A Very Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday. I'm not going to say my age, but let's just say I'm almost half way into my 5th decade. Many people seem shocked when they discover my age - I on the other hand have a constant reminder - not the gray hairs and wrinkles (though they are there), but the aches and pains of arthritis and other ailments. Still, I am thankful for what I can still do, and for all the blessings God has sent my way. My husband and children are some of them. Today my almost 13-year-old daughter baked and decorated a birthday cake for me on her own. I was so proud of her. My 11-year-old son who is really into making stop-motion videos made me one in which the words "Happy Birthday Mommy" magically wrote themselves on the chalk board. My third oldest, Aisha, who is 6 was amazed that I was "born" at one time, and my youngest, Gabriel, who is 4, just wanted to know when we get to eat the cake. They all made me cards and Jim plans to take me out to dinner this evening. It was so nice to be pampered in that way, and to see my children using their talents to bless others.

Valentine's Weekend with 10

This past weekend we had the chance to play parents to 8 kids, while we hosted the 4 kids of fellow missionaries as they went out to do a medical clinic, making a total of 10 in our house. We've done this before, and it was great - I know a lot of people think I'm nuts, but I actually find it easier sometimes with more kids, because they all have someone to play with, and I never have anyone come up to me saying they are "bored". We tend to do things in a more organized way just to get everything done in an orderly fashion. Maybe some would call it the "assembly-line" mentality - call it what you want, but it works. I am a creature of routine and order. This weekend we decorated Valentine cookies (around 150 altogether) and they disappeared by the end of the weekend. We also had other friends drop in, the more the merrier! I think there is something in me sometimes that craves the crowd of kids, as if I was made for a large family. I love the special closeness everyone feels, and the sense of belonging to something special that only exists in a big family. I love seeing the older kids pull together to help the little kids along, and everyone sharing a little piece of the bigger task, getting it done faster. It's the same special feeling we get when our whole extended family gathers for the holidays. It is a feeling of community and togetherness, sharing the knoweldge that together we are something more than merely the sum of each individual part.