Old King Cole

Last Friday, Alex’s school had their annual spring parade. Each class creatively displayed some portion of their curriculum as they marched in the parade. Alex’s grade learned nursery rhymes this year, and each child dressed up as their chosen rhyme. Alex picked Old King Cole. Not surprising. He does love to be a king. He also loves an audience, so marching in a parade while wearing a king costume was quite a thrill for him.

As you know, the rhyme begins with, “Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he.” As Alex was walking in the parade and waving to the crowds, he had such a look of delight on his face. The rhyme he chose was very appropriate. He was merry indeed.

It struck me how much the Lord has worked in his heart. Two years ago he was a very angry, sad little boy. By God’s grace he is flourishing and full of zeal. He certainly has his sad days where he misses his dad. Unfortunately, the pain will always be there. He will always miss his dad, BUT God has brought healing where there is hurt and laughter where there is pain.

Thanking God for his power to bring comfort and care to those who ache, especially my sweet children.



Alex painted this in Kindergarten. It's Georgia O'Keeffe's, Poppy

Saying goodbye

The boys and I have officially moved out of our house. It was an emotional week leading up to the big move. My boys had a very difficult time seeing everything packed up. There were lots of tears shed, my own included.

It’s the first house Erik and I ever owned. We bought it together when Alex was about 6 months. I remember the first time we painted the house with its tall cathedral ceilings. We had most of it painted when I decided that the color was a little too dark. You should have seen the look on Erik’s face when I asked him to repaint it all a shade lighter. He reluctantly consented.

So many wonderful memories of love, laughter and life keep flooding my mind. That home truly was a provision from the Lord. There have been many, MANY loving hands serving our family over the years since Erik’s death. Whether it was making a meal, cleaning, watching the boys, repairing something that was broken, or countless other ways people have served us. And did I forget to mention the extreme home makeover!

I wonder if Abraham felt like I do when God called him to pick up and leave everything. Scared, anxious, hopeful? I believe the Lord has directed us to move, but we still have not found a home close to campus.

In the meantime, we are staying with my mom. I am thankful to have a place to live while we wait. Now that we are out of the house, everyone is doing really well. The boy’s love being at Grandma’s, and it feels like a relief to have moved. So for now, we continue to wait and trust the Lord.