Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Love

God,
For the first time, Caroline's started to say "I love you", or "Love you too" without being prompted. It's such a rewarding, soul-filling moment for me, and I'm so grateful that she's saying those words. It's funny that as we grow it can be harder and harder for some people to say "I love you". Today, it's my prayer that you fill Caroline's life with love, that she always feels loved, that she has a deep love of herself, and that she's always able to express love easily. In thinking about Caroline, about love, I'm reminded of a section of 1 Corinthians that's often read at weddings. I read it this morning through the lens of Caroline's life, and it feels to me like it applies. It also makes me think of her wedding, and I do hope you have GREAT plans for that man. In the meantime though, please give her love so that she's patient, kind, humble, selfless, calm, truthful, protective, trusting, hopeful, persevering. I can't think of a better list of attributes to describe someone, and know that Your love is the root of these in our lives.

Please love her, and store love in her soul.
Amen.


Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Relaxed

Dear God,
We've started potty training, and it's something. I feel like the process is really challenging every one of my basic instincts -- I'm trying to stay laid back, supportive rather than directive, non-bothered by accidents. It's hard to do those things for a little while, but it's REALLY hard to do those things 10 hours a day. And it's only day 2. So when I reflect on how these two days have made me feel, it's clear that the older I've gotten, and more responsibility I've taken on, the more 'in control' of things I've become. I wouldn't have described my self as controlling, but with a child, it's changed me a bit. Today my prayer is about these traits I'm seeing in myself, and how they may impact and mold Caroline. God I don't want her to be highly-strung, I don't want her to feel a need to have control of things, I don't want her to worry. I want her to be relaxed, I want her to be able to go with the flow, I want her to ride on top of the waves and not get drug down by the current in life. Please show me how to be those things; relaxed, flexible, on top of the water. I know that the easiest way to influence who Caroline becomes is to pray about it, and also to be a model of the behaviors I want to see in her. So please help me do that, and please work within her to give her motivation and drive, but also a relaxed spirit that's able to flex with the changes in life.

Thank you for my girl, who just doesn't seem like a baby at all any more, and thank you for the days we get to spend together.

Amen.

Friday, May 3, 2013

2nd Birthday

Dear God,
Today is our sweet Caroline's 2nd birthday. In many ways it seems like time has FLOWN by, and in other ways, I remember so many amazing moments from the last 730 days that it can be hard to remember the life we had before you gave her to us. Thank you God for our daughter, thank you for the relationships she has with us and with our family. Today my prayer is for Caroline and for me - God please slow us down, teach us to live in the moments where we find ourselves and lead us toward joy and peace. God please help us to always be aware of the brevity of life, and appreciate even the hard days that we share.

God thank you for the blessing of our precious child.
Amen.