Happy Happy Spring! Blessings from a Spring Birthday!

Yesterday was the first day of spring and it was my birthday.  I love to celebrate birthdays and I certainly love to celebrate spring.  I was not sure of how my birthday was going to be since our LL has been causing us some great stress with the constant threats (see March 19, 2011 post).  But I told my husband that we were going to have a 24 hour ban of LL talking.

At 12:02 am on March 20th, my son who is at UNC Charlotte sent the first text of my birthday wishing me a Happy Birthday.  What a wonderful boy!  I picked up my birthday gift from the boys and Mike on Wednesday, A KINDLE!!!! So, I already had my birthday present.  My younger son came out of his room (YEAH!!!) and said Happy Birthday Mom, you get a birthday hug!!!  I have two wonderful boys.  Mike was in charge of my birthday dinner, we had steak (medium-rare for me!), baked potato, cole slaw, baked beans, garlic bread and instead of birthday cake, fresh strawberries and ice cream.

The birthday card my husband was going to get me is a refurbished table I found that he and I painted and decorated with mosaics.  Now that will last much longer than a card!! It will always be on display.

I found myself smiling and counting myself very lucky throughout the day.  I felt loved by my husband and my boys.  They may not realize just how much their actions and words meant to me, but it was one of the best birthdays I can remember.  It was not because of expensive dinners and gifts.  It was because of a disgusting table and chair set I got for free and a hug and a text message.  It was the love they showed to me out of the willingness of their own hearts.

May you feel the love and joy of this spring season.

Taking Care of the Written Word,
Dannielyn

My 19 Year Old is in College

My 19 year old son is almost done with his freshman year of college at UNC Charlotte.  He has done remarkably well for his first year.  I am not talking about his grades.  He has done well with his grades, better than he did in middle and high school.  But he has also done well in the rest of freshman year.  

He achieved the Freshman 15. For many that means, as a freshman you gain at least 15 pounds.  My son has lost 15 pounds.  He always did things the opposite of what he was expected to do.  It is not because he didn't receive enough food.  I make sure that he has plenty of foods to eat.  My son decided to become a vegetarian.  He has walked to plenty of classes and plays lacrosse on the school's club team.  

He has a roommate and a very small dorm.  He has kept is a lot cleaner than he had any of his rooms since he was little.  He has learned how to do college style laundry.  Only wash what really needs to be washed and wear some things more than once. Just wish he would have practiced that all those years I did his laundry.  

He has been able to rely on others instead of always thinking he needs to be in charge of everything.  When he came home for Christmas break his car died.  He is saving up for a car while in college.  Can we say how proud he is for this and so are we.  

He has made a variety of friends, hasn't partied with drugs and alcohol.  He does not smoke and he participates in dorm activities.  This is good as they are trying to get the students off on the right foot by providing substance free activities for the students.  

He has only skipped a handful of classes.  He turns in his homework.  He shares with others the bounty he has and offers his room to those who need it.  He is a great kid and a wonderful young man.  

I was afraid that he would be struggling in college as I was afraid I had done too much for him.  He is able to take care of what he needs to take care of and still needs me to help him out on a few occasions.  I have to admit that I love this about him.  He is independent but still needs his mom.  

Yesterday he found out he was accepted to transfer to another school.  Only thing was, his younger brother wants to go there without it being a school his brother went to.  He wants to be independent of his brother.  I certainly hope my youngest wins this point.  But I am not sure that I am ready for my 16 year old to be old enough to go off to college.  It was hard for the first one, it will be worse for the second one.  

Taking Care of the Written Word,

Dannielyn

 

Jasper and Josie

Shortly after we moved to Hendersonville, our youngest son asked for a kitten. Our oldest son didn't want a cat in the house and didn't want to have anything to do with the cat once we brought it home. We went to the pet shelter and our little guy had found his kitten. Jasper, with his orange-red-yellow striped fur. I am not sure what the actual or official color is, but he has orange-red fur.

Josie is suppose to be his sister. She is grey with white patches and white paws. She was extremely little, most likely the runt of the bunch, tiny as she was. Well, we agreed to adopt Jasper, but Josie wouldn't let our oldest son move without showering him with attention. Our son bent down and began to pet Josie. He spent a lot of time with her and must have fallen in love with her immediately. Our son who wanted nothing to do with a cat for any reason looked up at his father and me. He simply asked, "Can we get two kittens"? I looked at my husband and I looked at the kitten and looked at my son. His kitten cold heart had melted, he wanted not just any kitten, he wanted the one who was desperately trying to get him to notice her.

Josie and her brother were adopted that day. Jasper knew which person in our family had chosen him. Jasper's loyalty was to Andrew. Andrew was his boy. He laid next to him, played with him, fed him, and slept with him. Jasper was his and Andrew was his boy.

The scrawny little Josie stole Tony's heart and just as her brother did she had spent all of her time and attention with Tony. She would run to the door when she hear him coming to the door. She would sit in his lap alone. She knew that he was hers and she was his.

Josie and Jasper both knew the rules that day we walked into the animal shelter. They knew that they needed to win the heart of whomever came looking for a kitten. Jasper by nature is friendlier with strangers than Josie is. Jasper looked healthy and robust for a little kitten. Josie, by all accounts was the lesser of the two kittens. Small in size, we found out shortly after arriving home, sickly. She doesn't like strangers. She will hide and wait until they are gone to come out to eat, potty or play. But that day, Josie knew her life laid in someone else's hands. She knew that she needed to step outside of her comfort zone and take that risk. That risk to show love to someone she just met. That risk to share of herself what she didn't want to lose. She wanted to be loved, cared for and taken home. She wanted to be saved from life in the animal shelter. She wanted to go where she would be loved forever.

Josie and Jasper wanted what we are all looking for. They wanted to be accepted, to be loved and cared for all their days. Don't we all have the same wants, needs and desires. We want to be loved, we want to be accepted and we want to be cared for all of our days. I know the only source of that love, acceptance and care, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God's perfect plan was to have his son come into the animal shelter (the world) and give us what we need to find him and let him know we need him to take us. The best part of all, Jesus takes us. Each and every one of is able to be adopted by Jesus. This is exciting, this is life altering and this is all we need to know that we will be loved, cared for and accepted. We are accepted no matter how sickly we may appear, he accepts us no matter what.

Do you have a desire to be loved, accepted and cared for? Go ahead and step outside your comfort zone and ask Jesus to take you with him.