Links May 2013

May has been full: Big D’s play, W’s last basketball game, banquet for the Juniors. and Seniors, good bye parties, and today is graduation.  Thankful that in the midst of it all we had some quiet days to regroup and reconnect.  On a side note, I am still on crutches.  I found out my foot had a fracture so the boot and I will be friends for a total of 6 weeks.  The whole foot things is working on the character of my whole family but I will save that for another post.

I was looking back at my favorite posts for this month and found three that stood out by Christina Fox at Desiring God.
1. Grace Greater than All Our Worries:  Do I trust or worry?  From Christina: “In life there will be plenty of reasons to worry.  But we have more reasons to trust.”
2. The Sanctifying Work of Parenthood:  Here is a quote that stuck with me from the post.  “I learned the reason parenthood is often hard-God uses parenthood to strip away our independence and the sin that keeps us abiding in him.”
3. The Power of a Parents’ Words: I could totally relate with her as her son told her it wasn’t the words that hurt but how she said them.  My son says I use my teacher voice too much and he is right.  Since it will be just he and I most of the summer, I hope I do better.

From Chatting at the Sky: 12 Things Your Daughter Needs You to Say.
I love these and will be using them with my daughter.  I will probably also be using some of them with my girl students who are dealing with some insecurity issues.

The next is a suggestion from a friend on summer planning.  The post is from the Better Mom: Summer Planning Questions.

During this busy season, Holley Gerth reminds us Why You Need to Be Recharged More Than You Realize.

Lastly for a mom of two TCK’s (Third Culture Kids), I sometimes wonder how this life will affect who they are.  It was a great encouragement to read Home in the Spaces by Rachel Pieh Jones.  Her closing statement summarises it all.  
“Home, for TCKs and their parents, is not a building or a place and probably not even a country. We won’t live here, or there, forever and they know that. We live in the holes, the spaces, the in-between places, and we watch for the passing glory of God.”

>Dear God, Thank you for your words of encouragement through these posts.  May my words to my children be given with gentleness and love and bring them closer to you.  May I trust when I am tempted to worry.  Most of all, help me to live well in the holes.  In Jesus Name, Amen