Baby Girl is the Best!

Knock, knock...wait...little feet scurry to the door and slowly the heavy door is opened by the tiny hand of an eager three-year old. "NANI!...Nani, Nani...come in...see my picture!...wanna play?...I missed you...wanna color?...come in my room...here's my yellow M & M costume...wanna play with beads and kitchen things?...can we go to the playground?...you can touch my pink-trick-r-treat-bucket...see the pumpkins we made?...what's that? (bending over to get a close-up view of a smashed bug)...that's yucky!...com'on, let's go!...you sit in that swing and I'll sit in this swing and swing by myself...swing high, Nani!...higher!...come over here and sit on the horse and I'll sit on the lion...go fast...faster...now I want to sit on the horse and you sit on the lion...now lets find sticks on the ground and put them in my pink-trick-r-treat-bucket...look at this one...here's a rock...I have seven sticks and rocks...let's go down the slide with the sticks...you stay down, Nani, cause you're too big for this slide...I'm little cause I'm a kid...let's climb over here...climb, Nani..."

And so it goes...every time I visit Asha. There isn't a sweeter exhaustion.

Further on the Journey...

Most of my thoughts right now center around the transition I'm in having begun a new full-time job after working very part-time or not at all for years.


Knowing God had directed me to my job, I said "yes" and jumped in! The skills I use are not new to me. I'm an old hand at MS Office and all that. What is new is the realization that I'm not enjoying my work like I thought I would. I have the skills, I believe in the objectives (a non-negotiable for me with any job!) but find much of the day to day work that supports the objectives to be ineffective, tedious and misplaced.

So, as I've worked at my job for a few weeks now, I have reflected often about why I'm there. And this is what I've come up with so far. The deepest desire of my heart is to reflect the character of God. That only happens when my own will is broken and I die to myself in order for Christ to live in me. I'm learning on my job to find my joy and satisfaction in being content to serve God -- not to serve man. I'm serving God by being obedient and trusting His purpose for being at the job -- not my "need" for fulfillment.

There is indescribable peace in handing over my plan to Him in order to receive His plan for me. There is no earthly reason why I should have such peace -- it's God's blessing. It's like the painting of the washer-women by Renior...their work seems ordinary. But when we serve Christ, no job is ordinary or unimportant because when done for God's glory and at his bidding, there is deep settled peace and the knowledge that what we do has significance far beyond the bounds of this life.

"Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ." Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)

Dreams yet to be dreamed...

March 19, 2006 - HAPPY ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY, ASHA JEAN!!

I love the song, "Find Your Wings", sung by Mark Harris of 4Him.
It expresses his love for his children.
It also expresses my love for my sweet granddaughter.




It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers
I'll pray for all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
you're walking in the truth
And If I never told you,
I want you to know
As I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

She is full of life! She wants to experience everything...from rocks crunching beneath her feet to soft stuffed animals against her face. She loves airplanes flying overhead and hears them before we do! She loves animals and can say "woof"for a doggie and "buck-buck" for a chicken. She loves to climb, to swim, to laugh, the taste of Indian curries from her daddy's home, her mommy, her daddy, going "bye-bye", watching Elmo on TV... she loves life!

I love this girl! She inspires me to live each moment with passion!

Go for it, baby girl!! Dream your dreams and live life to the fullest!!

Are we there yet?

"He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams." Ps. 23:2

Seeing my sweet husband relax and enjoy doing something he loves gives me great pleasure. Here he is fly fishing on the Florida River in Durango, CO. This is the perfect vacation! He fishes, reads, naps--I swing in the hammock, read, walk, stare at the green... we eat great food, enjoy good friends and see a million stars in the night sky from our bird's eye view in the treehouse. For us, there is no better way to relax and renew our spirits for whatever life brings in the coming year.

Rest...retreat...getting away...leaving the Blackberry, the cell phone, the handheld PC behind...is underrated.

If you can effectively (??) carry out your daily responsibilities with too little sleep, too much stress and too many distractions, imagine how productive you would be with regular breaks to recharge your life! Plan one now! If you need any ideas, let me know.

Blessed!

Our "family" is a wonderful combination of different personalities, different backgrounds, different ages, and different ethnic groups.
We came together through Holly's love for her friends and her desire for them to have a place to call "home" since they were all so far from their own.






We love having our family together, sharing great homemade food or eating out, laughing, playing games, watching TV, TAKING NAPS and just being together. We've changed a lot since we first began getting together and I'm sure we will continue changing as months and years pass. But old friends will continue to bring new friends who will become old friends. We love them all!









We love the new wives and new babies... And don't even get me started on what it means to me to know and love my little granddaughter Asha!











I really look forward to holidays whether it's Christmas or Onam because I know we will be together.

















We miss the friends who have taken jobs in other states. It was painful to see them go but we wished them well and stay in touch as often as we can.

I am truly blessed!! I can't imagine my life without my precious family -- every one of them!


P.S. Did I mention that my beautiful daughter, Holly, married one of the best men in the world? I love my son-inlaw, Umesh, for the man he is proving himself to be!