I have been blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!

Happy birthday to me, and Happy Forever Family Day to Sarah!

Today is my birthday!  And while I admit, that is special and fun, and I am so happy that God blessed me with life, and in particular, MY life.....  I am more happy to announce that today is also our wonderful Sarah's Forever Family Day!  (Or "Gotcha Day") as some prefer to call it.  Two years ago today we met our daughter, and words really can't express the amazing blessing and privilege it is to adopt a child, unless you have adopted a child yourself.

My plea to you today is that you would consider what the Lord might have YOU to do when it comes to caring for orphans and widows--something very near and dear to God's heart.  Adoption seems like a huge step, but I really believe everyone should pray about it, and leave their hearts open to hear God's reply.  He MAY be tugging at your heart strings and asking you to do it!  Or, there are hundreds of ways to get involved in caring for orphans, locally and around the world.  Please don't go through life never doing anything to help.  You will miss out on the blessings!

This video is straight from my heart to yours.  I sang this song, From This Moment, by Shania Twain, at my cousin's wedding last month.  And as I was practicing it, it struck me how perfectly so much of it fit for an adoption-themed song.  And as I practiced it over and over, Sarah (and the boys) would all join in, and we would sing it sometimes at the tops of our lungs, dancing and dipping each other...(yep, get that picture in your head), and we had the best time.  And as a result, we all learned the song, and Sarah loves it, which makes it even more special.  : )

Enjoy these pictures of our first two years together with our sweet, funny, happy, spunky, marches-to-her-own-drum, girl............SARAH TING!  (aka Red Light, of course.)  And get ready for the best part at the very end.  : )

Happy anniversary to my honey and me!

Today is my hubby's and my 17th wedding anniversary!  How these years have flown by...


Marriage is funny, isn't it?  Only God could have created such a relationship--it's downright amazing, really, when you think about it.  We are born into a family.  We automatically have parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents...and we love our immediate family members, usually unconditionally, because God created this bond between parent and child.  When we have children of our own, we normally automatically love them too.  They are from our own flesh, after all (and adopted children become grafted in just like our biological children.)


But marriage is different.  Here is a person who was a stranger.  You meet, decide you like this person, feel attracted to them, "fall in love" with them, and ultimately decide and make a covenant to spend the rest of your life together.  You become "one flesh" with this person whom you did not even know just a relatively short time before.  Through the mountains and valleys of life you weather the storms together,  even when you, yourselves in your sinful natures are the embodiment of those very storms.  And through it all you love each other with the most intimate love God has given  us to experience on this earth aside from Himself. This person you once didn't even know.  Isn't that interesting when you think about it?  I think it is. 

Of course it makes sense that marriage is not easy.  It would be a miracle if it were.  But isn't it sweet when you are relying on Him to help you, and deciding that come what may, you are going to be committed to this person, that God is going to bless you so abundantly?  And isn't it a little bit of heaven when we are enjoying our marriage the way God intends it to be...such a beautiful picture of God's love for us.  He is the bridegroom, and we are the bride. 


I hope you will commit yourself again to your spouse today.  Do something special for him or her, and be thankful for your life's partner-- even if you're going through a rough patch.  Pray and trust God.  He can do amazing things, and He will bless you when you honor Him and your commitment to each other!


I know this song is kind of old now, and I'm sure just about everyone has heard it, but I still really like it.  So just in case you haven't heard it, or even if you have, listen and enjoy!

Andrew Peterson (One of my very favorite singer/songwriters)--Dancing in the Minefields.  http://youtu.be/_Gs3fg_WsEg

Laura Story -- Blessings

A friend of mine on facebook posted this song, and I just loved it so much I wanted to share it with you in case you haven't heard it yet.  So potent and beautiful, and absolutely true.


We pray for blessings,
We pray for peace.
Comfort for family,
Protection while we sleep.

We pray for healing,
For prosperity.
We pray for Your mighty hand
To ease our suffering.

And all the while
You hear each spoken need,
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things.

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know you’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?


We pray for wisdom,
Your voice to hear.
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near.


We doubt Your goodness,
We doubt Your love,
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough.

And all the while, You hear each desperate plea,
and long that we’d have faith to believe.


'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know you’re near?


What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?


When friends betray us,
When darkness seems to win,
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not--
This is not our home.

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know you’re near?


What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?


What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?


And what if trials of this life--
The rain,
The storms,
The hardest nights,


Are your mercies in disguise?