Summer comes to a close

It was a race to the finish, but today marks the end of our summer vacation. We started slow yet finished strong. One of our last vacation days was spent at a lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Gorgeous weather, great water, family fun all around.

At the end of our day we witnessed two amazing creations of the Lord. One was an eagle's nest with two bald eagles in it! The second was a golden eagle that swooped down and grabbed a fish directly in front of us. The majesty and beauty of both....amazing. We sadly say goodbye to our summer yet look forward to the new year.

"Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, The will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Is. 40:31

The Sweetness

I'm not sure where the month of August went. I haven't posted since the beginning of the month and a few people have commented to me on it. Time to get back on the blog highway...

As all of you do, I come into contact and discussion with many people on many different levels. Several people I know at the moment are struggling with serious, life threatening illnesses of friends and family. I had one of those days recently where are the end of the day I was just blown away and emptied by the amount of grief I had come into contact with during the day. I am thankful that all the people who took time to share with me know the Lord. I don't know how those who have not received him do it. I will continue to pray to that end.

All the thoughts and feelings of friends dealing with grief were still circling my head as I was driving my children home from the water slides. I realized I had tuned them out until I heard my 4 year olds sweet voice singing many verses to Jesus Loves the Little Children....Every verse she put in a different group of people. Jesus loves the mommies, Jesus Loves the Daddy's, Jesus loves the sisters.... I realized God was using her to answer all the petitions I had put forth the night before.

I love it when he answers in such a sweet way!

The Mystery of Autism

Many of us have differing experiences with Autism. There are those who have a child who is Autistic. There are those who are friends of those families. There are those who have siblings who are Autistic. Caring and nuturing these precious children of God is challenging. I recently read an article from a homeschool company who has an autistic daughter. I thought you might appreciate these thoughts:

Dear Friends,

For the last three months 8-year-old Krissy has brought sunshine and laughter to our home. Better still, through her autism she has brought us fresh insights into our responses to God's sovereignty.

The symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations. But one of the most heartbreaking characteristics is the remoteness, a seeming complete disregard for the thoughts of others.

When fireworks startle a typical toddler, he will quickly seek the face of those he trusts. If they are happy and at ease, he will relax. An autistic child cannot do this and therefore has less ability to cope with the uncertainties life throws at him.

A child who is unable to sense his parent's serenity during change may respond violently to something as simple as a modification in daily routine. Likewise the same child will not be aware of the parent's alarm as that child eases the family pet out the second floor window.

While society presents a case for how liberating it would be to be free of the thoughts and opinions of those around us, autism presents us with a different view. Difficulty interpreting tone of voice or facial expressions and not learning to watch other people's faces for cues about appropriate behavior will result in impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and severely limited activities and interests.

Sadly, in many ways, we display autistic behavior toward our Almighty Creator. When we find ourselves unable to respond appropriately to the irregularities of this life, or when we passionately cling to our possessions and schedules, it is probably because we are not "looking to God's face" to help us interpret His plans for our lives.

The autistic child is often described as being in his "own world." As we make every effort to draw Krissy out of that world we are daily thankful that God is relentlessly doing the same in our own lives.

May your hearts be full of hope as you work to prepare your children for eternity,
Timberdoodle Co
Dan, Deb, Joy, Hope, Grace, Abel, Pearl and special guest Krissy