{sweet}

In the three or so months since we have become licensed foster parents, we have had the inevitable stuggle with patience. We saw the licensing process go so smoothly and quickly we knew God's hand was leading it. So....we sort of assumed I think that we would have a child placed with us right away. Wrong. We have been called several times but in each case, for one reason or another, it has not worked out. This is an instance where I certainly don't understand God's timing but I KNOW that it is GOOD AND PERFECT and am I am clinging to that. A few weeks ago we both seems to be struggling in particular with this ache we have in our hearts to be parents and the unknowns about how that will happen. We had both been kind of lost in our own thoughts and stuggles, a bit short with each other, and, honestly, weren't really interacting all that pleasantly with one another. During this time, I was sitting at my desk working on finishing some charts for the day, and my gaze fell on the coffee cup that was sitting in front of me. This cup has sat there for probably the better part of a year and is typically used just to hold pens or quarters for the pop machine. The front was facing me and I 'd read it a thousand times. It says, "God, when it rains, are you sad?"

For some reason on that day I decided to turn it around and see what it said on the back. As I read it tears filled my eyes and I felt like I had received a personal answer from God to my questioning of His timing. Here was the message that was hiding right there in plain sight the whole time.

...some things are sweeter when they're slow in coming...there you have it.

When I close my eyes I can see and almost feel how sweet it will be....{sigh}

But for now the sweet thing is that I have a God who sees all, knows all, already has it all worked out, and is holding us in the palm of His hands.

Be Blessed, Kendra

a lesson from the garden.

Sadly I have again fallen off the blogwagon. The more often I do it though, the more grace I am giving myself so there is minimal guilt from my end this time. However, something struck me the other day and I wanted to share it with whomever is still checking this blog after such a hiatus.

The front of our house is landscaped with a variety of flowers and bushes. In the 4 years we have lived here they have done fair - nothing to write home about, but not horrid either. With the exception of one. The rhododendron. The first summer we lived here it was basically a dead looking single stick with about three leaves on it. Throughout the season nothing changed. No more leaves. No flowers. Nothing. Summer two - there was two sticks, still dead looking, and still with only a few leaves on each stick. Summer three showed mild improvement with an increase in the number of leaves but still certainly nothing resembling a flower or even a bud. Pathetic. Multiple times over the past three summers I have told my husband that we should just dig it up, throw it out, and put it out of it's misery (and mine). Not sure why we didn't except digging it up would be work and, well, I garden by neglect and laziness for the most part. Anyway, it stayed. This spring it was looking a bit better, but still not very encouraging. I again thought that some garden euthanasia was in order but didn't act on it. One day I was out admiring my husband's work on our front lawn (you go honey!) and I glanced at it and there was what resembled the start of a tiny bud on the top of one of the dead looking sticks! I dismissed it thinking that surely nothing good could ever come from such a struggling, sad plant. It was a few weeks later when my husband nonchalantly said, "Hey honey, that bush bloomed." I assumed he was talking about a different bush so I looked over and LO AND BEHOLD, the rhododendron was supporting a whole mess of beautiful pink flowers! I stood there amazed that there were actually flowers on the dead sticks! I ran for my camera and snapped a picture of it. Later that night I got to thinking about how amazing God's handiwork is. Isn't it just like God to take something that looked pathetic and lifeless - something I would have gladly throw in the garbage - and make something bright, new, and gorgeous from it! Sounds like salvation to me and I, for one, and so thankful that God chose not to throw me out when I was lifeless and dead looking with sin. Instead he gave me new life. Wow. And you thought it was just a flower :)

Have a blessed Memorial Day.

Take time to stop and be thankful for those who gave all for your freedom. I don't understand this kind of courage but thank God there are so many that find it everyday to protect what we take for granted in this country.

Kendra