I know Sammy lived! Please go to PointHope.org and read Sammy's amazing story, and then you too can profess "I Know Sammy Lived." They are offering wonderful t-shirts right now until after Easter with a beautiful logo on the front and the back for a small donation. The money you donate will be used to build "Sammy's Place" a home for children like Sammy in Ghana West Africa, his home country. It will be a place that these kids can be cared for and know they are loved. That's all this young man ever asked for, to be loved and for people to know that he lived. Such a simple request.
This organization is close to my heart. I am traveling to Ghana with them in the fall on a medical mission trip and I cannot wait. Won't you please join me in supporting their cause? In the mean time go to your facebook page or your twitter account and just profess "I KNOW SAMMY LIVED!!"
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
A Parent's Saddest Day
While usually I dedicate my blog to uplifting thoughts and stories tonight I'm afraid my glass feels a little empty. As parents we are gifted with our children from God. They are only with us a very short while and every now and then that time is shorter than we ever could imagine. When we hear of a beloved child that God has called home, as a parent, it knocks the wind out of you even if they are not yours. You feel empathy for the parents whose child has gone to be with God in heaven. The sadness of the parents whose child has passed must be just about overwhelming.
This weekend a dear child was called home to God. I did not know this child. His mother and I have friends in common but have not yet met face to face. She is a remarkable woman who has adopted several children both from the foster care system here and orphaned children internationally. When I learned of his passing it made me very sad. I felt sad for his mother and his brothers and sisters, but it also made me sad as an adoptive mother. When you are an adoptive parent you really feel God's hand in your life. He placed your precious child with you because He knew you were the perfect person to love and guide that child and teach them the lessons He wanted them to learn. When God places a child in your arms and in your heart through adoption you have such high hopes for their lives. You feel an immense sense of responsibility, and feel relieved in a sense, because you are their parent and have been given this rare and incredible gift. When God takes back that gift, for whatever reason, it hurts you deeply.
To lose a child is every parent's worst nightmare. When they are ill it is even harder. You do your best as a mother to care for your children and keep them healthy, but when they are critically ill, it's out of your hands and your control. This is where faith steps in. Faith, as we know, is knowing without seeing. It's knowing that God is there with His incredible plan already in place. We hold our breath hope and pray for the best outcome possible, but often times God's plan is different than what we had in mind as a parent. That plan can be very hard to accept. It makes you sad, and angry because it doesn't seem fair at the time. It's later on we realize that His plan was perfect. I read something recently from a mother who lost her precious son. She said, " They say that our lives here on earth are like the blink of God's eye. I have to imagine my precious son running ahead of me through a beautiful field of flowers chasing the butterflies in the sunshine. It's when he finally turns around that he sees me standing there." I hope that's the way it turns out to be if our children leave us before they should. I hope they are running ahead of us if only to make sure we know the way, and when they finally turn around we are standing there for them to run back to, just as we remembered them, and then they take our hand as we walk to God together.
To my friend that I have not yet met face to face; May the Peace that passes all understanding give you comfort in the coming days and know that you do not walk alone in your grief.
This weekend a dear child was called home to God. I did not know this child. His mother and I have friends in common but have not yet met face to face. She is a remarkable woman who has adopted several children both from the foster care system here and orphaned children internationally. When I learned of his passing it made me very sad. I felt sad for his mother and his brothers and sisters, but it also made me sad as an adoptive mother. When you are an adoptive parent you really feel God's hand in your life. He placed your precious child with you because He knew you were the perfect person to love and guide that child and teach them the lessons He wanted them to learn. When God places a child in your arms and in your heart through adoption you have such high hopes for their lives. You feel an immense sense of responsibility, and feel relieved in a sense, because you are their parent and have been given this rare and incredible gift. When God takes back that gift, for whatever reason, it hurts you deeply.
To lose a child is every parent's worst nightmare. When they are ill it is even harder. You do your best as a mother to care for your children and keep them healthy, but when they are critically ill, it's out of your hands and your control. This is where faith steps in. Faith, as we know, is knowing without seeing. It's knowing that God is there with His incredible plan already in place. We hold our breath hope and pray for the best outcome possible, but often times God's plan is different than what we had in mind as a parent. That plan can be very hard to accept. It makes you sad, and angry because it doesn't seem fair at the time. It's later on we realize that His plan was perfect. I read something recently from a mother who lost her precious son. She said, " They say that our lives here on earth are like the blink of God's eye. I have to imagine my precious son running ahead of me through a beautiful field of flowers chasing the butterflies in the sunshine. It's when he finally turns around that he sees me standing there." I hope that's the way it turns out to be if our children leave us before they should. I hope they are running ahead of us if only to make sure we know the way, and when they finally turn around we are standing there for them to run back to, just as we remembered them, and then they take our hand as we walk to God together.
To my friend that I have not yet met face to face; May the Peace that passes all understanding give you comfort in the coming days and know that you do not walk alone in your grief.
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