Do you love my Dad?

Sometimes as "mean" parents we make our kids do unthinkable things!  I found myself making my boy do many unthinkable things through our years of homeschooling...writing was one of those especially cruel things.  :)  As I sat looking at this picture that Kyle and I made for his daddy (Kyle was 10), I am thankful for the cruelty of having him write this paper!  Of course reading this resulted in tears, but I cannot help but to be SO grateful for the MAN that God gave Kyle and I.  What an example of love as seen through the eyes of a child.

(Typed out below)

Why I love my Dad

By Kyle Humphreys, age 10

October 17, 2003

I love my dad because he takes me too the races and the football games and we have fun together.  

He takes me horseback riding all around Diamond Dee Ranch.  

He lets me play football, basketball, and baseball and he went to every one of my games.  

He stayed in the room with me every night and he played Nintendo with me when I was in the hospital and it was fun.  

He bought a Sunshine Scooter and it is so much fun.  

Do you love my Dad cause I do!  

He enjoys watching me.  

He got me a fan in my room because he loves me so much.  

He got me horses for my bedroom because I like horses and he wants it to look good.  

He takes me to the doctor because he loves me so much.  

He bought me a playstation and it is so fun and on some games educational.  

He bought me a TV and I like watching it so much.  

He got us a buggy and it is fun.  

He got me Fido and he is so much fun and it is hard to get the mud and fleas off of him but it is still fun.  

Hurting hearts

Busy thoughts this afternoon, so I am sharing a rather ramble-y post.....

Sitting here thinking about the last 9 months of my life....the now 4 months since heaven gained my Sweet Love.  The tests. The trials. The fears. The prayers. The feelings. The heartache.  The heartbreak.  Thinking about what I've lost.  What I've gained.  What I've learned.  What I'm learning.  The fact that I still have so much to learn.  I've been thinking of the blessings even through the tragedies.   The rainbows from the rain.  There are still bad/hard days, but there are days of merciful grace when I am reassured that I (and my sweet Kyle) WILL be ok.  Mark expects no less!!  My heart breaks that my son will experience his first Father's Day, with his daddy in heaven, so far from home, but at the same time there is peace that his daddy is watching over him and so proud of him. 

While all of these thoughts, feelings, and emotions go through my head and heart today, I find myself SO heavy hearted for other hurting people today. The tears I have shed this afternoon are because despite everything I have been through, the hurt doesn't stop just because I feel like a part of my life did.  The hurts continue all around us....all around me.  People continue to suffer, hurt, and grieve.  Tears continue to be shed.  Hearts continue to break.    

I pray, so earnestly, that I don't wallow in self pity, but that I use just ONE thing I've learned, or am learning, to be a blessing to someone else who is hurting.  I want to be a blessing despite my pain. 

If more people stopped and said a prayer FOR hurting souls instead of talking ABOUT them....... What a change that could elicit in not just their lives, but our own.  

Please God, let me a lifter of hurting souls and an encouragement to the down hearted.  Let me be be quietly prayerful when words aren't needed, but give me wisdom when I speak.   Help me close my ears to gossiping and rumors and live Psalms 19:14.  

Yes, it's definitely time to start blogging again!!!