Olympics, Praises, and Stinkin' Marshmallows...

So, tonight, once again I find myself watching the Olympics on the edge of my chair. Michael Phelps. His name is sort of a sentence all on it's own. It says strength, determination, faith. What struck me though, and I'm not sure if I'm totally alone in this thought, was what about his mom? There she was in the stands, you could see her beaming, her pride in her son just brimming over. I guess maybe because I'm a little too old and well, just not exactly constructed for Olympic competition that I wouldn't necessarily put myself in Michael's shoes. Maybe it's because I am the mother of three amazing kids who I think could do anything. That I could jump into hers.

Maybe I have an Emmy award winning actress, or, well, do they have Olympic medals for climbing? Maybe I have a Nobel peace prize winner or the inventor of something incredible. Maybe this is why I immediately identified with Michael's mother. Without her, would he be where he is? Without God would she be where she is? It is not just a work of coincidence or of nature. I can't for a minute believe it's a simple fluke. God sent this child to this mother and this mother saw his gift and gave him the tools and the love he needed to fulfill his gift. She had to have allowed God to work through him. She had to have faith to hand him over to the pool. I did a little Googling on Deborah Phelps and found this interesting article on what kind of kid Michael was. It wasn't what I expected. He was not a scholar, or a well behaved little child. He suffered from A.D.H.D. and he was not a favorite of his teachers. It wasn't till he was almost a tween till they discovered his gift. I guess what I'm slightly bummed about is that in my googling I could not find some wonderful interview in which Michael and/or Deborah Phelps give all the glory of Michel's amazing gifts to God, because in my mind, that is where they belong. I had to remind myself that he seems to be a pretty humble guy and it's really not my business to judge his faith based on results of Googling "Michael Phelps faith in God". That is between he and the big guy. Back to the mom thing..so here is my question, and maybe a bit my paranoia. What if each and everyone of our children has a gift like Phelps? What if each of our beautiful babies has the God given gift to do something of greatness? What if Deborah Phelps had listened to his teachers and just chalked him up to a kid with issues that would never be able to focus on anything? What if she'd never taken him to the pool?

What about my kids? How do I know what their gifts truly are? I know Dax and Lily have gifts with body art and sharpies. I know that Lily used to hoard all sorts of things I deemed garbage in order to create art with...what if deterring this hobby because it drove me nuts was derailing her gift? What if Dax's monkey like climbing and insane upper body strength are leading him to greatness? What if Finn's champion fine motor skills will create a fine surgeon. What if somewhere in Lily's incessant talking there is hidden the cure for cancer? Or if Dax's "secret" Bean Car is the answer to the alternative fuel quest? What if I'm squelching them? What if I'm annoyed by the very skills that could facilitate my kids 8 gold medals? Help!

I then found this quote from Debbie Phelps. "As I look back, one of the hardest things I had to do with raising my son and both my two daughters was to trust they would be okay without me always by their side as they grew older. Like all mothers, we just want our children to be happy, safe and to excel in what they enjoy most. And as a mom, we do everything we can to make that possible."

And I thought...ok, I'm right there with her. And, I'm open. I'm struggling hard to listen to God's voice, to open my eyes to his plan for not just me, but for them as well. I'm praying fervently and now I will add to that prayer not just for him to use them for his perfect works but to open my eyes to the great gifts he has instilled in them. I will continue to pray for the resources to help them to grow those gifts and his grace in not allowing my mistakes to derail his plans for them. I will mostly remind myself daily that his love for them is bigger than mine could ever be, than I could ever even fathom. They are not mine, they are his. He put them in my care because that was part of the master plan. these children are perfect for me. Michael was perfect for her. Even our failures will teach them, will be part of His great plan.

I would be so incredibly proud to be Michael's mother. Honestly though, I am more proud to be Lily, Dax, and Finn's mother, because they were formed by His hands to be pieces of my heart, and for that I give God all the glory!


Praises...

Another beautiful summer day.

A very handsome, healthy new life!

A baby with the best hugs ever and one new tooth!

A husband who will take two kids to the store and make dinner

God's way of keeping me here instead of driving all the way to Indiana just to get a horrible cold and not be able to hold that beautiful little boy!

Everyone in my house having pretty good attitudes even with all the sneezing a nose blowing going on here (sorry if that was too much info)

The delight kids get out of $10 inflatable swimming pools

Chatting with mom and her having such a pleasant night last night with my brother and sister in law

Getting my hands on the DVDs for our new Bible Study. I'm only partway into the first one, but I'm already amazed by how in depth it is! I've not done Beth Moore before...this ought to be a new world for me!

Making the time this summer to dive into His word and listen better. I pray i can keep going as school starts

Lily's incredible excitement about going back to school (even thought the discussion of it is endless!)

Being able to sit and watch the Olympics and enjoy the time with my husband (at least between interruptions from half sleeping children!)

Life. How it just keeps going and how it's filled with such beauty if you choose to open your eyes to it!

Dax quote of the day....

"I NEED ONE MORE STINKIN' MAR SH MEL LOW!!!

Please! Please! justonemorestinkingmarshmallow!

I just need another marshmallow, just one, please

snif snif, mumble in a whiny meek voice... "I just wanted one more marshmallow, just one stinking marshmallow"