Riley Lynn dressed in her mommy's 1st birthday dress
I should be packing (or sleeping since it's 1:27 AM... 3:27 PM Malaysian time) , but instead I find myself playing on the computer...reliving the precious moments we spent celebrating Riley's 1st birthday. Just wanted to share!
Riley Lynn...almost a year old
This morning I treated myself to a surf side quiet time. The plan had been to watch the sun come up, but instead I was blessed with one of the best night's sleep I had had in a long time and didn't wake up until 8:00. Even though I'd missed my favorite morning moment, I knew that God still had blessings he wanted to share with me on the seashore, so I hopped up, threw on my jeans, and grabbed a hoody.
I've developed some special traditions since moving to Corpus, one of which is morning devos on the beach. My first stop is always McDonalds where I grab a large coffee, 4 creams, and a bacon egg and cheese biscuit before heading over the bridge to the island. This morning I even splurged and added a few apple pies to my order! Next, I drive along the beach until I find a quiet place to park. Then I pray, eat, read, walk, sing, pray, listen, pray.... You get the idea! It's my time to commune with my Heavenly Dad. I don't know what it is about the beach...seems like the static of life disappears with the soft roar of the waves and I can finally focus and hear what he wants to share.
This morning as I sat staring at the turbulent sea, my thoughts began with a question from The Sound of Music- "How do you catch a wave and pin it down?" The simple answer is you don't! My personal application of this obvious truth is that somewhere along the journey of parenthood, parents must acknowledge the ever changing limits of their influence and control over their child's life. When a child is young, the task can be daunting as I've recently been reminded of by caring for Riley. Children simply don't have the life experience to recognize dangers like hot stoves, deep water, and moving cars, so a parent must vigilantly try to stay one step ahead of them in order to navigate a safe passage through each day.
However, at some point, well it's not really a point....more like a series of points, the role of navigating life becomes the child's and parents must let go. It's not just the letting go of physical control....that's the easy part. It's the letting go of hopes and dreams that can be challenging. God has blessed each of us with a free will. No adult has the right to control another...to do so would assume that they were God-like in their knowledge and abilities which is ridiculous. Only God has the power to catch a wave and pin it down. Only God can control our every thought and action, but he doesn't. He knows all too well that to intervene in this way would rob him of the beautiful opportunity for the loving relationship with us that he so desires. He loves us enough to let go of his control and allows us to choose our own path...our own relationships.
These thoughts bring me to my own "letting go" and "loving" update. I'll be returning to Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 21. Vanessa has chosen to return to Trey and will be attending school at HCC in Houston. It is what it is...just another step as we all prayerfully try our best to live life. Thanks for joining us on the journey. How blessed we are!
