My Fairy Tale Come True

Last year I had the most fun writing a post for each of my daughter's on their birthday. You can find them here, here, and here. But I started doing this after my oldest daughter Michelle's special day. So this is my special tribute to her - as we are celebrating her 28th birthday this weekend!

Once upon a time in the cold, cold land of North Dakota, a little girl grew up with a dream in her heart. She wanted nothing more than to marry the King of her Heart and have lots and lots of babies. So every day she prayed to the King of all Kings that He would hear her prayer. And the King of all Kings, who delights in answering the prayers of little girls hearts, was busy watching over the growing up years of a little boy in the land of Lincoln, knowing all the time that the little boy and the little girl would be a perfect match. And He finally arranged a day that they would meet on the college campus they both chose to attend. And it wasn't long at all before they fell in love and got married and the little girl became the Queen of her Domain and lived so very happily with the King of her Heart. The King of her Heart was very busy going to school to prepare himself to be the Bearer of Good News to all the kingdom. The Queen of her Domain was lonely some of the time. And so it was decided that the time was right to begin their family and they began dreaming of little prince's and princess's that might someday bless their home. And soon the King of all Kings who always delights in answering the prayers of Queen's of their Domains hearts brought into their family a perfect little princess on a cold February day. What a delight the little princess was to her parents. She was beautiful, charming, and had lots and lots of dark hair. And she cried. A lot. The Queen of her Domain couldn't have been happier and when the little princess began to talk and say the word "mama" she just knew there could be nothing sweeter this side of the Kingdom of Heaven. She was so grateful to the King of all Kings for allowing her to be a mama - there could be no higher calling in all the land.

The princess had a personality from the very beginning and a determination to do everything early. The King and the Queen had their hands very full. And they delighted in this sweet child who blessed them every single day. The small princess continued to grow and learn and explore. She couldn't wait for the day she could ride a school bus. That day came sooner than the King or the Queen wanted, but they did their duty, bought the sweet little princess a panda bear backpack, and took her to kindergarden. The little princess loved it. The King and Queen held hands as they watched their chubby-cheeked, long blonde haired daughter enter the big school. The King and the Queen went to their first parent/teacher conference and were mildly confused to discover that the sweet little princess' desk had been moved to sit right up next to the teacher. It seems that the sweet girls vocabulary skills were SO advanced that the teacher needed to keep her close to her - at all times.

The princess grew and grew and made many friends and worked hard in school. She got her driver's license and an after school job. She started saving her money and soon bought her own car. It wasn't new, and it wasn't even pretty. But it did get her where she needed to go. And it taught her financial responsibility. And she earned the approval of her parents. She became a strong leader in her youth group and her own relationship with the King of all Kings began to flourish. While she was in high school she discovered a young prince that captured her attention. Could he be the one that would one day become the King of her Heart? Alas, it didn't seem to be working out that way. So she prayed about him. And never forgot about him.

Her parents looked upon her with such pride, knowing that in spite of them, this girl was going to go far and they sensed that the King of all Kings had a very special plan for their girls life. So when the high school senior princess graduated and expressed her desire to go to school far away to learn how to be a nurse, the King and the Queen reluctantly realized they had to let her go to persue her own dreams. Because they had enrusted her life to the King of all Kings long, long, ago, they were comforted. The far-away school in the land of California was very expensive. And the Bearer of Good News did not possess all the riches of the land. So the King and the Queen began a journey of faith that included working during the day and doing a paper route to deliver the news of the kingdom at night. They didn't sleep very much. But this journey of faith did much to increase their relationship with the King of all Kings and they watched as He over and over again provided the treasures necessary to pay for the far-away school. The young princess was on a journey of faith as well. And the King of all Kings never one time failed her. It was a time that has been recorded in the King and Queen's life as a time of rich and sweet fellowship.

The young princess fulfilled her ambition of becoming a nurse. How proud the King and Queen were of their young lady. The princess loved her parents and never failed to express her appreciation and gratitude to them. Life was very, very good. Three more princesses had made the family complete and nothing made the King and Queen happier than just being together. The day came when the princess became reacquainted with the young prince she had known in high school. This time was different. They realized they had many common dreams and goals and a love began to flourish. The young princess was so exicted that once again the King of all Kings had heard her prayers. She was realizing that the King of all Kings delights in answering the prayers of a young princess's heart. The young prince asked for her hand in marraige and a royal invitation was sent throughout the land to attend a magnificent marraige ceremony and wedding dance/reception in honor of this new union. What a happy day it was! The young princess had found the King of her Heart.

The young King of her Heart and the Queen of her Domain made their home together in a town nearby her parents. Life was very, very good. And then one day the Young King and the Young Queen gave her parents a very special gift. They announced that they were going to have a young prince or princess of their own! Rejoicing swept throughout the land and the Queen of her Domain realized she was going to be the Queen Mother! Her hands set to work immediately sewing and knitting little things for the young prince or princess.

The Queen Mother spends a lot of time reflecting on the goodness and graciousness of the King of all Kings. She marvels that He has been so very good to her by entrusting her with the life of this special princess. She stands amazed that because the King of all Kings hears the prayers of a little girl's heart, she has been blessed over and over again. She looks forward to the future with much anticipation as she watches her young Queen daughter become a mother. Because she knows that this is the highest calling in all the land. She knows that her young daughter's heart is about to be blessed in ways that cannot be written in words.

They are all definitely living happily ever after!

Happy Birthday my sweet Michelle! You have been such a blessing to my life - words will never adequately express how I feel. You are the one who made me a mama and now you are the one to make me a grandmother. You are so special to me and a day never goes by that I don't thank the King of all Kings for hearing the prayers of my heart and giving me the blessing of you.

Happy 36th

When I was 12 years old my mom told me she was going to have a baby. Perhaps a lot of pre-teens would have been totally aghast at such a thing, but not me. No sirree... that was exciting news to a baby-lov'n girl such as I. I already had 4 younger brothers and sisters but there was always room for one more. So imagine my delight when we discovered that there would not only be one baby - it was twins! It turned out to be twin girls. I was in baby heaven. Being the oldest, I helped my mom with much of their care. I even got to hold one all the way home from the hospital in the car. (This was before the days of car-seats). I helped with diaper changing, bathing, bottles, fixing hair, dressing - all the daily chores of raising a baby. And I loved it. They have always been the babies in our family - and we have always spoiled them! When they were 5 years old I left home to go far away to school. I think the hardest part was leaving my babies! Even though today they are all grown up and have 6 little ones between them - they are still my baby sisters. They have become more like sisters to my daughters and I have always said that I hope I can be half the aunt to their kids that they have been to mine. They are celebrating a birthday this next week and I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell them I love them - I'm glad they are part of my family - and Happy Birthday!

Our Princess

It's our last family birthday of the "birthday season" so today I am honoring our third daughter.
We were coming out of a very difficult few years of college and seminary with two young daughters. School was finally done and the life we had spent years preparing for lay before us, a bright and shiny promise of our future. We were on top of the world and could hardly wait to find out where our first pastorate was going to be. And then we arrived. I won't say where the city was, but suffice it to say that it was in an area of the country where Christians were looked upon as an oddity. We moved into a very small apartment attached to the church with a postage stamp sized yard. That first night in our new home we looked at each other and cried and wondered why we had worked so hard and so long only to be rewarded with "this". And God decided at that time to give us a gift. Very unexpectedly, I realized I was pregnant and it couldn't have happened at a better time. As I was overwhelmed with life and bordering on depression, God gave me the gift of a new life to look forward to. And how I looked forward to this baby. I sewed for her, I prepared a nursery for her, I dreamed of her, and I planned for her. And finally the time came for her to make her entrance in to our lives. We went to the hospital, my husband and I, and we labored all night long. It was a Saturday night and she finally arrived early Sunday morning, all nine pounds of her. My husband had to call the church and let them know that he wouldn't be preaching that morning and they were very sweet and understanding about it. We never did hear what they did that morning! Our little sweetie was a beauty and we named her Andrea. This labor was different than any of the other three births in that it was the most spiritual birth experience I ever had. The presence of God was so evident in our room. In fact at my six week checkup my doctor commented on it and asked me about it. He wanted to know if I had noticed it and if I knew what it was. I told him that we were Christians and that God had been with us. He kind of brushed that off, but he told me I should consider writing a book about it someday!

Andrea was a wonderful perfect baby - she never cried at all. Even though she was born big - she stopped growing and was the most petite and pretty little girl. She was definitely "all" girl and loved clothes and makeup and girl stuff right from the start. She truly was a gift from God during a difficult time in my life.

As she grew, she developed into a lovely young lady. She has always had strong convictions of right and wrong. One time at a parent teacher conference her teacher (public school) told us that Andrea had given quite a dissertation in class on why abortion was wrong. He suggested that we "help" her by teaching her to keep her thoughts to herself. Of course, we were very proud of her and did no such thing! To this day she strongly knows what she believes. When Andrea was in high school her once good friends began making poor decisions and Andrea was very lonely. We prayed and God provided a way to send her to a Christian high school where she flourished.

Today Andrea is a married young woman ready to begin her senior year of college where she is majoring in elementary education. She will be a wonderful teacher. She still loves fashion, jewelry, hair, and makeup! She wears stilletto heel everywhere - even shopping! She is definitely princess material! She is married to a fine young man whom we admire greatly. Once when Andrea was younger I was teasing her and her younger sister about who they would marry. I told them Jess would marry a math teacher and Andrea a youth pastor. Today Andrea's husband is our youth intern at our church and is seriously considering a call into youth ministry. So now she and I share a special bond as pastor's wives. She teaches the kindergarden Sunday School class in our church and all her little students love her.

God truly blessed our home with the gift of Andrea. Her dad and I enjoy watching her life as it unfolds. Her husband Jayson's birthday is only two days after hers and so I want to wish him a very Happy Birthday too! We are so blessed to have this princess in our lives. Happy Birthday Andrea!

Happy Anniversary My Love

I have been looking forward to writing this post so that I could share all about my most favorite person in the whole wide world - my husband.
When I was a little girl I began praying for the man I would marry someday. I don't remember where I learned to do this, but I did. All I ever wanted was to grow up, get married, and have babies. And somewhere along the line I also decided that I wanted to be married to a preacher. I now realize what an unusual desire that was for any female, let alone a young girl. Maybe it was because I read books like "Papa's Wife" and "A Man Called Peter", but I really believe that it was a calling that God was putting upon my life. Because now I believe that just as pastors are called to their vocation, pastor's wives are called too. Anyway, that was what I wanted more than anything. I even took to interviewing all the pastor's wives I knew. Those interviews should have scared me off the idea forever, but no, not me. I just tried to figure out how I could do things better. Remember, I was very young and idealistic!
The day came when I moved far away from home to go to college and taste the first flavors of freedom I had ever had. My home was very strict and I had not even been allowed to date until this time. I loved college and I made lots of friends and even though I was very homesick I knew I was where I belonged. It didn't take very long at all before I met a very charming, handsome, funny young man whom I was extremely interested in. And he was extremely interested in me. But there was a problem - he was an engineering major. A bit more time passed and I knew I had fallen hopelessly in love but I was so confused. I felt God had called me to be a PASTORS wife - not an ENGINEER'S wife. One day while sitting together in the library "studying" ;), the object of my affections asked me out of the blue what girls thought of being married to ministers. I nearly fell off my chair but I told him that I had always wanted to be a pastors wife. The relief on his face was so real as he shared with me that he had been wrestling with God for some time over being called into the ministry and God was going to win the battle! What a confirmation to my heart! He says to this day that it was at that moment that I proposed to him!
This weekend we celebrate 29 years together as husband and wife. And what a privilege it has been to be married to this man. He is kind, romantic, affectionate, generous and above all, he is a man of God. He has been the best daddy to our four daughters that there could ever be. He has taught them what kind of husband to look for and not to settle for anyone less. I know what a blessed woman I am and I love the idea of being married to this guy for the rest of my life. He is my world! I can spend hours and hours with him and never get bored. We always have something to talk about. We have learned to allow each other the freedom we need to do the things that interest us but we always come back together and complete each other.
Happy Anniversay honey! I love you and I can't wait to spend the future with you.

It's our last family birthday of the "birthday season" so today I am honoring our third daughter.
We were coming out of a very difficult few years of college and seminary with two young daughters. School was finally done and the life we had spent years preparing for lay before us, a bright and shiny promise of our future. We were on top of the world and could hardly wait to find out where our first pastorate was going to be. And then we arrived. I won't say where the city was, but suffice it to say that it was in an area of the country where Christians were looked upon as an oddity. We moved into a very small apartment attached to the church with a postage stamp sized yard. That first night in our new home we looked at each other and cried and wondered why we had worked so hard and so long only to be rewarded with "this". And God decided at that time to give us a gift. Very unexpectedly, I realized I was pregnant and it couldn't have happened at a better time. As I was overwhelmed with life and bordering on depression, God gave me the gift of a new life to look forward to. And how I looked forward to this baby. I sewed for her, I prepared a nursery for her, I dreamed of her, and I planned for her. And finally the time came for her to make her entrance in to our lives. We went to the hospital, my husband and I, and we labored all night long. It was a Saturday night and she finally arrived early Sunday morning, all nine pounds of her. My husband had to call the church and let them know that he wouldn't be preaching that morning and they were very sweet and understanding about it. We never did hear what they did that morning! Our little sweetie was a beauty and we named her Andrea. This labor was different than any of the other three births in that it was the most spiritual birth experience I ever had. The presence of God was so evident in our room. In fact at my six week checkup my doctor commented on it and asked me about it. He wanted to know if I had noticed it and if I knew what it was. I told him that we were Christians and that God had been with us. He kind of brushed that off, but he told me I should consider writing a book about it someday!

Andrea was a wonderful perfect baby - she never cried at all. Even though she was born big - she stopped growing and was the most petite and pretty little girl. She was definitely "all" girl and loved clothes and makeup and girl stuff right from the start. She truly was a gift from God during a difficult time in my life.

As she grew, she developed into a lovely young lady. She has always had strong convictions of right and wrong. One time at a parent teacher conference her teacher (public school) told us that Andrea had given quite a dissertation in class on why abortion was wrong. He suggested that we "help" her by teaching her to keep her thoughts to herself. Of course, we were very proud of her and did no such thing! To this day she strongly knows what she believes. When Andrea was in high school her once good friends began making poor decisions and Andrea was very lonely. We prayed and God provided a way to send her to a Christian high school where she flourished.

Today Andrea is a married young woman ready to begin her senior year of college where she is majoring in elementary education. She will be a wonderful teacher. She still loves fashion, jewelry, hair, and makeup! She wears stilletto heel everywhere - even shopping! She is definitely princess material! She is married to a fine young man whom we admire greatly. Once when Andrea was younger I was teasing her and her younger sister about who they would marry. I told them Jess would marry a math teacher and Andrea a youth pastor. Today Andrea's husband is our youth intern at our church and is seriously considering a call into youth ministry. So now she and I share a special bond as pastor's wives. She teaches the kindergarden Sunday School class in our church and all her little students love her.

God truly blessed our home with the gift of Andrea. Her dad and I enjoy watching her life as it unfolds. Her husband Jayson's birthday is only two days after hers and so I want to wish him a very Happy Birthday too! We are so blessed to have this princess in our lives. Happy Birthday Andrea!

My Girl

We are still in the "season of birthdays" in our family. Very soon my second daughter, Tara, will be turning 26 years old. Twenty-six years old. As I go back in my mind to the time in our lives when Tara joined our family of 3 it seems not so long ago. My husband was in his junior year of college and we were making plans to travel across the country to attend seminary. Our oldest daughter was only 6 months old when I very not-intentionally got pregnant again. We didn't have any money. My oldest daughter was not a very easy baby - she was quite fussy. We were resident directors in a college dorm and the students were my age - it was the class I would have graduated with if I had not quit school to get married and have babies. We didn't have any money. I was working part-time around my husband's school schedule so he could watch the baby we already had. And did I mention we didn't have any money? As ashamed as I am to say it now, I did not want this baby. It was not a good time, life was difficult, my 6 month old daughter was difficult to care for, and of course, we had no money. I spent the next few months feeling sorry for myself and I didn't enjoy my pregnancy at all. I was a brat. A real brat. In fact, when Tara was born and I held her I didn't feel the maternal love that I had felt for her older sister (who was now 15 months old)- I was still too preoccupied with thinking about me. I remember when that love came flooding over me though. Tara was 3 weeks old and suddenly I looked at her and I knew that God had a very special purpose for this child and that I would be very privileged to be her mother. I knew in that moment that I would die for her if I had to. I fell in love with my little girl. And what a wonderful little girl she was! If ever there was a model of a perfect baby - it was Tara. She just didn't cry. She played, and loved, and smiled, and grew. And oh how we loved her! She was such a good little girl. The only difficulty we had with her was her appetite - she was very picky!!! And even though she had a real independent, stubborn streak, she didn't display it very often. She had little wisps of blond hair and she was always very tiny. She loved her babies and "little things". She loved kitties. She loved roly-poly bugs. And I'm really sorry we never were able to get her that baby lamb she always wanted.

As she grew into a teen-ager she developed into the sweetest person. She developed a passion for the under privileged and felt a call upon her life to be a missionary. Everyone who knew her loved her. If ever there was a model for the perfect teen-ager - it was Tara. No tantrums, no fits, no bursts of emotion. She was always helpful and had an infectious giggle that we heard often. Most nights would find her in her room reading her Bible. She begged us to sponsor a needy child and eventually signed up to sponsor one herself. Faithfully, every month she would send in her money to feed the little girl she took care of through Compassion International. Many times she inspired and motivated me to become a better follower of Christ. It was uncommon, I think, to find such a young lady with such strong convictions.

The day came when Tara moved away from home and went to college. Our home was strangely quiet. Not because she had made a lot of noise, but because she had brought a lot of joy and the emptiness rang hollow in our hearts. We have never really gotten used to it. College brought us some challenging days. Deep questions of faith and belief made their way to the surface and we tread a lot of spiritual water. Sometimes I thought we were all going to drown. But through it all our love and admiration for this girl has never wavered. This girl has taught her mom and dad how to pray! After college graduation she took off to backpack through Europe for 2 weeks and didn't come home until 6 months later! Boy, has this girl taught us how to pray! For the last couple of years she has been working in a homeless women's shelter in a big city - we are still praying! She is soon to be moving to the other side of the country to a VERY big city to achieve one of her goals - a master's degree in social work. I think our prayer life will reach limits we never imagined!

As I shamefully remember the days when I thought I didn't want another baby so soon, I realize that God knew something I didn't know. He knew I needed you, Tara. You have done so much to make me a better person and a better Christian. You have caused me to ask myself very hard questions and dig very hard for the answers. I love you with a love that is so fierce it scares me sometimes.

And He knew that His world needs you. For you are feeding His lambs.

Some time ago, we met up for a weekend in Los Angeles and we shared a bed together in our hotel room. I woke up early that next morning and I saw you sleeping beside me. I laid my hands on you and I prayed over you for the longest time. I prayed for your future and your purpose in life. I prayed scripture over you and I had one of the most meaningful times with God that I ever have had. I thanked God over and over again for the gift of you. I thanked Him for letting me be your mama. I received a promise that morning from God about your life. I am looking forward with great anticipation to watching it come to pass. The assurance God gave me when you were three weeks old has been so very true- I AM privileged to be your mother. I love you Tara - you always have been and always will be my girl.

Hurricane Jess

This week marks an important milestone in our family's life. Our youngest child will be turning 17 years old and it leaves us breathless as we consider how quickly the years have flown by.

Even though we had three children and one in heaven, I knew my family wasn't complete. It just felt like there was someone missing. Someone who was supposed to be there who wasn't. I felt that feeling strongly. And then Jessica arrived. And as I held her wet, warm, squalling little body I knew we were complete. She arrived quickly. I was anticipating a long, long labor like the ones I experienced with her sisters before her. But she surprised me. And she surprised the nurse and doctor. One second I was dilated to 6 and then she was straining and pushing her way into the world, before any of us were prepared. I was relaxing in the hot tub, trying to deal with the labor pains, and suddenly I told the nurse the baby was coming NOW! The nurse tried to assure me it couldn't possibly be but when she looked into the water there was no denying that the world would soon be reckoning with a force we fondly nicknamed Hurricane Jess. It was only natural that Jess blew her way into the world because she has been a strong, steady, gale ever since!
I remember her wild, curly, uncontrollable hair that went in a thousand different directions. The only thing consistent about it was the long curl that hung down her forehead. She cried a lot, and I do mean a lot, and only ever wanted her mama. No one else would do. She hated being in the car seat and really was and still is a homebody. She loved her "soft" pants - no zipper or button please, and the seams of her socks had to be perfectly aligned with her little toes at every moment! And her little stuffed friend, Puffy, who started out a bunny and ended up an indescribable, indiscernible lump of cotton and fabric, went absolutely everywhere with her.

Starting school was not fun. Her daddy would take her and most mornings bring her back home with him. Mama would have to take her back, crying and kicking. Looking back I wish I would have waited until she was ready, or tried homeschooling, but those thoughts didn't occur to me then. All 5 year olds went to school and that was that. School still isn't her favorite thing!

As a little girl, Jess always had a strong conviction of right and wrong, to the point to tattling on herself! She does not tolerate injustice to the lesser privileged and always befriends those who are lonely. She never fails to say thank you - even for the ordinary everyday things like a meal! She still likes to be home and the thought of going to live in the dorm at college unnerves her more than she wants to admit. She loves movies and shopping, her dog Buddy, and spending time with her aunts who are more like sisters and her sisters who are more like friends.

As her dad and I are preparing ourselves for the day when the winds are still and the hollowness in our lives holds only the memories of the days that a hurricane force blew through our home, we are so proud and thankful and happy that Jess is ours. In spite of us, God grew her into a beautiful young lady and we are anxious to see what His plans are for her future. When she was a baby we received her as a gift from God and we offered her back to Him to be used to His glory. We have not been disappointed. As you step into the future Jess, always seek His will and follow His plan and you won't be disappointed either.

Happy Birthday honey!

This article is my submission to the blog challenge sponsored by Art Bookbindery, "Empowering Writers to Self Publish."