Welcome, Archie!
Farm Girl received an early birthday gift, and we are all enjoying this wonderful addition to our family! He is a miniature schnauzer puppy, named for Archie Forbes, the hero of GA Henty's book, In Freedom's Cause. (If you are looking for a good "living book" about Wallace and Bruce, we highly recommend this one.)
Training for AB is going well, just painfully slow while we endure his nightly absence. As my brother reminded me when I began to whine last week, at least he's not living in a plywood box being shot at by Iraqis every time he goes to work.... true! So we live quietly out here in this safe haven of contentment while he readjusts to life in the world.
The land has come back to life, and we are in the throes of a beautiful spring. The flowers are in bloom, the herb garden has exploded with new growth, we are eating the first of the wild blackberries, and Farm Boy stands at the hedgerow with his face in the honeysuckle till we pull him out. The country is at it's prettiest at this time of year. The downside is the grass, acres and acres and acres of growing, growing grass.... at least we have a mower! How did they do it in the "old days"?!
We are going verse by verse through the book of Mark at church, and weekly our family gains a deeper understanding of the complex beauty of Christ's character. Each week we move closer to a more biblical, and therefore accurate picture of our Savior. It has surprised me how the culture has quietly warped my view over the years. We are so blessed to be at GfBC.
On the adoption front ~ as the old saying goes, "No news is .... well, NO NEWS!" No, it is not always good news. The process drags on. We wait and hope, but see little progress. Frustration, despair, defeat compete daily for a place in our hearts. There is no shortage of children in China. There is no shortage of waiting, adoptive families. America has purchased this stand-off in large measure with the lives of untold numbers of aborted American babies who could be filling loving homes now. The cost is great in many ways when we go begging at the door of a foreign country, wallets in hand, for a product we cannot, or will not produce on native soil. Our comfort remains in the Lord, who places orphans in families, and will place another in ours in His timing. Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue....
As we approach Mother's Day, we are so thankful to our moms for the sacrifice they each made, giving so much of themselves so that their children would not do without. Thank you, Mom and Mom! We love you. To my children, I am so grateful and thankful to be a mom to you both. Little did I know all those years ago that my joy, my fullfillment, my purpose in life was wrapped up in a word whose real meaning the world would cast aside...."motherhood". To my little one waiting, I hope that by next Mother's Day you will be safe in my arms. To my husband, who has given me life's best gift ~ being your wife, blessed to be provided for so that I can bring up my children for Christ... thank you.
To all who are ready to brave the late spring temperatures, come by and visit. We'll be waiting on the porch with a pitcher of iced tea ....................... At the Farmhouse
