It's hard to believe that one year has come and gone and our sweet Ethne is already a year old. The day she was born time seemed to stand still. The first time I saw her was in her Daddy's arms as he walked her into the nursery barely a few minutes old. That sight took my breath away!

When I actually saw my child holding his child, it was such an amazing feeling. It was just a little glimpse of what the Father must feel as He looks down on His children learning to give life through Him to others. Such a powerful image that it still takes my breath away!

As the days have gone by I am still amazed by that sweet baby girl. There is no greater thrill than when I get to see her and reach out to her and those precious little hands reach for me! I love to "read" to her. Of course, at this point it is speed reading because we mainly just look at the pictures;however when she sits on my lap and we "read", the rest of the world just fades away.

When she comes to our house, she goes straight to her toys and playtime begins. It's funny that sometimes I avoid going upstairs if I'm tired, but if Ethne is there I don't mind at all. We might as well be climbing Mount Everest because we have such a great adventure! I had forgotten how much fun tupperware can be! Boy, have I been missing out! I love our conversations! I'm not sure exactly what she says except Mum Mum and Dada and some assorted animal sounds, but we talk about a lot of things! I tell her how lucky she is to have such a wonderful Mommy and Daddy who love her more than she can imagine. I tell her that Nana and Papa love her so very much. I tell her that God loves her even more than all of us and that He will always watch over her.

Happy Birthday sweet Ethne! May all your wishes come true!

The Reason the Savior is on Board

This is the thought of the day on my devotional calender today. It was such an appropriate day for it to appear.

The waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
Matthew 8:24B

It is much easier to trust when the sun is shining than when the storm is raging. We never know how much real faith we have until it is put to the test in some fierce storm; and that is the reason why the Savior is on board.

We all have our personal storms. Some are very private while others are very public. I’ve endured both kinds more than once. I think there is strength in sharing our storm stories (one of my favorite programs on the Weather Channel – yes, I’m a Weather Channel junkie!) It is the shelter during the storm, and the rainbow after the storm that helps others draw strength from our story. We don’t share them often enough. Today my thoughts are with some precious friends who are enduring a raging storm in their life right now. They have sought shelter in the only safe place – God. Their faith is very real and strong and they are tethered to an awesome God so they will come through the storm okay. They may be a little battered, but they won’t be broken. Pray for someone you know, maybe even yourself, to seek shelter from the storm in their God and then share their rainbow after the storm as their testimony to His power living in them.