Christus Abundeest Amor

There are four chambers to the human heart.
Just wanted you to see how mine are filled.
How is it possible that I am these
two beautiful little girls Daddy-man ?!

Yes that is chewing gum in Lili's mouth and

Aly is asking me "where did she get it and

why don't I have some?

OK for anyone who is a Latin scholar, did I correctly say that? Well I meant to say Christ is love. Plain and simple and yet for some reason I wanted to add some frivolity to it. A little panache if you will. I wonder why? Why do we feel the need to "dainty up" our spirituality as if it is not suitable as it is? Why do we put on our best efforts if the preacher is coming to dinner as if he is our pathway to God himself?

Well, anyway I just wanted to say that in Latin. Go figure. I think I really wish I knew another language. Just so I could converse with someone in a secretive way if I wished to or I could understand what the Mexican waiter is saying to his fellow server (and me for that matter). Maybe I just want people to think better of me for knowing more than one language. I wonder why? Why is it that we really give so much weight to what others think about us? I know their are societal demands so we take baths or showers so we won't stink. We brush our hair and wear clean clothes and try to make a good "public" appearance. We were also taught by our mother's to wear clean underwear in case we were in an accident. But who really gives a darn when you're in an accident anyway. And don't you have every reason in the world to have crapped your pants if you were in an accident? So who would have known you had clean underwear on anyway. Oh well.

My little girls are slowly learning that societal thing. They care about what they are wearing to Church. My oldest (Shelley) was doing the dress up dolly thing tonight with Lili before she went to bed. (I just said that for you dear) and I just loved seeing her face light up when I tell her how beautiful she is and how much I love her new dress or outfit, or how pretty her hair (bow) is. Lili is still cultivating her hair supply. Aly is growing hers in THICK.

So I know that they care what other's think already. I know the most important thing to teach them is to care about what God thinks. And to make sure that they know that He loves them first, above all else. After all, He IS love. He ought to be, He created it.

Lord listen to your children praying...

Tonight we were a little late getting our girls to bed. We took off to Jacksonville for a little shopping and just a ride away from the "normal" weekly routine. We had to fight the battle of "I want to go home". Our oldest, Aly has gotten used to spending time doing "her thing" at home and doesn't like to sit in her freakin' car seat for so long. AND she is teaching that lovely attitude to her little sis. SO we had to put a stop to that right quick. After all we are a travelling family. Gosh ain't that the truth. Especially these past few years. Actually the whole time we have had Aly we have been planning to travel somewhere it seems. We are even planning on traveling to Heaven in the Rapture so I am sure that our little ones are just gonna have to get used to our mentality.

Apparently they are. We are teaching them the importance of talking with God. Not just learning a prayer by rote but discussing our needs and wants and thanks with God. Trying to get them to understand it all is really a hard job. We just continue to let them see our way of life. Our IMPERFECT way of life but our dependence on God for everything. Including a good nights sleep. Full of good dreams and restful sleep. And angels, how many ever are needed for that particular night assigned to watch over and protect little sleeping children (and parents too).

Well, tonight after Daddy said his good nights and got his butterfly kiss, Eskimo kiss, and lip kiss I prayed for Lili and then she went to tell Poppy good night. As she was coming back through to go to bed, Mom told her to hug her sister Aly and then she asked Aly if she was going to pray for Lili and she said yes. Which has been kind of sporadic as of late but nonetheless she began praying for her little sister and I grabbed the camera and got this precious shot of the two of them praying. Aly of course asking for 4 angels to watch over Lili. What an awesome experience to sit and contemplate.

If God had not planted the seed of desire in our hearts to adopt these two little blessings then they may never have known what prayer was about. And although they are just learning and mimicking sometimes what they see us do, they are slowly growing towards that day when they will trust our Lord Jesus with their souls and their lives so that He may direct their paths. In His divine will. I am praying that my eyes do not close on this earth before I see that happen and if it be His will I will be the one who baptizes them into the family of God. My heart can hardly stand it.

Stuff

Has it been that long since my last post? Well, so what. Life goes on.
I was just sitting here listening to my two year old repeating the same thing over and over and over... Driving me crazy. And then again there is a lesson in it just as there is a lesson in EVERYTHING. I realize she is repeating because she is practicing her speech and she needs to hear it so she can improve it. Either that or her birth mother was a pearl store employee who day in and day out did a presentation for tourists so Lili heard repetition again and again while she was in utero and so she is used to it. Either way, she does it for whatever reason and her little voice is soooooo sweet that even when I am about to lose it and pull my last two hairs out the grace of God overcomes me and I just listen and smile and get all soft inside and fight off shedding tears. Too dang much estrogen in my house again.
You know there is always so much crap going on in the world and we have enough of our own that could just overwhelm us if I let it but then I am reminded of the two beautiful gifts from God that brighten my day EVERY day. They ask for so little and give so much. My Aly loves to climb up in my lap and "play" on the computer. She loves to do it anytime except when she has a fever of 101 and is laying in our bed. Then she just wants to lay beside us and feel us close to her. She loves SOOOOOO much and SOOOOO well that I wish everyone could experience that love for themselves. I hope you all have. If not you should. There sure are plenty of children out there who would love to have a mommy and a daddy to love and be loved by.
Anyway, my Lili loves to climb up in my lap too and resist my kissing her and tickling. It's like a fight from the time she comes up and I try to hug her. She wants the hug but MUST pretend like she doesn't. For whatever reason. But I love making her laugh and tickling her.
Back to the lesson. You know we must sound like Lili to the great I AM. Repetition. Dear Lord please blah blah blah. Heavenly Father please blah blah blah. But you know what? I am sure he looks at us kind of like the way we look at our little ones. With patience and compassion with a little discipline mixed in when necessary. Like when I had to pop Aly's butt for coloring our stereo speaker. AFTER being warned that she would get a spanking if she colored on anything other than paper. She had decorated our TV for the second time. Oh well, I truly understand what "this is gonna hurt me a lot more than you" means. SO I guess God hurts when He has to discipline us.
My Grandad used to say that when you've been spanked by God you know you've been spanked! I know what he means. I sure do miss him.
When I was a little boy I was afraid of the dark and Grandad knew it. He would tease me and scare the hell out of me and laugh and I would climb up in his lap and feel all safe and secure. He would even spend the night or a portion of it with me so I could get to sleep. We would lay in the bed and he would tell me jokes and we would laugh and laugh.
I can't wait till I see him again.