Feeling It

I’m not a huge resolutions girl, but I have been contemplating 2016 and for the first time, feeling excited about 2017. Mentally maybe I needed to get through Christmas and now we are into January, the month where our family travels to Colorado for a debrief and some training and when we get back, Jon travels to Ethiopia, I am a bit too pregnant to do the international flight but am so glad he can go. He really wanted to take the girls and they badly wanted to go; however, for various reasons, they will stay in the USA with me. 

A few days ago, I was watching ‘A' bounce away on a trampoline, Without looking at me, she exclaimed, “Mama, I regret ever telling you I wanted to come to America because I didn’t know you weren’t going to let me go back to Ethiopia.” As you all know, it has been much longer in the USA than we planned for and it has been a blessing, though also taken a toll on all of us, but Jon and I know the logistics, have talked it through with leadership and we sincerely hope we can go back to live among the Awi in May. It’s just hard to get that all when you are 7. They have also loved their time in America, her statement just illustrates her pull between two places as "home.” 

Yesterday, it was a mental shift in my mind, and for the first time,  I have a sudden desire to not block out all of the change and whirling around me but allow myself to feel it and pray through it in a deep way.  A book I am reading has convicted me I am “slogging” through life, trying to get a to-do list done and not handling interruptions from my kids with much grace. We’ll see how this all comes together in the next week as I am packing and preparing for our CO trip in the midst of teaching the girls. 

Glad for this part of my goofy team…

And this teammate melt my heart. He is five-months-old, too little to play in the snow so he stays inside and we keep warm. He has such a personality with loads to tell us but most of his chatter sounds a lot like, “dadadadadada” though he has done a few “mamamamamama” too. (And he said mama first if anyone is keeping track). :)