It's a spring thing

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Fun in the puddles, and apple blossoms.

These are the things I love about

Spring. Yesterday was Caleb's opening day for little league. It was kinda neat to see him out there with his team. Being a part of baseball is teaching Caleb much more than just the game of baseball. It is teaching him how to be a part of

a team. How to care about more than just himself. How to make friends and how to find ways to do his best at something. Caleb is a young man full of many dreams. Which is great, however he is not one who wants to work at anything. If it gets hard in any way he wants to give up. Goodness knows that since we have started baseball he has said he wants to quit daily. Because it is work. It takes a commitment to something other than himself. I am hoping that somehow through accomplishing baseball he will learn that it is only when we work at something, sweat, suffer, put the work and time into it , that God rewards us greatly! Mother's Day is next Sunday. For me Mother's day is a reward. For many years Gary and I tried and tried to conceive. Oh how these were hard years. Years full of longing for a child. Many tears and many prayers were shed for a child. Just one I would tell the Lord. I would be happy with just one. Then as the years have went on we were blessed with not only one but two beautiful children. Infact if I were to count the children that I have been a mother to the number is greater than just two. For me motherhood is not just taking care of and loving my children it is taking care of all the children in this world that are in need. Weather that is in need of a pair of shoes, a meal, a hug, or just being someone who says that they are unique and special not only to me, but to God. Many days this is not easy. Our world is hurting. It is hurting our children. Because I have been teaching for over 14 years and I have been involved with foster care for over six years. I have seen the way our world is changing even more than most. Many people ask why do you do what you do? Why do you stay in fostercare when you and Gary are going through such a rough time. I look at it like this. God has blessed our life in such a big way. I want to share all I have with people. Yes, even with children. When children come into our home the first thing I do is get down to their level, and tell them that they are safe. I remember when Caleb first came to our home. The one thing he said to me was " Ms. Mandy, do you know why I liked Head Start so much?" my answer was "because you had so many friends?" He said " It was because I felt safe" " I knew no one would touch and hurt me" These words spoke measures to me. It actually challenged me to find ways to keep children from being hurt. Today I challenge you to find a child who might be hurting and give comfort! God Bless!