Pretty in Pink...

It's all about pink around here.

Pink Flowers, Pink Crayons, Pink Dresses, Pink Ribbons, Pink Candy...and of course,

the latest Hot Pink Spica Cast.

Friday was a breeze...(relatively speaking)

All thanks and praise to God for His protection and healing!

If you ask Maggie what happens when the cast comes off,

she will loudly and happily proclaim...

"Pink Bike!"...and "Pink House"!

...yep, we are definitely in the pink.

Sixteen...

...Finally!...

(said with a fair amount of exasperation by a certain young man)

...Sixteen?!!! How can it be?! There must be some mistake! ...Why it seems like yesterday...

(Said with genuine incredulity by all the rest of us!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAYTON!

Look forward to celebrating with you when you return from your fun in the sun!

Rainy day lessons...

The pattering raindrops on the porch roof this morning

create a calming rythmic background music.

Glancing out, the grass seems to have magically

grown greener and taller overnight.

All sorts of flowering delights are waking from their winter rest,

emerging from the dirt, readying for their colorful, showy debut.

Robins flit about,

enjoying the gentle showers, and

the earthly feast they bring.

A reminder, that without one, you cannot have the other...

...the beauty that is Spring would not exist

without Winter's protective rest.

Faith.

Hope.

Without one, the other just does not work.

We have great hope in what is to come following our next trip

to the hospital with Maggie tomorrow.

Hope only made possible with faith that our God is in control.

Faith that reassures us while the world dismays.

Hope that refreshes and lightens.

"And Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." -Romans 5:5

Cherished...

Nana had to go home today.
While she was here,
we had fun sharing memories and making some of our own.
But mostly, we enjoyed just soaking in Nana's love and special ways.
We love you!

An action of love...

"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person,

a beautiful thing."

-Mother Teresa-

Joy and light...

..."Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right." -Psalm 97:11

"The day the Lord created hope...

...was probably the same day He created Spring." -Bern Williams

We have been very busy having the best time with Nana.

Playing...giggling...reading...going for walks...

Sometimes, the most extraordinary is found in the ordinary.

Happy Spring!

Purplelicious...

...A look at some of the beauty blooming around here...

Have a great weekend!

The more things change...

Harry Hamburg / AP

...the more they remain the same.

...while the food pantries in our corner of the world are scrambling

to figure out how they are going to fulfill the overwhelming need for their services...

...while unemployment statistics are rapidly accelerating ...

...while our area schools continue their decades-long decline...

...while economic development dissintegrates

...while small business owners face onerous and cost-prohibitive regulations...

...while retirees watch their life-savings evaporate...

...while parents worry about just making ends meet...

...while children in our country go to bed hungry each night...

what a relief it is to know this:

"Congress still slated to get automatic pay hike
Lawmakers guaranteed to get a raise, despite slumping economy"

here's the link:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29666229

Lotus flower...

..."The Lotus is the national flower of China. A flower of great purity that originates in deep mud and darkness, the Lotus blossom is the model of spirited life that has been admired by the Chinese people throughout history." -Yu Wei- on her "Dance of Lotus-Burst of Pure Dream"

We recently enjoyed an evening of Chinese culture and history through dance at an area theatre.
Part of this theatre's children's program series,
we seized the opportunity to enjoy such a rare treat in our corner of the world.
We wondered and perhaps worried a bit on how Maggie would do for the performance.
(Spica casts are uncomfortable, and sitting in one position for any length of time makes them more so.)
Our worries were erased with the opening dance, "Lotus-Burst of Pure Dream".
Not only was Maggie mesmerized, but so were we.
Ethereal, magical, and moving are the words that kept coming up as we talked on the way home about Yu Wei and her beautiful dancing.
Maggie was enthralled during the entire performance and would say "Oooh, pretty dress!"
at the opening of each dance.
A delightful evening.
A peek in on our Maggie later on...sleeping peacefully, dancing in her dreams.

Nana's Day...

Sending our wishes to someone whose loved and missed a whole lot too...

Happy Birthday Nana!

Only 1 more week until we get to spend some time with you!

Yahoo!

Bear Hugs...

... so many people have been praying for our Maggie.

Clearly, God has heard those prayers!

We thank each and every one of you for

keeping Maggie covered in prayer

as she heals.

And a special thank you to our good friends Jan and Kent in Converse, Indiana

for the prayers and

and warm fuzzy bear hugs too!

Courage...or, memo to Eric Holder...

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

C.S. Lewis

When we think of courage, we tend to equate it with soldiers, firefighters, policemen, etc.

All very brave and courageous.

But our recent trips to a pediatric hospital have revealed a courage like no other...

Seen on the faces of some very small, yet mighty fighters.

Quietly, yet boldly taking steps down hospital hallways...to do battle.

Faces half-hidden by masks meant to protect them from further harm,

brilliant eyes searching for the familiar and friendly, smiles peeking from underneath.

No time for self pity and despair.

Not here.

Resiliance reinforces an abiding hope in better days.

Courage like no other.

*The picture above in this post was almost one year ago in Nanchang, as we prepared to leave for Shamian Island with our precious Maggie. Talk about courage. Here she was with us for only about a week, leaving everything and everyone she had known behind...and placing all her trust in us...

our brave and beautiful warrior!