so most of you know the story, saw the pictures, read the scary Facebook posts and prayed for Nadia last week. you might want to skip this post. i am journaling it all out since i don’t really keep a … Continue reading
So yesterday I got an email about one of our sunday school teachers from Arizona… She had a sudden heart attack and died. She had three sons (one married, two in college) and a loving husband. Just like that. Gone … Continue reading
my parents used to joke with people as far back as i can remember…. they would say “chelsea, yeah, she was born with her bags packed!” everyone laughs. but everyone who knows me knows how true this statement is. (ha! … Continue reading
when the grandparents have to ask for more pics of the grandkids, you know you have failed on three fronts: mom, photographer, blogger. sigh. i really do want to keep up this blog. i long to journal life with the … Continue reading
How the Leaves Came Down by Susan Coolidge “I’ll tell you how the leaves came down,” The great tree to his children said, “You’re getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown, Yes, very sleepy, little Red. It is quite time to go to … Continue reading
Dearest Firstborn Daughter,
Like thousands or millions, perhaps, of others, I just finished watching the 2 part PBS documentary, Half the Sky. I lost count of how many times I cried. I am still fired up in the depths of my soul with inspiration and zeal.
And I can’t help thinking about you. God gave me three girls. Why? Its simple. To change the world.
I don’t say that arrogantly. I don’t say that with a sense of entitlement. I say it with urgency. I say it with fervor and conviction.
Dealing with gender based violence and exploitation and slavery IS the unfinished business of our century. And you and I are here, in this century, for such a time as this.
Sex slavery is gender based violence.
Female circumcision (genital mutilation) is gender based violence.
Exorbitant female maternity mortality is gender based violence (when its the mutilation and lack of freedom to seek medical attention or help that contributes to the death rates).
Child sexual exploitation is gender based violence.
AND IT HAS TO STOP. This isn’t a “cultural sensitivity” issue. This is a fundamental human rights issue. There is no cultural norm that must simply be accepted out of “respect for the culture” if it leads to widespread exploitation and enslavement of an entire gender population.
If I was a mother in Cambodia, I would have been congratulated when you were a girl, because that meant I would have financial security in the ability to sell her body to foreign sex tourists. When I would have had THREE daughters, I would have been considered the luckiest mom in the village… this is a cultural norm that must be aggressively and tirelessly resisted and reversed. (*find out more about parental complicity in child sexual exploitation in Cambodia in the film NEFARIOUS)
If I was a was a prostitute in India, and gave birth to you, I would believe I now have a companion in my “old” age once I couldn’t sell myself anymore. I would not want you to go to school, because even I knew that if you were educated you would leave me and look down on me… this is a cultural norm that must be challenged and reversed.
If I was a wife and mother in Somalia, not only would I arrange for the brutal mutilation of your genitals, which I knew would lead to a lifetime of pain, complications and quite possibly death, but if I had a son, I would not allow him to marry a girl unless she was “cut” as well… this cultural norm must be exposed for what it is, VIOLENT OPPRESSION, and courageously fought against.
You know me, you know my love of all things cultural. You know I would be the first to step up and try to educate others about cultural sensitivity. But this is where I draw the line. This is where I say that its not cultural ITS EVIL.
You have said you want to be a missionary. At six years old. This is your dream. I pray to God it is your reality as well. You are wired and created uniquely to care for others… to bind up, heal, and comfort those in pain and distress. I pray you will be a champion of women and girls in your lifetime and beyond. I hope I can model that for you in my lifetime. Victims of gender based violence are voiceless. You and I are not. Victims of gender based violence are marginalized and hidden in the darkest recesses of our globe. We can go to them with the Light of the love of Jesus… the only Light that can and will defeat and dispel the darkness. I painfully but excitedly release you, you whose middle name means SHINING AND LUMINOUS, into those dark recesses. You have the Light within you, and with that, my daughter… you can change the world.
My dear Adelaide Zahara, its not by “luck” that you were born as a girl into the West. Its by design. With great privilege and wealth and opportunity come great responsibility. I don’t even have to tell you this, though, because you were born to give, to love, to comfort, to heal. And you know this already, even at the ripe young age of six years old. I see it in you. Others see it in you. This world will be blessed, will be better for you being born in such a time as this. We have sisters and daughters and mothers in the world that need us to be their voice. Need us to cry for their freedom, their empowerment, and their opportunity. I hope we can and will use our voices for GOOD together. I hope your voice goes further and louder than my own. I hope you will always “let your light so shine before men [and women] that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” This was the verse God gave me for you… I am starting to understand that is was to prepare me to to let you GO and shine in the darkness, where His Light is needed most. I love you so much. I am so proud of who you are. I am already learning so much from you… May you always know you were born for a purpose, you have a magnificent destiny, and you are loved immeasurably. May your arms, your life, be full of those who need your love, your light, your comfort and your voice. Open them wide. Give freely. Love fully. Shine brightly. Speak loudly.
Love,
Your Mama
so the girls and i hopped in the car one Sunday morning to head north to rhode island to meet up with their cousins. the road trip started out great… especially after a little stop on the NJ side of NYC. we stopped at Liberty State Park to stretch our legs, eat and gear up for the rest of the drive. it was such a fun place… beautiful views of NYC, ellis island and the backside of lady liberty. i had a blast taking some much needed pictures of the girls here. i want to remember these moments forever.
of course the rest of the drive was a total nightmare… complete with someone peeing in their carseat while we were stuck in yet another long line at yet another toll booth. then a freakish storm that made all the other drivers on the road C R A Z Y ridiculously slow. i practically begged my sister in law, rebecca, to have a tall glass of wine ready for me when we arrived. and she did. 
and all was well in the end.
i had been hearing about my niece and nephew’s grandparents’ place for years now…. basically 13 acres of paradice for kids (and adults).
and it was SO true. Casa Pelegro was all of that and more. the pool was an instant hit, of course. but then there was the pond, the rolling “hills”, tire swings spread throughout the place, the “hazzard county jail: for time out sentences” which was a log cabin playhouse (on steroids) complete with climbing wall, gardens of fresh produce, fruit trees, fire pit patio complete with charades stage, golf carts to ride around on….. need i say more?! sue and walt have spend years perfecting this space… and their grandkids have made some lifelong memories there. each summer, walt and sue’s three daughters and their families and kids come out and “play” for anywhere from 2-4 weeks at a time. it really is like a summer camp of sorts. they make “camp” t-shirts each year, and a summer yearbook. i love it!
the girls and i had such a lovely time with my sister in law and her parents, sisters and their families. we celebrated my nephew’s 10th birthday by attending the Paw Socks baseball game (an annual tradition now).
speaking of baseball… the following story illustrates how NOT into sports the hudson girls are… when i told adelaide we were going to see the paw socks baseball game, she looked at me, kinda sighed, and put her hand on her hip and said, “well, i am not playing in it.” i then realized they have never really been exposed to sports… especially professional sports. right. so i tried to explain what a professional baseball team was. she nodded thoughtfully and then asked if Gordon (her 10 year old cousin) would be playing in it. right. i am pretty sure she still doesn’t really “get” it even after attending the game. she does know you get lots of junk food at baseball games, though.
Liberty State Park
welcome to case pelegro!
serious fort and playland fun!
the campfire and charades stage
aunt rebecca and cousin greer!
happy birthday Gordon!
uncle Vic and nadia~
beach time!
picking blueberries!
such a FUN place!!!!
the girls and i road tripped it up this last weekend…. more on that trip to come.
for now, check out my friend Devi’s blog. she asked me to be a guest blogger today, and i feel very honored to be able to share my thoughts and heart on her blog about motherhood and justice issues.
and because i just love this picture, here is a taste from one of the many stops on our way to rhode island….
i have not missed you and your constant triple digits. yeah, it was 111 when we landed on june 1.
adelaide and i made a special trip to phoenix together. i was hired to shoot a wedding in phoenix, and brought adelaide along (as a surprise to her) to visit and stay with our dear friends the bertolinis. adelaide and lidia were both born in Berlin. adelaide’s first friend was Scout, robin and alex’s first “baby” before lidi came along. we had some awesome times together in Germany and were very fortunate to move to phoenix together as well. the girls hadn’t seen each other since we moved, almost 2 years ago.
but they picked up right where they left off…. but with more sass and more independence. and a lot of dancing. i just love these girls. it was a super short visit, but we so enjoyed reconnecting and reminiscing. i hope we all live in the same town again sometime… somewhere in the world.
early morning flight. i don’t do mornings. she does, somehow.
so this is a DREAM piece of wall art for me… saw it in starbucks in the airport. classy. i want this image on my wall… except i want the people in the photo to be my kids… on our around the world trip i dream about taking with them. someday. its going to happen. and when it does, it is going on my wall.
and the posing is after just watching “barbie fashion show”…. good times.
i L O V E this shot of Lidi dancing… can’t decide between black and white and color….
sad to leave….
and just for fun…. pic of them 2.5 years ago.
yeah, i was a bit sentimental. on another note, when did they start the cap and gown and pomp and circumstance for kindergarten graduations??!
she looked so grown up. this is the picture of her i am going to see in my mind when she is 18 and looks over at me from her high school grad crowd. it will be a steve martin moment (a la Father of the Bride)… “dad, i met a man in rome, and he’s wonderful and he’s brilliant and we’re getting maaaarrriiieeed.”
adelaide did great this semester at Forcey Christian School. her teacher, ms. powell, was a perfect fit for her. her love and care of adelaide meant the world to me. oh, and her teaching was awesome too.
my favorite part of the night? each child was pulled aside in the previous weeks and asked, privately, what they wanted to be when they grew up. during the graduation, each of them came to the mic and said, “when i grow up, i want to be_______________.”
Adelaide: When i grow up, I want to be a missionary!”
LOVE!!
i am going to water that seed and cultivate a little world changer in this family. she has a heart of gold. so full of love and care for others. i anticipate seeing all God has uniquely created her to be in the years to come.
“when i grow up i want to be a missionary!”
Life. It just keeps on going, eh? John just rolled out of the driveway with a canoe on his truck and two excited girls in the cab. A fishin’ they will go tonight. And baby girl is napping, way longer than is probably good for her (or me in the middle of the night), but whatev. IT’S QUIET, YO!!! I don’t mess with quiet.
This will be a bullet point journaling post… with a few pics spliced here and there… maybe. We’ll see how it goes. I am a blog-as-you-go kind of person, rather than the plan-your-posts-and-write-them-in-advance kind of person. My grammatical errors and frequent tangents probably clued you into that already. Whatever. Its how I roll.
So here we go….
Sydney’s last day of preschool was this week. Summer vacation is upon us. As a dear friend of mine said, “its summer vacation now… where my little ray of sunshine will be home with me 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 4 weeks a month….smile.” I need to plan ahead and get some structure in place so we don’t waste the summer wasting time and energy wasting time. As a side note, Sydney… you know, the little cherub I have had great difficulties with for the past couple of years? She’s a dream child. No one told me age four is such a dream. I think I missed Adelaide’s 4 because Sydney was 2 and her age 2 slightly dominated everything at that point. But man, what a huge, gigantic, collosal difference four has been. I just want to eat her up like an ice cream sunday.
I am on day 3 of no wheat. I have to say that my willpower the last couple of days has surprised even me. I have never been known for my, uh, ability to stick to something hard. Yes, i am aware this is only day 3, but if everything i have read about this deal is true, it should only get easier after the first week or so. I actually turned down an entire dessert table at a picnic today. Booyah. This thing better work. Hope I don’t kill my family this weekend if the cravings get bad.
Wedding season has commenced for Chelsea Hudson Photography. Shot my first wedding at the beautiful Chesapeake Bay Foundation with the even more beautiful Kevin & Taryn. Can’t think of a better way to start off the season this year. It was perfect. Just perfect. You can check it out on the blog, if you so choose. June is full to overflowing with weddings for me… one in Phoenix, one in Arlington,VA and one in Towson, MD. All will be a blast to shoot and are with awesome people (including my lovely sister in law!). I really do think I have such an awesome job. There is another website renovation going on… this time because I realized my site is not viewable on mobile devices as is. And that simply won’t do. When the site launches there will be updated pricing, a mini session marathon and more announced! Stay tuned!
Adelaide is cruising through kindergarten. She is tall and sweet… with a side helping of attitude these days. No one told me about age six. Wow. I feel like it is a dead wringer for foreshadowing the preteen years. We had a blast at her school’s international night a few weeks ago. One of the teachers allowed her to wear a bavarian girl’s outfit and it was simply adorable on her. We manned a Germany Table complete with curry wurst, Ritter Sport chocolate, and pumpernickel bread. I love that her school is truly multi-ethnic and that she is making friends and interacting with so many different ethnicities in her class and the other kindergarten classes. Kindergarten graduation is just around the corner and I am sure I will be sniffling through it all. Here is a picture of Adelaide dressed up as a German girl, and then a picture of me, at age 5ish, dressed up as a German girl. CRAZY!
Nadia is 18 months now. Adorable and loud. We have arrived at the screaming phase. Oh Jesus, please help me. Sydney’s scream fest lasted so long I waned to just disappear until she found her words. And here we are again. Nadia definitely has an opinion, an agenda and is oh-so-determined to make it all happen according to her plan. Blows my mind. But when she smiles at me, walks over and lays her head on my leg and sucks her thumb looking at me with her big blue eyes, I am mush. Complete mush.
John is the proud driver of a bright yellow truck. It is part of the deal of his last promotion. We are a ray of sunshine in our neighborhood, now. Whether they like it or not. He is making little nature lovers out of the girls. They love to go fishing and hiking with him. Anytime. Everytime.
Speaking of the neighborhood, we had our second annual Mother-Daughter Garden Tea Party this past weekend in the neighborhood. It was so great! So much fun and just a perfect day. All the moms contributed food, drinks, decor, and crafts. They girls had a blast dressing up in all kinds of paraphernalia, decorating mini cakes, eating alot, running alot, and especially laughing alot. Like I said, it was just perfect! I am so blessed to have such rich neighborhood community here. (more pics and blog post to come on this one!)
I have had an incredible month of making all kinds of connections in the fight against human trafficking. God has brought amazing, passionate people across my path (in person and via the internet) and I am starting to feel a sense of community in this journey. I felt like it was time to launch a blog that could be devoted to just human trafficking and other injustices, and more specifically our response to them, and in so doing get my “family blog” back on track and back to recording and remembering life around here. DO A LITTLE GOOD BLOG is a dream that is starting to come to reality and I am beyond excited, humbled and anxiously anticipate all God has in store for me and others as we journey into this issue more and more. Check it out: http://www.doalittlegoodblog.wordpress.com
And that is about all for now…
yeah, i know… i talk about it alot. but thats ok… because it is WORTH my time,( and dare i say yours?), to talk about it.
last night i finished a new book, a fiction one, about child trafficking. fiction, based on the realities of millions of girls, though.
i wept afterwards. on my knees, i wept for the little girls who were, at that very moment, in the worst kind of hell anyone can imagine. girls who are Adelaide’s age. girls who are experiencing the deepest and most consuming kind of hopelessness and despair. a kind of despair that i can’t even begin to fathom… and i have a good imagination.
i have been passionate about this issue for some time. but last night i felt like it went from my head to the depths of my soul for the first time. i can mentally and intellectually get behind fighting sex trafficking. who CAN’T?! but it moved to a deeper lever for me last night… maybe another “game changer” kind of moment i blogged about earlier (in regards to my health).
not only do i WANT to be engaged in this issue… one of the most horrific issues of our day and age… but i begged God to allow me to spend my life for this cause last night. i don’t pray this prayer lightly or in a sense of overwhelming pity for the girls (and boys) enslaved in such evil. it was a calculated prayer and one i believe pleases my God. one that i truly mean with all of my heart. and one that i know could very well be costly on many fronts.
but you know what? i think He was weeping with me last night, too. in fact i know He was. His heart for the poor, the orphaned (orphans are one of the foremost targets of sex traffickers), and the oppressed is clearly expressed throughout the entirety of His Word (the Bible). the more i read it, the more i understand that He is desperately calling out those of us who would fight for these children, pursue them, rescue them, restore them.
ISAIAH 1:17
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
i remember reading Francis Chan’s book, The Forgotton God, (one of my fave books, by the way) and he described a moment just like i had last night. he talked of this overwhelming feeling washing over him and of weeping for these children. he talked of thinking about his own daughters… what would he do if it was HIS daughter that was stolen and destined to such a pain and loss? would he not spend every penny and every breath looking for her, rescuing her from the pit of hell? then why would he not do it for other children? why not expend himself to fight for other fathers’ children, or children with no one else to search for them and fight for them?
and i asked myself the very same questions last night…. there are beautiful innocent girls out there with NO ONE to fight for them. no one to look for them. no one to care. can you imagine such despair?! it moves me to tears even right now thinking about it. will i care? will i fight? will i risk annoying friends and family and strangers with my passion for justice? will i be willing to sacrifice for the least of these?
some ask, but what about your own family.. your own girls. God gave them to you to focus on in this season. your ministry is with them, first, and then to others.
and i ask, what greater gift can i give my girls than to see their mother caring, serving, sacrificing for, and advocating for girls just like them around the world? in fact, what greater gift than to teach them by example about the God of justice… the God we believe in and worship who longs for justice and freedom for these girls?! and what greater gift can i expereince myself, to walk this road together with my own girls. this is something i want to be a part of our family dna… a bullet point on the “who are you as a family” kind of question. and if someone were to ask me this question (the “who are the Hudsons” question) in a year, five years, 10 years, i hope to be able to say something like this:
“Who are we? Well, one of the things we are about is freedom and justice. We fight for justice for those enslaved to the commercial sex trade, specifically children. We do it in small ways and big ways. We sacrifice time and resources to educate and equip others to join us in this fight. We find creative ways, as a family, as a community to fight this horrific injustice of our day. We don’t apologize for the megaphone call to join us in this fight, because we believe so strongly in it, but we respect others’ choices along the way. We live a normal life. We play, we enjoy freedom and frivolous times. We enjoy God’s gifts and embrace His call simultaneously. He enables us, by His grace, to do that. We aren’t perfect, but we are committed. This is just a part of who we are. “
as the girls grow into their adulthood, i know God may have different paths for them to pursue… but i hope and pray that they will ALWAYS be passionate about justice and always be willing to expend themselves for others, especially the “least of these.”
imagine with me for a moment….
what if William Willburforce had decided that slavery was just too big and too overwhelming of an issue to fight for?!
what if Bonhoffer had decided that his life and his family was of more worth than to fight against the tyranny of the nazi’s?!
what if Corrie ten Boom and her family had decided that the safety of their family was of far more worth than the lives of their Jewish neighbors ( and strangers)?!
what if Martin Luther King , Jr. had decided that racism was too big of an issue to fight against, and that his life was of more value to him than losing it?
please note… i am not liking myself to ANY of the above mentioned! i feel as inadequate and inferior to them, and can’t imagine being able to live up to their standards of selflessness and service…. but what i see in each of them is a willingness to take on the evil of their day and age, no matter what the cost, because it was WORTH IT. sure, my life may never be on the line, but there could be loss involved. will it be worth the risk? i think yes. i pray yes.
and so, as i have stated in this blog before, i am excited to dig in even deeper… to pursue dreams and ideas of fighting justice in the context of being a mom. i know God is equipping me for something bigger than myself.. something i can’t logically and reasonably think through to its conclusion. something i am driven to pursue and yet have no idea what it will look like in the end. but it has to do with justice and freedom for child sex slaves. and it has to do with mobilizing and encouraging and equipping other moms like me who have a heart for these precious kids, but no idea how to engage in fighting for them within the context of their family limitations and calling as moms. God has a place for US in this fight, and i am excited to pursue what this can look like on a more practical and measurable way. moms have a lot to offer… we have alot of limitations too. but we don’t have to wait until the kids grow up before we can “do something.” we can engage in this issue right in the midst of the carpooling, soccer practice, homework and house cleaning…
stay tuned!
i thought i would include a list of resources and organizations, books and articles and movies that have informed and motivated me on this journey. if you want to learn more about child sex slavery, about the facts, about the victories and freedom stories, about the atrocities…. read, watch, engage with these resources. maybe you will join me on this journey. maybe not. but regardless, the time is well worth being spent on educating ourselves seeing as this IS one of the most pressing issues of injustice in our day and time.
We can’t do everything, but we can ALL do SOMETHING!!!!
MOVIES: (all graphic and real life portrayals of the reality of the evil of trafficking.)
The Price of Sex – documentary being screened at various locations and stations. excellent film. go see it if at all possible!
BOOKS:
Just Courage - Excellent first look into IJM and its heart and passion as well as its president and founder, Gary Haugen. I am growing to respect this man more and more in leaps and bounds.
The Hole in Our Gospel - haven’t finished this one yet, but verrrrry good and thought provoking thus far!
Little Princes - i reviewed this book already on the blog, here. inspiring and eye opening.
A Walk Across the Sun - a review of this book is coming soon. EXCELLENT read. Fictional account of the real life underbelly of the sex trade. Cannot recommend it enough. It is graphic and intense and heart-rending.
Priceless - this is the book i referred to at the beginning of this email. another fiction book that actually moved me to my knees in tears. again, not for the faint of heart, and not for easy weekend reading. i couldn’t put it down, though.
Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom - one of the first books i read on the sex industry in general. excellent place to start.
Scars and Stillettos - this is the woman, and her testimony and story, that God used to open my eyes to this issue in the first place. i went to LA and was trained by Harmony and her team to reach out to dancers in the clubs. opens your eyes to the complex web of deceit, lies and bondage that affects the women involved in the sex industry (both nationally and internationally, enslaved and “voluntary”).
ORGANIZATIONS:
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first, the bad news.
you know that running thing i was attempting? the one i wrote the whole post about? the one i was excited about yada yada?
well, basically 30 seconds after i posted the blog, i consulted my calendar. said calendar told me i already had (very important) plans that weekend of the 5K race for The Samaritan Women. i was so bummed! and yes, a little discouraged that my goal was already being sabatoged.
but i pressed on, and kept up the couch to 5K running plan. for three weeks. then, the 4th week my mom was in town and i just missed it that week, fully planning to jump back on the wagon when she left.
and then pollen came. and wiped.me.out. or rather, it had wiped out my respiratory system. i was jogging and walking just fine up until this point. and from then until now (nearly 4 weeks now), i can hardly walk from the car to my house without starting to wheeze. its been really bad. i am chalking it up to pollen because everyone around here tells me that is what it HAS to be. but in reality, i have no idea what it is that is making my system go so haywire.
as of today, the tests and doctor’s opinion tell me i have nasal polyps and a extremely over-sensitive respiratory system. apparently i am not allergic to anything in particular, just everything irritates my airways. lovely. i told my doc today, ” long term, i am not interested in merely symptom management… i am interested in wholistically pursuing the cause and root of my respiratory issues. short term, please give me something to take that gives me some relief, allows me to sleep, and doesn’t turn me into the monster i am when i am drugged out of my mind with allergy meds.” she looked at me sadly saying this was going to be a “management” issue for the rest of my life. i respectfully disagree, and am pursuing full and complete healing of these issues from every angle i can. but i will take her 4 prescriptions and give the meds a chance to give me some relief along the road to recovery.
and that is the end of my couch to 5K journey for now, folks. not only can i not exercise, i am now on drugs that make me super hungry and cause most people to gain extra weight pretty fast. fantastic.
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and for the good news….
that same wednesday night… the one i just mentioned… well, i went to a healing prayer service at All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, MD. not far from here. i had a “come to jesus” moment that past weekend… it was one of those turning moments, those “ah ha” oprah-esque moments. you know, the kind that you read about in the health magazines… where they show the inspirational story of someone who lost like 150 lbs in a year or something. they ALL have “that moment” in the story… the pivotal moment that it clicked finally… the moment where everything changed in their minds and hearts and they were able to finally pursue health and wellness in a new and focussed way.
well, mine was a very emotional one that had to do with a daughter crying over a picture of me smiling and laughing, wondering when i would smile again and not be sick.
talk about a piercing moment. and something changed that night. shifted. i woke up the next day, as miserable as ever, but willing to do whatever it takes to get well. first up was a new doc appt. and then a healing prayer time.
i believe in healing and in prayer. i know lots of people are praying for me and believing God wants to heal me completely. i am trying to believe that too and hold onto that and fight for it. but to be perfectly honest, i haven’t been on the receiving end of alot of answered prayer as of late.
long story short, the prayer time with two complete strangers at All Saints was wonderful. i walked away feeling supported, encouraged, thankful for people who would give of their time to pray for and support someone like me. but that was about it.
the next morning, however, i felt like a completely different person. not exaggerating in the least. i felt like i was about 200 lbs lighter, like an unbearable weight had been lifted off of me. i woke up with greatly reduced symptoms. note this…. i had dropped off my prescriptions to CVS the day before, but had not picked them up yet. so this “feeling better” had nothing to do with medication. i woke up ready to engage with the girls and smile and laugh with them. i haven’t felt this way in months, people. MONTHS. i usually wake up in a drug induced stupor barely able to get cereal on the table for the girls and begging them not to yell or fight cause i felt like a zombie. this was such a completely out of body feeling experience to feel light, focussed, joyful in the morning. i was really just sitting at the computer in shock at the change when it dawned on me…. these things were very specific answers to very specific prayers the night before.
i didn’t tell the prayer people what to pray. i told them my story, and they prayed. some specific things they prayed for?
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some more good news….
John and I went to a parenting seminar last weekend. it was put on by the National Center for Biblical Parenting and was called “Cooperation, Consequenses and Keeping Your Sanity.” sign me up! i have read ALOT of parenting books…. across the entire spectrum of parenting theories and philosophies. in all my reading, the resources provided by this particular prganization have BY FAR been the most helpful and have resonated with us the most. it seems that on the extremely conservative christian side of the parenting spectrum, it is all about rules and behavior modification without addressing the deeper issues of WHY we discipline and train and work with our kids. and on the other extreme, there is a heavy emphasis on the WHY, but less practical application along the way. the resources (books, seminars, teaching etc) from the National Center for Biblical Parenting are a beautiful marriage of the two… a clear and heavy emphasis on HEART issues and honor and grace in parenting, as well as incredibly practical application.
anyhow, this seminar content wasn’t anything new to me (i had read the info before) but the content finally sunk in deeper and John and I were greatly inspired and equipped to make some much needed changes in our communication, instruction, and discipline routines at home. frankly, our current routines were terrible… they werent working, were often motivated out of anger and annoyance and focussed on just getting them to STOP ANNOYING US. sad, but true.
since last weekend (i know i know… barely any time), we have experienced the fruit of changing the way WE relate and interact and instruct the girls already. of course its not perfect around here, but if the measure of peace and closeness we have experienced in the last few days by just changing TWO of the discipline and instruction routines we do around here is any indication of what is to come… i am a super happy and thankful mom!
if you are interested in the content that we covered, i would love to share… we are in the learning and growing process of implementing some new things, so by far no expert, but man… being a mom of three small girls, i know how desperate I get to have some help, direction, ANYTHING to help change the way things are going in our house and family relationships. maybe i will post the cliff notes of what stood out to us the most sometime… but in the meantime, contact me if you want further info. and DO check out the resources on the site i linked. very helpful.
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the garden is in! the basement is 98% finished! the trampoline is up! spring is looking up!
much to be thankful for around here…. answered prayers, deep conversations with a daughter, fun with neighbors, community, a new church home, sunshine with no bugs yet, dreams, peace, vision, direction. HOPE.
the little ones and i went on a little jaunt to Brookside Gardens, a local park near us. it was a lovely, lovely day, with lovely lovely little girls. they are so full of personality, and sometimes sass. but mostly personality.
what the????? that middle one? i did not teach her that.
i know this one is not sharp, but i LOVE the feel of it.
flying sydney!
and here is a little lesson on posing…. first picture looks stiff, stale, awful. so not sydney… but the second one… bingo! a much better fit!
her expressions kill me. love them!
peek-a-boo!!! her favorite thing to play with me, with anyone really! she laughs so hard.
smooch smooch!
