He is Greater.....John 3:30 says He must become greater, I must become less"

 and I quote..... "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.   She had so many children, she didn't know what to do. She gave them some broth without any bread; And whipped them all soundly and put them to bed." What. the actual heck?  This is one of the age-old nursery rhymes....and I'm disturbed by it.  I've always had issues with "rockabye baby"....and figured it was created by some really tired mom one night who was at the end of herself....but the old woman in the shoe?  That is actually a child abuse call for me as a mandatory reporter.  Just sayin..... This morning I got my tribe to church.  A few other times I have walked into our worship room with a line full of littles and smiled apologetically because I know that on these sundays we will be distracting to those around us.  Some of the kids will act up and act out and inevitably there will be trips to the bathroom frequently.....and each time I file in with a line full of kids I h...

 I remembered today that I had been doing a monthly reflection since January.  I missed June...and apparently July.  Here we are on the second day of August and I find myself aware of it...aware of how June flew by and July slipped by and now I'm settling into August....aware.  June was a full month of ball games and volleyball competition and vacation.  It was also the last month of my fiscal year of my work as a public health nurse and that means there are lots of reports due and documentation needed to make sure we get funded again.  June was a lot and it was awesome...and hot....and busy.   July slowed down a bit with more nights at home, more lazy pool afternoons and a break from the heat.  We caught fireflies and we cooked more meals at home.  We decided to tackle a huge project long overdue and tore out carpetting in our main living area.  This carpet has been there for over 40 years.  It was gross and disgusting....suff...

 Josiah took out his braids today...well, his friend Charlie took them out.  His natural hair is growing long and gorgeous....and we are hoping that tomorrow our Nisha will come and style it again.  Charlie also wants his hair braided...and his sister Aaliyah.  Our Nisha is gifted and talented and passionate about braiding and styling and growing healthy black hair.  She is invaluable to me....not just because she braids but because I love her as a person.  Her talent to do my kids hair is extra.....hair is a big deal in black community....as a white mom of black kids its also a big deal.   In case you don't know....here is a bit of info.  When we decided to adopt a child and opened our profile to any race of child we were instructed to do some learning.  Their is a really good book called  A Hair Story.  I used to own it but I maybe loaned it out....find it and read it if you can.  There is also a really good documentary ...

 I facilitate a parenting course called Circle of Security.  It's pretty amazing and I love walking parents through the 8 sessions and seeing how it unpacks all of the good things.  One of the sessions addresses babies and small kids having feelings and allowing them to have those feelings without pushing them to a feeling that we as caregivers are more comfortable with.  For example, baby is crying and sad about something and caregiver tries to cheer baby up and "fix it" with a toy or something....rather than just being with the baby while they are sad and being patient until the feeling passes.   As a culture, we suck at this.  Myself included.   When we force children to change their feeling before they are ready to move on, we basically tell them that what they feel is wrong and should change.....and force the feeling or emotion we expect to replace it. I can't prove it but I believe this is part of what is making our kids anxious and dys...

 Apparently they are just a nocturnal form of beetles...and no one really gets excited about beetles.  Fireflies, however, feel magical.  Where I live, they show up the end of June/beginning of July and last just a few weeks.  If you are driving at night, they light up the ditches.  If you are intentional and go outside at sunset they dance in the backyard and coax you to try to catch them....and this only lasts an hour or so a night because once the sun goes down and nighttime falls, they disappear....magical.       Two nights ago I introduced the extra Kredits to fireflies....they were blown away, excited, squealing and a bit apprehensive.  They were each given a jar and started to chase them and catch them.  Once contained they shook the jar to light them up despite my warning that they would harm the little critters.  We came inside and they agreed to open the lids of the jars of fireflies so they could fly away. ...

 At work, not long ago, we were talking about making plans, taking trips, doing the above and beyond kinds of things and  a co-worker said they were thinking about a trip but weren't sure if they should go or not.  I told her, "Do the things.  Do all of the things.  We only get one trip around in this life and we should make as much of it count as we can!"  She told me later that she booked the trip and they went.  It just matters.   There is never enough time to do the things, and certainly not enough money to do the things, and maybe all the things are not practical or necessary.....but I stand by my philosophy that whenever possible.....do the things.   Allowing Precious to try out for and join a travelling club volleyball team was pretty outrageous.....and definitely extra.....and not very practical.  We did it because she was having a really hard year with school friends and was feeling pretty low.....and this would expand...

 Today is June 21, the longest day of the year, Summer Solstice.  The first day of summer is today!  We are in Florida for a vacation/volleyball national championship tournament for Precious.  We are making new friends here which is a big deal at 55 years old.  We are appreciating all the things in Florida that are different than home....the trees and flowers, the wildlife, the skies.  Here in Orlando you can have 3 separate thunderstorms and in between hours and hours of sunshine.....back home they are crying out for rain.       This morning my devotional challenged me to ask God to reveal himself to me through nature....and so I did.  I love fresh revelation....and I love the skies especially with clouds.....and I love the Lord.  We did lots of things today on vacation....but I also watched the skies and noticed the clouds and recognized the bigness of the sky, the power of the wind, and the beauty of the clouds.   ...