when i put ayla jo's short sleeve shirt she thought the sensation very strange. baby blue kept glancing at her arms like, shouldnt there be some more material?
we took advantage of the warm and sunny spring saturday by loading up the veen with bikes and layers of clothing and driving to the salem park where a long paved trail accomodates three levels of biking ability. little girl and i slowly made our way keeping our eyes looking out for the speedster max and the amazing force of nature bear.
bear looped the track four times, and max just would not stop!
when prinpress completed her lap, she decided to play for awhile at the slide. i brought along a book, because thats what i do. ayla jo started running towards the veen with a lood of purpose. i ran behind her as she was disregarding my pleas to stop and parking lots are just not good places for babes. once she reached the veen, she began taking off her pants. it was then i recalled teaching her to pee beside the veen while at timber town yesterday and the locked bathrooms created an emergency urination situation.
thankfully, the facilities at the salem park where readily available for us. so i whisked her to the bathrooms and used my phone as a light when the lights turned off during the process. back at the playground, i graciously accepted the other mother's unwillingness to chat.
ethan, however, was super willing to chat. ethan reminded me of jenna obesity back in cadillac, chunky, attention starved, and really eager to engage me in relationship. the boys were all about playing with ethan until he instigated the tagback which left bear feeling quite angry. all the while, ethan's two older sisters and his father sat nearby on the swings watching the friendships form with sharp interest. i found their attention a bit unnerving, but appreciated their involvement.
throughout the experience, ethan often took jesus' name in vain. my kids didnt seem to notice, but i sure did. ethan was friendly and kind and funny and lost.
later that evning, we headed to ridge for the saturday night service and were all convicted once again to be ministering to the lost. rather than cocoon ourselves in relationships and events and circumstances that are safely and comfortabley religious, we desire to go to where jesus went and bring the good news to people who do not know.
while at subs n more for dinner, we had a family talk about kids like ethan who do not have jesus in their hearts like we do. i applauded the boys for showing love and friendship to ethan and encouraged them to being god's love to all people in their lives, christians or not.
a beautiful reminder for brad and i as well. this is what we are here to do, be disciples. yet it is so easy to get wrapped up in our comfy lives and fill our limited time with us, instead of loving others well.
i pray lord jesus for a heart for those who need to know you. please father, fill me with your love so that it pours out on others in such a way that may be blessed by your grace and mercy just as i have been. thank you o lord for your awesome love.
