Traveling Without My Husband

A couple of weeks ago, I had the thought to ask my husband if it would help him finish his master's thesis if I were to take the children and myself to visit my parents in another state. He thought about it and said it would, so within four days of that suggestion, I was on the road with our four children.

I am extremely grateful that we have family along the way who have been willing to let us stay with them and that the cousins are glad to play with each other. It also helps since I'm the only driver and having a place to stop means I only have to drive 4-6 hours a day instead of the whole 11-13 hours, not including stops. I'm also grateful for my parents who let us stay with them at the last minute.

We head back home in a couple of days and my main motivation will be to see my husband. We all miss him. I've learned how much I depend on his help with our children, especially at bedtime and when A has a hard time. I'm glad that God designed the family to have a mother and a father so that they could work together to raise their children and I've just grown to appreciate it more these last few days. Hooray for families!

Things I Love About My Faith: I Am A Child of God

Ever since I was little, I've known that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father that knows me and loves me. We believe in our church that all people are spiritual children of God, created in God's own image. We believe that God is our spiritual Father and we, as His children, are all brothers and sisters. Because we are His children, He wants us to become like Him and so He has given us a plan while we are here on the earth where we can learn to become like Him and return to live with Him one day.

This last week, I had a friend share a thought that made me think about this concept in a different way. She said that each of us, at our most basic level, is a child of God and as such, that is how we should define ourselves. Many times, we define ourselves by our talents or achievements, our professions, or our feelings. Because we define ourselves this way, the definition of ourselves can change for good or for bad many times, even in one day.

When we, instead, define ourselves as a child of God, as a person who is related to the Creator and Designer of the universe, how else can we see ourselves except as a person who is somebody, who has great and even divine worth. If we could know that all the time, wouldn't we treat ourselves and others differently? Would we act more kindly, more generously, more charitably with those around us, but especially with ourselves?

I know that I have a Father in Heaven who knows me better than I know myself and loves me still. I love that I am a child of a real, tangible God, not some unknowable, formless spirit that pervades the universe. I love that I am made in His image and that He has provided us a way to return to live with Him again. I love that I can talk with Him through prayer and that He can answer me and help me when I need it. Isn't it great?

Three Cheers for Antibiotics

Okay, so this week has basically been used to recover from a case of strep throat. However, at least it wasn't as bad as when I had it last October and thankfully, I don't have mono. I am extremely grateful for all those people that took the time to play/work with mold so that my really bad sore throat would go away much quicker than in olden days. I am also grateful for my sweet husband who worked hard to let me rest, as much as one can rest with four children, while he's trying to write and finish his master's thesis.

I'm feeling much better, so we'll see if I ever get around to actually starting my series. To quote Tigger, "TTFN, ta ta for now."