I am your child

Monday was a great day. A tough day. A tiring day. A day I almost forgot I am never alone. A day that God used several people in a row to give me a hug and remind me that He is always right there, no matter where I am or what I am doing.

I decided to clean and reorganize the unfinished portion of our basement. As I was moving some of the items around, I knocked off a full bottle, which broke. That began a frenzy in me to completely redo this area. Elisha was napping, so I had even more desire to get it done.... FAST!! So, moving stuff around, mopping up all the glass and liquid spilled, rearranging and finally cleaning out everything that was left over from my sweet dog, Penny, that we had to have put to sleep the day before we left to get Elisha.

I made quite a dent in it before Eli woke up, and was working on finishing it up with him with me. I was tired and a bit cranky and suffering from conversation deprivation. (That's where you are unable to have a conversation to use up those 35,000 words you need to use each day, and you begin to feel a bit suffocated.)

Supper had boiled over and messed up the nice clean stove I had worked so hard on earlier in the week, and Elisha was suffering from sun deprivation (read: cabin sickness- sick and tired of being in the cabin with Mama.)

The phone rang. It was my friend Karen from PA. She just wanted to call and give me a hug over the phone, 'cause our heavenly Father had been prompting her to pray for me that day. She only stayed a moment on the phone, but it was so nice to be reminded that there are several people all over this planet that God may place us in their hearts and then have conversations with them about us. Imagine how special you are that God puts you in someone elses heart and then prompts them to pray for you when you are in a low spot. Amazing. Utterly amazing. I have prayed for people before. I have even called them before. I am not usually the recipient of those phone calls. I need to call more often. What joy fills your heart when you realize that the God and creator of the universe cares enough about you to interrupt someone else's day and have them pray for you. Thank you, God, and thank you, Karen for sharing that joy with me.

Then the phone rang again.

This time my friend Molly that I hadn't touched bases with for a long time. So good to talk to her again. While we were talking, I saw someone pulling into our drive way. I assumed it was one of our neighbor's friends. They often pull up into our driveway to turn around. Imagine my surprise when the car stopped in front of our basement doors. It was Orlo, a friend from church and our visitation Pastor. He was dropping off a poem he had told me about. As he was telling me about the story behind the poem, my thinking was on 2 tracks as I was trying to watch Elisha who had hit a very hyper time. Ever have those overwhelming moments? Nothing really major happening, but you've run out of cope and aren't due for a shipment any time soon?

As I was just about to feel myself spiraling out of control, Orlo said he guesses he'd better go (as Elisha kept peeking his head around the corner of the doorway and waving Bye Bye), I gave Orlo a hug goodbye. He held my hand close and told me to be still a moment. It was an amazing moment. At first I felt I should run after my son- then, it was as if my stormy and clouded thinking was like the storm the disciples were in, and Jesus had just said, "Peace, be still." Orlo told me he wanted to pray with me before he left. It was such a sweet, sweet time for me. I still have tears spring to the surface as I think about it. God surrounded me during that few minutes, reviving my flagging spirits, restoring my hope, stilling my anxious, crazy thoughts.

I looked at Elisha as Orlo finished. He was watching us. I asked if he wanted to pray with Orlo, too. Da. He came over, folded his hands and closed his little eyes. It was such an amazing moment. Orlo placed his hand on Eli's head and prayed blessing on him. It reminded me of the prophets of old that would come and pass on the mantle to the next generation. As Orlo left, he mentioned that this stop would be one of his last as he was entering retirement the next day. Thank you, God, for using this servant of yours to bless me so deeply and profoundly, and setting the stage with such precision to crack open the doors of my heart so I could receive the blessing.

Thank you for showing me over and over and over again how much you love me. Your love is amazing.

This is a poem I posted a few months before we found out about Elisha. The poem is called An Orphan's Prayer. Click on the poem's title to see that post and read the poem.

This is the poem that Orlo brought. Don't you think they fit well together?

I Am Your Child

I am your child.
All the world waits for my coming.
All the earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.
Civilization hangs in the balance.
For what I am, the world of tomorrow will be.

I am your child.
I have come into your world, about which I know nothing.
Why I came I know not;
How I came I know not.
I am curious; I am interested.

I am your child.
You hold in your hand my destiny.
You determine largely whether I shall succeed or fail.
Give me, I pray you, those things that make for happiness.
Train me, I beg you, that I may be a blessing to the world.

Father, I pray you continue to lead Tim and I as parents, so we can be the people you desire us to be and raise our son the way You desire. I pray we all can draw closer to You, learning more of this deep love You shower on us so we can learn to love others more... deeply, fully, with greater compassion.

Thank you.