Praying Requests...Or Answers?

Word for the Day:
" Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight. " Proverbs 3:5&6

Praying he DOESN'T make the team?
A couple of years ago, my then 13 year old son asked me one of those questions that made me smile.
"How do you "hear" from God, Mom? How do you know it's Him?"
It turned out, Keillor was struggling with a sports decision: should he stick with soccer or try a different sport?
I was so pleased to see his little spiritual wheels turning. What a good sign to me that Keillor was launching his own "walk", seeking the wisdom and counsel of the Lord.
Today, I find myself in a similar situation. Once again, it's Keillor. And once again, it's a sports decision. Now a Freshman at St.Peter's Prep in Jersey City, Kei is trying out for the very good and very competitive basketball team. I caught myself praying that he makes the team, but something stopped me in my tracks: what if he's not meant to be on the team? what if God has different things for him?
My son, the 5th of the six kids, is a hard worker, a striver. After the disappointment of not making the soccer team earlier this Fall, he formed and captained a team for an intramural sport, Androball (don't ask me!). I watched as he came home late every day, exhausted but excited, learning leadership and organizational skills as he chose the team, planned the game schedule, motivated his teammates and even designed and ordered Tee Shirts! Lo and behold, his team, Harry Potter and the Golden Snitches (?!) won the freshman championship! AND he closed out the first marking period of his high school career with First Honors, a feat he might not have been able to achieve while dedicated to a team.
So I find myself in a quandary: do I pray he makes the team? Or do I pray he doesn't?
Thankfully, I don't have to make that decision. Because God already made it. He knows what Keillor should do. My job is simply to pray for His will to be revealed in my son's life.That Kei would stay on the path he's on with His Lord, and continue to seek Him and do His will are the prayers I can, I will pray today.
And if he makes the basketball team, great!
But if he doesn't, that's okay, too.

Thought for the Day:
Can you think of a time or a situation where you "caught" yourself praying answers, not requests? How did God manifest His will in that circumstance?

Nana's legacy...

I can't let this day pass without honoring my beloved Mother in law, Val Beckwith. Val, (Nana, Mom) died peacefully this past Saturday, November 13, 2010 in Greenville, South Carolina at the very ripe old age of 90. Her son, my husband, Brian and his 3 brothers, miraculously, were able to be with her on her last day on this earth. It seems obvious to us that Nana waited to "say" goodbye without words to the sons she was so proud of and loved so very much.
Nana left a legacy of love. She- and her amazing husband, Art, whom she joins in Heaven, were two of the most sacrificial, loving people I have ever met. I was privileged to be loved by them as their daughter in law. My children were privileged to be adored as their grandchildren and to see what Christ-like love looks like in a marriage.
I will be forever thankful that God provided love through Val that I had not received from my own Mother for Val loved her daughters in law as though we were her own daughters.
I will never forget how she lavished gifts on me and my family for birthdays and Christmas- God only knows where she got the money!
My children will never forget the huge boxes that would arrive from Nana the week before Christmas, filled to the brim with all the stuff my kids always begged for but never got at the local Amazing Savings! Or the way she made sure to have all our favorite foods in when we visited. Or how she looked up adoringly at Gramps whenever we took pictures of them.
We will never forget her sweet voice ( "can you get your Mother, honey?", solicitors would ask when she answered the phone!), her warm hugs, the time and care she always had for all of us, the unhurried and simple way she lived...and loved.
Nana, we will miss you!

Wisdom that comes from above...

Like many of us, I have been toying with this Blogging idea for a while now. As the mother of six, and one prone to the "gift of the gab", as the Irish call it, I have often been told, "you should write a book!". And, as my sister and fellow-blogger ( Elise Parker, OurStoriesGodsGlory.blogspot.com) always says, everybody has a story.
Yes,we each have a story. A story God wrote for us. A story He is still writing.
My "story" right now is that I have been parenting for over 25 years. I celebrated my Silver Anniversary of mothering last year! I have 4 daughters and 2 sons ranging in age from 9-26. As I mention in my profile, I currently have one in Graduate School, one graduated and working in Central America, one in college, one in High School, one in Junior High and one in Elementary. I'm milking that description because next year it changes and doesn't sound so impressive! Except for a nursing baby- which I had for more years than I can remember- my family pretty much covers the gamut of childrearing.
I am in this for the long haul! I tend to overstay my welcome at the local educational institutions. For example, we were at one nursery school for 17 consecutive years. We're in our 22nd year at the elementary school with 4 more to go. And I once calculated that we will be paying college tuition for 23 years straight,with double tuition every third year or so. Don't let my husband hear that! I now know why people kept saying to me: raising kids is expensive. Didn't quite get that when the purchases consisted mainly of diapers.
While I have gleaned plenty of "on the job training" , much of my parenting prowess "comes from above" James 3:17. In my morning time with God, I search the Bible for the wisdom I am going to need to get me through the day. I cherish these minutes with the Lord. My "daily devo time" is like my American Express card- I don't leave home without it!
I am passionate about prayer and God's Word. I happily admit to being a "prayer addict"- I suppose I could be addicted to worse! I honestly cannot imagine navigating this wild and wonderful adventure of Motherhood without the comfort and guidance of God.
I recently had breakfast with our Youth Group pastor, a young, enthusiastic twenty-something father of 2. I was amused when he shook his head as he told me of the pitfalls of childrearing. "I guess I'm still learning" he mused. I laughed out loud as I took his hands in mine. "Troy", I said, "I'm fifty and have been raising kids for over a quarter of a century and I AM STILL LEARNING"!
In my blog, you will read about the many things God has taught me in the quarter of a century that I have been raising kids. And you will read late-breaking, up to the minute reports on the lessons He is teaching me now. Because I am ALWAYS... still learning!