Okay, to be honest, I nearly had a heart attack when I heard Michael ask Jacob that question! I decided to hear how Jacob would handle that hot question when Michael continued... "I mean, I want two brothers and their names are Daniel and Jason!" Jacob told him that they couldn't be brothers for him because they were his cousins already, but Michael insisted they could be both. Don't you just love a 5-year-old's logic?!? So, Daniel and Jason, consider yourselves the big brothers of a little five-soon-to-be-six-year-old-brother :o)
I have been dying to blog because I have so much stuff floating around in my head wanting to be released!!! But circumstances have kept me away from the computer and after today's amazing event, I knew I would have to fight for time here in order to capture my memories in this blog.
First, let's rewind to Thanksgiving Day...
For the first time in a gazillion years (translation: more than 8 years & counting!!!), we celebrated Thanksgiving with my favorite sister and her family and our extended family (Go Kok, Tan & Chu clan!!!). This meant an 11 hr and 47 min road trip (the time is exact because Michael was present when Jacob mapped it out and he informed us how long the trip would be) divided up into 2 days to go up and 2 days to come home. Thank goodness for Jacob's planning because any trip over 6 hours would have killed us all! This was our first road trip for this length of time and I'm kinda liking the idea of man's modern invention called airplanes...!
I loved spending time with my sister and the family and it was great seeing so many of my aunts and uncles and cousins again!!! I just wish we could have more time together and less stress in planning mini rendezvous! But all in all, we really maximized our time in MD & VA, so I'm very grateful that it happened :o)
On the day after Thanksgiving, Jacob and I introduced my sister to Black Friday shopping---she had no idea we would be shopping so early (I'm still yawning from getting up at such an ugly hour!!!)!!! If only we could have shopped longer in MD where the sales tax is lower than the North Shore...!!! Oh well.
Coming home, we stopped in Pittsburgh and when we woke up the next morning, a mini blizzard introduced Michael to his first snow storm! He informed us he was ready to move back to California!!! As you can see, he doesn't do cold and bulky coats very well!
Now, fast forward to the present...
Wednesday, November 28, 2012: I took Michael to see a Pediatric Orthopedic doctor regarding some random leg issues he's been having. The visit went well and thankfully, there's nothing serious. Michael is pretty flexible so his leg issues are from his joints locking up occasionally. Thankfully, he can do 10 squats a night to build up strength in his legs so it was a painless visit (except for the fact that he had to remove his socks and change out of his pants to wear these huge disposable shorts that were ugly and uncomfortable!!! And surprisingly, I think he was more traumatized by the weirdo shorts than having to remove his socks since he's my mini sock boy!).
I was trying to make a left turn against the traffic to get out of the medical office complex (where are traffic lights when you need them?!?) and it was C-R-A-Z-Y!!! We had to make a run to Trader Joe's so I was trying to figure out the best way to get there. Then, out of the blue, Michael goes...
Michael: "Mommy, I want to accept Jesus as my personal Savior. Can you help me?" Oh. My. Stars. Here, my little boy is asking me about the most important decision he will make in his life and I was in the middle of trying to maneuver through crazy traffic!!! I wish I could have handled this holy moment better, but I was half-way out of the lot and half-way in the road already!
Me: Michael, that is such an important decision you're making but can you please hold your thoughts while mommy focuses on getting us alive and safely on the road first?!?
There was finally a break in traffic and as I drove toward Trader Joe's, we talked again about what it meant to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. This has been an ongoing conversation for the past two years. We have been reading books about Heaven and God and this past summer, we introduced Michael to The Jesus Film project for children from Krista's younger days. I've been debating internally about walking him through the steps to accept Christ (he's been asking to do it for the past 2 years) because I want him to clearly understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
We talked through basic theology 101 again (sin separates us from God, we need a Savior because we deserve death, Jesus paid the price through His death and resurrection, etc) and I knew Michael understood what the Gospel is about.
We came home and after putting things away, we both headed upstairs to the office. I called him over to me and asked if he would like to pray and accept Jesus as his personal Savior. He climbed into my lap and said he was ready to accept Jesus and we prayed together. It. was. unbelievably. amazing!!! I will continue to talk to him about what it means to be a follower of Jesus and as he grows up, I pray that he will understand the importance of deepening his relationship with His Savior through Bible reading, prayer and connecting with other like-minded believers in church, serving, etc.
For now, I know the angels in Heaven are rejoicing over one little five-year-old boy who made a decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ :o) I know this because the NLT (New Living Translation) puts Luke 15:10 in this way: "In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
What a GOD thing!!! I am so excited for Michael!!! :o)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
"I Just Want to Snuggle. Do I Have to Go to School Today?"
The past couple of days have been perfect days to stay home and read in bed! Michael was sick for a few days and he was happy to stay home for another day if given the opportunity. He loves staying in his comfy pj's and just snuggling in bed. It's a luxury to stay in bed all day and read and one of these days, in a different season of my life, I want to experience that, too!!! As I leave with Jacob in the mornings or chauffeur the kids to school, I love looking at the silhouette of bare trees against the backdrop of a gray cloudless sky. It's simply beautiful!!!
We've been busy whipping the lower level of our house into shape. The other day, while my parents, Michael and I were organizing, I uncovered a stack of pictures I fully intended to scrapbook when Krista was in Kindergarten. They're beautifully cut and stacked nicely, but they'll be lucky to see the inside of my Creative Memories scrapbook album at this point in my life! There were pictures of Krista at 3, 4 and 5 years old. From a tiny child in the pictures to the young woman she has blossomed into, I wonder where the time has gone. Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster time seems to go by?
It seems like just yesterday when Krista was crying over my writing assignment in 5th grade and now she's discovered a passion for writing her own stories and other things. And it really feels like just yesterday when Krista was holding Michael gingerly in her arms on the couch and now he's 5.5 years old and soon-to-be 6!!!
How do you make the most of every moment when you're caught up in living life? There are kids to drop off, music lessons, sports activities, play dates to organize, homework and more homework! Life can get busy and whiz by you if you're not careful about it and intentional in your relationships.
It's why I love being a part of a small group fellowship. You have to slow down to make plans to meet regularly, share a meal and grow together as a community. Consider investing in people, and not so much in things. After all, the only things you can take to Heaven with you are the people you've lead to Jesus, right? God's plan for us is in Micah 6:8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?"
Now that's a legacy worth leaving behind :o)
We've been busy whipping the lower level of our house into shape. The other day, while my parents, Michael and I were organizing, I uncovered a stack of pictures I fully intended to scrapbook when Krista was in Kindergarten. They're beautifully cut and stacked nicely, but they'll be lucky to see the inside of my Creative Memories scrapbook album at this point in my life! There were pictures of Krista at 3, 4 and 5 years old. From a tiny child in the pictures to the young woman she has blossomed into, I wonder where the time has gone. Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster time seems to go by?
It seems like just yesterday when Krista was crying over my writing assignment in 5th grade and now she's discovered a passion for writing her own stories and other things. And it really feels like just yesterday when Krista was holding Michael gingerly in her arms on the couch and now he's 5.5 years old and soon-to-be 6!!!
How do you make the most of every moment when you're caught up in living life? There are kids to drop off, music lessons, sports activities, play dates to organize, homework and more homework! Life can get busy and whiz by you if you're not careful about it and intentional in your relationships.
It's why I love being a part of a small group fellowship. You have to slow down to make plans to meet regularly, share a meal and grow together as a community. Consider investing in people, and not so much in things. After all, the only things you can take to Heaven with you are the people you've lead to Jesus, right? God's plan for us is in Micah 6:8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?"
Now that's a legacy worth leaving behind :o)
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