The most beautiful surprise...

It's been a little while since I've been able to sit down and write. Summer has begun and we are busy. I've been sold into coaching for Colby's machine pitch team, which is ok. Kids are kids and as long as they have fun, so will I. Meeting new people in town is always nice too. In a few weeks, I will also be helping with the vacation Bible school. Yeah, I guess this is the beginning of another 15 years of volunteering.
So, in the middle of all my busyness, I get the most wonderful surprise... My biological Dad, Jeff calls. Says him and his wife are in town and would like to see me! How exciting it was. I can't explain in words the anxiety that I felt as the moment neared. My hands were shaking, my heart beating a little faster. I'm not sure what I was thinking.. at first, that all was ok.. second.. hmm. I don't even know. When I saw him and Becky walking up, I know my whole body tensed up.. But, when I walked out that door and he was there with open arms.. it was like I was this little girl running into the arms of her Daddy. Of course I cried.
The hug. Oh, the hug. It was like the long awaited hug and I didn't want to let go. Anyone that knows me, knows that I struggle with hugs. I hug my husband and boys more than I can count on my fingers and toes everyday.. but friends, strangers, other family? I just struggle. My friend Tonya once told me that she could tell that I was very uncomfortable with the first hug we shared. I'm getting better- thank you Tonya :).. but back on the "daddy" hug. I will always remember that moment. It was the tightest hug, I felt like he didn't want to let go. Like all of those years that have passed.. all of those hugs missed.. ah. The hug. Again, when they parted, we hugged again. I felt as if, all the years missed, all the blame I've laid upon him, all the anxieties... gone in an instant. In a hug. Don't get me wrong, I'm trying to keep the "amy" guard up, but it almost seems impossible with him. As if my heart knows he's a good person. That it knows that he won't hurt me. I've prayed for years that we would once again find each other. It's now happened and I continue to pray that my heart will not again be broken.

Wordless Wednesday

Kids.. they make my heart smile

On my way home one day, I stopped to
watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a
park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-
base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was
'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered
With a smile.

'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you
don't look very discouraged.'

'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a
Puzzled look on his face...

'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't
Been up to bat yet.'

Wordless Wednesday

wordless wednesday

Oh, they grow so fast...

You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once. ~Polish Proverb

It seems like just yesterday he was born. He gets so embarrassed when I talk about him being my baby. He's such a big boy now. Looking at this photo, I remember when the Easter bunny brought that bike to him 2 years ago.. with training wheels.. and look at him go. Now time for a new bike, next thing ya know, we will be in highschool, then graduating, then college... boohoo.
I am blessed.

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again"

21

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.



TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.


THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.


FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.


SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.


SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.


EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.


NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.


TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.


ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.


TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.


THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'


FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.


FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.


SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.


SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.


EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.


NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.


TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.


TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.