A friend and I sat in my livingroom this afternoon chatting over a cup of coffee. We talked about things going on both our lives and how we were adapting to changes both of us are facing. I feel blessed to have this person in my life, her honest and sincere desire to be a blesing to any life she touches is really inspiring. I find myself at times envying how open her heart is to other people.

For her, life is at a turning point that she probably never expected to be at. Like myself, she has experienced many major life changes in recent months. She has experienced many changes and losses similar to my own although also very different. Seeing the love and grace in which she is handling these things is inspiring.

My little boy was sitting on the floor, watching us, smiling at us and being his engaging self. I mentioned to my friend that I was worried about his future. She reminded of Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today's trouble is enough for today." She looked at him and then looked at me and reminded me that TODAY my little boy is happy and joyful and that I need to relax and enjoy him right now and not worry about later.

Then she told me a little story~ she says that when she was a girl, her Grandmother use to tell her that their family was "special", not like other families. She learned from her Grandmother that being in her family made her special and not like other children who had to "do" things to be special. She felt like her family really was different in a good way and that they were the best family to be in. She felt loved by everyone in her family and knew she was special.

She went on to tell me how as a young adult she looked back on her family~ her father was in and out of jail through out her childhood, her mother often worked shift jobs leaving her and her brother with babysitters for long hours and missing a lot of school and after school events. Yet she says, her Grandmother's words as she was growing up, telling her that she was special and her family was special stayed with her. She says that even though her family was very dysfunctional by society standards, she knows she was blessed to be part of that family.

Wierd? A little... but then she went on...

She told me "It wouldn't matter if your little one's daddy was a serial killer. That man does NOT MATTER. What matter's is that YOU teach your son to be proud of who HE is, proud to be part of your family, teach him that he is special and is part of something special. He is part of a family that loves and adores him."

Then this evening, my little bear came running in from outside, she ran up to me. wrapped her arms around me, puckered up in fish lips and gave me a big kiss on my cheek. I looked at her and said "What do you want?" She laughed at me and said "Can I have a popscicle?" so I said "All that for a popscicle?" she said "No" and after a very short pause she says in a very sing song voice "I love my Mommy, I love my Mommy". I reached out to her and hugged her close and told her "Mommy loves you too". It was then, at that moment that I really understood what my friend was telling me earlier in the day.

It also made me understand a Bible verse that I have known since I was a small child but only truly had a REAL understanding tonight... Mark 10:15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it...

Children love unconditionally, children trust without question, children are not worried about the future. The little child runs to the kingdom of God laughing, full of joy, wraps her arms around it, makes big fish lip kisses and says "I love you" (and then asks God for a popsicle :) )

I have a favorite quote by David Brink that goes "A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him". Tonight as I sat thinking about all that I talked with my friend about today and my new understanding of child like faith, I realized that the bricks that have been thrown at me lately really are laying the foundation for my children to have a STRONG HAPPY HEALTHY family. Taking each of the bricks I laying them out so that my babies have something that my older children never got because of where I was while they were little.

Now I am going to go snuggle up with my little ones, who are asleep here next to me, and whisper in their ears that their Father loves them and they are indeed very special and part of a very special family.