Two Decades & Still a Rookie

This is late, but blame it on Christmas.

Twenty years ago, on Christmas Day, Craig & I embarked on a grand and fabulous new journey...

of parenthood.

One would think that two decades and five children later, we'd be the go-to people for how it's done.

Au contraire,

we are not.

But we strive to "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4)

Each new day, season, experience, etc., of parenting is just that: new.

Thus, we remain rookies.

This is exactly as it should be, lest we deceive ourselves and assume that we no longer need to depend on the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

With fear and trembling, we seek counsel from the Word of God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we aim these children in the "way they should go".

We are fully dependent on the mercy of our gracious Heavenly Father, from Whose hands they have been given.

I'm grateful for the twenty years I've had so far as Caelyn's mom. She is a true blessing, always eager to serve joyfully, humbly, quietly.

Her quick wit, inherited from Craig, lightens the mood of our home and offers us the much-needed "good medicine" of laughter.

Caelyn loves people and has a knack for making anyone feel welcome in her presence - from the elderly, all the way to babies and toddlers, and anyone in between.

She is a true friend who "loves at all times" (Proverbs 17:17).

This is the purse I made for Caelyn's birthday, using this pattern that I first saw at the Houston Quilt Show. I knew right away that I must make it for her. I started it in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, and finished it around 1 a.m. on Christmas morning. I'd change a couple of things about the construction in the future, but overall, I love the design! I kept thinking, "These people are so clever!"