Songs and Hugs

I was putting the girls to bed the other night and they were BOTH being very sweet. Here are the stories....

Normally, when I put Ally to bed, we pick out two books to read, say our prayers and then Ally will ask for me to sing her favorite song, "Lord you are" while I pat/tickle her back. (Lord you are more precious than silver, Lord you are more costly than gold, Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds and nothing I desire compares to you.)Well, this night was different. SHE wanted to sing this time. She sang "Jesus loves me" and "Lord you are." It was so precious to hear her little voice quietly sing these songs. It melted my heart and made my night. What could be better than this?!?!?.......

After putting Ally to bed, I was ready for Maddie who was waiting for me in her room. We read another book and she said her prayers on her own. She said "Thank you for Mommy and Daddy, Maddie and Ally, thank you for everyone AND thank you God for who you are. Amen" I look forward to her prayers every night. It is my favorite part of the day. There is always something so sweet about the way she prays and loves God. After her prayer, we were talking and she asked me if she hugged herself, if God would feel it.....Yes! He would! So she hugged herself so tight and then we said our goodnights.

I LOVE the way children think. Their child-like innocence can be so profound. There are many times that I forget to "sing" to God like Ally and many more times that I forget to "hug" God like Maddie. Thank you girls for teaching me as I teach you!

Thankful

I am thankful for my life, my girls, my husband, my family and most of all my Lord who has blessed me with all of these things. My life is full and I need to remember this every moment that I breathe. I was reading an article last night, and I will spare you the appalling details, of the horrors going on in the Congo....Bukavu, to be specific. The disregard for human life, and most of all the disregard for God, is nauseating. I had to stop reading because the stories were amazingly heart-wrenching, agonizing and almost completely unbelievable. (Not exactly the best bed time story.) I keep wondering, how could this be happening in TODAY's world???? It just doesn't seem possible. It reminds me of a blog that my friend, Carol, wrote recently about a book called A Thousand Splendid Sun's , a book about the horrors in yet another nation. There is so much hostility, sorrow and fear going on across the globe and it helps me to realize what an unbelievable life I am living...that my family is living. And also helps me realize that I need to pray more, not for myself but for others. I am thankful for this country and for the freedom with which we are so blessed. It is amazing to me to think of such chaos going on just across the ocean. These people, living in th Congo have no sense of the security and freedom that we so easily take for granted. My prayers were earnest last night for no one in particular, but just for the pain and tears of those less fortunate in a country that is falling apart around them. My prayers turned to my girls who I pray will never feel such pain and never cry such heart-breaking tears. I am thankful for the privilege to pray, for the need to teach my children to pray, and I am thankful for a God who listens. I am so THANKFUL.............