing that the sacrifice of her child will always remain a special blessing to the kangaroo.

Like the kangaroo, I too had a broken heart and longed for my pouch (arms) to be filled. During many years of prayers and tears and ups and downs I had no idea of what was going on above my head or should I say... what God was planning. His plan blessed me beyond any of my dreams. The adoption of our wonderful daughter Jaden has and is teaching me many things. The more I walk through this world with my own "little bird" I'm learning how faithful God is and how perfect HIS timing truly is. The testimony of our journey which I'll share with you as days pass is all for God's glory. My hope and desire is to help and encourage you along your journey whether it is concerning adoption or just your relationship with God. If you are a Christian then you are touched by adoption for it is through God's sacrifice of His one and only son Jesus that He adopted you into His family. If you are not a Christian I'll pray for you that God's love becomes real in your life and that you can experience all that God has to bless you with.

Jaden's birth mom's sacrifice gave me the best gift on earth while God's sacrifice gave me the best gift in the world, the salvation of my soul and eternal life with Him. I will never be able to comprehend the level of sacrifice each made but I am aware that each did it for me because I could not do either on my own and I'll be forever grateful to both. Although I will never know Jaden's birth mom on this earth, it is my prayer that wherever she is that God's love comforts her and heals her heart and that she has a personal relationship with Him. In faith, I believe that one day Jaden and I will be with her in Heaven worshipping God for eternity.

I would like to end my first post with thanking God for my blessing from above and for allowing me to share the precious gift of adoption with Him and with others along my walk here on earth.
May God bless each of you on your journey and always remember when God answers your prayers His answer is ALWAYS best for you!