The Afternoon of Life

  Did I laugh? Did I love? Did I make a difference? Today I held the foster son of a dear friend…4 months of chubby, wrinkled thighs…a grin from ear to ear…the deepest voice I’ve ever heard in a boy that tiny.   His eyes twinkled as he checked out every movement in the room.   I fed him a bottle and rocked him to sleep…and then watched his foster mom load him up to take him to an aunt who had won temporary custody of the precious little guy.   It was gut-wrenching to see him go…and I’d spent less than two hours with him.   It takes an incredibly wonderful angel of a woman to care for someone else’s child…love them 100% (the only way she knows how to love)…and then let them go.   Every time I think I could foster, something happens that makes me second guess that decision.   She let her little guy go because she wanted to do what was best for him…for now. I came home and found myself thinking about how God let His Son go.   He did...

  Today has been an odd day.   I think the adrenaline of an exciting week at VBS is wearing off and I find myself in that odd place between connection to reality and wanting to doze off from sheer exhaustion.   There were so many “highs” this week and it culminated with answered prayer this morning when I conducted my first SS class for 4 th -6 th graders.   I started praying in April that God would bring children to our church.   We had no SS classes for children except the occasional grandchild that came … and by occasional I believe there’s been a children’s SS class two or three times in almost five months!   So today thrilled my heart over and over and over again as children came in the door for SS and we made plans for how we’ll proceed in the coming SS year.   Did I laugh enough?   Oh, yes.   Joy, joy and more joy came shining through my smile and laugh this morning.   I especially enjoyed it when an older gentleman in my c...