First Trip to the Zoo!

Last Saturday we took a fun trip to the Atlanta Zoo. We went on a morning that was cool and overcast, but we knew the weather was supposed to clear up that day. It actually worked out really well, because it was very pleasant when we got there and by the time the temperature was really heating up, we had seen just about everything we came to see!

I couldn't tell you if Jack had a favorite animal or not - he did seem intrigued by the otters because they moved so fast - but I really think he enjoyed just watching all the other children walking around and riding in strollers as much as any of the animals! He was quite the people watcher that day.

Here are some of our favorite moments...

Mother's Day

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." - Psalm 139:13

As you can probably imagine, Mother's Day for me is very bittersweet. It's so ironic that days designated to celebrate something specific can often bring joy to many and pain to some. Take Valentine's Day, for example. If you happen to be single, on Valentine's Day you feel single, but even more so. Boy, do I vividly remember those days!

But this entry isn't a pity party for me. As much as I'd love to call my mom up and wish her a cheery "Happy Mother's Day" this afternoon, I know there are many, many others out there who ache today far more than I do: the countless women who would love to become moms but so far cannot, or the mothers out there who have lost a child.

Yes, this is not just about me, this is intended to be an encouragement to anyone out there who thinks God might have forgotten them today. Here's a story for you:

This is the fifth Mother's Day I am celebrating in my mom's absence here on earth, but I must say, the first one without her was by far the hardest. I was living in Boston at the time and just about to finish my Master's Degree. I was in the final stages of school and was working hard to finish my thesis. I was tired from school and planning a wedding, and I was ready to go back to Virginia. And I missed my family and Lyle. So I walked that morning to church - Mother's Day of 2006 - with a heavy heart. I didn't want to be celebrating anything that day - the pain was just too raw.

In the middle of the second set of hymns that morning at Christ the King Presbyterian in Cambridge, MA, as soon as I heard the opening chords of "Great is thy Faithfulness" the tears just began to slide down my cheeks. Some of you might remember that this is a song that has very special meaning to me: it's the one I sang at Mom's funeral. I felt then and there in church that God was whispering to me that He loved me and He hadn't forgotten about me at all. And what a beautiful way to deliver the message through that hymn! It was such a gift to hear that song on that day, and what made the gift even more unique was that in the previous 8 months I had been attending that church, we had never once sung that particular hymn. I don't know who or why someone there picked that song for Mother's Day, but I do know with all my heart I believe God had His hand in their decision, just because He wanted to give me a special gift and let me know how loved I am.

So to anyone needing encouragement - know you are loved by Almighty God who knit you together in your mother's womb. He loves you way too much to forget about you, today or any other day.

I can hear Jack upstairs waking up from his nap, so it's time to close. Motherly duties call!