summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

the aftermath...

So we had three guests for dinner.....then the evening invite was open, so our friends from church could come over if they wanted to. There were 21 for dinner, then six more friends came for the evening. We fit easily into the living room with some of the younger ones sitting on comforters on the floor. The gathering was casual, yet very encouraging. The kids sang a song, and we heard a really good story....

A seventeen year old girl who was in the middle of many struggles, including whether to follow her own way or follow God, was in school one day. The math teacher asked the kids to close their books, and asked them a random question. He said, "Raise your hand if you have never seen your parents fight." This 17 year old girl was the only one who raised her hand. Her teacher asked her after class if she realized how blessed she was to be raised in a home where there was no fighting. She thought and thought about that....and that night, she came to the conclusion that that was the life she wanted to live herself, so she went to her parents, apologized for the difficult times she had given them, and decided to be converted. A boy in her class was so impressed with the change in her, that HE started to come to the church and HE was also converted, along with his father and a few of his brothers. All because of a question from a math teacher....

Our children don't fully realize how good they have it, to be born into a family that WANTS them, loves them, and to parents who lay their own lives down for their children. And also they are born into the church, where there is goodness and help and warmth and love and fellowship.

So our evening was fun and warm and the kids stayed up way too late.

I tried to sleep, and even though I am so tired I just couldn't sleep. I think it was because I knew Miss Emily was still here, talking to Mirielle....so I got back up and talked to them for a while, 2:30 again. They are planning a youth girls' trip to the ocean, and are doing a dinner next week to raise some money to help defray the cost. I was trying unsuccessfully to keep my two cents out, but....

So this morning the house is still clean from last night, Emily ran the dishwasher before she left. I do have lots of laundry to do, and I really would like a nap. Yes, it is eight in the morning and I am thinking about my nap. I don't actually take naps anymore.....but today, I might.

I let Jonathan stay home because he stayed home so late last night, but the other kids all went.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing the story of that girl :) I hope we can have a good family life like this. I think when you decide to follow Jesus, no matter how many times you screw up and get absorbed in your sins, you can get back on track and bring peace in your home and in the world. :)

mommeeof10 said...

Does laundry ever get done? I seem to have the never ending mountain of clean clothes on the dining room table. I sort and send the big kids clothes back to their rooms, put away the younger 2 kids clothes, their dresser is in the corner of the dining room, and maybe get some towels put away. I never seem to find the bottom of the pile. I did put 2 bins of wonter clothes in the upstairs hallway, so i can throw them in the attic tomorrow moring before it gets hot. There are still 2 bins of gloves and mittens on the table. I think their covers are in one of the kids rooms. The snow pants are in their bin, but it is so awkward to carry up stairs that I need to wait until a big kid can help me get it up stairs to put it in the attic. The big girls have a hugh closet, so all the winter coats get hung up there. By the time I get most of the winter clothes upstairs, I'll have to find the summer stuff in the attic and bring it all down. :( It might help if whomever put it away last fall (me) remembered to label the bins. I think we must have 30 of the 18 gallon totes, with clothes, toys, craft stuff, Christmas stuff, all in the attic. I had them all stacked in different area until hubby let the kids get out the easter stuff by themselves.