Shuttin Her Down

I am not longer going to be posting to this blog. I am keeping it on the web just until I can transfer copies of all my posts. I want to keep them because of all the memories. There have been so many of them! Thank you for reading and following along through our adventures. I have enjoyed sharing them and hearing from you all. It was always fun to get the feedback and questions. I felt like so many of you were right there with me in the midst of it. It was helpful, especially in the first couple of years, and also to know that you were praying for us.
I have developed some great new friends through this blog and that has been one of the cool things about it. So please don't forget to keep praying for us.




But thanks be unto God which always causes us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place
II Cor 2:14

Sad Stuff

This past weekend Hal and I went to dinner at a nice outdoor cafe and then for a walk through a small city with shops and etc. Alongside the cafe where we were eating was a large fenced off area where they had an outdoor bandshell set up with a beer stand. There was a band playing, people dancing, lots and lots of beer drinking and people just hanging.

Because I am a depraved individual I thought we should go over and check out the band that was blaring and see what the people were doing. Mainly I thought it was fun to stand there and watch the little kids bee boppin to the talentless band surrounded by drunks. Yea I am terrible because it was entertaining for a few minutes.

After a while though it really started bugging me and I had seen enough. It struck me as sad when we were standing there and a few feet away from us a man and woman in their 50's, dressed like they were teenagers, turned around and glanced our way. Their faces were horribly sad, eyes glazed over and both of them working on a cigarette in one hand and one of many beers in another. They had the worn down look that life had beaten them up a few times over.

It got me thinking. Life is hard sometimes and can really toss us around. People get sick, family members pass away, money gets tight and the list just goes on of all the possible hurts of this world. I was reminded of how weary life can get ya when the valleys seem to get deeper and deeper and the mountains are lost in the fog of life.

The thing that hit me the hardest in those brief few moments was that I am so glad that I don't need to go and bury my heart in a bottle of beer. I have the Lord. What I thought I was going to see the other night was a few funny people dancing drunk and looking stupid. In reality what I saw was a lot of people who are bearing the weight of their sin and this world on their own shoulders with the help of a drink that will take it all away......temporarily that is.

When you do not have a view of this world through the cross everything seems to look dark and full of despair. No doubt those people need the Lord and it should not make me laugh; it should make me sad to see.

I walked away from those brief few moments thankful for what I have in the Lord. Nothing can come into my life that is not first ordered by God for me and my good. I can trust in that; I don't need anything in this world to help me get by or numb the pain. It is sad to think that many are trusting in the help of a drug, drink or even relationship to give them peace. It can only be found at the foot of the cross.

My Heart Is Hopping!

My family leaves today at 8:00 PM and will be here
tomorrow night!

10:00 PM Sunday night
Detroit Metro Airport
Baggage Claim
Baggage Belt # 2
4 tired travelers with lots of luggage
1 Happy wife/mother
1 Happy son/brother
We could just classify this as a family reunion

I cannot wait!

Congratulations Are In Order

This post is dedicated to my oldest daughter
Kylie Beth Selstad
On the day she graduates from High School

18 years ago today I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my second child. I hoped for a girl just because I wanted my shot at dressing her up in frilly pink dresses and bows. My pregnancy with Kylie was very difficult and ran the full gamete of emotions. Early on in my pregnancy the doctor said that this baby was going to have serious health problems, ones that would prompt some parents to abort. We had some tests run and the outcomes pointed towards a child with birth defects. The doctor, in a very clinical fashion, suggested an abortion as a possibility should we desire to go that route. My husband and I were very much against such measures and determined to proceed with what the Lord would give us in our baby trusting in His Wisdom and Grace. I went through a multitude of ultrasounds and each time they would point out what seemed to be problems with the development of the fetus. Each time I went in for an ultrasound it was a painful time for us. I grew to dread them. We waited for the time they would say OOPS we were wrong but it always ended the same "we will have to wait until the baby is born to see". So we waited....until July 9th, 1993 the day Kylie Beth came into our lives.

Well today Kylie is a healthy, beautiful woman and God graciously took care of her body and mind as she developed. She is genuinely one of the nicest people you would ever meet. She cares for the needs of others and thinks outside of herself. I am so thankful for the testimony that Kylie has maintained in her years as a high schooler and for her willingness to live for the benefit of others.

5 and a half years ago we sat in our living room and told our children we were moving to China. Needless to say it was a difficult day for the kids and I think it ended up being worse for us as parents watching them struggle with this decision. I can honestly say we almost wondered if it was a good idea after we saw their reaction. Fast forward to five and half years later and it amazes me that it is hard for Kylie to now leave this place she has grown to call home. She is a proficient chopstick user, the family hot and spicy foods eater, linguistically accomplished, open to many cultures, willing to try something strange or new, all grown up woman. I am so thankful for how she tackled the tasks of learning and adjusting to life in China. It is a sad thing that she might cry over leaving and yet, in a strangely parental way, I am pleased to know that she did, in fact, adjust. It is apparent. She took the hard steps of being willing and found a world that she enjoyed and embraced in many ways. We often say she is part Asian.

Yes, as you can tell, I am mighty proud of her today. My heart breaks to not be there to stand up and cheer for her as she receives a little bit of earthly well done. She has studied hard, worked at whatever was put in front of her and was by no means a complainer when things got hard. I wish I was there with her tonight to see her cross this finish line. I am anxious to see how God uses Kylie down the road.

Kylie, I will think of you tonight as you receive your diploma and finish this phase of life. You are moving on to the next thing that He has for you to do. Embrace this change the way you did 5 years ago. Lean on Him to enable you to adjust and handle the things He has for you to do. Serve the Lord your God and follow Him. There is no higher calling and no greater joy. He will direct your paths, just keep your eyes fixed on Him.

I love you
Mom

There Are Storms All Around Us

Last night sleep eluded me. As hard as I tried it just didn't happen. Part of it was a gazillion thoughts rolling through my head and the other part was a big storm that was brewing outside my bedroom window. The lightning lit up my room, the thunder shook everything around me and the rain was just plain fun to listen to as it poured for hours. :) I was missing having my weather bug husband there to make his funny remarks and then hop out of bed and watch it from the window.

I was lying in bed thinking about this song posted below. The words popped into my head because it makes reference to storms. The song was referring to the storms of life. I was thinking of this particular song because it was a good picture of what was going on around me last night. A whopper of a storm can shake you up sometimes. The storm outside me last night made me think "woa" a couple of times when the thunder was blasting and the sky was lighting up. It can be that way with the storms of life. They can blast their way into your cozy little world and shake you from the inside out. In an instant your whole life could change and suddenly you find yourself grasping for a word to settle your soul.

That is what made me think of this song last night. In this song the phrase "though this life is hard, know that I will always give you perfect peace". In the midst of the storms of life we must keep on eyes on the Lord. In Him is the only source of comfort and peace. People are a great source of encouragement but at the end of the day they go to their home and you to yours. They can't be with you with each step you take. But when you are lying in bed alone, in the middle the night, and the storms are blasting out your bedroom window or perhaps in the deep recesses of your soul; God will give you perfect peace.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

What Is Ahead....

In twelve days my family will be here and we will have a chance to celebrate Kylie's graduation as well. I am glad for this opportunity since I will be missing her actual graduation. It breaks my heart to miss out on her special day and yet I am glad to know that very soon I will have them back with me. I miss them that is for certain.

It has been nice having Caleb home from college. He is always fun to have around :) It has been a welcomed diversion from the fact that I have been missing Hal and the girls. It has been one of the perks of being here that I could have this time with Caleb.

So 12 more days to go....I think I can make it till then.

The Countdown

Yes I have been marking off the days till I get to see my family. They have had lots of things going on in their lives while I was away from them. I look forward to hearing their stories.

Kylie graduates from high school June 2nd
How can that be? I will miss seeing her graduate but I take consolation that she has her dad with her. I could not have asked for a better man to be the father to my children. I have been amazed at how he has handled caring for them while I have been away. He has the perfect heart to raise kids and daughters can be hard for some men. He just knows how to handle them with a good balance. I am truly blessed.

17 days till my family arrives

It cannot
come
quick
enough!