BE THANKFUL :)

The following item by an anonymous author, with numbers which are only approximate, has been widely quoted for many years, and puts it all in perspective: 

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following. There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 would be Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would
be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
ONE would be near death; ONE would be near birth
ONE would have a college education
ONE would own a computer.

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, you recognize that you are indeed among the fortunate......

And, therefore . . .

If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won't survive the week.

If you have never experienced
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.

If you attend a church meeting
without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death,
you are more blessed than almost
three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over
your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and spare change
in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive,
you are very rare,
especially in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile
on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the majority can,
but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them
or even touch them on the shoulder,
you are blessed because you can
offer God's healing touch.

If you can read this message,
you are more blessed than over
two billion people in the world
that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in ways
you may never even know.

If you are feeling blessed, repay the blessings bestowed unto you and do something for others.

And a video, I love... that also illustrates the problem with many of our perspectives in life:

http://www.godvine.com/Life-is-Like-a-Cup-of-Coffee-Inspirational-Video-437.html

A day in the life...

Its only two o'clock and I just had to chuckle at some of the crazy things that have been said in this household.  Us Walkers are a lil crazy you know.  Here's a few....

"What did I tell you about going down the stairs on your stomach?
"No, polka dots and plaid don't really match"
"Please stop climbing up the inside of the door jams"
"I love you." "How many?" .... "How many?"
"I'm sure that the tooth fairy can swim"
"Who tied the doors together?"
"Dental floss is NOT gum!"
"Time to find your shoes"...  Princess dress up shoes found... "Well I guess that will work"
"No, I am not buying you XRAY glasses"
"Why are you eating an apple with a spoon?"

Daily entertainment, I tell you!!

Unexpected Update :)

I was conversing with our contact at the agency today, as I'm donating a lot of the clothes that didn't sell to our orphanages in Ethiopia.  Soooo excited about that.  Seriously, I think more excited than if they had all sold and I had earned another $300+ from them (there are more clothes than you can even imagine).  I love the thought of all those little kids having some nice outfits, and our clothes going to a place where they are in such need.  In the duration of the conversation, Sally (our contact at the agency) told me that we had just moved up to 14th on the waiting list, and they had just been informed of approx. 7 more referrals coming the agency's way soon.  Each move up is one step closer to it being our turn!! So exciting.  Please pray for my patience as we creep up the waiting list.  Sally was so right.  Its so exciting as we continue to move up the list, but as we inch closer and closer to the top the wait becomes even more difficult.  A coined phrase Brian and I have (since every child we've had, including Isabel, has made us wait lol) is "I hate wait" LOL!!  So, I figure that is one of the many reason's God keeps giving me opportunities to get better at waiting :)  I am so thankful He has blessed us with a really smooth and pretty speedy timeline thus far.  Just praying, if it be His will, that it continues!  I will say, that as we walk the path of life, I have learned that His timing is always the perfect timing, not ours.  Doesn't mean our crazy, impatient, human minds don't forget that from time to time lol.  Guess I need another project to keep me occupied!  That garage sale was a GREAT June distraction :)  God Bless you all!!

Best Day Ever!

As declared by Jasmine as she skipped into the house this evening :) And I must agree today was a great day!  Took the kids out with grandma to the religious store (Dominic's FAVORITE store) and proceeded to add yet another thing to their list of "items to get in their inventory" LOL!  I always ask for the most random things, I amuse myself... and they know me by name now haha.   Then the afternoon brought a few surprises.  Brian walks in two hours early with flowers :) And we are able to vacuum out the pool to get it clean.  As we are cleaning the pool we handed the hose to the kids on the other side of the yard.  Oh the joy a hose can bring!! Jasmine doused Dominic, Melanie got everyone, Dominic chased his sisters... oh the squealing and joy that were oozed from those moments.  Then the surprised they were not expecting today.  The pool is ready early!! Everyone rushed into suits screaming with excitement and running through the house.  The older girls are doing surprisingly well without any floaties (including jumping off the diving board and swimming across the pool). Dominic has discovered the slide already and Melanie is just happy to be a part of it all.  As everyone scoots into the house Jasmine announces to no one in particular (and I'm really not sure who even heard her): "Best Day Ever!".   And of course... me, you know the crazy lady always in some state of contemplation lol, thinks how much we can learn from kids.  In fact, I think we should all have as many kids as it takes to get ourselves set right LOL. In scripture it says we must be as children to enter the Kingdom of heaven.  And I could write (and probably will over the course of time) 50 blogs about the aspects of being a child that we should model after as we seek the Kingdom of Heaven. I am so thankful God has blessed me with 4 (going on 5 YAY) children to serve as CONSTANT reminders of this in so many ways.  But today, I think about what it takes to have joy.  Today, we were not at Disney World, we did not purchase any extravagant gift... the rules were not even bent :)  We just gave them a hose and let them swim with the family (and don't doubt that Daddy coming home early with flowers for Mommy didn't brighten their day as well).  The joy in what IS, and not seeking after more is something kids are SO great at. I've heard, and try to live "Live life as though you never need a vacation"... and in many ways I think today was an example of that.  How do you do this?  When you are working outside, don't be miserable in the work you have... squirt each other with the hose.  When you finish your work don't consider your swim in the pool something you deserve because you worked so hard.... but a fun thing you are blessed to be able to do.  The kids don't expect that they get to swim everyday just because we have a pool.  Being able to swim is SO EXCITING whenever we tell them they can do it.  They find joy in the moment, and are so much better at living in the present than adults.   And God is in the present. You will find Him and you will find Joy if you live in the present.  While kids do enjoy getting things (quite frankly mostly because we give them to them and they have learned this) their true Joy, their "best days ever" are having fun with people.  Laughing, and enjoying life.  Running at the park, picking flowers, helping Mommy cook, dousing their siblings with the hose....   And what, as adults are we so often seeking after?  We are often rushing through those moments, to be able to get to.... what exactly?? What IS it that is so important that we miss living life?  Quite honestly I can think of nothing.  And as I spent the day swimming with my kids, in a pool that desperately needs to be painted..   And an evening cleaning up the yard with my husband, and an evening swim with him, I couldn't be happier.  You could place me on any beach, offer me any material item and it would not make a difference.  Each moment of life is a blessing, and you are exactly where you are meant to be.  Embrace it, and make every day your "Best Day Ever!"  God Bless!!!

Weeds

Random meanderings of my crazy lil mind :)

Yesterday, I go out in our back yard.  And after weeks of little rain I take a look at our yard.  Our grass is 90% yellow and dried up... but what is flourishing in all it's glory?? The WEEDS!!  Of course! LOL! Aren't they a beautiful joy???  And looking at this sight, the Parable of the Weeds comes to my mind.  Not necessarily looking in depth at all the angles of the parable, as that can be done for some time.... but just the reality of Weeds, both spiritually and in reality.  I look at my yard, and the good things, the beautiful things... the flowers, the grass... the things we WANT to see, take time, love and constant dedication to flourish.  If we ignore them, without major grace from God (in the means of rain in this case lol) they dry up and die.  However, weeds.... give them next to nothing and they thrive... with very little effort, and steal the nutrients from the good things as well in the process.  In fact it is MORE work to be rid of them, then for them not to be around.   And isn't this the case in the spiritual life as well?  Isn't it SO easy, with very little effort, to find ourselves being lazy watching tv, ignoring our responsibilities... or to find ourselves thinking judging thoughts of others, or being tempted to talk badly of another (and watch how that weed grows!!! Spreads like DANDELIONS with a good breeze!) the list goes on and on.  It really takes, in many cases, concentrated effort over time to rid ourselves of these habits.... its easier not to!  But just like weeds in a garden, they steal the good from us... they creep into us and make our whole garden YUCK LOL.  And the things that make us beautiful, the things people actually WANT to see, take a lot of constant work and dedication and whole lots of grace from God...  But when you look at a garden (both in my metaphor and in reality) that has had the time and dedication taken.... isn't it so breathtaking?  Isn't it like experiencing a little slice of heaven?  Doesn't it make you want to know... what do I do to make THAT happen?

That's all I got today :)  God Bless you all!!!

Moving on up!

THE WALKERS ARE NUMBER:



We got our wait list update today, and we've moved up a bit on the wait list.  June was a little slower than May with referrals, but they have been continuing with a steady pace.  And while we are 15 on the list, that doesn't necessarily mean we have months and months  to wait.  A number of the families ahead of us on the wait list are requesting different ages than us or more than one child (in which two referrals have to come in at the same time in order for them to be matched).  So, really its anyone's guess when we'll get the call.  I know many ask estimates, and if I were to guess, I would think August or September we'd be matched, but obviously that is just a guess and anything can happen at any time.  God's timing is always perfect :) Please keep praying for us as we attempt to patiently wait to see our babies face for the first time in those referral pictures!!