pride and humility

I am so proud of my daughter, Catherine. She is a wonderful big sister to her baby brother. When I have to add wood to the fire in the basement or take out the trash, she does such a good job taking care of him so that I don't return to a screaming baby at the door. She holds him up to see out the window. She plays peek-a-boo with him in his highchair. She sits at the piano with him and they play together. She is such a help and a blessing to me. She not only sets the table, now, but fills all the cups with water and carries them carefully to the table by herself. I humbly admit that she also keeps me accountable throughout the day, telling me to calm down when I am getting frustrated and coming to me when I've gotten distracted and have been on the computer too long. Thank you, God for this beautiful girl.

I am so proud of my friend, Sarah. She is bravely facing the possibility that all three of her children may have eosinophilic disorders. This is Just a Glimpse of the life she may soon have with her three children. She has been struggling for years with her oldest son's diet, watching him suffer, trying different kinds of medication, and now an elemental diet (formula only), and possibly a feeding tube, followed by three years of food trials, endoscopies, and evaluations by the specialists in Cincinnati. Her daughter has also been diagnosed with EE and there are signs pointing to the possibility that their baby girl may be suffering from this condition as well. The physical, emotional, and financial stress on their family is more than I can imagine. I am humbly grateful to God for the blessing of good health.

I am so proud of my husband. Following the promptings of the Holy Spirit, he is trying to help two co-workers. They both work at the hospital; she has a day shift and he works at night. My husband was distraught to hear that she has filed for divorce. After talking to her yesterday, he is encouraged that there is hope and continues praying that the Holy Spirit will use him as an instrument in getting them the help that their marriage needs. In humility, I admit that he has done so much to build our marriage. Without his devoted attention and persistent efforts to spend time reading, talking, and praying about our relationship, our marriage would not be nearly as strong as it is today. I am so thankful for such a great husband.

*I said I wasn't going to post a picture of Adam's deer, but he was so disappointed that I didn't put a picture on my blog, that I have humbly consented to proudly display this picture of his first deer. He saved the antlers to mount in his garage. We have 70 pounds of venison and enjoyed a surprisingly tender roast two weeks ago. Adam will be making most of it into sausage and jerky with a special seasoning blend from the local meat locker. Yum.

**mom-dad kiss photo credit Catherine