tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77692853554686912642024-03-14T01:41:58.063-07:00Jayne's JotterJust some thoughts and ramblings from my life and family.Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-68655074494261410722019-06-01T21:44:00.001-07:002019-06-01T21:59:07.869-07:00moving forwardI had been thinking its time to start writing again, its been quite some time. I found this blog again and decided now was as good a time as ever. I think I felt it had to be perfect, it had to be inspired and recently I have not been feeling any of those things.<br />
The last few years have been transitional for me, with ministry, friendships, home, family. A lot of it was good for our family and marriage but with transition and change there always comes a shift. <br />
And that shift left me feeling unsteady and unsure at times. Questioning and even fighting for what I felt should have been or might have been? I have at times realized I had become a little stuck in the transition like a record player stuck in a groove and the monotonous sound playing over and over not able to move on and causing frustration, distraction and annoyance. <br />
My heart was fragile and almost a little broken, feeling the need to process and yet not always sure how to do it well. And when I did it seemed too messy, too hard, too exhausting so id give up. I continued to stuff and then it never came out very pretty when I had opportunity to share. I would try to just keep moving along but I felt more like a ship being bobbed back and forth in the ocean not able to make a lot of head way. There has been a resistance in my heart, a sadness that has blocked me from allowing to see that in this all I can have victory and joy. And I know too well I have a choice in this all too.<br />
<br />
I like to refer to life in seasons, like the verse that is known so well "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:" Eccelsiastes 3:1<br />
I have struggled to celebrate the new and to let go of the things that have caused the record player to become stuck!<br />
In my feelings of being uprooted and displaced I became weighted down and at times have been blinded by self pity and not allowing myself to see what is good. We need to be able to mourn change and transition, but its when it comes with resentment, it becomes a burden.<br />
I am still in the process of trying to work through this all and yet while I feel at times discouraged by my reactions and lack of growth in this matter, I know there is hope. I keep reminding myself of the truth that God is faithful, and I have hope in the resurrection, hope in forgiveness and hope in moving forward.<br />
I don't have it all neat and wrapped up in a bow at this time, its a daily struggle and I have to constantly work at being focused on His truths. As I am being vulnerable in writing this, I am trusting for change and knowing God is gracious to see this through. May I be listening and aware of the obnoxious sound of a stuck needle on a record player.<br />
<br />
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<br />Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-21301314250518907092013-03-26T07:33:00.004-07:002013-03-26T07:33:51.911-07:00Home.....Where we belong<br />
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"Do you miss home?"<br />
I get asked this question a lot, especially when people find out I
grew up in Northern Ireland. You see, much to the horror of my family, I
have lost my accent just a wee bit! Sometimes, people are really surprised when I tell them that I did not grow up here in the States.As a teenager, the idea of living in another country seemed
appealing, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it might
happen. I was quite a homebody and would become horribly homesick any
time I went away from home. As a child, I would stay overnight with my
grandparents; they lived about 20 miles away.I have memories of them having to drive me back home because I would be crying so much.When I stepped onto that Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Chicago on
Aug. 15, 1998 to spend a year at college, the excitement of a year away
was much anticipated. I did drag my feet a little in making the decision
to go, though, because I loved where I grew up.It was my home.I really had no intentions of meeting the love of my life, getting
married, moving to the United States permanently and raising my family
here, but thankfully, I am not the one in control of my life.I do miss certain things about Northern Ireland: the breathtaking
scenery, the greenness of the grass year-round, the friendliness and
humor of the people, drinking tea and eating chocolate biscuits with
good friends.<br />
Over the years, though, I think the word “home” has really started to
mean something different to me, especially now that we have our own
children and I really feel settled here. I understand now that home is just not a physical place but a place where I belong.As much as I miss my immediate family in Northern Ireland, I really
feel like this is where I am supposed to be. Home to me now is where I
live with my husband and our three boys. I love quotes, and this one sums up our family home: “Where we LOVE is home."
<br />
If you ever visit our home, you will probably be most overwhelmingly
greeted with a lot of noise. You will see two boys wrestling in the
middle of our living room floor, a very cute baby cooing and smiling or
possibly screaming for his mama, baskets of laundry - some clean and
some not clean - sitting in piles on the couch. But hopefully amidst the
craziness and chaos, you will know this is a place of love,
forgiveness, growth and strength. A place where we can be ourselves. And the place where we belong.<br />
<br />
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Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-51833651625132942682013-03-26T07:10:00.007-07:002013-03-26T07:10:50.805-07:00Friendship at a time of needAfter our son was diagnosed with autism,
I remember feeling strangely relieved. We could finally move forward
and begin educating ourselves so we could figure out how to help our
son. At the same time, though, I had an overwhelming sense of sadness, a fear of the unknown and loneliness.Those early days were difficult and very hard; there was so much for
me to process mentally but also emotionally and spiritually.During that time, there are two people for whom I am so thankful that God brought them into my life.I remember receiving a phone call not long after we heard the news.
It was from a mom whom I didn't know personally; she did not know us but
knew friends of ours. Her son had been diagnosed prior to ours, and she
wanted to call and let me know that she was there for support.I just remember being so encouraged by the fact that someone took the
time to contact me. I remember crying and just being so relieved that
someone else knew and understood what I was dealing with at that time.
Even though she was extremely busy with her own life, she took the time
to call me because she cared. A few weeks after our conversation, she arrived at our house with a
bag full of gluten- and dairy-free groceries for our son. She knew how
hard it was to start a diet like that with your child, so she wanted to
give us some ideas and new foods to taste.Again, I was just blown away by her thoughtfulness and kindness.
<br />
<br />
The second lady I met was through a support contact list I had been
given through the school. I was having a very bad day. I needed to talk
to someone who could maybe help to answer some of my questions.When I called her, she said, much to my surprise, “Why don’t you and
your boys just come and visit our home?” I was so surprised that, again,
a total stranger would care enough about this frantic stranger and
invite her to her home! I remember feeling so welcomed. She listened to me, gave me support, understood and was patient when my son had a meltdown because it was time for us to leave.<br />
<br />
These two ladies were brought into my life because of something that
we had in common. They were able to reach out and love me in the way I
needed to be loved and supported at that time. They, too, had gone
through the same thing and knew the challenges we were facing.Thankfully, they didn’t want me to go through this on my own. They knew the pain of an autism diagnosis.I am learning that the painful things that happen in our lives can be
the very things that enable us to reach out and help other people. These two ladies - and others I have met since - have inspired me to
want to do the same. This is a difficult journey, but when you have
people in your life who love and support you along the way, it does help
to make it a little easier. I hope that whatever difficult circumstance you are facing today, you
will be able to find others who can reach out and support you. Also,
out of your pain, you will understand what it is to be a friend to those
who really need your love and support.Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-78158579180948942832013-03-26T07:02:00.000-07:002013-03-26T07:02:43.262-07:00Making mess and memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One day, while searching around on
Pinterest, I found this great quote that I would love to display on a
big plaque as you come through the front door of my home.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>“Excuse the mess...the children are making memories.”</strong></div>
I do like and appreciate order and cleanliness in my home, but I have
come to understand that when you have children - especially when you
have boys - it is often difficult to have a mess-free home. As you enter my home, you will most likely have to step over a few
light sabers, squeaky baby toys and probably a stray Lego or two.Both of my older boys are mud magnets, especially my oldest. For him,
it may be sensory-related. He seems to find great comfort and delight
in playing in dirt, especially wet, muddy dirt, so you can imagine the
mess. He finds great pleasure in covering himself from head to toe.
Then, of course, that dirt gets transferred to my home, so you can often
see a track of muddy footprints all the way from the back door to the
bathroom.Over the years, I have learned to let go of those messes. At first,
they would bother me. As time went on, I realized I would much rather
have my boys outside having fun in the dirt and playing with each other.
The alternative was often watching TV or playing on the computer. But if they were out in the dirt playing, it meant that my oldest boy
was engaging with his younger brother and doing something fun, which is
often very hard for him since he is on the autism spectrum. My desire for my boys is for them to know they are more important
than how their home looks. This doesn’t mean that we don’t respect our
home by tearing up the place. But it means that if fun is to be had, and
it means making a mess, then that is OK.
<br />
The boys love to take all the sofa cushions off and jump around on
them. Their laughter can be heard throughout the house. Yes, it makes
for a big mess in my living room, but again, they are playing together
and enjoying each others' company.<br />
I have learned that when the boys are making messes, they are also
often learning a new skill. Last year, the boys and I made a paper mache
turkey for Thanksgiving. I think there was more of it on the floor
than on the balloon.When I let the boys bake with me, and they want to do the measuring, I know the cleanup will be much more.When I let go of control in this area and come to terms with the fact
that there will be a mess, my boys both feel accomplished because they
have learned something new, and they are also helping me by assisting in
the kitchen. I also have them help me clean up the messes, too. It may
not be cleaned up how I would like it, but they are learning
responsibility.<br />
There are times where I have chosen to leave those handprints on the
patio door just for a few extra days, a reminder that there are special
and beautiful children living in our home. Life is too short for us to be worried about those everyday messes,
so I am learning to enjoy and embrace the mess even if it means a little
extra work for me.
<br />
<em>Jayne Gautreau is married with three sons. Read her Mondays on <a href="http://www.nrtoday.com/moms">Douglas County Moms</a>.</em><br />
<br />Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-78866531628347686632013-03-26T06:56:00.003-07:002013-03-26T06:56:56.285-07:00Seeing through the post partum FogLeaving the house recently for a doctor's appointment, I looked down
to see a huge, white, baby spit-up stain on my jeans. I was late, as
usual, and had no time to change. Even if I did have the luxury of time, this was one of only two pairs of clean jeans that would fit this postpartum body. The reality that life had changed again and I was back in that baby
stage after seven years hit me all at once. I was so very thankful for
the blessing of another baby, a baby that I had prayed for diligently,
but underneath there was a fogginess that I just couldn’t seem to shake! It
is very important that you talk to a doctor if things seem to be
getting out of control, or if you feel like you just can’t cope. This fogginess, as I like to call it, was accompanied at times with
sadness, anxiety, fatigue and disinterest for life. I felt like Eeyore;
if I looked up, I was pretty sure there was a rain cloud hanging over my
head. I felt so terribly guilty for feeling this way; I was so in love
with this beautiful baby boy that we truly felt was a gift to our
family. But I was so out of sorts at the same time.<br />
My husband during this time was a huge support to me, even though he
didn’t quite understand how I was feeling or exactly how to help. He
would do dishes, make meals, help fold laundry and take the older boys
out of the house for a while. I had a hard time just doing regular
everyday duties; my brain was struggling just to process. During this time, I found that talking to close friends, asking for
prayer from those I trusted, and also crying out to God privately was a
huge step in helping me.<br />
<br />
<strong>Here are some other ideas that can help women who are living
through the first weeks and months of motherhood and a new life in the
home:</strong><br />
1. Find some form of exercise you enjoy. Plan ahead of time so Daddy
or another adult can be available to help out with the baby and other
children while you exercise.<br />
2. Go for a walk in the fresh, crisp air! This will remind you that there is life outside of the four walls of your home.<br />
3. Invite a friend or relative over for tea or coffee and a chat.<br />
4. Let go of the fact that your house isn’t quite put together the way you may like it.<br />
5. Spend some time each day just sitting and enjoying your baby, not just at the times when he or she needs you.<br />
6. Eat regularly, keeping a snack and water on hand.<br />
7. Talk to another mother so that you will realize you are not alone.<br />
8. Tell your husband or someone you trust about your feelings.<br />
9. Read a book just for pleasure, even if it's only in five-minute snatches.<br />
10. Honestly discuss your outlook on life and your feelings to your
OB/GYN or midwife at your postpartum checkups, or call your physician if
you feel you need a medical opinion on how you are working through the
stresses and changes of having a new baby in your home.<br />
<br />
It is very important that you talk to a doctor if things seem to be
getting out of control, or if you feel like you just can’t cope. There
is no shame in feeling this way! You are not a bad mom or person. I am about six months postpartum now, and the rain cloud is finally shifting!<br />
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Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-391072262093868552013-03-26T06:50:00.004-07:002013-03-26T06:51:13.725-07:00Qualities of Motherhood<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“You have the exact qualities God knew your kids would need in a mother….” Lysa TerKeurst</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
As I read this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DouglasCountyMoms">Facebook </a>status the other day, I was thankful for such a timely reminder.<br />
I had been struggling with this exact thing on that particular day -
and on previous days. I was feeling pretty inadequate and a little
discouraged as a mom. As we go about our days, there can be situations that happen that lead to us feeling that way.Recently, as we were rushing out of the house, my older boys could not find their shoes.As
a mom, I have faced probably some of the hardest challenges I have ever
dealt with in my life. There are days when I just have no clue what I
am doing (or at least I feel that way!).The qualities of patience and grace were definitely not showing in this mom of three boys at this point.
<br />
This scene seems to happen quite regularly in my home, no one knowing where their shoes are - especially when we are in a hurry.I found the qualities of exasperation and frustration more prevalent
at this point, but my boys did not need a crabby mom at that moment, as
it was definitely not helping the already volatile situation. Still, I did not want to be helpful in finding shoes because, quite
frankly, it was not my fault that they kicked off their shoes and didn’t
leave them in the shoebox by the front door. After a quick lecture on the need to leave shoes where they can find
them, I did let those frustrations go and found the qualities of
patience and grace to help the boys find their shoes.<br />
<br />
As a mom, I have faced probably some of the hardest challenges I have
ever dealt with in my life. There are days when I just have no clue
what I am doing (or at least I feel that way!). This was especially true when our oldest son was showing signs of
developmental delays and was then diagnosed with autism at age 4.
<br />
I remember being told often, “You’re the best mom for this child. You’re so patient.” I was grateful for the encouragement and that someone else was able to see that quality that I wasn’t always able to see myself.
<br />
I felt very inadequate for the job description and unprepared for what lay ahead of us. I have found, though,<br />
especially
in those early days of diagnosis, that somehow God seemed to give me
the qualities I needed at that time, whether it was patience, strength,
wisdom or grace as we faced difficult and unknown days.<br />
<br />
We have been blessed with three very energetic, fun boys.As I grow older and face different challenges in motherhood, I am
seeing that I am attaining new qualities, too. Strength to wipe up
another messy footprint on the floor. Grace to deal with my son’s
repetitive autistic behavior. Patience with my persistent and curious
7-year-old who likes to ask lots of questions, and endurance as I take
care of the constant needs of a 5-month-old! Sometimes, we have no idea the kind of qualities we actually have
until we are put in certain situations, and for that I am very thankful.Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-49413226924174197572012-08-16T15:56:00.001-07:002012-08-16T15:56:25.397-07:00TransitionsTransition is a word we are quite familiar with in our home. I have probably used this word more in the last 4 years than I have in my lifetime. Having a child on the Autism spectrum, transition can often be a difficult and stressful thing in our home and especially for our oldest boy who has Autism.<br />
With that being said this year we as a family are going through some pretty major transitions and thankfully all of them are great things. But with transition even if it is good it can bring challenges and adjustment. But with God's grace, he helps us manouver through them. <br />
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<br />
<br />
In the last month one of our newest transitions is, my husband after working for 5 years as a landscaper gave in his notice and 3 weeks later he was the full time Children and Young family pastor at our Church. His first week of work was helping to run Vacation Bible school. He had a great but exhausting week! We are so excited about this new adventure and thankful for how God has led and directed our family up to this point. It is all pretty exciting as we think about the journey that got us here!<br />
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<br />
<br />
Our next transition coming up is the birth of our 3rd baby boy, who should be arriving Early September. It will be a big change as we haven't had a newborn in our home for over 6 years, so it is back to diaper changes, through the night feedings and hauling a diaper bag around with me again, but I couldn't be more excited about this little guy. I know it will probably bring some difficult days and challenges, but I feel we are ready for this transition and again we know we do not do this on our own strength!<br />
<br />
Both boys have had a fun Summer and the next transition for them personally is back to school on Sept. 4th. E will be in 4th grade and M in 1st grade. For E this is a big year as he is transitioning from one elementary school to another. We have been trying to prepare him mentally and physically for this transition over the last year. He will probably do great, but change in E's world always seems to bring a little bit of anxiety for mom. But I know he has lots of people helping and supporting him through this change.<br />
<br />
Both boys got to do something new this Summer, E got to attend a week long Sports program through the YMCA, it was a partnership program for children who have special needs. He had a blast, his favorite activity was swimming.<br />
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The last day of the program finished with a medal ceremony, which was very moving for this mommy!<br />
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As a family we got to attend our first Church staff camping retreat, we had a wonderful time. M got to fish for the very first time and was thrilled to catch 3 fish, it was a big day for him.<br />
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So I am learning transitions aren't always bad but with them brings change and that is good as that means we are learning and growing, but also continually having to trust in God, which is the most important thing! Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-1526241867372343082012-06-12T15:49:00.000-07:002012-06-12T15:49:07.733-07:00Enjoying this season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well I still have about 3 months to go before this little one arrives, but I have been slowly trying to get things ready. Since our older boys were born over 6 years ago, I had pretty much given away or had sold all baby clothing and most of our accessories. Last weekend I found these cute buys ( in picture above) at a yard sale. <br />
I am actually really enjoying this stage of pregnancy, even though bending over, getting up & sitting down is starting to become a challenge & a few extra varicose veins that were not there before have appeared, the 2nd trimester has been pretty uneventful. <br />
I am loving the kicks and movement, my heart soars with joy every time I feel our little boy move! I am thankful for the blessing of this baby and feel like I am maybe much more aware this time of how huge a blessing he is to our family. Not that I wasn't with the boys but maybe having experienced miscarriage a year previously has made me much more aware and I have been trying to enjoy each moment of this time in my life that I won't get back again! The boys already love this little one and have been rubbing, kissing and patting moms tummy and they even giggle at how round mama's tummy is starting to look :)<br />
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I am thankful for this season in our family. <br />
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<br />Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-36921319707069131632012-05-30T16:55:00.000-07:002012-05-30T16:59:10.956-07:00Will you love me no matter what?Yesterday when I picked up M from school, I could tell from the first hello that he was a little tired and grouchy. When we got home, he was watching a movie with his brother for a little while. I told both boys that it was time to switch off the movie, it was a nice afternoon and we needed to go play outside for a little while. M was not very happy and proceeded to protest and get quite upset!<br />
I found myself starting to get frustrated with him and was starting to respond in a similar nature to my son! I then paused and realized my behavior and reaction was not helping an already volatile situation!<br />
I asked him to go to his room, but he came out not long after and he just fell towards me, putting his arms around my legs and just sobbing, I said "do you just need mommy to hold you for a little bit"? He said yes so we went and sat in our big laZ-boy chair and I rocked a sobbing, tired little boy! We sat for a few minutes and then he seemed ready to move on with the rest of his afternoon, I told him I was going to make fruit smoothies if he wanted to help me. While we were in the kitchen he said " mom, do parents love us no matter what?" I said yes M, and as your mommy I will and I still loved you even today when you were grouchy.<br />
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Wow, what a powerful moment for me as a mother! It was also a reality check for me to understand how important it is that our kids know and understand we still love them even when they are not acting or responding in a loving way! <br />
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As many of you know I am a thinker and analyser, sometimes it gets me in trouble! But this time it was good, I started to think about how even we as adults think about this too. "Will you love me no matter?" Will our friends love us when we say something hurtful? Will our husbands love us even if we gain a pound or two? Will our children love us when mommy gets frustrated? Will our parents love us even as adult children if we make a poor decision? Will God love us when we mess up badly?<br />
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We live in a world that seems to be dominated by performance. Very often even as followers of Christ we still put conditions on love. As an adult just like my son I too need to be reassured that "no matter what we will be loved". <br />
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This morning I was reminded of the verse in the picture below. We don't need to fear the " Will you love us no matter" with God as His love is perfect and is not based on performance, or what we say. <br />
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I am thankful again for how God uses my children to point me back to Him again and His truth.Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-46400426243036503392012-04-29T16:06:00.000-07:002012-04-29T18:03:31.504-07:00Mother Letter- To a mom who just had a child diagnosed with Autism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Mother,<br />
You might be feeling a little relieved right now but also a little dazed and confused. After all the worrying and wondering your fears are now being realized. You find yourself sitting there listening to the doctor as he tells you the diagnosis for your child is 'Autism'. Part of you feels like you can see a little clearer now, but the room also seems to be spinning too! You find yourself trying to fight back the tears, trying to not be overcome by all the emotions that you have experienced over the last few months or years of wondering. You have so many questions, concerns and you find yourself feeling pretty overwhelmed.<br />
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I remember that day very clearly, it was over 4 years ago for me. I am here to tell you that life does go on and yes you will have many difficult days, but it will get better. Make sure you don't do this journey on your own, find support from others, especially those who are traveling on the same road and make sure you use all of the resources available to you! There are so many therapists, doctors and teachers and other families who are willing to help you! <br />
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God sees the full picture, even if you don't right now. Take time to process this stage in your life and to grieve if you need to, but don't stay there. There is a little one who is depending on their mama to help and advocate for them and they need you. Remember your child is "Fearfully and wonderfully made".<br />
As time goes on you will start to adjust to a different kind of normal but you will also start to see many joys and blessings even from the challenges you face on a daily basis!<br />
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Much love to you for this journey,<br />
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Jayne <br />
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<h5>
Linking up with <i><a href="http://motherletters.com/our-story/">The Mother Letters Project</a>. </i>Read about it then join your “Mother Letter” to the conversation. And get your copy of the <i>Mother Letters </i>ebook <a href="http://motherletters.com/ebook/">here</a>.</h5>
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Mother Letter Link up party http://motherletters.com/my-mother-letter-link-up-party/ </h5>
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<br />Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-47117679592367492782012-04-04T16:06:00.003-07:002012-04-04T16:10:38.501-07:00Courage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the beginning of this year one of the blogs I like to follow suggested that instead of making a New years Resolution they like to chose a word for their year. The more I thought about this idea the more I liked it. I decided to pray about it and ask God what my word should be for the year. It seemed that the word that was most on my heart was "Courage".<br />
I think the biggest thing I am learning is the courage to trust God in every situation, especially the ones I don't understand and definitely in the ones I have absolutely no control over! Over the last few months there have been things that have come up in my life and our family life that have needed for me to be courageous, it doesn't mean that I haven't struggled because I have, but I have been learning to let go and to give those situations totally over to God, especially in the times when I feel like I can't but I know I need to! <br />
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I think courage can come in many different forms it could be facing our fears, asking someone for forgiveness, taking care of a difficult situation, trying something new, or maybe reaching out to someone in need. I think we often don't want to be courageous because we are afraid of failure or being hurt. But whatever it is or whatever God is asking us to do I am learning that I need to do it and have total trust in knowing God can handle each and every situation and the outcome of those situations.<br />
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I am excited to see how the rest of my "courageous" year unravels!Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-72146852994260126402012-03-08T12:44:00.003-08:002012-03-08T12:47:23.544-08:00Something to share..........<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The boys are thrilled and especially our youngest as he is going to be a big brother!<br />
I have been learning to trust God each step of the way, one of the verses that God put on my heart at the very beginning is "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) When I feel overwhelmed or concerned this is my go to verse, it has brought me much strength and encouragement.<br />
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We are rejoicing in this special blessing that we look forward to meeting in about 6 months :) <br />
<br />Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-88821498341773683902012-01-23T08:28:00.000-08:002012-01-23T08:33:28.792-08:00"A mile in His Shoes" DVD winner<span style="color: purple;">Congratulations</span> <span style="color: purple;">to Dave & Kristina </span>you are the winner of " A mile in His Shoes" DVD :)<br />
The winner has been notifiied, and has 48 hours ( Wed. Jan. 25th 8am PST) to get back to me with their mailing address. If they don't respond then I will pick another winner using www.random.org.<br />
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I used <a href="http://www.random.org/" target="_blank">www.random.org</a> to choose a winner, and the winning number was # 2 <br />
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I received one copy of this DVD in exchange for my honest review, and no other compensation was provided. Thank you to all of you who entered my first giveaway :) <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or </i><i>services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it </i><i>on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally </i><i>and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance </i><i>with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the </i><i>Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.</i></span></div>
.Jaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105921938535455284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-49694321029537707412012-01-18T21:43:00.000-08:002012-01-23T08:13:14.400-08:00"A Mile in His Shoes" DVD review and giveaway- Closed now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first DVD that I have ever got to review on my blog. I was excited and really interested to review this particular one as the main character of the movie is a young man with Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of Autism. This is something near and dear to my heart as our oldest boy was diagnosed with Autism 4 years ago.<br />
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The story is set around an 18 yr old, young man called Mickey who has an amazing talent to throw a baseball. His talent was discovered by a chance meeting with baseball coach Arthur "Murph" Murphy. Mickey's parents are reluctant to let their son leave their farm because he has Asperger's. Murph convinces Mickey's parents that life in the minor league will benefit their unique son.<br />
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As I watched this movie I was able to relate to the Parents fears and challenges of raising a child with Autism. I appreciated how they touched on some of the challenges that individuals with Autism have to deal with daily. This story reminded me there is hope midst the challenges and struggles of Autism and many blessings too. <br />
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I enjoyed watching this movie of hope and faith. If you would like to watch it for yourself you have an opportunity to win a copy for yourself!<br />
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There are 2 ways you can enter this giveaway:<br />
1.Leave a comment on my blog, telling me why you would like to win this movie <br />
2. Sign up for my email subscriptions to my blog ( leave a comment to say you signed up) <br />
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You can have 2 entries just make sure you leave a comment both times. The giveaway will close Sun. 21st January at 8pm PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org<br />
<br />Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-41417206097229070742011-12-18T12:46:00.000-08:002011-12-18T12:46:00.189-08:00Gautreau Christmas Greetings<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><tr><td><a href="http://smilebox.com/play/4d6a67314d4467334d44493d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link" target="_blank"><img width="386" height="303" alt="Click to play this Smilebox newsletter" src="http://smilebox.com/snap/4d6a67314d4467334d44493d0d0a.jpg" style="border: medium none ;"/></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/?partner=google&campaign=blog_snapshot" target="_blank"><img width="386" height="46" alt="Create your own newsletter - Powered by Smilebox" src="http://www.smilebox.com/globalImages/blogInstructions/blogLogoSmileboxSmall.gif" style="border: medium none ;"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center">Create a <a href="http://www.smilebox.com/newsletter-designs.html" target="_blank">newsletter</a></td></tr></table>Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-8790046250757010962011-12-14T09:09:00.000-08:002011-12-14T09:18:51.208-08:00A meaningful Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOIW-xtXiUnpzpL9xy6ZAavonS3ZW8lWNqKbuSFFeDwTDD-TEZdNfxh-m4Mra0m-IgEPRKDASQLAWP3ZA1195o7AkGAZWSvUmbyWkIn8OXf9H1GxZCtHuQPwV0KQqE4EaSty5XUjRLA6M/s1600/mary+and+joseph.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOIW-xtXiUnpzpL9xy6ZAavonS3ZW8lWNqKbuSFFeDwTDD-TEZdNfxh-m4Mra0m-IgEPRKDASQLAWP3ZA1195o7AkGAZWSvUmbyWkIn8OXf9H1GxZCtHuQPwV0KQqE4EaSty5XUjRLA6M/s1600/mary+and+joseph.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
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<b><i>"But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.”<br />
Luke 1: 30-31</i></b><br />
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Over the last few years we have taken our boys to A Journey Through Christmas. It is a 15-minute drive through of the Christmas story with live actors and animals. The first stop you come to is the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary. Every year as I watch and listen to the scripture I mentioned above being read, it brings tears to my eyes.<br />
As a mom, I can’t imagine how overwhelmed Mary must have felt about the news the angel shared with her. God chose Mary for a very special purpose. I believe God chooses us specifically for the children he gives us.<br />
There are days where I feel overwhelmed and extremely inadequate for the task at hand, but like Mary, God tells us, “Do not be afraid.”<br />
Mary is a beautiful example of a woman who trusted God with her son. I think the reason I get emotional as I listen is because I know the rest of the story. It just doesn’t end with the joyous and happy celebration of a new-born baby.<br />
Mary as a mother experiences what it is like to have her son face a very cruel death. I also get overwhelmed with the fact that He died for you and me so we could have a personal relationship with him.<br />
At Christmas we think a lot about giving and receiving gifts, so maybe this would be a good time for you to think about receiving a gift of eternal life and forgiveness, if you have not already received that gift.<br />
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I wrote this article for our mops newsletter to correspond with our theme for our December meeting which was <i>"Holiday Traditions.”What do you want your family traditions to reflect? </i><br />
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The drive through the Christmas story has become a tradition for our family as we want our boys to be able to reflect on what Christmas is really about amidst all of the other business of the season. <b> </b><br />
We actually took our boys this past weekend to this event, as we watched and listened to the scene of Mary and Joseph in the manger with the baby, our youngest M was sitting on his dad's lap and he made the comment, "that makes me want to cry" and his dad asked him "why"and he said "because a baby was born". It is interesting as mom was getting a little teary eyed too :)Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-21999322210148384252011-12-05T15:25:00.001-08:002011-12-05T16:18:55.591-08:00ComparisonsRecently I overheard someone describe me as being a creative person! I remember being surprised, as I really don't consider myself to be particularly creative, at least compared to other people.<br />
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Exactly, that's it, we spend so much time comparing ourselves to other people that we can't see who we are? We can't see the unique person that Christ has made us to be. <br />
It seems it is much easier for us to see ourselves as other things which aren't always positive.<br />
Inadequate, unlovable, worthless, failure, weak, small, boring, unattractive, stupid and the list could go on! When we think on these things and let them take root in our lives, we start to believe them! As we continue to compare ourselves to other people around us, we become disillusioned with ourselves and other people.<br />
And when we believe these lies we feed ourselves, it affects our relationship with others and more importantly with God. <br />
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Thankfully God reminds us in His word :<br />
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<i>"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; <br />
your works are wonderful, <br />
I know that full well. "</i> Psalm 139:14<br />
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Therefore if He has made us then we can't be all these things, because we are made in His image. It is so easy for each of us to fall into a negative pattern of thinking that does nothing for ourselves but drag us down and takes our focus of who God is and the purposes He has for each one of us. <br />
One of my favorite verses is<br />
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<i>"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."</i><br />
<i>Philipians 4 :8 </i><br />
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I write out of personal experience<i>, </i>but I am thankful that God uses His word to speak truth into my life and to know that none of that stuff is true about any of us!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkXD37Rf5YENZH0XiwdL1noEkGHp7Lz5Q7WB0Z9m4HdHYevFKjjB_3W6PzqugiVjiQtigHQVzz0JUGS3IIA9rjQdAkK9ovQSib_27iL4oJg7v1RCIMKr5m6qj_VFR5yeRBbgEuCq49HFR/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkXD37Rf5YENZH0XiwdL1noEkGHp7Lz5Q7WB0Z9m4HdHYevFKjjB_3W6PzqugiVjiQtigHQVzz0JUGS3IIA9rjQdAkK9ovQSib_27iL4oJg7v1RCIMKr5m6qj_VFR5yeRBbgEuCq49HFR/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> A picture of me helping my son be creative decorating his gingerbread house at school </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-57952514370479261092011-11-11T17:10:00.000-08:002011-11-11T17:10:20.037-08:00My mum came to visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlfRtZerdensFOHggA64sukTt3IKULzaiDzELm_90VJb4xfB_cNWJvSLRkNjzSeP4T3U9e545kEN3bHVyghOsOc82VXxa_IxDT5uaZt1LLLqZOvfKmr4Ga5vQz_xpMVMdJaqxl3vID9YH/s1600/LIL_5427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlfRtZerdensFOHggA64sukTt3IKULzaiDzELm_90VJb4xfB_cNWJvSLRkNjzSeP4T3U9e545kEN3bHVyghOsOc82VXxa_IxDT5uaZt1LLLqZOvfKmr4Ga5vQz_xpMVMdJaqxl3vID9YH/s320/LIL_5427.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last week I was truly blessed to have my mum come to visit for a week. Time with my mum is always treasured since we live ocean's apart :) Mummy visits always consist of a suitcase filled with goodies for our family, lots of extra cups of tea and a shopping partner for me. Yes my mum loves to shop as much as I do, although she tells me she hardly ever does it at home! Not sure I believe that? :)<br />
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I am always thankful for the time to talk with my mum, to laugh, hash out different topics, figure out life and do the things that I can't do on a regular basis. The boys were in school while she was here, so we had extra time to chat and catch up.<br />
I love that when she is here I can be real and open, yes we sometimes get irritated with each other, but one of the things I appreciate about my mum is how she is honest with me. She tells me the things I need to hear even if it is hard for me to hear them. She is usually right and you know what mum's do know what is best and my mum knows me well :) She is kind, loving, fun and thoughtful. My mum is a busy lady always putting other people first, especailly her family, when she came here we really wanted to make sure that she would relax and enjoy her time here and I think she left feeling that way! The week went in too fast, but again I am thankful for the time with her and look forward to when we can do it again, either here or over in Northern Ireland.<br />
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I hope and pray I can be the kind of mother to my boys that she has been me :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRPFNN712an4ek3ms2jDefSLVW1jKtjyuerYpHXVGBmIBlzWppNWbx3hoat1Mk_niGsGqh5WprTX6Mx2qXjDK9cJ7R2QW6eLEtNAaY4RuR2SVtW71aT-n_YlqXjPry7QwtVnxA3feWRRM/s1600/LIL_5324-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRPFNN712an4ek3ms2jDefSLVW1jKtjyuerYpHXVGBmIBlzWppNWbx3hoat1Mk_niGsGqh5WprTX6Mx2qXjDK9cJ7R2QW6eLEtNAaY4RuR2SVtW71aT-n_YlqXjPry7QwtVnxA3feWRRM/s320/LIL_5324-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Thank you God for mothers :)Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-50172381041066665622011-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:002011-10-13T09:16:41.874-07:00Pumpkin Patch kindergarten fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>M started kindergarten at the end of August, this past Monday I got to go with him on his first field trip. We went to a pumpkin patch at a local farm :) Our bus was full of very excited little people :) When we got to the farm it was raining but the kids didn't seem to mind at all. One of the first things they got to do was run around the corn maze.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypC-UeI2KsfL02NDz-LsCSoZshyIBh3DSb59L4zrwYhk2abd84H8pnOmsyuOD-mWvkjAsj9wrCLAaYxeDdDp2MJmlv1CWt5m3J0MAceZeQMlQohJ6hC1Ew9GFEw7TEk6_dZ8zUhvd45Ma/s1600/lost+in+the+maze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypC-UeI2KsfL02NDz-LsCSoZshyIBh3DSb59L4zrwYhk2abd84H8pnOmsyuOD-mWvkjAsj9wrCLAaYxeDdDp2MJmlv1CWt5m3J0MAceZeQMlQohJ6hC1Ew9GFEw7TEk6_dZ8zUhvd45Ma/s320/lost+in+the+maze.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> After a yummy snack it was time to head out to the much anticipated pumpkin patch, we all piled onto the tractor, it was pretty crowded and we all ended up with soggy bottoms from sitting on the wet hay but again no one seemed to mind :) Once we got to the patch, M set off on his mission to find his perfect pumpkin!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rojdG343V8TdKIlOBzOl-1j_TDm0_jpUpcfOoGxnbAbbjxldITg20DHqu00FcMGOGvAXwcRz2k4YqnPb9JF84utioziSu2wQnKxledP333crcTA9k8X7rpqzuzZjfVi7QzfulIogAJWB/s1600/carrying+it+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rojdG343V8TdKIlOBzOl-1j_TDm0_jpUpcfOoGxnbAbbjxldITg20DHqu00FcMGOGvAXwcRz2k4YqnPb9JF84utioziSu2wQnKxledP333crcTA9k8X7rpqzuzZjfVi7QzfulIogAJWB/s320/carrying+it+out.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Uz1u5R-iQ-K9HR6W6Z-WEzs6ejywITigAkrtecg_QuT1aunmtEVqbV1NwuB1B-FTJK9FZfjE7X0TSqsSfUb55gglYs4K4rrx7HjezQ2jY1CCI9qBYbTDc59-ozJ8KzaSYXixrKHwOwLk/s1600/is+it+this+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Uz1u5R-iQ-K9HR6W6Z-WEzs6ejywITigAkrtecg_QuT1aunmtEVqbV1NwuB1B-FTJK9FZfjE7X0TSqsSfUb55gglYs4K4rrx7HjezQ2jY1CCI9qBYbTDc59-ozJ8KzaSYXixrKHwOwLk/s320/is+it+this+one.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Is it this one? No, I think I will need something a little bigger if I am going to decorate it :)<br />
So as the rain started to pour down M set off and finally he found the one <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OJYBeDRo78a1eor9J3hurlG4qIKFyZNzk5AfidvfDDvJC4lqzTiu3xD1_t1czcbzspVsMOrA4LEoFazeU7A0WeSlt2Subn3o3-HUZl_uzSbSNDUhigLe5ZhzgBqZDLtR9Ge66eYEUsmc/s1600/me+and+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OJYBeDRo78a1eor9J3hurlG4qIKFyZNzk5AfidvfDDvJC4lqzTiu3xD1_t1czcbzspVsMOrA4LEoFazeU7A0WeSlt2Subn3o3-HUZl_uzSbSNDUhigLe5ZhzgBqZDLtR9Ge66eYEUsmc/s320/me+and+m.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Once we got home M was very anxious to carve his pumpkin so we started the fun task of taking the seeds out so we could bake them in the oven :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFr5DCYcfWk8ox1cPvhmNkrVneUVcycaXFvfPuiEp6ZqvrV82nbNj7wOka498UqVoENFeQd6akmYRUrBim9YPRo8KuBShzP27S6kNvLf_P-MDmTZbGXnLkrgpvKp1GUtbn_aLsPjFrnmLn/s1600/summer+2011+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFr5DCYcfWk8ox1cPvhmNkrVneUVcycaXFvfPuiEp6ZqvrV82nbNj7wOka498UqVoENFeQd6akmYRUrBim9YPRo8KuBShzP27S6kNvLf_P-MDmTZbGXnLkrgpvKp1GUtbn_aLsPjFrnmLn/s320/summer+2011+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> M seemed to have in mind exactly what he wanted to do with his pumpkin, it wasn't mom's idea but we had fun doing it! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0W7vRBZpsp17nTvI-Bg-bT68pJjLby3kvR9A6e1gExjnhsaVRYgGhndZ0TYJBfUl85keD-gClzPSL6CQiZcmppU7_EZNwoo6UfH5nOLmRdcP-d1B_8aKOFq7daXnVTOEFmXBlBhlLACK/s1600/summer+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0W7vRBZpsp17nTvI-Bg-bT68pJjLby3kvR9A6e1gExjnhsaVRYgGhndZ0TYJBfUl85keD-gClzPSL6CQiZcmppU7_EZNwoo6UfH5nOLmRdcP-d1B_8aKOFq7daXnVTOEFmXBlBhlLACK/s320/summer+2011+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>He is very proud of his creation and was sure to show it to his friends and anyone who came to our door, including the Edward Jones lady who came to our door to tell us about her new business in town!Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-64375852238653871552011-10-12T10:39:00.000-07:002011-10-12T10:43:34.483-07:00Ask God!This morning I went for a walk, I often call it my think and prayer time. I had spent most of my walk listening to a preacher on the Christian radio, but as I was getting closer to home, I turned it off and started to pray.<br />
I was praying for my children when God brought to mind something that had happened yesterday with E.<br />
I had picked up my boys & our neighbor kids from school, E had been playing with his Nintendo DS but when we got back home it came to my attention that the little pen that goes along with it that you use to touch things on the screen had gone missing. M had been using it and in his excitement to go show his little friends his pumpkin he had got the day before, he lost the pen as he was leaving the van. E and I started to look for the pen, trying to get M to help. It wasn't very successful and I found myself getting more and more irritated and very frustrated. In the midst of my ranting and raving, I heard E say "ask God", ask God", but I was frustrated and wasn't paying very much attention and instead I chose to rant more. The more I ranted the "ask God" got louder, then he said loudly "Ask God, He will help you, remember at Sunday school they tell us to ask God he will help you". As I write I have tears in my eyes for many reasons. We have often told E when he is in a situation where he needs help, that he can stop and ask God to help him. One of the times was when he couldn't find his shoes, so we often hear him say when we ask him "Where are your shoes, he replies, " ask God". But he also obviously has heard this at Church too :) <br />
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This morning as I was praying and God brought to mind this incident yesterday. I am humbled, but thankful to God for reminding me through my own child that we should "Ask Him". I was also just really in awe of how God is working in my little boys heart. Very often he seems so distracted, focused on his own little world that we never are really sure of what he hears or comprehends, but Praise God this little boy is hearing and comprehending and God is using Him to speak to my life. I am also reminded this morning though of how often we get angry, loud, we rant and we rave when things are difficult, things aren't going our way, we go to others first to ask for help! Wouldn't life be so much more simpler, if we just "Ask God"!!Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-52801170446595923752011-09-30T10:33:00.000-07:002011-09-30T10:39:06.692-07:00Friends<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ccenter%3E%3Ca%20href=%22http://thegypsymama.com/category/five-minute-friday/%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_lCeOMfY0_fQ/TWly2m-jN_I/AAAAAAAAFEY/k8HJ__cvkws/s200/5%20minute%20friday.jpg%22/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/center%3E"></a><br />
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<center><a href="http://thegypsymama.com/category/five-minute-friday/"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_lCeOMfY0_fQ/TWly2m-jN_I/AAAAAAAAFEY/k8HJ__cvkws/s200/5%20minute%20friday.jpg" /></a></center><br />
I am linking up again today with The Gypsy Mama and five minute Friday<br />
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1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.<br />
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.<br />
3. <b><i>Go a little overboard encouraging the writer who linked up before you.</i></b> <br />
OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">GO!</span><br />
On Friends.........................<br />
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A friend is someone you can <br />
play with<br />
cry with<br />
laugh with<br />
share with<br />
pray with<br />
love with<br />
forgive with<br />
trust with<br />
respect with<br />
talk with<br />
hug with<br />
pour out with <br />
check in with<br />
dream with<br />
honor with<br />
admire with<br />
hope with<br />
blessed with<br />
be thankful with<br />
be funny with<br />
praise with<br />
rejoice with<br />
mourn with<br />
heal with<br />
<br />
I am blessed that God has given me friends to experience all of life's "with's"<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">STOP! </span><span style="background-color: purple;"></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9FDpL0LvUqoqt2pqpyW8gi22Wwn4iSCRmnSDGxu-bM1azu1LuNCIqZu-zTi5w8vR0J9oHhHL_lbnidopD3Fgi3oAI2zfYHQKtrDoliBW1dW839uUN__NVmXnod3PlknCNB1-5KhH2V7_/s1600/DSCF1474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9FDpL0LvUqoqt2pqpyW8gi22Wwn4iSCRmnSDGxu-bM1azu1LuNCIqZu-zTi5w8vR0J9oHhHL_lbnidopD3Fgi3oAI2zfYHQKtrDoliBW1dW839uUN__NVmXnod3PlknCNB1-5KhH2V7_/s320/DSCF1474.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love that my boys are friends and can experience lots of "with's" together </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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</span></h1>Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-82106771876338603022011-09-29T13:07:00.000-07:002011-09-29T13:45:17.843-07:00A trip home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This Summer we were blessed to be able to go back to Northern Ireland to visit my family. I was pretty anxious about the long trek back there, as I was going to be traveling with the boys on my own without daddy there to help and support!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCRxTo7fg-2RY8JS5vCMV5vZ-N-S0Ujnt1922AtwFYDtYA2PTXt0VXvEAWoKYElTwd-Fw1o_46-Fwk337r8VetiSV9F99bjBqkLNdHjMXedjcQhwGS236Tl3VXIOLG-TLiNfAuRcFKw6_/s1600/DSCF1379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCRxTo7fg-2RY8JS5vCMV5vZ-N-S0Ujnt1922AtwFYDtYA2PTXt0VXvEAWoKYElTwd-Fw1o_46-Fwk337r8VetiSV9F99bjBqkLNdHjMXedjcQhwGS236Tl3VXIOLG-TLiNfAuRcFKw6_/s320/DSCF1379.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After a delayed and missed flight we finally made it there! As our plane was making it's descent into Belfast International Airport, I took this picture :) I was home, it had been over 4 years and I had a feeling of excitement and anticipation, looking forward to seeing my parents smiling faces, hearing familiar accents, smells and sounds. It was all very exciting, we were tired and worn out from travelling for 2 days, it was raining but I didn't really care, I was "home"!<br />
<br />
I was really struck again by the beauty of the Emerald Isle, one you don't always think about when you grow up there. I found it very refreshing and enjoyed the spectacular sights. I had a hard time not taking scenery pictures as I wanted to have lots of picture memories when I got back to the US, my other home!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KSoEjhOgwBAvHxKq9iJyQX7ECCyN94b_utY72VEQweHRqGIPACYeKB8L301lFEy7679y82fjIL3MKU4GyYl2hX-h2BxUFbFyHl2KFv-e1AAovhPY2dvMw9PSSFTr_7si_Puvhu0M8Gib/s1600/DSCF1428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KSoEjhOgwBAvHxKq9iJyQX7ECCyN94b_utY72VEQweHRqGIPACYeKB8L301lFEy7679y82fjIL3MKU4GyYl2hX-h2BxUFbFyHl2KFv-e1AAovhPY2dvMw9PSSFTr_7si_Puvhu0M8Gib/s320/DSCF1428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Our days were fun filled times with family, lots of cousin time for the boys, catching up with friends and just really enjoying the Northern Irish way of life again :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVXXdilb8DmzAFX4XegXTqA97A_S5AkJJe5AGvbeIpR-IAUYVwSgyMG4wFVzlMBZzpnXJGuJL4ABbGU-nD6qTfhV4U_TPEeRhIR1VVw9OlpVD73Zrf2r3LU3rlkrL9E8U8KefwSrkD6KL/s1600/DSCF1381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVXXdilb8DmzAFX4XegXTqA97A_S5AkJJe5AGvbeIpR-IAUYVwSgyMG4wFVzlMBZzpnXJGuJL4ABbGU-nD6qTfhV4U_TPEeRhIR1VVw9OlpVD73Zrf2r3LU3rlkrL9E8U8KefwSrkD6KL/s320/DSCF1381.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fFf8LKH9AWGXuXouXrKmtG8NYIF2soqoPd4zfrbAcXGh-Am4dOrnay26YfTwPT9b2BihLuY6ZEdrkf1Iuu8KKiCWe91Zp4mefvjxxdhC_3LKv567ohfStl_P96mcfWk7pQ0m2ZenxPRo/s1600/DSCF1708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fFf8LKH9AWGXuXouXrKmtG8NYIF2soqoPd4zfrbAcXGh-Am4dOrnay26YfTwPT9b2BihLuY6ZEdrkf1Iuu8KKiCWe91Zp4mefvjxxdhC_3LKv567ohfStl_P96mcfWk7pQ0m2ZenxPRo/s320/DSCF1708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhIOl84fmlVY60UmoTkCsvksQiaLZ99H2U2FJr4LHvpjG4SGInIHpACvRXw7mJqJtX_1VU8RO2OS27fC-OPMKWMVDbYOaNPdKJPn1Kwd79mqwV7vlm2yF2r-yT8WdEbIvxMGKeVzJPQ0g/s1600/DSCF1484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhIOl84fmlVY60UmoTkCsvksQiaLZ99H2U2FJr4LHvpjG4SGInIHpACvRXw7mJqJtX_1VU8RO2OS27fC-OPMKWMVDbYOaNPdKJPn1Kwd79mqwV7vlm2yF2r-yT8WdEbIvxMGKeVzJPQ0g/s320/DSCF1484.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5nDunhXnUgK9uBMNfS5hIA_3OKwc5D5nAWaaZc6MCfW8sk7duujQsC_9ub-ec2CANCtr8z5FQdTQRG3VI38gg712tkfg0rVlb4G12TjQdIBpFsae9cYnM1fEmE1FRIxFXGsg-y5czNMw/s1600/DSCF1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5nDunhXnUgK9uBMNfS5hIA_3OKwc5D5nAWaaZc6MCfW8sk7duujQsC_9ub-ec2CANCtr8z5FQdTQRG3VI38gg712tkfg0rVlb4G12TjQdIBpFsae9cYnM1fEmE1FRIxFXGsg-y5czNMw/s320/DSCF1622.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were there for 3 weeks, on our last week Sabin was able to join us</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLTrkiWv3wPP4H_jbpdGz28VHJr5n7hMeRGLkBAT5QrDSy0fbiaS91kv9ScZzcoisgBW0JKheagKoPjRv27p7FpHobAYPOn5liENhJb-8dWhAzEdrvD6lkAGbise4VZPDYfQHSY4On6gE/s1600/summer+2011+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLTrkiWv3wPP4H_jbpdGz28VHJr5n7hMeRGLkBAT5QrDSy0fbiaS91kv9ScZzcoisgBW0JKheagKoPjRv27p7FpHobAYPOn5liENhJb-8dWhAzEdrvD6lkAGbise4VZPDYfQHSY4On6gE/s320/summer+2011+063.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_0AIXsIr6F9FrCf46wnWeYQwSGin5vf0GYSxyLezuU3fCo6jz1gzIH-VNpuXt7dP7wjZ43795xg4ukgsVbnZEq6OeDzRdXXphsChoVoCkBydtmVpajbSPeUfL5gOY220KNdRwIKNagTN/s1600/summer+2011+072.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqN45QBoFtTqtl_teQF_jW8gj2ZuvGhAdLpsQ-aBgt1-QjZA37OT7sdNya80fDRZEPerS067lHHkjFPmh2LkSLdnSNyQhkOZxiBj7gWoOb9bTscuN7nXO_Bw6eo1xXU9t-AhnPyiTA87J/s1600/DSCF1655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqN45QBoFtTqtl_teQF_jW8gj2ZuvGhAdLpsQ-aBgt1-QjZA37OT7sdNya80fDRZEPerS067lHHkjFPmh2LkSLdnSNyQhkOZxiBj7gWoOb9bTscuN7nXO_Bw6eo1xXU9t-AhnPyiTA87J/s320/DSCF1655.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I always enjoy seeing Sabin take in and enjoy my home country's culture and history. One of our favorite days was spent on Rathlin Island, a small working island. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlhJw1vgm1yIXyKKC3JLjySNV_gJDg8JmprhuD62Qx2ixId6r5I1t22g-ijt3pf9Ha55prUVIoQgCMR4Tof1bNj4-05JU11Yukz3KrRMI4YYiZdvTr7d4HhQcp16MBwT2uB6oG6hxdnlR/s1600/DSCF1682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlhJw1vgm1yIXyKKC3JLjySNV_gJDg8JmprhuD62Qx2ixId6r5I1t22g-ijt3pf9Ha55prUVIoQgCMR4Tof1bNj4-05JU11Yukz3KrRMI4YYiZdvTr7d4HhQcp16MBwT2uB6oG6hxdnlR/s320/DSCF1682.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We enjoyed hiking, geocaching and just taking in the peace and rustic nature of the island. It was just a really beautiful and great day! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLCEI_YgJk2YjugYtiRPslBB6q8ANL5Kmyt21Jiq6ruD6iQGuphJ42Pc6ABOBl8Z-eKAYfDO3PVBVmoCbQ06a_tHbuv8zpI9IgJe2QCQMLAN_lZIW3Cs7ckjKVqsp88Pi6vYfWK9ASbf1/s1600/DSCF1724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLCEI_YgJk2YjugYtiRPslBB6q8ANL5Kmyt21Jiq6ruD6iQGuphJ42Pc6ABOBl8Z-eKAYfDO3PVBVmoCbQ06a_tHbuv8zpI9IgJe2QCQMLAN_lZIW3Cs7ckjKVqsp88Pi6vYfWK9ASbf1/s320/DSCF1724.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPY7LvvsyLky3FMCUhW2ngJyloBbYgtwIKDiG6vhkageWxWkeGhgF_nHUv2hRiARpo3ZtjBLqBkvYd3Q1PbRqXjWa4wD38afb7iabLFyK0RliS1amF_ufcNTOx7d8wICnRwD4KQM4OC-N/s1600/DSCF1723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
Sadly it was time to head back to Oregon. But we returned with suitcases full of goodies and a heart full of precious fun memories. We look forward to when we can return again, hopefully sooner than 4 years time. <br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJOHfjZA1ToOQPAxCgN_lVJklcvmlM2my6-pr8vT_4WP6y-ivwv1qDkwN5B8LjAx04cGp3aLYJsOzEXEUEfRWt2WE9KNVPPPA1Tz7eiD25JFASCn6KOdLnBT9CHYVHvuNGmIAdHNe26hn/s1600/DSCF1650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJOHfjZA1ToOQPAxCgN_lVJklcvmlM2my6-pr8vT_4WP6y-ivwv1qDkwN5B8LjAx04cGp3aLYJsOzEXEUEfRWt2WE9KNVPPPA1Tz7eiD25JFASCn6KOdLnBT9CHYVHvuNGmIAdHNe26hn/s320/DSCF1650.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-71428450007990782692011-08-12T14:40:00.000-07:002011-08-12T15:26:14.269-07:00My heart!This is probably one of the most difficult blog posts I am about to write. I have written this post in my head many times, but this is the first time I have sat down and decided to type, to try and put those thoughts that have been in my head for a while now, on paper so to speak!<br />
I just want you to know I am going to be sharing something very near and dear to my heart and so I want you to be prepared for what your about to read! I want to share this with you, because I know many of you have been through this similar journey or know someone who has been through it. <br />
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Back in December of 2010 I learned I was pregnant with our 3rd child, yes what great news! I remember being a little surprised but also excited. A few days later those feelings of Joy and excitement turned to fear and sadness as I started to miscarry our precious baby. <br />
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Yes I was pregnant for a very short time, but I had no idea how that short time was going to affect me or impact my life for months to come! I grieved terribly for my baby, I longed to be morning sick and have all those early feelings of pregnancy that we do not like or enjoy, because in my mind if I felt that way then I was still pregnant. I hoped that it might be a bad dream and I would wake up from it and everything would be ok or maybe the dr. was wrong? But however that was not going to happen. In the past months since our miscarriage God has taught me so much about Himself, about myself and also how much He loves me. I went through a wide range of emotions over the last few months and at times I was very angry with God and bitter, but I also realized that for me to stay that way was of no benefit to me or anyone around me! It was not helping me heal and was not honoring God or my little one either! <br />
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The reason I write this now is because my little one was due around this time, mid August :) I have found myself this past week thinking about our little one a lot, what they would have looked like, thinking about how their tiny body would have felt in my arms, how my husband and I would have greeted them into the world and what the boys would have thought of him/her. Experiencing a miscarriage has been one of the saddest times of my life, but through it all I still have hope. I know that although I won't get to hold our baby here on earth, they are in Jesus arms and one day we will most definitely be reunited and what a glorious day that will be :) <br />
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Since my miscarriage I have talked with many women, many of them whom I did not know had gone through the same thing. Everyone's story is a little different and yet the same in regards to how they felt and dealt with the loss. I feel that in writing this maybe I can bring some hope, but also help other families. I heard 1 in 3 women miscarry, something I was not aware of until this happened to me. Most people don't talk about it or share their story, miscarriage and infant loss is a taboo subject it seems. I think partly because none of us really know how to respond and sometimes when the news is shared the response from others is not always helpful in our grief. I have been cautious in how I have shared it, but I feel it has been important for me to write this down. Our baby was not with us for very long but, he/she has left a lasting imprint on our hearts and we will carry that with us forever! One of the verses that gave me comfort during the early days was: <br />
<div class="heading passage-class-0"><h3>Isaiah 55:8-9<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-18749"> </sup></h3><div class="heading passage-class-0"> <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-18749">8</sup> “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, <br />
neither are your ways my ways,” <br />
declares the LORD. <br />
<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-18750">9</sup> “As the heavens are higher than the earth, <br />
so are my ways higher than your ways <br />
and my thoughts than your thoughts. </div><div class="result-text-style-normal"></div></div><div class="result-text-style-normal"></div><br />
I may not understand why this happened, but yet I know I have to continue to trust and lean on Jesus.<br />
For those of you have walked with me through my time of grief and have been there for me when I needed to talk, needed someone to pray, a hug or just let me cry, I want to say a huge thank you! <br />
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Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-56229135078148885792011-06-17T13:57:00.000-07:002011-06-17T14:19:31.547-07:00Why my husband Rocks!<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-husband-rocks-writing-contest.html%22%20%3E%3Cimg%20border=%220%22%20src=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga24WdO0OcdseuPU5a6XUm089XzRu4eiPAQsNItjoH2GuNAkusR2iviQaH47hJ_vxMMF1EWjLmM1UzjfKsYhwrD6OpcWXgvRAwodYsgiRqf1wHtFUQ4BGav-ja0eslxiDMh93Eqf48de8/s1600/writingcontest.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E"></a><a href="http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-husband-rocks-writing-contest.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga24WdO0OcdseuPU5a6XUm089XzRu4eiPAQsNItjoH2GuNAkusR2iviQaH47hJ_vxMMF1EWjLmM1UzjfKsYhwrD6OpcWXgvRAwodYsgiRqf1wHtFUQ4BGav-ja0eslxiDMh93Eqf48de8/s1600/writingcontest.jpg" /></a><br />
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It isn't hard for me to say why my husband rocks! He is the love of my life, my best friend! When we met I had never dated anyone else. I was 23 years old and wasn't sure if a husband was in God's plans for me? My husband and I met when I came to the US in 1998 as an exchange student to Moody Bible institute. For me I wanted to marry someone who loved God, was a man of integrity and served God will all His heart, I definitely found all those qualities in my husband.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/mummyjayne/seattletrip022-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/mummyjayne/seattletrip022-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We have been married for 10 years, the last 4- 5 years have probably been the hardest 5 years for us as a couple and family. After 6 years in youth ministry my husband felt God was leading him out of that for a while. One of the main reasons being our oldest son was having some major developmental issues, which we later found out was Autism. Since an Autism diagnosis, my husband has been a rock. I heard divorce within the Autism community is extremely high. Although it has been tough at times, I can't imagine raising our son with Autism or our other son apart from each other!<br />
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He is always there willing to listen, helping calm my fears and anxieties but in all of that pointing me towards Christ, encouraging me to look to Christ for my strength, wisdom and guidance. He brings a calm and stability into my life, he also makes me laugh which is another quality I appreciate since I can be very serious at times! <br />
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In April of 2009 my husband and I started to build our own home through a self help sweat equity program. One of the reasons we did it was so we could have a home of our own, one that was safe for our boys and a place of rest and tranquility for when our days were crazy! My husband put in 40 hours a week of work on his regular job and then on the weekend he would put in 20 hours on our house :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He loves our boys, you can often find him riding bikes, doing yard work, wrestling, making up stories at bed time, playing and just being silly with them and they too love their daddy :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/mummyjayne/newfolder051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/mummyjayne/newfolder051.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezsU1tbsV4A-iPiiIZU0TVHlK5kX01vH5-H7gmtaFCUc4PJBsX3BeP8Z4jFakEZcEPjEDIzCkQLPb_mrOqoyK7QOIOFVdQKUIbYAZ2TC04ptqL492EPByZd9xvQvVh99UQgx3ygsBYGY9/s1600/2nd+grade+field+trip-+Oct+2010+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezsU1tbsV4A-iPiiIZU0TVHlK5kX01vH5-H7gmtaFCUc4PJBsX3BeP8Z4jFakEZcEPjEDIzCkQLPb_mrOqoyK7QOIOFVdQKUIbYAZ2TC04ptqL492EPByZd9xvQvVh99UQgx3ygsBYGY9/s200/2nd+grade+field+trip-+Oct+2010+012.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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So as you can see, that is why my husband rocks, and I only feel like I have scratched the surface, but I am thankful I can honor him in this way. Happy Father's day to my love!Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769285355468691264.post-15460080720393310422011-04-15T10:06:00.000-07:002011-04-15T13:24:38.980-07:00Five minute Friday- "On Distance"It's that time again :) I am really enjoying doing these!<br />
<img alt="" class="alignleft" height="180" src="http://thegypsymama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5-minute-friday-1.jpg" title="5 minute friday (1)" width="179" /><br />
1. Write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.<br />
2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button in my right side bar}<br />
3. Go leave some comment props for the five minute artist who linked up before you {and if you love us, consider turning off word verification for the day to make it easier for folks to say howdy}<br />
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Today's topic "ON DISTANCE"<br />
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<u><b>GO!</b></u><br />
You were my firstborn and I was so delighted to have you in my life, yet for some reason something didn't seem right? I watched you as you lined up your cars, you tried to communicate but you couldn't, you would wake up from a nap and cry and cry, I would hold you and pray and seek God for wisdom as something with my sweet baby boy wasn't how I thought it should be? There was a distance, you were locked in a world I didn't understand, I couldn't reach.<br />
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I was determined not to let you stay there, determined to bring you closer. I did everything I could to reach in, help you! Thankfully after lots of appointments, questioning, testing, therapy, researching, we found out. Autism created a distance between you and me, but I was so determined to not let it, I knew God had blessed us with a very special little guy who would change us in a way we would never understand.<br />
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The day you were diagnosed, I felt a burden lift, I felt I could finally reach you, finally help you. The last few years have been very hard work, but finally I feel like the distance between me and you has been lifted. To see you laugh, smile, giggle, talk and enjoy life has brought so much joy.<br />
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April is Autism Awareness Month, this is a great time for all of us to understand Autism, to not let the distance come between us and to enjoy the special blessing of a child with Autism.<br />
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<u><b>STOP! </b></u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHQU324oePrNezM7dtCCuFDtbTx62CgVs597MjtUsFMWuN-j1XdcnSFmX-PqVgzJJOv3oghnRozzwcjS_ZTAFg4snc5qsJVT_pxwUtJQBYwregzWmdGpE7A6X27BSLqakMavNcUJXYLtx/s1600/IMG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHQU324oePrNezM7dtCCuFDtbTx62CgVs597MjtUsFMWuN-j1XdcnSFmX-PqVgzJJOv3oghnRozzwcjS_ZTAFg4snc5qsJVT_pxwUtJQBYwregzWmdGpE7A6X27BSLqakMavNcUJXYLtx/s320/IMG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jayne Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865011458669209199noreply@blogger.com5