Growing into Lovely: Answered prayers, Going down the rabbit hole!

This week has been something of a walk in Alice's Wonderland. God has richly given me a bouquet of my dreams all at once! and I had absolutely nothing to do with how He accomplished how they came about, but God is good and has answered my prayers to follow my passions about educating and facilitating for the needs of two of my areas of desire: advocating for the families who are raising children as step or blended families to help churches and organizations understand their complexities, and to work with families and children who have specialized learning needs whether home, private, or publically schooled. I simply love facilitating change....helping people have those "aha" moments by sharing the stories and encouraging change.
On the homefront, my two high school boys have been fishing up a storm. Chaser and his best friend eat breakfast and dinner with us every day, do school, then rush home to fish until dark. After football spring practice they come home and wipe out whatever we have baked,and then head to the local creek for brim and catfish. I've loved hearing them call from cell phones to tell me of the ones on the line, and I intend to sneak out there and enjoy fishing with them today later.

My girlie girl is turning into a tween. I love this child's heart and her giving spirit. When you are a fly by the seat of your pants mama like me, you need all the grace a child can offer. Madison is my continual source of comfort and joy....and we have the best of times together no matter whether it is attacking the chores together or skipping in the Huntsville Botanical Gardens...This week while working straight for 23 hours one day for a new friend's emergency problem, she lovingly brought me fresh coffee, yogurt snacks, and grilled cheese, because I could not stop the processes long enough to eat and leave the area.

Hearing author and gardner Harvey Cotten's personal tour of the garden.

Our oldest child is simply three weeks away from her marriage. The phone calls are exciting and the details overwhelming, but she's done it almost all herself and I am so proud of her for wading through it! We will be driving to the wedding some 800 miles away and then returning the night of the wedding for work/school the following Monday....can.not.wait. to see her!

Our son in college is working away and learning to be a Video Production person. His goals involve making Christian and commercial video's for a living and he's out there doing it as we speak! He got to make a commercial for John Deere lately, so exciting for him! We're just so proud of our older two children's first strikes at independence! Its tough to be out there on your own and they are doing it!

Honey, our wild child labrador and Dixie Mae are finally old enough to play together outside. Oh the shenanigan's they pull....and the humor they provide out my office window. It refreshes me and draws me outside to enjoy the playfulness with them. Meanwhile the boys, our black and white fluffs, sit on the lounger and supervise....

God has simply overwhelmed me the past few weeks, closing doors to some things in my life, and releasing entirely new french doors wide open in others. It is like not recognizing that that plain old dented door life is not as good as God has in mind for you, and you are crying about the silly old door being shut when are our Father turns you around to see the glorious garden he's planted outside the new French doors. We are like that are we not? So busy getting attached to what we know and worrying about its going away when God has another plan entirely to build something beautiful in our lives....but we're so busy being self centered on our present and past, we don't step through the doors He has for our future.

God is good, and He has a plan for your future too!

May God grant your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans. Proverbs 20:4 (NLT)