What am I thinking?!? I am watching Animal Planet right now. They are showing a program titled "The Big Squeeze". I do not like dangerous snakes. This show is recounting people's run-ins with Reticulated Pythons, Boas, and the like. This one guy, a zoo keeper, was killed by a 22 footer. With him dead on the floor, it proceeded to attack the other zoo keeper who was trying to rescue him. He kept hacking deep gashes into the snake with a knife. It didn't stop the snake from attacking. Somehow, the second guy managed to get away from the snake, and give CPR and revive the first victim. It's the formerly "dead" guy that tells his story on the show. Amazing! Some of the other stories on the show are of pet owners who were attacked by their giant snakes. One guy, owner of a 21 foot constrictor, had to call the cops to rescue him. They shot the snake, of course, and the owner maintains he "loved that snake". Another lady in Malaysia was attacked in the outhouse. The snake let her go because he couldn't drag her down the "potty hole". They said he wanted to eat her in the safety of a dark place. Lucky for her, she was large enough she wouldn't fit through the hole! I am so glad B went to sleep early tonight so I could watch the nightmarish show by myself. I don't need her having nightmares too.
Oh, boy. Now I'm watching crocodiles court and mate with each other. This should be interesting. "It takes quite a bit of passionate wrestling to get it right", says the narrator of the show.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Our Crazy Dog Charley
We got home from Thanksgiving dinner at C's brother's house and discovered that our beloved black lab was missing from our back yard. Our chocolate lab was home, but conspicuously alone. Now, I should tell you that our dog Charley was misnamed. We named her Charley because she was born on the eve of Hurricane Charley that hit the state of Florida. It also hit our old house pretty hard, shattering a window (what a mess that made!), downing some of our trees and branches, knocking down our fence, and messing with a few shingles. We were quite lucky, though, because many of our neighbors did not fair as well as us. So somehow, this dog received her name in commemoration of how God kept us safe in the storm. We will never forget that time in our lives. Why would we sometimes think that we should have called her something else? Because she's constantly getting out of where she's supposed to be. We jokingly call her Houdini based on her personality. It's been a constant battle for the 3+ years we have had her in our family.
Well, we all hopped on our Kubota ATV and drove around our property, and that of several surrounding neighbors. We kept calling for Charley, and searching for a black dog in sometimes dense shrubby land on a very black night. The Kubota is diesel and quite noisy, so we had to stop and turn off the engine while we called for her and listened for her response. Only trouble is, she's not much of a barker. Our chocolate lab Cocoa barks a lot. In fact she barks so much that we kept hearing her barking the whole time we were gone looking for Charley! Her voice really travels the distance. "You're not helping us find her, Cocoa!"
After about 45 min. of searching in the dark, we finally found her. She never did bark out to alert us. We ended up seeing her eyes shining in the light of the ATV. But we found her trapped! We live near a dried up lake (glorified pond!). There are a bunch of tall and thick cattails near the edge of our property. She likes to charge into them to see all the birds she can kick out of them. Evidently, she got through the cattails, and found herself in a fenced in open area, surrounded by cattails in every direction. She couldn't find her way out. It was dark outside so we couldn't see much either other than what the headlights of the Kubota would shine on depending on where we parked. Both boys had to climb over the fence and try and lift a 55 lb. wriggling dog up high enough that C could reach over the fence and grab her. They tried a few times and failed because Charley does not like to be picked up. She's her "own dog" and doesn't like people messing with her ears for cleaning, her toenails for clipping, or apparently her body for saving! The guys finally got her into the back bed of the Kubota, and we made our way home. But not without a scolding about how naughty she had been and why on earth couldn't she be a dog content to stay out of trouble? Instead, she remains, our Houdini.
Well, we all hopped on our Kubota ATV and drove around our property, and that of several surrounding neighbors. We kept calling for Charley, and searching for a black dog in sometimes dense shrubby land on a very black night. The Kubota is diesel and quite noisy, so we had to stop and turn off the engine while we called for her and listened for her response. Only trouble is, she's not much of a barker. Our chocolate lab Cocoa barks a lot. In fact she barks so much that we kept hearing her barking the whole time we were gone looking for Charley! Her voice really travels the distance. "You're not helping us find her, Cocoa!"
After about 45 min. of searching in the dark, we finally found her. She never did bark out to alert us. We ended up seeing her eyes shining in the light of the ATV. But we found her trapped! We live near a dried up lake (glorified pond!). There are a bunch of tall and thick cattails near the edge of our property. She likes to charge into them to see all the birds she can kick out of them. Evidently, she got through the cattails, and found herself in a fenced in open area, surrounded by cattails in every direction. She couldn't find her way out. It was dark outside so we couldn't see much either other than what the headlights of the Kubota would shine on depending on where we parked. Both boys had to climb over the fence and try and lift a 55 lb. wriggling dog up high enough that C could reach over the fence and grab her. They tried a few times and failed because Charley does not like to be picked up. She's her "own dog" and doesn't like people messing with her ears for cleaning, her toenails for clipping, or apparently her body for saving! The guys finally got her into the back bed of the Kubota, and we made our way home. But not without a scolding about how naughty she had been and why on earth couldn't she be a dog content to stay out of trouble? Instead, she remains, our Houdini.
So Much to be Thankful For
Each year at this time I like to reflect on the things I have to be thankful for. I have so many that I don't know where to start! And I'm bound to miss a few, but here are the bulk of them:
I am thankful for a God who loves ME, of all people. I am, after all, just a speck of dust in the Great Scheme of Things, but He sent His Son to die for me. That is something that I will spend an eternity contemplating.
I have a husband who loves me, and is faithful. He's smart and determined to make his way in the world. We can rely on him to take care of us. He's also good at what he does. I'm thankful he values me for my abilities as well without much criticism. I am thankful that my hubby allows me to stay home (for the most part) and homeschool our children. It's very important to me, and I am so glad he's supportive in this matter.
I am thankful for 3 wonderful children, each very different. This gives us a lot of "spice" in our lives. I am very thankful that we have discovered some health issues where all the kids are concerned. Although we may have a long way to go in certain areas, we have come very far in the past year. Progress is so important, especially if it helps to insure against much worse conditions in the future, which would definitely have resulted if not for our (partial) understanding of what was going on.
My own health is greatly improved. This may be one of the most prominent items in my mind right now concerning my thankful issues. It is amazing to me how sick I really was 2-3 yrs. ago (gluten intolerance, undiagnosed hypothyroidism, and hormonal deficiencies/imbalance.) Now that things are much improved, I find myself enjoying life SO much more. Not a day goes by that I don't marvel about all this. So, yes, I guess in a big way, I am even thankful for my illness because now I am more thankful for health itself.
I am thankful for our country home, which we just built this past year. It is not quite finished yet, but we are living in it. And we are thankful that it is in a rural country setting. We enjoy a lot of freedom that we value greatly, in part due to the stifling conditions of the particular subdivision and area of town that we came from farther south.
I am thankful for various family members and numerous friends.
And finally, some more superficial things to be thankful for:
I am thankful for a God who loves ME, of all people. I am, after all, just a speck of dust in the Great Scheme of Things, but He sent His Son to die for me. That is something that I will spend an eternity contemplating.
I have a husband who loves me, and is faithful. He's smart and determined to make his way in the world. We can rely on him to take care of us. He's also good at what he does. I'm thankful he values me for my abilities as well without much criticism. I am thankful that my hubby allows me to stay home (for the most part) and homeschool our children. It's very important to me, and I am so glad he's supportive in this matter.
I am thankful for 3 wonderful children, each very different. This gives us a lot of "spice" in our lives. I am very thankful that we have discovered some health issues where all the kids are concerned. Although we may have a long way to go in certain areas, we have come very far in the past year. Progress is so important, especially if it helps to insure against much worse conditions in the future, which would definitely have resulted if not for our (partial) understanding of what was going on.
My own health is greatly improved. This may be one of the most prominent items in my mind right now concerning my thankful issues. It is amazing to me how sick I really was 2-3 yrs. ago (gluten intolerance, undiagnosed hypothyroidism, and hormonal deficiencies/imbalance.) Now that things are much improved, I find myself enjoying life SO much more. Not a day goes by that I don't marvel about all this. So, yes, I guess in a big way, I am even thankful for my illness because now I am more thankful for health itself.
I am thankful for our country home, which we just built this past year. It is not quite finished yet, but we are living in it. And we are thankful that it is in a rural country setting. We enjoy a lot of freedom that we value greatly, in part due to the stifling conditions of the particular subdivision and area of town that we came from farther south.
I am thankful for various family members and numerous friends.
And finally, some more superficial things to be thankful for:
- The public library system, which supplies audio books on CD and mp3 format
- An mp3 player to download free mp3 audio books onto
- Air conditioning in FL
- Modern bathroom facilities
- The Internet which sports "fast-food" information retrieval
- Tried and true gluten-free recipes and the GF pioneers who created them
- Homeschooling pioneers to learn from, so I don't have to "invent the wheel"
- Stories of our past; history to learn lessons from others' mistakes
- A second family car so I can run errands and attend field trips whenever I want
Well, that's quite a list. There are lots of other things that I am thankful for, but I have to call it quits sometime. It's getting late and I am thankful for a comfortable bed that is calling out my name.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Nothing Short of a Miracle!
My eldest, is by nature, unmotivated. Some would call it laziness, but I know in my heart it's something different. He seems to walk to the beat of a different drum. He does not fit anybody else's "box", but is always thinking, pondering, wondering about stuff, and off in his own little world. I have seen him get passionate about things before, and when he does, whew! Look at him go! I never know what is going to strike his fancy, and how long it will last, but it is always a whirlwind when it does hit. I know that these character traits can be a good thing if he so chooses, but that's the tricky part. He needs to be brave enough and motivated enough, and then actually choose the right way. I have done some reading about people like Thomas Edison. In fact, we saw a play about him about a year ago. H is so similar to him in so many ways. Edison even had trouble in school, was misunderstood by his teachers, and his mother pulled him out of school to homeschool him!
Now, H has never been in "real" school, but I shudder to think what it would have done to his self esteem if he had. I don't believe the average teacher would understand his differences like I do. Yet, do I even understand?? (And how could they? They are quite busy with 24 other kids to worry about. A friend of mine actually taught 33 second graders, without a teacher's assistant!! H. could very easily just slip through the cracks.) Then add to that H's sense of perfectionism, and he would be devastated if he were compared to other kids all day long.
I have to admit, even I get frustrated at times, since I can be quite stubborn, plodding along with my own blinders on about the way things *ought* to be! It's hard for me to get him motivated about anything. I have trouble determining the fine line between where he is, vs. where I think he should be, vs. where the world thinks he should be. Yeah, I know I shouldn't look at the world's perception of things. True enough. But now I am faced with wondering if I am doing right by him according to God's standards. He values the work ethic of the ant! The Bible states over and over how important it is to seek wisdom, to be productive, to do everything you do with all your might. But what if I can't get him to do *anything*? I mean really, sometimes it can take him an hour to complete a 10 minute job. He reminds me of a turtle or a snail, he's so slow. The sloth also comes to mind when describing him!
When it comes to school work, please don't get the idea that I am pushing too much too soon for him. He is a grade or two behind where he should be for his age. A large part of the reason for this was undiagnosed gluten and casein intolerance. He would get headaches and couldn't think straight. He was lethargic, complained of fatigue, and was quite mopey and even acting depressed! We took the offending foods out of his diet, and he began to read by leaps and bounds. His headaches were gone, and he reported a clear head as well. So, although things are much better than they were, it's still an issue to be dealt with, especially since we have to catch up, making up for lost time!
I have prayed long and hard about this for some time now. We have had discussions about how he is getting old enough that he needs to consciously pick his own path in life. Mom and Dad can't be with him 24 hrs. a day, for the rest of his life, to continually prod him along in the right direction. Choose productivity; choose a higher path; choose friends who encourage and build you up; choose excellence in all things! Just don't embrace apathy. Choosing nothing, by default, is choosing failure.
Well, I have good news to report. I have noticed improvements in this area. They may be nearly imperceptible at times, but they are improvements none the less. The other day, while I was in the shower and then dressing for the day, he sat down to do some school work all on his own. One subject had him stumped after a few pages, so he started on a second subject. He even influenced his younger brother to work on his school work too! (We have also longed for him to take a more active roll in encouraging his younger siblings instead of criticizing them.) This was just amazing to me, and I told him how proud of him I was. Now, just today, he told me he wanted to finish his math workbook in 6 days. We got out the calender and marked the days, giving him the weekend off. We did the math on the pages remaining in his book, and he has to do 22 pages every day to reach his goal, and thereby finish the book. I was a bit nervous with him setting such a lofty goal for himself. I know he doesn't need more failure. But today, he kept coming back to his open math book throughout the day, and actually completed 25 pages before he quit for the day. I corrected everything, and there were only a couple things that were incorrect.
So you see, I am quite excited about all this. I have been praying about his character flaws, and he knows it. I see him praying too, I just haven't asked him about what. But it's working! Yeah, it's starting to pay off. And thanks be to God above for these improvements. So, I will continue to pray for myself also; that God will grant me a few things: wisdom, patience, understanding, and LOVE for my son.
Now, H has never been in "real" school, but I shudder to think what it would have done to his self esteem if he had. I don't believe the average teacher would understand his differences like I do. Yet, do I even understand?? (And how could they? They are quite busy with 24 other kids to worry about. A friend of mine actually taught 33 second graders, without a teacher's assistant!! H. could very easily just slip through the cracks.) Then add to that H's sense of perfectionism, and he would be devastated if he were compared to other kids all day long.
I have to admit, even I get frustrated at times, since I can be quite stubborn, plodding along with my own blinders on about the way things *ought* to be! It's hard for me to get him motivated about anything. I have trouble determining the fine line between where he is, vs. where I think he should be, vs. where the world thinks he should be. Yeah, I know I shouldn't look at the world's perception of things. True enough. But now I am faced with wondering if I am doing right by him according to God's standards. He values the work ethic of the ant! The Bible states over and over how important it is to seek wisdom, to be productive, to do everything you do with all your might. But what if I can't get him to do *anything*? I mean really, sometimes it can take him an hour to complete a 10 minute job. He reminds me of a turtle or a snail, he's so slow. The sloth also comes to mind when describing him!
When it comes to school work, please don't get the idea that I am pushing too much too soon for him. He is a grade or two behind where he should be for his age. A large part of the reason for this was undiagnosed gluten and casein intolerance. He would get headaches and couldn't think straight. He was lethargic, complained of fatigue, and was quite mopey and even acting depressed! We took the offending foods out of his diet, and he began to read by leaps and bounds. His headaches were gone, and he reported a clear head as well. So, although things are much better than they were, it's still an issue to be dealt with, especially since we have to catch up, making up for lost time!
I have prayed long and hard about this for some time now. We have had discussions about how he is getting old enough that he needs to consciously pick his own path in life. Mom and Dad can't be with him 24 hrs. a day, for the rest of his life, to continually prod him along in the right direction. Choose productivity; choose a higher path; choose friends who encourage and build you up; choose excellence in all things! Just don't embrace apathy. Choosing nothing, by default, is choosing failure.
Well, I have good news to report. I have noticed improvements in this area. They may be nearly imperceptible at times, but they are improvements none the less. The other day, while I was in the shower and then dressing for the day, he sat down to do some school work all on his own. One subject had him stumped after a few pages, so he started on a second subject. He even influenced his younger brother to work on his school work too! (We have also longed for him to take a more active roll in encouraging his younger siblings instead of criticizing them.) This was just amazing to me, and I told him how proud of him I was. Now, just today, he told me he wanted to finish his math workbook in 6 days. We got out the calender and marked the days, giving him the weekend off. We did the math on the pages remaining in his book, and he has to do 22 pages every day to reach his goal, and thereby finish the book. I was a bit nervous with him setting such a lofty goal for himself. I know he doesn't need more failure. But today, he kept coming back to his open math book throughout the day, and actually completed 25 pages before he quit for the day. I corrected everything, and there were only a couple things that were incorrect.
So you see, I am quite excited about all this. I have been praying about his character flaws, and he knows it. I see him praying too, I just haven't asked him about what. But it's working! Yeah, it's starting to pay off. And thanks be to God above for these improvements. So, I will continue to pray for myself also; that God will grant me a few things: wisdom, patience, understanding, and LOVE for my son.
The Best Pinto Beans I Have Ever Made
Okay, guys. You all know that we eat a lot of beans in our family. I will try to write down the ingredients for what I did today. It worked very well, and I was quite pleased with myself. Maybe you will want to try them too.
1 large onion chopped fine
2 large cloves garlic, minced fine
2 jalapeno peppers (seeded) chopped fine
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2-3 cups water
1 large can (53 oz. family-size) prepared pinto beans
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. Mexican chili powder (hot variety)
3/4 to 1 tsp. salt? Maybe less. Sorry I didn't measure. Do it to your taste preference.
Put the water and veggies in a pan and boil them until most of the water has evaporated. This water allows your veggies to cook well without scorching them. (Use more water if necessary.) I chop the veggies very fine so the kids have a harder time knowing they are in there! Add your beans, and mash somewhat with a potato masher until desired consistency. Add your spices, and stir.
Yes, I used canned beans for this. I am clearing them out of my pantry. I will start cooking more of my own beans in future. Thanks M, for the heads-up on the frugality of such! My kids all raved about these beans, even my "picky" eater.
1 large onion chopped fine
2 large cloves garlic, minced fine
2 jalapeno peppers (seeded) chopped fine
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2-3 cups water
1 large can (53 oz. family-size) prepared pinto beans
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. Mexican chili powder (hot variety)
3/4 to 1 tsp. salt? Maybe less. Sorry I didn't measure. Do it to your taste preference.
Put the water and veggies in a pan and boil them until most of the water has evaporated. This water allows your veggies to cook well without scorching them. (Use more water if necessary.) I chop the veggies very fine so the kids have a harder time knowing they are in there! Add your beans, and mash somewhat with a potato masher until desired consistency. Add your spices, and stir.
Yes, I used canned beans for this. I am clearing them out of my pantry. I will start cooking more of my own beans in future. Thanks M, for the heads-up on the frugality of such! My kids all raved about these beans, even my "picky" eater.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
It's Cold Outside, so I Caved.
Well, last night was officially the coldest night we've had so far this season. I know that for a fact, because I finally turned on the heater this morning. When we built this house, we invested in better insulation, knowing it would pay for itself many times over in the years to come. Hubby and I have been curious as to how cold it would have to get, before we had to turn the heat on. The temperature outside this morning registered 41 degrees. I caved this morning when the temperature reading on the thermostat was teetering between 69 and 70. I turned it on to 70 degrees, and have been running the fire in the fireplace. So now the temp. registers 73 degrees. I am so glad that the insulation is doing it's job so well. I always rely on milder fall and spring weather to lower the electric bill and thereby help the budget situation. I hate the summer heat in Florida, but the rest of the year more than makes up for it!
Here is a picture of our blueberry nursery as it appeared this morning. There was so much steam coming off the plants, as their morning water was warmer than the ground.
So, I can't wait to tell hubby these details, as he monitors them with keen interest as well. We must be getting older, because funny stuff like this is so captivating to us now! Like levels of rainwater in the rain gauge, debates about county planning and the governor's promises to lower property taxes. There's also discussion about nationwide recession, the hoax of global warming and politics. 10 yrs. ago, all of this would have been considered topics of interest for the old and stodgy! Well, maybe 15 yrs. ago is more accurate. But here we are, old and stodgy ourselves! Where has the time gone?
Oh, why would I have to wait until later to tell hubby all these rapturous details? Because he left the house this morning at the insane hour of 1 a.m. Yes, it's the first day of the duck hunting season. I am SO glad he thought twice about taking the boys with him today. He'll wait until another day soon, when he can take them out around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. I believe this will be H's 3rd year to go out with him. So, from now until sometime after Christmas, I will be bunking with B on the nights that C plans to go out in the early mornings. It's quite an interruption to my way of life, but one that I am resigned to. My husband has a thirst for life, a driving force to experience so many things! Sometimes I don't always understand it. But that's okay, because I know that's who he is. He is a passionate person about living.
Here is a picture of our blueberry nursery as it appeared this morning. There was so much steam coming off the plants, as their morning water was warmer than the ground.
So, I can't wait to tell hubby these details, as he monitors them with keen interest as well. We must be getting older, because funny stuff like this is so captivating to us now! Like levels of rainwater in the rain gauge, debates about county planning and the governor's promises to lower property taxes. There's also discussion about nationwide recession, the hoax of global warming and politics. 10 yrs. ago, all of this would have been considered topics of interest for the old and stodgy! Well, maybe 15 yrs. ago is more accurate. But here we are, old and stodgy ourselves! Where has the time gone?
Oh, why would I have to wait until later to tell hubby all these rapturous details? Because he left the house this morning at the insane hour of 1 a.m. Yes, it's the first day of the duck hunting season. I am SO glad he thought twice about taking the boys with him today. He'll wait until another day soon, when he can take them out around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. I believe this will be H's 3rd year to go out with him. So, from now until sometime after Christmas, I will be bunking with B on the nights that C plans to go out in the early mornings. It's quite an interruption to my way of life, but one that I am resigned to. My husband has a thirst for life, a driving force to experience so many things! Sometimes I don't always understand it. But that's okay, because I know that's who he is. He is a passionate person about living.
Family Dynamics
B has been called by others, "the rose between two thorns". I have mixed feelings about that saying. Yes, she is definitely a rose, so innocent and sweet. But my boys aren't necessarily thorns. However, being the youngest of 3 kids, and the only daughter of our family, she does indeed hold a special place in our hearts.
Before B came along, my hubby was known to say that, for us "Two kids is more than enough!" Once B joined our family, we certainly wouldn't ever dream of sending her back, but I am awestruck at God's wisdom to send her our way. People would often tell me that I needed a little girl because I "only" had 2 boys. I used to get a little upset by that. First of all, I had 2 wonderful, healthy boys, and a husband who loved me. What more could I want? That is so much more than some people have. I am so blessed. Secondly, what were they saying about the boys, anyway? That they weren't terrific kids whom I loved with my whole heart? When we found out we were expecting again, baby #3, H said that God would send us a girl because He knew that we needed a sister. Oh, the wisdom of a 5 yr. old boy! Yes, we needed a girl in our family, and we had yet to find out why.
It's amazing what she does for our family dynamics. She's still such a little girl, yet her influence is tremendous. We needed rescuing, of sorts, at least I did. How can one little girl accomplish that huge feat? Well, she helps bring our family into balance. With a husband who is very strong and "manly", and two hearty boys following in his footsteps, I might have been highly misunderstood. Add to that the fact that my hubby never had any sisters, so his understandings of the female gender were probably somewhat lacking, to put it mildly. : ) And I have never been good at explaining things to hubby. Somehow I feel like he should just *know* in his heart what makes me tick! That's horrible on my part, I know, but I can't help it. I still have lots of scars from childhood that are healing. But now, my husband can see how different our daughter is from our sons. This translates into how different I am from "the guys", because I am a girl too!
And the reverse is also true. Because we see how different B is from the boys, I can understand my boys so much better than I ever could have without her in our family. I also appreciate my husband a lot more too since she arrived. In truth, a lot of this lack of understanding about gender differences is because I didn't have a brother growing up, nor did I have the influence of a reliable, encouraging father figure for most of my upbringing. (I had a step-dad eventually, but not during the formative years. The damage had already been done.) How thankful I am, that God saw the gap in our family, and knew that we needed B. She helps my husband and boys appreciate me more, and she certainly helps me appreciate them too!
Now, I am by no means saying that other families have the same requirements, or needs that we had. I never tell someone that they must have a girl (or boy) in their family to make it complete. It really is a God-thing. He knew what was best for us, and provided it for us, even before we even knew what our need was! I also believe that sometimes God provides in very different ways, whether it be via understandings, healing, friends, or experiences, to fill in the gaps. It is not always with another child. Every family, every situation, is very different.
Before B came along, my hubby was known to say that, for us "Two kids is more than enough!" Once B joined our family, we certainly wouldn't ever dream of sending her back, but I am awestruck at God's wisdom to send her our way. People would often tell me that I needed a little girl because I "only" had 2 boys. I used to get a little upset by that. First of all, I had 2 wonderful, healthy boys, and a husband who loved me. What more could I want? That is so much more than some people have. I am so blessed. Secondly, what were they saying about the boys, anyway? That they weren't terrific kids whom I loved with my whole heart? When we found out we were expecting again, baby #3, H said that God would send us a girl because He knew that we needed a sister. Oh, the wisdom of a 5 yr. old boy! Yes, we needed a girl in our family, and we had yet to find out why.
It's amazing what she does for our family dynamics. She's still such a little girl, yet her influence is tremendous. We needed rescuing, of sorts, at least I did. How can one little girl accomplish that huge feat? Well, she helps bring our family into balance. With a husband who is very strong and "manly", and two hearty boys following in his footsteps, I might have been highly misunderstood. Add to that the fact that my hubby never had any sisters, so his understandings of the female gender were probably somewhat lacking, to put it mildly. : ) And I have never been good at explaining things to hubby. Somehow I feel like he should just *know* in his heart what makes me tick! That's horrible on my part, I know, but I can't help it. I still have lots of scars from childhood that are healing. But now, my husband can see how different our daughter is from our sons. This translates into how different I am from "the guys", because I am a girl too!
And the reverse is also true. Because we see how different B is from the boys, I can understand my boys so much better than I ever could have without her in our family. I also appreciate my husband a lot more too since she arrived. In truth, a lot of this lack of understanding about gender differences is because I didn't have a brother growing up, nor did I have the influence of a reliable, encouraging father figure for most of my upbringing. (I had a step-dad eventually, but not during the formative years. The damage had already been done.) How thankful I am, that God saw the gap in our family, and knew that we needed B. She helps my husband and boys appreciate me more, and she certainly helps me appreciate them too!
Now, I am by no means saying that other families have the same requirements, or needs that we had. I never tell someone that they must have a girl (or boy) in their family to make it complete. It really is a God-thing. He knew what was best for us, and provided it for us, even before we even knew what our need was! I also believe that sometimes God provides in very different ways, whether it be via understandings, healing, friends, or experiences, to fill in the gaps. It is not always with another child. Every family, every situation, is very different.
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