Family Council= Success!!

Because of distractions from the children, one of the few messages I was able to hear in church last Sunday was that we should hold "Family Councils."

Last night we did it!!  It was great to hear EVERYONE voice their opinion about what is and is not working in the home.  We made new goals.  We felt renewed.  Today, we woke up earlier than we had in months.  We stayed on task, and we all felt a lot more peace!!  

I believe there are so many concerns in a family unit that get brushed under the rug when we forget or don't find the time to hold these.  I couldn't believe the motivation I felt afterward!!  

I literally leaped out of bed with excitement this morning!!  What a miracle a little family meeting did for our souls!! 

As I reflected on our Family Council, I thought it was appropriate to share Tyson's Daily Miracle on his family.  Tyson is only 9 years old.  When I started to write my daily miracles, he did too.  He has them taped to his wall to remind him of God's hand in his life.

TYSON'S DAILY MIRACLES

FAMILY

I love my family so much!   They are really important to me.

My dad works really hard for my family.  He loves me, and cares for me.

My mom teaches me lots of things.  My mom loves me to. 

I love my Mom and Dad.

My brother, Jackson helps me when I get hurt, and when I need help doing something.

My little brother, Jordan hugs me when I’m sad.  He is a fun brother to play with. 

My little sister, Mariah likes to play games with me, and dance with me. She is fun to have around. 

My other little sister, Juliana helps me when I’m sick.  She gives me love hugs all the time.

My other little brother, Jayden loves to play hide and seek with me, and he likes to say dada.

I am great full for all these wonder full things my family does for me!

The Perfect Role

Last night Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, and Mariah played on their spring football teams.  Mariah's team was a player short, so Jordan was able to step in and play in her game too.  Everyone cheered extra loud when Mariah got the ball.  She was the only girl and the smallest player on the field too.  She wore a hair bow and gave the meanest faces she could to her opponents.

Jackson grabbed several flags on his game, Tyson scored a touchdown, and Jordan scored 2 touchdowns during his games.  The boys already knew they did great, but after the game we were all congratulating Mariah for running the ball so far.  Then Jordan added, "I made sure I blocked the other guys to keep them away from Mariah while she ran the ball."

"Really?" I said, "I hadn't noticed!"  I looked back at the video, and there he was- running down the field alongside Mariah blocking the opponents while she gloriously ran free.  Because I had only been looking at how well Mariah was doing, I didn't even notice the supporting role her brother had played.

Jordan's watchful eye and fast legs was a role of great importance as he helped his sister succeed!!  As I continued to watch this quick 15 second video, I noticed the great disappointment on Jordan's face when the other team did grab her flag.  He rubbed his hands together with a determination to never let that happen again!

I continued to think about the roles these kids are playing in each other's lives...

This morning, we went on a 4 1/2 mile training run for our upcoming race in Niagara Falls.  Tyson really wanted to run on a trail in the woods, but it was about a mile down a busy street to get there.  Mariah rode her bike while we ran- which makes me nervous on her wobbly wheels.

As I looked back, my heart was comforted that all the way there, Tyson ran alongside her to keep her safe from falling into the road... protecting her from the danger.  His role was of great importance too as he brought physical safety to his sister.

As I continued to ponder the important roles of these older brothers helping Mariah, I realized the supporting role she had given her siblings too.  

Yesterday, 5 year old Mariah came inside to announce to the family that she had made a picnic for everyone.  She made 8 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all by herself and had set out a blanket with oranges and bananas on the front lawn.  I added green beans to the picnic, and we all sat on the grass grateful for the break from our work.  I tend to be a workaholic, so her reminder to take a break and enjoy the sunshine was perfect.  We needed the change of pace after such hard studying, and her thoughtfulness warmed all of our hearts.  Her role was of great importance as she brought peace to to our busy lives.

As we carried the food in after the picnic, I told her what a wonderful idea it was for her to do such a nice thing for everyone. Without even turning around to look at me she said, "Jesus told me to do it!" Her answer took me by surprise.  I was praising her for the important role she had played, and she quickly gave all the credit to Jesus.

Of course!!  Jesus plays the GREATEST, MOST FANTASTIC role of all!!

When we get baptized, we choose to take Jesus' name upon our lives.  In the past, my mother has beautifully explained it to me this way:

When we are in a play, we learn as much as we can about the person we are portraying.  We read about them, study about them, and even try to talk like them.  When we get baptized, we are taking on the role of the GREATEST one to ever walk the Earth... our SAVIOR!!  We work hard to read and study about His teachings and His life from the scriptures, and we try our very hardest to be Christlike.  

Then it hit me...  As the children helped each other succeed, protected each other from danger, and brought each other peace, they were playing the role of Jesus!

What a perfect role!!  

It's All Worth It!!!

Yesterday was a day FULL of enlightenment.

Saturday night I had stayed up most of the night finishing projects.  As I prepared for bed, I heard the birds chirping, and I got a pit in my stomach.  Was it really that late/early?  I get kind of obsessed about finishing projects.  It was 6 am, and I would be waking up again in 2 hours for church.  I always go to church- even when I'm tired; but since Abe was out of town, I knew I would struggle a bit with my desire.  I said a prayer asking God for help with my desire and attitude and to be able to have a wonderful experience of learning even though I was so tired.

This Sunday was Stake Conference-which is a special meeting that only takes place twice a year; all the members in surrounding cities gather to hear the same message.  We pick up two little boys every week to go to church with us, and they live right in the pathway of the big annual Kalamazoo Marathon.  All the roads were blocked, so we actually had to drive in the opposite direction away from the church which made us lose about 30 minutes!  The detour, however, led us close to the finish line, and there were runners already finishing last stretch of their race!

I know well the emotions involved at the end of a long race-especially a marathon!  We slowly rolled along side of the runners when my whole van of 8 children began cheering at the top of their lungs for the runners.  I cried with excitement watching these runners put their all into their finishes... all of a sudden I didn't feel so tired.  I had been irritated at the detour that was making us half an hour late for church, but then I realized that God was giving us a beautiful, energizing experience.  That image of my children hanging their heads out the windows and yelling through the cracks of windows to encourage runners finishing the climactic moments of their race was definitely worth my trip to church and worth my lack of sleep...

We continued to drive on our detoured route when Jayden began to throw up.  I quickly held the plastic bag behind me, but there was only so much aim I could give while driving 45 miles an hour... his cute little church outfit and car seat were soiled.  Jayden's not sick- we're still trying to figure out what is going on.  He never does it more than once a day, so I assumed we were safe for the rest of the day.

Because of the throw-up mess, I walked into the back of the church 45 minutes late.  As I walked in, I prayed again that I would be able to learn something from this meeting even though we were arriving so late.  All 9 of us settled into our seats.  I heard one important sentence from one of the speakers.  I made a mental note to work harder to implement that message into my life, and then I had to go out because my cute, little, talkative, baby Jayden was being too loud.  He quieted down, and Jayden and I returned to our seats.  Moments later, Jayden threw up AGAIN; and all I had time to offer him was my diaper bag... and my skirt.

A couple of days ago I wrote about a stranger who gave me her bag after Jayden threw up in my bag. Today, within seconds, a woman 5 rows up rushed to my side with her teenage daughter to help me clean up.  I'm not even sure how she was there so fast- she was by my side before he was even done throwing up!  She didn't ask me anything... she just got to work.

The teenage daughter grabbed wet paper towels while the mother knelt down at my feet and quietly wiped off every single item in my bag.  She proceeded to wipe off my skirt as I wiped down Jayden.  As I watched her quietly kneel at my side, I couldn't help but think of the Savior kneeling down and washing the disciples' feet as the greatest act of service and love.  She wasn't searching for attention from anyone.  She didn't fear the messiness of the service.  She didn't even look disgusted at the task at hand.  She just quietly served and then just as inconspicuously returned to her seat.  I don't think she could have known the love that overwhelmed me as I watched this woman kneel at my side performing the dirtiest work of all.. just as Jesus knelt by his disciples' side washing the dirtiest part of their bodies- their feet.  Even though I could not hear most of the messages taught by the speakers, this image of a loving sister kneeling by my side was worth my trip to church and worth my lack of sleep.  What a beautiful life this woman and her children lead....

The beautiful day continued...   As I attempted to gather all 8 children to the van, a sweet family stopped us and invited all of us over for dinner- on the spur of the moment.  It's a very rare day when somebody can feed a family as big as ours without prior notice.  I took the other children to their house and arrived to this sweet family's home shortly after.

I loved spending time with them!  As I listened to their perspective on life, I realized once again how many stories there are of God's almighty hand working in all of our lives.  This family was making big decisions about their future and including God every step of the way.

After dinner and dessert, the father ran wild chasing all the children in the backyard.  When I said it was time to go, it was the father who stood by the children begging for a chance to finish their game.  If I hadn't gone to church, I would have missed this opportunity to see this beautiful family in joyful, Christlike action.  This image of a loving father playing and loving freely while the mother gently coddled her 7 month old baby was definitely worth my trip to church... and worth my lack of sleep.  What a beautiful life this family leads...

God is guiding, directing, and offering beautiful life experiences in all of our lives.  I wouldn't have seen these beautiful lives in the light that I had if I had decided that I was just too tired or too worn out with throw-up and lack of sleep to go to church.  I had asked God to help me with my desire, and HE offered beautiful images that taught, uplifted, and reminded me of God's omnipresent influence... but I had to be willing to be where HE wanted me to be in order to see what HE wanted me to see.

A Timely Phone Call

Yesterday I felt sad and worried about the way I was doing something.  I REALLY wanted Abe's perspective.  I knew he was performing in a concert in Utah right during that time period, and he would either be talking to fans or actually singing on stage.  I was anxious to talk to him anyway, so I decided I'd try to contact him.  I picked up my phone and only started to dial his number before I hung up figuring it would be a waste of time to even try.

Abe takes his time with his fans and his performing very seriously, so I didn't want to interrupt him even if there was a free moment...

Less than a minute later, Abe called me right in the middle of conversing with friends and fans!  He said he didn't have a lot of time (which was why I was even shocked that he was calling), but that he wanted to tell me something really quick.  He gave me the assurance on the exact subject that I was worried about.  He didn't even know that this concern was on my mind; yet in a 2 minute, spur of the moment phone call, he eased all my worries in detail in a way that only a husband who had just followed divine inspiration could have done.

I cried so hard at the miracle of his timely phone call that my kids came rushing to my side to see what was wrong.  I assured them my tears were ones of amazement and joy.  I was in awe at the phone call I had just received... I still am.

God's great love and my husband's great love joined together to give me a much needed moment of reassurance and guidance.  I'm grateful my sweet husband wasn't too busy to listen to the promptings of the Spirit who guided him to call with the perfect words at the perfect moment.

Miracle at the Secretary of State's Office

I went to the Secretary of State's office yesterday to get ID's for all 6 children in order to leave the country.  (We are going to Canada in June to run a relay race at Niagara Falls.)  Michigan has something called "Enhanced ID's" which allows you to go by boat or car but not by plane out of the country.

As I walked into the office, there were about 40 other people sitting and waiting; and immediately there were about 25 sets of eyes on our family.  Almost all of them were smiling, but they were watching and assessing the situation nonetheless.

Going anywhere with all 6 children always includes lots of stares and lots of questions/comments about my kids' hair, skin, ethnicity, nationality, race, biological background, etc, etc, etc.   I tell you this because I am very aware that we are being watched because there are so many little ones and because they look "different" (and cute :-) ).

I've explained to my children several times before that people will always watch them.  They have a responsibility to represent God, their family, and their race in a way that will leave people with a positive experience.  After all, it is in our human nature to base our opinions on groups of people by what we experience with them.  They have taken this responsibility to heart.

It was lunch time when we arrived, so all the children sat down against a wall to eat their chips and salsa while I filled out a huge stack of papers.  The children were behaving REALLY well.  The boys jumped up to open doors for people needing help and the girls smiled sweetly at all the adults.  They didn't make a mess... they didn't argue.... they read their books and obeyed.

People continued to stare and comment on how well they were doing.  I was proud of them and continued to fill out paperwork.

After waiting for about an hour and a half, we were called to the desk to fill out more paperwork.  The children sat against the desk to get their cards typed up, pictures taken, and more papers signed for each child.  Even baby Jayden and Juliana had to "sign" their cards with scribbles!  Of course... people still watched.  I tried not to notice because I was concentrating on the children... especially Jayden.

Jayden is by far the strongest, spunkiest, and most ACTIVE 13 month old child I have ever seen.  He giggles and runs yelling, "Hi!!"  to everyone he sees.  He is adorable, but BUSY!!  I assigned different children to follow him around the office.  We had been there for almost 2 1/2 hours at this point, and we were all trying very hard to continue to be patient.

We were about 10 minutes away from leaving the office when Jayden coughed twice.  I knew exactly what that meant... In the last week, Jayden had thrown up at Jackson's swim meet in front of the entire crowd, at the YMCA during a children's health fair, and in the van right after church.  We still haven't quite identified the problem, but we know he's not sick.

Anyway, he coughed twice, and I sprinted to my diaper bag with him dangling upside down... I had no other choice but to let him saturate my bag with his throw up.  As he threw up multiple times, I threw the library books out of the bag as fast as I could.  Now, it seemed like all 40 pairs of eyes were on us.  I looked up and assured everyone that he just does this, and he's not contagious.  I assured the employees that I had not left a mess on their carpet.  I breathed very slowly to maintain peace within.

The boys grabbed wet paper towels for the library books and anything else I managed to salvage from the throw-up.  My belongings were sprawled all over the floor.  I went to the bathroom to wash both me and Jayden's arms and chest while the employees patiently waited for me to finish my duties.  I sent Jackson outside with my bag full of throw-up.

Jayden, now only wearing shorts, wanted to run around again, and 2 year old Juliana didn't understand why she couldn't get her picture taken yet like her older brothers' had done.

Meanwhile, the employees and everyone in the lobby just watched.  I guess they thought I had it all under control... but I was worn out.

We had been there for 2 1/2 hours on nothing to eat for lunch but chips and salsa, and a throw-up mess.

Right then, a lady walked up to me and handed me her emptied bag, so I would have a place to put all of my cleaned belongings.  If I didn't smell like throw-up I would have wrapped my arms around her.  She gave me a knowing smile as I quietly thanked her.  I felt tears brimming my eye lids, but I fought back the tears of gratitude because I still had more papers to fill out and pictures to take for the kids' ID's.

I finally felt settled again... the kids were sitting against the desk again, and Jayden was actually staying still in my arms.  Everyone had taken their pictures, except for Jayden.  His picture was hilarious.  He stood on a stool and gave the biggest, goofiest grin much like this one...

 All the kids and I cheered and laughed for his smile.  Right as I turned around to sign the last paper, Juliana moved the stool with Jayden on it!!

I heard a shrieking cry!  Poor Jayden had fallen and hit his mouth!  Blood poured out of his little lip, and I held him close.  After he settled down, I looked at my white shirt... it was covered in blood down the front and on my shoulders.  

I could feel discouragement begin to settle in.  I did the best I could, but I was tired.

Smelling like throw-up and looking like I had just survived a war, I held Jayden close as I gathered the other children and our belongings.  As I was crouched down, I saw a man's feet really close by my side.  Feeling exhausted, I looked up and this man quietly said, "I just want to tell you that you're doing a wonderful job, and your children are so patient to be sitting here that whole time."

The woman with the bag and the man with the reassuring words did just what Jesus would have done.  In fact, I'm positive that they were acting on my Savior's behalf.  They did not just watch assuming I was OK, they followed what their hearts told them and served.

On Google Search, a Miracle is defined as "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine."  

This woman saw that I needed a new bag.  That was obvious.  The man saw that I needed reassurance.  That too was possibly obvious.  These strangers did not see and could not have known how their divine intervention spoke to me of God's tremendous love and support for me.  They did not know that their intervention assured me that I was not dumb for trying to take all my children on a crazy relay run across the border to Canada.  

I thank God for the many divine ways in which HE shows us love on a daily basis.  I thank God for the wonderful people in this world who choose to listen to God's voice and serve so unselfishly.  

I thank God for daily miracles.  Abe was not at the Secretary of State's Office for this daily miracle... but he was there when I got home. :-)

Our Dreams Are Important to God

In January, I saw an announcement that the Ragnar Running Series would be doing their first International Relay... at Niagara Falls!!!!  Wow!!  I felt it in my heart immediately that I had to do it with my family.   A Ragnar Relay consists of 12 runners covering about 200 miles.  In this case we would be circling Niagara Falls!!  Each person on the team runs 3 different times over about a 24 hour period.

There were two reasons my heart yearned for this experience:  Reason #1) I hadn't been to Niagara Falls since I was 7 years old and being around rushing water rejuvenates my soul.  ...and to run around that beauty??  Wow!!  Running is a very spiritual experience for me.  As I push through the physical pain, I turn my thoughts to God and HIS beauties surrounding me.  My children are also deeply moved by nature... they study it every day.

Reason #2) I ran two Ragnar Relays in Utah, and my boys have been requesting to do one too for quite some time.  I wanted them to have opportunities to do the healthy things that their hearts desire.

When I asked Abe about doing the race in January, Abe thought that maybe we should wait to do a different race, so he would have more time to prepare.  I reluctantly put Niagara Falls out of my mind.  Then, a few weeks ago, the thought and desire returned to my heart!  I called Abe at work, and this time he agreed to do it!!  I think he felt my passion and desire, so he supported me even though he would have even less training time.

The next issue would be to find a team of 12 runners by the May deadline.  The race is in June at a time when people already have so many summer plans.  I posted it on Facebook, and I heard back from some who were interested.  In the end, there was only one other person completely committed besides my husband and 3 boys.  That would only be half of a team.

I kept holding on to the idea and desire that pounded into my heart, but it just didn't seem like it would happen.  Yesterday, I started to go to the website to check the closing date and let go of the dream once again.  Instead, I felt like I should check their Facebook page one last time.  I couldn't believe it!!  Someone had posted that they were looking for half of a team too!!  I immediately sent him a message, and he immediately responded!!  With our two half teams together, we were a full team!!!

In one moment I was letting go of a dream; and without any warning at all, the next moment I was in full swing planning our race to fulfill that dream!!  Things can turn around very quickly when we let God be in charge.

As of now... We are all signed up!!  We have permission for our children to run as minors!!  We started the process to get the correct ID's to enter Canada!!  I even learned how to download a GPS training program to my phone that tells me my pace and distance.  That happened just in time for our 1st actual training run- which we did last night!  The weather was absolutely perfect as we ran under the stars together... ahhh... it felt so good.

My heart is happy and amazed that God guided me to go to the right place at the right time.  HE orchestrated every detail!!

My desire to do this race was not a life or death plea... It was a plea for a dream that I felt deep in my heart.  I believe God put this dream in my heart because there will be even more to this experience that I do not foresee at this moment.  I know when God has HIS almighty hand in something, and this was definitely one of those times.  I believe God has many reasons for our life experiences, and I look forward to the miracles that still await from this experience.

I testify that God cares about our dreams, and HE supports our quests that fill our souls.  HE wants our souls to feel the joys of this life.  Listen to your heart... follow your heart and take big, brave steps in the right direction... and then wait for the miracles!!  God is our greatest supporter of that which uplifts us.  I realize that not every dream we have is realized, but the ones that will have the most worthwhile impressions on our lives will be those that are achieved with Jesus by our side.

Power of Encouragement!

Our oldest son, Jackson, had a swim meet last night!  At last week's meet, he came in last place in his heat swimming freestyle, and this week he took 1st place!!  We were so proud of him both times, but his face was extra joyous this time.  He started to really believe in himself as a swimmer.  He walked over to me and said in shock, "Mom... I won!"  I snapped a picture because the look of joy and shock on his face was priceless to me.

He swam the next race with even more confidence.  It was the backstroke, and he took 1st in his heat again!!  The next event was a relay.  When it came time for his turn, he was intensely waiting for his moment.

I yelled out for him to dive really far.  He put more umph into his jump than ever before and did a front flip into the water instead of a dive!  Abe and I were rolling laughing because we knew his body was just so full of excitement that it flipped instead!

Jackson finished the meet feeling extra happy for his achievements.  What touched me was how much harder he tried when he knew he was capable of doing more!

After the meet, Abe drove the van home with all the kids while I ran the 3 miles home.  I had been running off and on at the indoor track, but this was my first outdoor run since the fall.  It was a LOT harder than I thought it would be.

Feeling in the competitive mode after the swim meet, I saw a guy running in front of me on the sidewalk, so I decided to race him... unbeknownst to him.  I thought that maybe I could gain on him on the hills, but my legs hurt and my side started to cramp.  He didn't even know I was behind him or how hard I was trying to beat him.

Some bikers passed me, and I began to wish I was on a bike instead.  Finally, the man hit his turn-around spot and ran towards me.  I smiled and waved as if I wasn't just considering him as my fierce competitor.  As I continued to run, I had a harder time keeping up my pace because I was tired and my "competition" was gone.

I felt really slow and started to let my head flop to the side as if it was too heavy to even lift.  As I ran, I started telling myself how bad I was doing and how slow I was.  I was really getting hard on myself when all of a sudden the same bikers came back around and passed me.  I smiled at them, and the lady yelled out, "Hey!  You're really FAST!!!!"  I told her how sweet she was in my breathless voice.

...but because she said I was fast, I FELT FAST!!  I picked up my head and picked up my pace and started to run with heart again.  I didn't even need my competitor.  Someone thought this old body was still fast, so I felt faster!!

Her encouragement really made me happy.  A stranger told me I was fast, so I lifted my head and ran faster.  I continued to think about the power of encouragement...

Jackson was encouraged because he saw proof that he was better than he thought he was.  He started the season with a swim instructor (not from the school) who said he would be laps behind all the rest.  He ignored the instructor's opinion and listened only to the positive.

He told me later that he had prayed that he would swim his very best.  With a prayerful heart, he entered the waters with an encouraged heart.  That encouragement made him swim even faster than he (or the swim instructor) previously believed he could.  With each success, he believed in himself just a little bit more until he actually flipped into the water!

Wow!  How many more things could I help my children accomplish if I pointed out more of the good things they do?

As I was typing this, Tyson decided to be creative...  He poured little white beads everywhere underneath our little blooming tree in the front yard.

I burst out with, "Why in the world would you do that?"

"...because it was beautiful," he said.

At first I told him he was going to have to have a really firm talk with his father.  Then I considered my goal to be more encouraging... I decided to try to see the good in what he was really trying to do.  He honestly wanted to do something beautiful.

I bit my tongue (wondering how we'll clean it up when the tree is not in bloom anymore) and said, "Wow!  That's very artistic."  He looked at me confused and warily asked, "Do I still have to have a firm talk with Daddy?"  I told him he didn't, but we'd just wait to see how Daddy likes it... it is actually pretty. :-)  His smile lifted quite a bit higher when he saw that I appreciated his artwork.

My goal to be more encouraging does NOT mean that I am giving up my disciplinary efforts.  It just means that I am trying to SEE the positive, encouraging side of other's actions.  We can be encouraging people!!  I believe that encouragement works miracles... I felt my own head lift, Jackson's body flip a little higher, and Tyson's smile lift... all because of encouragement!