Love is

Love is beautiful.

Love is fun.

Love is special.

Love is hard to find.

But most of all. Love is hard.

If you are alive, chances are you already know this. 

But the point in this blog is not to just tell you something you already know, and have experienced. I want to talk about the ways to make love, hard love, worth doing. Because, quite frankly, sometimes it seems easier to give up on it and live this life alone. With that said, I am sure I am not the only person annoyed with how easily people seem to be giving up these days. 

I’m not talking about the marriages that fail due to physical abuse, or even unfaithfulness. I’m talking about the people who call it quits because they “fall out of love.” That by the way, is not even possible. Love is a choice. Or because it gets too hard.

So why do we choose to give up on those we once were so in love with and couldn’t live without? 

Why would we rather ignore our spouses and the problems that lay in front of us, instead of talking and working through our problems. Oh yeah, I know why, because that requires hard work. And love shouldn’t be hard huh? When it gets hard is when we need to hit the road and find our real Mr. Right. 

After all, we need someone that will always be attentive and listen to us, always buy us what we want, always be everything we need them to be, right when we need them to be it. And mistakes, they can’t make those. No raising a voice. No disagreeing, no slip up of the eyes toward the opposite sex, no accidentally forgetting to pay a bill, no missing a kids sporting event. After all, we are perfect so we deserve perfection. Come on guys. Get it together. Don’t make us fall out of love with you, cause we will, and the church will understand. 

I am tired of Christian men and women all over the world throwing up their hands in defeat and calling it quits. What is that saying to our kids? That when life gets hard you move on, to someone that will do things the way you want them to? The devil is destroying families daily because people aren't willing to fight for their marriage.

My husband and I have determined in our hearts to make our marriage all that God created it to be. Well, you might say, you have a perfect marriage. You can trade places with me at anytime and you will realize that neither of us are perfect, which means neither is our marriage. We just made up our minds to love one another the way God has called us to. To always cherish one another the way we did when we were dating. And during the hard times, to hang on, cling to God, pray for one another and be patient, and we will come out on the other side stronger. Is it easy? Nope, most days it is harder than it is easy. It takes work to make a marriage all that God created it to be. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes commitment. Sometimes it takes doing something that you necessarily don’t want to do.

I realize this is easier said than done. Especially when you throw in kids, finances, in laws, jobs and the rest life has to offer. It is hard to balance. But I will tell you, nothing is worth your attention (other than God) more than your spouse. They should be your life, you should consider them before you consider anyone else. Because when the kids are moved out, the job is over and you are retired and your parents have passed on, it will be you and your spouse. Don't you want to have a good foundation to live on? Don't you want to live in peace and not regret? 

And, if you are divorced already, this is not to be condemning. I was not in your marriage so I can not judge you, but I do encourage you the next time around to fight even harder for the next one. To try it God’s way. To decide in your heart before you walk down the aisle that it is forever. 

Marriage can be one of the most miserable things ever. Or, it can be one of the most fun, beautiful, enjoyable things you can be apart of. Let’s strive to enjoy our marriages everyday. Let’s strive to be friends, and not enemies. Let’s strive to be the best spouse we can be. 

Mark  10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

And believe me, they will try to. I promise you that!

People that want what you have

You know who I am talking about.

We all know people like this.

The people in your life that say things like. "I wish I had a husband like that" "I wish I had kids like that" " I wish I had a marriage like that" "I wish my life was like that." Well, I ask, what is stopping you from having those things. It is probably you. You don't get a good husband by being a bad wife, you don't get good kids by being a bad parent. I think you see the point. I didn't just get lucky.

You have good marriages and good lives by trusting God and doing what is right. If I do bad in my life I will reap bad. That is what the Bible says.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

So, no I am not perfect, and I don't think I am better than others or deserve better. But why do people think they can have certain things without putting for the effort. If you want a good, Godly marriage then you have to be a good, Godly wife. If you want success in life then you have to work hard. Good marriages don't just happen. Good lives don't just happen. You must make them happen.

Stop sitting around wishing for what others have and start putting forth the effort to have that in your own life. If you have tried before, then try again. God is faithful. He can do things in your life that you never imagined possible. All it takes is you taking the first step. Pray and ask God to change you, not your spouse, not your kids, but for Him to change YOU. Ask Him to show you what areas in your life that need work, and when He shows you then put forth the effort. Make it a life long change, don't get all excited and do it for a week, it has to be a life change. And then, you will begin to see your life change. 

Never once!

This past month has been a crazy one. I'm not afraid to say that my family has been attacked by the enemy. In the most unsuspecting way. One of those ways that feels like a sucker punch. It takes your breath away. But I can say, never once did we ever walk alone, never once did He leave us on our own, He is faithful. God, You are faithful.

I see Him taking the bad and turning it to good. I'm amazed at His ability to do that. I have a horrible time doing that. I sit back and analyze all the ways I've been hurt and all the injustice I have been served. And think of all the ways I can get even. Oh come on, don't act like you've never done that. After all, I'm the innocent one, I need to make them pay. And yet God whispers "I'll take care of that... you focus on me." And so, that is what I continue to {try} to do!

Also, in the middle of walking thru this, our babies went home, so then I was left to deal with another emotional situation. But once again, I was never left alone.

I'm so thankful for God, and His faithfulness. His mere presence is enough to wipe away my sadness, anger, hurt, pain, and grief, for any situation I am in.  For He beckons me to walk in HIS love, and His peace and His strength. He will never leave me or forsake me. I have a promise that the best is yet to come, and boy is that exciting.

http://youtu.be/e02UNZRsdSQ

One of those weeks

Have you ever just had one of those weeks were you miss the "good ole days." Not saying that where I am right now isn't good, because it is. It's great! I love my family, and my life. Very much. With that said, there are still days that I look back and wish I could go back in time. Not even to change anything. But just to savor the moment a little more.

I have always been one to really enjoy life, and to document it well. I have always loved pictures and videos. And now, I am so grateful for the pictures and videos of all of the great memories I have.

I'd like to go back to when my 3 kids where little, particularly 1, 2 and 4. I remember those days well. A lot of sleeping late. A lot of flour fights in the kitchen. A lot of cartoons, wrestling and bubbles. A lot of playing in the water hose, popsicles and sidewalk chalk. And my favorite, a lot of snuggling with my babies. I love to have them all in bed with me (not at night!!! ), loving, talking and giggling. I'm blessed with some of the funniest kids I know, probably due to the fact that my husband is Tim Busbee, the king of comedy! :) I truly, really enjoyed them when they were smaller. We sacrificed a lot for me to have that time, and I am so glad we did!

I'd like to go back to when Tim and I were dating. We only dated 10 months before getting married, so we didn't date long. But what fun we had. And when we first got married it was like one very long slumber party that never ended.... oh what fun we had, back when times were a little more simple. I truly enjoyed dating him and the time we had before we started kids, (which also wasn't long.... we are too excited about life and rushing into it all!!!). I'd love to go back to the days we called into work and went on a picnic, or to the McWayne center, do not judge us, we were only kids (20).  What great memories I have of our beginning!

And finally, I'd love to go back to when I was younger. To maybe a holiday, when all of the family was at the house spending time together. My dad would be there, Paul would be there and all my family. What happy and fun times we had. All outside playing volleyball, on the homemade court my dad made in our front yard, or playing whiffle ball! Oh how I miss those days.

Looking back, it reminds me of what is important in life. It isn't things. Things come and go. And then more things come and more go. But when people (or time) passes, they are gone for good. The memories can't be made anymore.

Thank God for such an amazing life, it's not filled with riches.... not the kind the world is after, but it sure is filled with priceless people and memories. I wouldn't trade my life for any amount of money in this world!

May I live everyday and remember how much my loved ones mean to me. How they are much more important than that sink full of dishes. And may you do the same!

Just because it's hard doesn't mean its not right

So the last few months I have been dealing with something.

We have had our 3 foster kids for over a year. The last 3 months has been pretty stressful. Tiring may be a better word. Either way,  I think we all just need a break.

And, well, me being the way I am and all, I am very transparent. There is not much that I hide and will not talk about. I feel like if we are friends/family then I should be able to speak openly and honestly about my life and be loved and not judged.

So I may or may not have told a few people in the last few months "I am just tired!" Usually the response is one of 2, a look of pity and a "I bet you are, I couldn't imagine" or "Well, you signed up for this, what did you expect to happen." Right then and there, it is hard for me to not hit that person in the face, out of love, of coarse.

After much thought and prayer about our situation I have come to a conclusion, and a comparison. Just to make me feel better.

Just because something is hard and/or tiring does NOT mean that it is wrong. It doesn't mean that you missed the mark, stepped out of God's will or are in fault. A lot of right things in life are hard. College is hard. Work is hard. Marriage is hard. Parenting is hard. And also, fostering is hard.

And here is my comparison. I often think about our Pastor, and many others. They stay so busy caring for the needs of others that eventually it catches up with them and they are tired and worn down. The congregation notices that or doesn't wait for it to get like that and just does it annually, and sends him on a retreat and orders him to rest. Enjoy himself. Don't worry about this place. 

Now, would a congregation member say to him "well, thats what you get for being a Pastor","you brought it on yourself." I sure hope not. He is doing what he is called to do. Yes it is tiring. Yes it is emotionally draining, and yet, he loves it. He will come home after being well rested and continue to do it.

With that said, we will continue to do this. Even after these 3 go home. Although, we have learned our lesson to not believe what they say when they call for a placement. "It will probably only be 3-4 days, maybe 3 weeks, but no longer." Yeah, I bet. 12 months later I do not believe you!! ;)

So, if you are in a rut, doing something that is hard, just press on. Know that you are doing what you are suppose to do. Let's not take the easy way out in life and stop doing things we need to be doing just because it is hard. Press on, people. There are lives to touch. People to love. And journeys to continue on. After all, you just never know where that journey will take you if get off it.

Update

I haven't blogged in quite a while now. I am going to try to catch up and blog regularly. Having 6 kids kind of limits the free time I have LOL.

We still have our 3 foster kids that we got in July. We go to court May 22 for PFA (protection from abuse) trial for the parents. Once that is settled then we will go from there. But they can not return to either mom or dad until that is settled.

I'm already dreading the day they leave us. They have been a part of our family. 2 of them have had birthdays, they have been with us for every holiday and they feel like they have always been here. It's amazing how I can love some one else's kids just like they are mine. I don't know how my kids are going to be when they leave, I know they love them so much.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to love them when they have needed it most. I must go now, the laundry is calling my name.

Take a minute to brag...

Tonight I just want to take a minute to brag on my family.

You see, when we started this journey a year or so ago I was over whelmed with anticipation, joy and excitement to fulfill this calling.... the calling to care for Orphans. And, I must admit, we are in a little different place than I originally thought we would be... but that is thanks to God. His ways are higher than mine, so I keep trusting.

Tonight we decided to surprise our 3 big kids (biological) and take them out to see a movie. We don't do that often, most of the time it is to the $1 theatre to see a movie that has been out for a few months. LOL But, we haven't been off with just them since we got our 3 foster kids so we decided to surprise them with a night out.

While we were out I just couldn't stop thinking about how blessed I am. To have such an amazing husband and kids. A husband and children that see God's heart to care for orphans. A husband willing to work his tail off for his 3 kids.... plus 3 more....because despite what you have heard, foster parents don't do it to be rich. That is FAR from the truth. A husband that, instead of running every morning(his favorite hobby), takes 2 little kids to day care while I take the school age kids. And kids that make sacrifices every day just so we can care for 3 kids that need some love right now.  I have watched my kids be so sweet and tender toward these kids... it just melts my heart. And I just can't help but thank God for this opportunity, and for letting me be wife and mom in this family.

I am excited to see where God takes us in this journey, and I thank Him for His grace, mercy and guidance as we walk out this calling.

Now, an update! We had court last week and the judge wants mom to work some more stuff out so she kept the kids in our custody and set a new court date for Feb 28. So, we will have them thru then. Christmas should be exciting!!! We are so blessed to share our hearts and home with them and cant wait to spend the Holidays with them!

Thanks for reading and thanks for all of the support!

Also, a photo from our night!!

Fear, fear and more fear

I hate spiders. Not afraid of them, but I don't like them.

I hate mayonaise. I'm not afraid of it, just don't like it.

But I will tell you. My fears are many. Nope, not really afraid of bugs, critters or animals. I'm not an animal person... at all, yet I don't fear them.

The fears I have are big fears. And if one of those fears ever becomes a reality, well, you better forget it, I look around every corner waiting for all of my fears to come into existence.

For instance, if you are fearful that you will break a leg and you actually really break a leg, then you will then be 10 times more afraid that it will happen again.

In my case it isn't a broken leg.

I have always been afraid of losing people. Not necessarily people walking out on me, but losing them to death.

I don't ever really remember fearing this until age 17 when my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. From that moment on I was extremely fearful. I feared losing him. I feared losing my mom to cancer as well. I feared losing my siblings. ect. The list goes on and on. Well, my dad fought a great fight and lived for 6 years... yes... 6 years with stage 4 cancer. It was a miracle, and yet still wasn't long enough for me. Well, after he died I can remember laying in bed wondering who was going to be next. I had nightmares about Tim dying. I just knew I was about to lose everyone I loved. I was terrified.

I made it almost 10 years and then BAM... out of no where I lost my brother Paul. And wow.... those fears came rushing back in. Who will be next. How will I lose them. Will I survive. The fear is never ending. It went from a "I hope I don't lose someone else to"- "Oh my gosh, when I lose so and so I am not going to make it." Satan plays on those fears.

Losing loved ones are a part of life. A terrible, horrible, awful truth of life.... everyone must die. And those that love them are left to deal with the grief and pain... and fear.

God is the only way thru those dark days. He doesn't promise me that I won't ever lose another loved one. Yet, He does promise me that He will never leave me nor forsake me. And He hasn't.

Update!

We have had our 3 foster kids for about 7 weeks now. And boy are we in love!

They are so precious! Every day we fall more and more in love with them.

The middle boy, who they told us was 4, actually turned out to be 3. We celebrated his 4th birthday on Monday! It was so awesome. He was so excited over the cake and presents. His smile lit up the room.

I think they adjusting well, and so are we. Having 6 kids is a bit harder than having 3! But thank God that He not only put this desire in mine and Tim's heart, but also our kids, because they are such a big help. They love them and help out with them so much.

Today they had their 1st visit with their mom since we got them. They seem to be doing ok since them. They went during school today so they were picked up from school/daycare and then taken back when the visit was over. All of their teachers said they were fine when they returned. So that makes me happy, I worried about them coming back to school crying.

So now, we just continue to love them. We go to court on September 13 so I guess we will know more then!

Things change in a minutes time.

I know this to be a good and bad thing. But today. It was a good thing.

I was busy with the kids, cleaning, on my off day, when I get a phone call. It is our caseworker's number. So I answer with anticipation. She asked if we are willing to take a placement today. Today?
She has a sibling set of 3. 3?  5 & 4 year old boys and a 22 month old girl.

We said yes!

They were brought by the worker around 7:20 pm and boy has it been crazy around here. They are very sweet kids, and fit in great here..... except, they do not speak english. HA HA God sure has a sense of humor. They speak spanish. Other than that minor issue we are great.

We had a great night until bedtime. Then our hearts were broken. The 5 year old cried for "momma" for about 40 minutes. How heartbreaking it was to not be able to take the pain away. God please help something we do and say show him that he is loved. And that he is safe. And God, help that mother, who's heart must be breaking as well. I can't image the brokenness from losing your kids. I pray for peace. Peace for the kids and peace for the parents. I pray for restoration for this mom. Healing. Maturity. Freedom. All that it takes to be the mom that she needs to be for these precious children.

Thank you God for this opportunity to Love Real Big!

I've made Him too small.

As I walk the house and clean today, on my day off, I had the christian music channel on the tv.  A song started playing that caught my attention. It was What Do I Know of Holy by Addison Road. And just as it caught my attention the lyrics "I think I've made you too small" was sung. My heart sunk and my eyes filled with tears. I have made Him too small. Too small to heal my heart. Too small to fill this void of loss. Too small to even care about my pain.

My heart pounds and aches all at the same time.

It pounds because I know its true. And it aches because it is all my choice. I have to chose to let Him heal me. I have to chose to let Him fill this void. I have to chose to be ok. It's hard though. It's hard to "move on." Because life will never be the same. It will never be "normal" again, it is a new normal. A bad normal, if you ask me.  And then comes the hard part. I can chose to let God begin to heal me... or I can wallow in grief, pain and pity for the rest of my life. Yes I have a reason to be grieving and in pain. But that doesn't mean I have to LIVE like that.

I pray to God that I can accept HIS healing and begin to walk in it. And when sad days come I will grieve and be sad, but I chose to not walk around in a state of sadness everyday. I want joy. I want life. I want healing. I want peace. I want love.

God, I pray that you surround me with YOUR healing hands. YOU are the ONLY one that can heal my heart. You are bigger than grief. You are bigger than loss. You are bigger than unanswered questions. You are bigger than my broken heart. I surrender to you.

Forgive me for making You too small.

A challenge to love or retreat.

On Monday April 23 my life changed forever. My mom called me at 7:02 am, with a call that has rocked me to the core. She found my 34 yr brother, who is 1 yr 4 months older than me, dead in his bedroom. He overdosed on heroin the night before.

And now here I am. Left with the pain and heartache. And the question as to what I am going to do about this. Will I continue to Love Real Big... or will I retreat. Retreating seems safer. If I never get close to anyone again then losing them will not be as painful. Yes, retreating sounds like the best option. If I Love Real Big then when/if I lose them.... then I will Hurt Real Big. That sounds horrible. I do not like that choice.

You see, for years, and I do mean years. I prayed and prayed for my brother. I fasted. I cried. I begged God.. and him.. for a change. To see him set free. To see him live free and enjoy life. I never gave up hope that one day he would be all God created him to be. I imagined him with a family... happy... fulfilled... and living with purpose. I loved him real big. I forgave him.. many times. I opened my arms to him and hugged him tight, believing the best in him. I miss him terribly. And sadly, I never saw him live out his purpose here all this earth. My heart is broken. My dreams were crushed. Why did I love so big, why did I trust so much. Why didn't I just give up and walk away. The pain would be less right now, right? Isn't the loss of one loved one enough? How can I trust that I will never lose another loved one. Losing my dad at age 23 was bad enough, and now this? The sensible thing is to disconnect. Cut my self off.

As these questions and thoughts roll thru my head God speaks..... "you are just who I called to do foster care- continue on." But God, that could mean loss after loss after loss as we attach to these kids and they potentially return home to their families. Am I prepared to deal with that? No I'm not. But He is. He holds my life in His hands. He challenges me to step outside of my fear and continue to Love Real Big- despite the possibility of loss, despite the probability of loss. He is greater than any loss that we may have.

He stands with arms outstretched.... ready to catch us... ready to hold us. He is the peace maker. The ONE and ONLY that can bring peace to our broken hearts.

Taking time for us!!

This last week has been on of the best weeks of my life. Sounds dramatic, but it really was. After 12 years of marriage, 3 kids and lots of LIFE in between we FINALLY took a week for just US! To be husband and wife... and thats it. We have done many trips alone but most of the time we take trips with other couple friends from church. This time it was meant to be different, like a little recharging for our marriage. And boy was it.

We spent time in Indianapolis and then went to Chicago. It reminded me why I love my husband so much! Normally we go days without really talking or spending time together, because of our schedule, so this was heaven for me. To have him all to myself!!

I thank God for the time away, for all the people in our life that love us and helped us with the kids. thank God for this time of rest and refreshing with my husband!!

I just love how God disrupts our plans...

and that is exactly what has happened to us. As of 8 months ago we were planning to adopt two children from Uganda Africa. Our hearts were all in, our dedication was through the roof.... UNTIL.. yep. God disrupted OUR plans. I guess I should give a background.

Tim and I have been married for 12 years and have ALWAYS wanted to adopt. We have 3 kids of our own and about a year ago really started feeling like it was time. Our research led us to Africa and we fell in love with the children there. We began making plans. First plan was to buy our own home.... one big enough for more kids....so, we had it all planned. Made an offer on a house in July and were going to start the process in Aug, which meant we would be going over to Africa the next summer (taking our kids with us) to bring our adopted kids home. Well, so much for that plan LOL The house process didn't go as planned, we got the house we wanted but the process took 3 months longer than expected. It threw our plans out the window. I was not happy. BUT God began working other plans, bringing people in our life that dropped little hints and ideas in front of us, none of them sounded appealing to me, at all. (Just being truthful!) It wasn't what I planned. It wasn't what I wanted. After MUCH prayer and thought, God has really birthed something in us. A desire I thought I'd never have. Although, my husband says it has always been in the back of his mind as the way we should go.... well, thanks a lot for speaking up LOL So, we are becoming foster parents. With the hopes of adopting, if God leads.

We started classes last week and we are learning so much. There is such a great need for foster families. We are not sure what to expect but we know that this is the way God is leading so He is in control. I'm learning that God knows what is best for us, and that His plans are always... not sometimes... but ALWAYS best for us. I'l trust Him with the unknown and be obedient!

Ready to move on..

and finally we can!

This has been a rough road for us. Several months ago when we first decided that it was time to pursue adoption, our first goal was to buy our first home. We were down sizing to save money, I know, and adding two kids, sounds crazy. LOL We have always rented and it was time to buy. We found an awesome house in our area, 5 bedrooms, plenty of room for our 2 waiting on us ;) We made an offer and the journey began. Days before closing we were informed that our mortgage lady messed up our credit by a string of events. Needless to say, we had to move out of the house were were renting (new tenants were moving in) and moved into a house that our church owns, while the credit bureau worked to straighten it all out. Obviously we changed mortgage companies and started again. Now, 3 months later we have closed on our house and are moving in after the 1st of the year. Yay!! So, step one is over!!! So glad we can move on.

Now we can focus on saving and raising money to get the adoption going. Keep us in your prayers!

Dream

The other day after a very hard day, a very discouraging day, I came home and went to bed. I was weary and tired. I drifted off to sleep and had one of the most vivid dreams that I have ever had. I don't know that it was from God, but I kinda feel like it was. Just encouragement if nothing else. A reminder that something good is coming. Here was my dream.

I was at work, JCPenney, and we were all dressed in our Christmas shirts and up at the jewelry counter. The manager, my boss, called us up there for a Christmas party. It was all of us employees and a bunch of kids, a bunch of African kids to be exact. They were all playing and laughing, except one, she was sitting on the jewelry counter, all by herself. She looked sad and alone, and almost like she was different than the other kids, maybe like she had an illness. And before it started he said he wanted to make an announcement. He said that he knew that we all had heard of the Angel tree but he wanted us to do something different, he wanted us to pick out an angel to adopt but this time we don't just buy them gifts, we actually adopt them. Immediately I was thrilled. Everyone started scurrying around trying to pick out the friendliest and cutest kid, I was drawn to the little girl on the counter. I went straight to her. She wouldn't even look at me in the face. She looked so pitiful. My heart hurt for her. I tried talking to her, but she wouldn't let me. She was very resistant. Even crying when I tried to hold her. But by the end of the night, she was sitting on my lap, asleep against my chest.

And that was when I woke up. I don't know if God was giving me a vision of our little girl, or if that dream was just a little encouragement about our adoption and the wait. But, I wouldn't be surprised if its not the last time I see that little face.

Can't wait!

I'm sitting at the Gardendale parade, watching my 3 kids laugh and scream for candy. People are talking, horns are honking, the bands are playing....and all I can think about are my babies in Africa. I can't wait. My eyes filled with tears with anticipation of having them there, with me, with their family.

I know to some this seems crazy. Maybe even weird. But it is so real in me. The longing I have for them is deep with in. And even though I do not yet know who my babies are, I love them. I long to hold them. We are still at least 18 months away from bringing them home.... and I can't wait. Love Real Big!!

My heart is in Africa..

Today my heart is in Africa. As I listen to my kids play outside in the yard I can't help but long for our 2 kids from Africa to join them. I can't wait to wrap my arms around them and love on them. I can't wait to give them a hot meal and nice warm house to live in. Honestly, I can't wait to see which kids God has designed to be in our Forever Family.

There are just some days that it's all I think about. I just wish it was easier. Wish the funds were sitting in our account and we could bring them home faster. But, until God brings us all together, we will just wait. And continue to pray for our kids!

Thank you God for this longing that you have put in our heart!! We trust you will all of the provision and plans.

Joy in my kids..

(Picture of: My kids, and Gabby and my mom!)

So, last night was Halloween and I'm still beaming from the joy that my kids brought me.

Now, before you get all crazy on me, listen to what I am saying. We are not real crazy about Halloween, we don't do witches, devils and evil. BUT, we do let the kids participate and have fun.

Last night was the first night that we let the kids really trick or treat. We are always at church Fall Festivals, and then normally just go to a few Aunt's and close friends houses. This year after we hit the Aunt's houses we decided to let the kids go thru the neighborhood while we followed. You would have thought that we took them to Disney World. They were thrilled to death!!

If they thanked us once they thanked us a thousand times. I enjoyed watching the kids just be kids. The pure excitement and joy just melted my heart.

I remember those times as a child. Just being kids. Laughing. Playing.

I can't help but think about God, and His love for us. And how He delights in us. How we are His kids, and we, each and everyone of us, mean something to Him. He aren't all lumped together, just as my kids aren't. I love them individually and uniquely. And just as I delight in them being my children, God delights in us. I just love Him!!