Fear and Following the Father

Ash is raining down on my little town. Smoke billows over my house and as far as the eye can see from west to east. Where is the fire? Is there a new wildfire nearby again? Will I lose my home like the lady did just two days ago about 6 miles from me? That fire was miles away but with thirty mile an hour winds blowing our way, who knew what would happen? Now, just two days later, where is the fire? The news mentioned two- one to the south 30 miles and one to the west about 30 miles as well. But is there a new one close by?
So many questions, and a little gnawing anxiety sits heavy in my chest.
Am I casting all my care on Jesus? Do I remember he cares for me?
Deep breath. Pray. Trust. Yes, I remember. Yes, I cast this care about fires and evacuations and uncertainty on my Savior. He knows. He has never once failed me, not in forty years.
If I lost all this, this stuff, what have I really lost? Stuff.
I have my Lord, my family.


And the sheriff's department said (yes, I called)that the ash is falling all over two counties from the fire to the west. Freaky. But the fire is in an unpopulated area. People are safe right now.


We are only living in "right now" anyway. Sufficient unto the day...
And we can thank the Lord for that, too!

Chicago

Benjamin and I are back from Chicago after his clinic appointment at Shriners Hospital. His surgeon said his models and tooth movement look good but that he isn't sure he is finished growing. They don't want to operate while he is still growing so he doesn't outgrow the surgery. We will know in a couple of weeks. If we have to wait, he'll have another checkup with x-rays in about 6 months. We also learned that instead of moving his bottom jaw, it is more likely that they will move his top jaw out more and if absolutely necessary, move his bottom in just a little.
The weather was better this time up north, and our trip was fine.
The children at home did well, and Alan survived with minimal hand-wringing.

Why wetlands don't have royalty

In the Okefenokee Swamp

Without any hokey pomp

A king thumped out a low-key stomp

From a gator with a poky chomp.

Car rides home with a load of sleeping children would be great time to plan a week's menu or sing or pray or somehow be useful.

I dream up silly poems.

Jeremy is now signed up for classes, has his books, and seems poised to get his work study job. His schedule sounds quite doable.

Benjamin is scheduled for an evaluation February 2nd, in Chicago, where we will get a surgery date, probably late spring or early summer.

Preston is learning piano, Starla is using new signs and words, and Melissa Grace now loves squirrels, which used to elicit screams of terror. ("If you see any squirrels and don't scream or be scared, I will give you candy!")

Some time back, our cleaner fish 'disappeared' from the tank. I secretly think the other fish cleaned up the cleaner fish. The family was discussing the disappearance when Preston said, "Maybe he drowned."

Goodnight, all, and remember safety-- Watch your fish around water!!

email test 2

okay, an hour's worth of fun looking through pictures for posting just got ... annoying... after all the ones I found disappeared. I understand the email posting alerts gave an error message. So I am trying again.

Hey, look. I found part of the lost post! Wanna see?

I'm really enjoying just looking through pictures for this site. What a fun time this blogging thing is.


One of my favorite pictures. This is Starla at about a month old, back in September of '06.

Do this many people ever get still all at once? Jeremy's 18th birthday picture, the one where everyone has their eyes open, anyway!

The Children

Here are some pictures just like I promised.

Jeremy and Starla at Thanksgiving in New Mexico.

Starla, Melissa Grace, Preston and friends Micah and Laci at the park in Abilene.

And here is Benjamin!

a beginning

Funny how we so often feel compelled to begin- something, anything- as a part of our lives ends in some way. Last month, Alan and I moved our oldest child to a new home over three hours away. So of course, I must begin a blog and start documenting my every thought here! I truly will not foist my emptying-nest-angst on you, mainly because of the four eaglets still at home, but also because life is just beginning! Every day!

The Father gave us 18 years to guide Jeremy to Jesus so that he will make decisions based on that relationship with his Lord. His adventure is just beginning, isn't it? But my adventure is nowhere near done- not in our parenting, not in my relationship with Jesus, not in dreams needing wings.

So join me in occasional posts, pictures, dreams, and news.

Our home school's name is Eagle's Wings Home Academy, thus the Title. You will hear plenty on the little and big ones here at home, plus the one that flew the nest.

I hope to give updates on the 'dream', as well. Someday, I hope to have a facility to meet the needs of abused and neglected children who grew up into parents unable to overcome their childhoods enough to parent effectively. That's sort of a mouthful, but if you think about it, you will see the need as obvious. Unfortunately, you will probably have never seen such a facility, as obvious as the need is to those who have worked for any length of time with at-risk families.

I hope to also mount my soap box on this and other subjects dear to my heart.

Pictures to follow.