Luke 11:10

From http://www.prayforchina.net/

Today's Prayer Request

China is rapidly graying. It is estimated that by 2025 nearly twenty percent of the population will be sixty years old or older (twice as much as today). The one-child policy has slowed the population growth, but increased longevity means there are a lot more older people than before. China lacks a nationwide retirement plan and a majority of retirees there live with their children. Chinese churches need to redouble their efforts to minister to the elderly. We pray especially for those who are no longer able to attend church because of physical limitations as well as those older believers who try to share their faith with their families.(7/31/2008)
　
　

Four quarters...

Love Without Boundaries Foundation has set a goal to raise $5,000 by August 27.---------------

-Goal: $1 challenge to save a child's life!LWB is launching a $1 challenge to kick off our new Unity Fund for impoverished, rural families in China.

So many times over the years, we have met families who have had to make the painful decision to abandon their child in the hopes of getting them the medical care they need. It has been a dream of ours for many years to begin such a fund, so that when we learn of families in true crisis, we can provide their children with the surgeries they need so that such a painful decision does not have to be made. We have met so many of these families in person, and they love their children completely, but they simply could never afford a $5000 heart surgery to save their child's life when their family is living on less than $50 per month. Our Unity Fund was created to keep these families united and to give a second chance of a healthy life to at-risk children living in poverty. Join with us on this dream, and actually help prevent children from being orphaned. We challenge everyone to send just ONE DOLLAR during this challenge period to LWB's Unity Fund. Is it possible to find 5000 people to donate $1? With your help, we believe it is. If we meet that goal, then together we can impact a child's life forever.

Pass on this message to everyone you know!

Pop just $1 in the mail to Love Without Boundaries and help change the world, one child at a time. Love Without Boundaries P.O. Box 25016 Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0016 or donate $1 online at www.lovewithoutboundaries.com

Under attack...

The annual siege has begun.

Time to share... get cooking.

and freezing...and, (ugh!)possibly canning.

(desperate times call for desperate measures!)

Maggie and I spent some time in the garden yesterday morning...

and, well, she "helped" pick.

Unfortunately, while I was pruning, I did not notice the "fruits of her labor...

anyone have any good recipes using green romas?!

Have a great weekend!

How Georgia O'Keefe Got Her Start...

Feeling inspired

A moment of artistic contemplation

Raspberries to anyone who cannot appreciate such great work!

Those lazy crazy hazy days of summer

Was talking with my brother last night on the phone.

We were sharing what we love about summer...the longer days, the plentiful locally grown produce, the relaxing evenings spent on the back porch, listening to the crickets, the ease and delight of a summer meal outdoors, croquet and bocci in the backyard...

And the fact that it seems to go by so much more quickly than any other time of the year.

It's hard to believe, but within weeks, classrooms will be filling up with the start of another school year.

Summer...here today, gone too soon!

Wishing everyone time to enjoy these last long, sticky, and wonderful days of summer...

Island Girl...

Maggie's Yi and Uncle Ron brought back some special prizes from their recent trip to the Big Island...we played "dress up" with the prizes the other day. Maggie is not so sure about the whole grass skirt and coconut top thing. Which is perfectly okay with her father, who hopes to foster in her a disdain for all things skimpy.

Say What?

...Lately, in the middle of the craziness, I have caught myself saying certain things. Things that, well, frankly, at the age of 43 I never imagined I would be saying...like, "Please, No, Mama doesn't want to take a bath with Mr. Turtle right now." ..."How did this raisin get here?"..."Please take the magnets off of the fishies house- it scares them"..."Mama said eat your carrots...not feed your carrots to the dogs"...
But then again, parenthood has a way of doing that...bringing the unimagineable to life. Hearing some of these things as they come out of my mouth has made me laugh at the ridiculousness. But it has also brought a heightened sense of awareness of what is said and how it is said. I was reading a devotional that talked about how our spoken words are seeds planted into others lives. It is addressed in Matthew 12:34 "...for out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Gulp. As a parent of a toddler in the throes of the "terrible two's", and a 15 year old, this is sometimes easier said than done. Too often, the words uttered are not from the heart, but instead, from the harried emotion of the moment. So around here, we are going to try harder and remember that what we say affects what we get from others, and what others get from us.

Story time...

People watching. Airports are great for this. Loads of stories unfolding right before your eyes. Actually, just sitting in the car at a stoplight the other day, I could not help but wonder about the lives behind the faces all focused so intently on their destination. You ever do this? Just watch the faces of people as they go about their daily routines? Living in a small town, some of the same faces are seen frequently. There's the two elderly sisters walking hand in hand with an umbrella, (no matter the weather), the "tin can" man, who scours the streets looking for cans to recycle, the tomato man- selling fresh garden tomatos on the corner by our house ...and there are many more. And one cannot help but wonder about their "stories"- who they really are, where they're from, where their lives have taken them, etc. It's something all of us plodding along on earth share, -our stories.

Part of the nightly routine in our house is reading stories before bedtime. From "Goodnight Moon" to "Hop on Pop", the genre of stories can vary widely. But it is always a time to imagine, explore, learn, and enjoy.

And so it goes with people and life. Stories...some with chapters barely written, some in editing, some in need of editing. Adventure...mystery...romance...it's all there. Written on faces, weaving us all together....

Independence days...

We have been home for three months now, and Maggie is officially 2 and a half. The other day, I was going through some pictures of the days just after we returned home.

Oh my. The changes.

From suspicious to curious...

From cautious to adventurous...

From shy to not-so much so anymore...

From serious to silly...

From total dependence to...seeking independence

Depending on the circumstance, it's that last one that can either make me laugh or cry.

The independence thing.

Though "I do" is not something Maggie says,

it certainly is something she is demonstrating.

With enthusiasm.

And then some.

And although it is great to see her embracing her independence,

thoughts of her growing up and going off on her own,

and how quickly it will be here,

flit about.

So,

just living in and cherishing

the moments...

knowing how quickly they pass.

Wishing everyone a terrific and safe Fourth of July!