Five years ago our lives would be forever changed as a precious little baby entered our lives and we became grandparents. I still remember hearing her first cry and thanking the Lord that she had arrived safely. When we held her in our arms that first time, the tears just flowed. Since then the Lord has blessed us with two more very precious little grand sons. Our grandchildren have truly enriched our lives.
Happy 5th Birthday Aurora. You are an amazing young girl. You love life and everyone in it. You have a joy and enthusiasm in everything you do. How we thank the Lord for your life. It thrills our hearts to see you memorizing God's Word and learning about our God and Savior. We know God is going to use your life in amazing ways. Have a wonderful day and great new year ahead. Thanks for being my dance partner, reading buddy, co-baker, finger nail polisher, game challenger, and for all the joy you add to our lives.
Here are some pictures of our family Christmas this year. Seth and Camille did a wonderful job of hosting. We missed having Zachary & Elisha, and Glenn & Ruth with us. It was nice however that Zachary was able to make it over to Raleigh to celebrate with Ruth and Glenn.
I would have loved to be there with the Shepherds to hear the angels sing. I am sure it was the most awesome thing they had ever experienced. Saturday night the Schroeder family gathered for our family Christmas party. Besides hanging out with some of my most favorite people in the world, I love it that we spend part of the evening singing Christmas carols. We sound nothing like the angels, but we sing our hearts out to the Lord. I feel so blessed to come from a family that celebrates the true meaning of Christmas. "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come." May you experience the joy and peace that our Savior offers.
Last week I had the privilege to connect with six M.K.'s (also known as Third Culture Kids (TCK's)) who have gone through many transitions in life. These children have had the privilege of living overseas and have been able to love and appreciate other cultures.
Ruth Van Reken:
“A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part
of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The
third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not
having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are
assimilated into the third culture kid’s life experience, the sense of
belonging is in relationship to others of the same background, other
TCKs.”..
Transitions in life are not easy for anyone, but being a TCK has it's own challenges. We spent some time doing some fun activities centered around transitioning from one culture to another. It was great to have one of our students (who is also a TCK and has a heart to help other TCK's) join us.
If you know any M.K.'s (TCK's) why don't you reach out to them. Let them know you care about them.
When I mentioned in my last blog we were heading to the "Great White North". That was exactly what we did. We left Charlotte at 6:00 a.m. and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day there. We had smooth sailing until we got to Erie. Then it was a totally different story. At certain points we weren't even moving as the road conditions were so poor. We were so glad to get around the lake and into Canada to have dry roads again But a couple of hours from home the weather turned poor once again. It was close to white out conditions many time. We pulled in at 11:00 p.m. very thankful to be home safe and sound. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us during our very long day.
