We all make mistakes!

On Sunday, I was so proud of Trent. This month and last month he was asked to help serve the Lord's Supper. We attend a small church and this time of year we go through a summer slump, so some of our men were not in attendance.

Now Trent is an excellent usher. He loves taking the offering and he does everything just as he was trained to do. The Lord's Supper is similar to taking the offering, and so it was nothing new or difficult for him to fill in for this task. In fact, he loved it. I could see the happiness on his face. He loves to be a part of things and he loves to serve the Lord.

But just as we all do at times, he failed at the next task he did.

As most of you know, Trent runs the sound system at our church. However, our other son, Chet, was on vacation this week and not there to assist Trent.

What happened?

A couple got up to sing their special. They were singing beautifully for about a minute when all of a sudden the sound system squealed. You know that sound--that awful sound where everyone puts their hands over their ears?

The couple stopped singing and our pastor ran over to the sound sytem to help Trent who was in a quandry about why this happened.

What did I do? I was embarrassed for our son. Then I quickly corrected myself. Trent made a mistake, just as we all do. Because of his disability he has been misjudged all his life. I decided that if other people thought poorly of him because of his mistake, then it was their problem, and not Trent's--or ours. Besides that, maybe they didn't think poorly of him at all. Maybe they actually accepted the fact that he simply made a mistake.

I tell this story for a reason. When we do the best raising our child who has special needs (or any child for that matter), and he flubs up, we need to leave the matter alone. Yes, disobedience or defiance needs to be dealt with, but when it is an honest mistake, as this was, we need leave it alone.

Trip to Shipshewana

Don and I arrived back home from our two-day getaway yesterday. What a wonderful time we had!

Our son and daughter-in-law gifted us with a two-day stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Shipshewana, Indiana. If any of you have ever been to Shipshewana, you will know that it is an Amish community and that there are many wonderful shops where one can visit and enjoy looking at some beautiful items for hours on end. Even my husband enjoyed the trip and yes, he even enjoyed the shops. The flea market was absolutely amazing!

I felt totally and wonderfully spoiled. The Bed and Breakfast home was beautifully decorated--inside and out. It was as if we walked into a page of Better Homes and Gardens. Our host and hostess were very sweet people and the breakfast they served was absolutely delectable.

At 5:00 p.m. almost everything closes and the town is quiet except for the clip clop of the horses pulling the buggies. What a calming affect it has on everyone!

Just a reminder: The June Bible Study for Wonderfully Made Moms can be found on our church website http://www.lighthousebaptistchurchil.org/.

Enjoy the Summer!

What a wonderful time of fellowship we had at our last Wonderfully Made Moms meeting. I so much enjoy being with these sweet Moms. We have such a bond!

Sometimes God gives us a minstry to do and for whatever reason it just doesn't seem to work out. Other times, we find that God greatly blesses and we LOVE what we are doing. When God began to speak to me about having something for the mothers of children with special needs, I felt so inadequate. But He so heavily laid it on my heart that I knew it was something I needed to do. Yes, I still feel inadequate, but that is what makes me depend upon the Lord so much more. We can do NOTHING in our own strength, but in His strength, we can do ANYTHING!

To all of you terrific Moms out there, I want to tell you to just keep on keeping on. When times are tough, depend upon the Lord. He is the one who will get you through each trial and give you everything you need. Enjoy the good times. Our children are little for such a short time. Now that summer is here and your children are out of school, make some memories with them. Just the other day, when our son Chet came by, he said, "Oh, we had so much fun growing up in this house!" I remember the boys running around and around the house, squirt guns in tow, pausing every once in a while to climb up a tree. Summer went by all too quickly! As I think about those times, tears fill my eyes. What a blessing it is to be a mother!

Birthdays!

On Saturday our family all gathered at our house to celebrate the birthdays of two of our grandchildren. Brandon was nine years old on May 11th. Happy Birthday Brandon! Angelina is four years old today! Happy Birthday Angelina!