Daring to Trust

Field of Poppies, by Raceytay. As far as the eye can see ...

Admittedly, my heart is heavy today.

This morning I learned that the city where my son lived prior to his adoption is six feet under water. There is flooding throughout the country. In the 2 weeks that my husband and I spent in Thailand, we fell in love with the people and places, sites and sounds. We had mixed emotions about leaving the country behind to return home.

This morning in Sunday School, I taught a great group of teenage girls the importance of trusting as opposed to worrying. And now the test of my sincerity falls into  my own lap. (Isn't that usually how it works?)

Problem: Sometimes worry is the easy and indulgent choice.

Response: The correct solution to worry is always trust in God.

Our trust in God cannot be linked to getting what we want when we want it. It must be linked to the wisdom of God and wanting what He wants in His time. He knows infinitely better than we do what is best for our lives.

And so, by choice, I trust.

Grow Old With Me

It's been a wonderful two weeks here in Thailand. In a few hours, I will board a plane with my family of three and head home.

Admittedly, nothing sounds better right now than my bed and a hot shower.

Little sounds worse than the 25-hour plane ride ahead of me.

I have a whole host of new ideas for this blog. I look forward to sharing photos of my little boy. There is a sleugh of topics we still need to discuss. I have announcements to make and contests to unveil.

Stay tuned. The best is yet to be ...

Coming Soon

I saw the above sign hanging in a shop in Thailand. I wanted to write in marker beneath the sign, "Promise?"

Admittedly, I have often wished for a hurdle-free existence.

The words, "Why must this be so hard?" are not foreign to my lips.

When I look over the landscape that is my life, I acknowledge that the road has not been easy. At many times in my (relatively young) life, I have experienced hard struggles: health, emotional, spiritual.

(Disclaimer: I do not own the trademark on difficulty. I know many people whose lives have been much more complicated than my own.)

But here is what my life has taught me thus far: Without the difficulties, I would not know grace. Without the trials, I would not understand mercy. Without the temptations, I would not experience deliverance.

It is a difficult thing to verbalize--indeed it goes to the core of our most painful situations--but trials are God's goodness in our lives. Without them, we wouldn't know how much we need God.

And to live a God-free life would be the worst existence of all.

Life is hard. But God is good. And if difficulty is the price I must pay to know God and love Him more, then bring on the hurdles.

Friday Favorites: A 5-way Thai

My time here in Thailand is winding down. Truthfully, I am looking forward to going home. Home always looks best when I've been away awhile.

Tonight ... 5 things I will miss about this beautiful country.

#1: I will miss the view from my room.

#2: I will miss the breakfast ... rice ... served every morning at 7:00.

#3: I will miss the pink taxis. I look for them every time I'm on the road.

#4: I will miss the incredible flowers. Living in Bangkok is like living in a florist's shop.

#5: I'll miss the driving. It's insane. And a bit like riding The Raptor at Cedar Point.

Still, there's no place like home.

SPARK #3: To the Moon and Back

Today's SPARK challenge is all about love. Write to or about someone who has changed your life. Any age. Any stage. 100 to 200 words.

I began a journal for my son on Monday when he came to live with us. (See the photo above.) Here is a snippet from that first page ...

"Buddy, I would say it was love at first sight, but in reality, we loved you long before that. Nearly 30 months ago we heard about you and saw you for the first time. There was never a question for either your dad or me that we wanted to adopt you and love you for the rest of our lives ..."

XOXOXO,

Keys to a Guest House in Thailand

Tonight, in lieu of thinking--which seems a tad harder than building a pyramid by morning--I am going to post 5 photos from a tiny guest house I visited over the weekend here in Thailand. Make yourself at home ...

Living in a Glass House

The photo above was taken in a bathroom in Thailand. Notice, the shower is on the wall. There is no shower door or curtain. There is simply a drain in the floor.

Guess which one of the following is fictional: The Toilet House (a house built in the shape of, er, the commode), a house made of glass that slides in and out of a garage, a house that includes a snore room.

You guessed it. All three homes exist. Apparently I live in the wrong neighborhood.

Tonight's In Print comes from an article on Today.com entitled, "That's It Honey, I'll Be in the Snore Room."

I'm trying to decide if it's practical or indulgent that builders are catering to the snoring habits of today's couples.

7 days in; 7 days left--

All Thai'd Up

Today I (officially) became a mom. So forgive me for keeping this post short.

There is a reason I consistently mention in the daily e-mail that cords are the fastest route to clutter ...

My View: Two Paths Diverged

The above photo, taken by my husband, is the view from our room. (I want to take it home!)

As the sun begins to rise in the western part of the world, my Sunday in Thailand is coming to a close. And here is what I am thinking about today ...

God is good.

He is good, not only when He gives us what we do not deserve, but also when He does not give us what we think we need.

How often have we prayed and asked for something, only to learn later that we wouldn’t have wanted what we thought we needed had we known what God already knew?

These last couple of years have not been what I thought they would be. (Who am I kidding? These last few days have not gone as I had planned.) But here is what I believe with all my heart:

God's sovereignty always dictates that my future will be better than anything I have planned. Seeing the end from the beginning, God will always direct my path so that each step will coincide with His goodness.

Every disappointment--every single one--is an indication that God has something better in store for my life. How can I be sure? The "something better" is God's best. And nothing can beat that.

Thai Top Ten

The photo above is of a dwelling here in Bangkok. There are several homes like this throughout the city.

Tonight, I'd like to share 10 things I've learned in Thailand, in no particular order.

1. The motorbikes outnumber the cars at least 10 to 1.
2. On the above-said motorbikes, women ride "side saddle."
3. At the street vendors, people buy soda in bags. As in ... they pour soda into a plastic bag and stick a straw in it.
4. The McDonald's restaurants in Thailand serve apple pies, cherry pies, and tuna fish pies.
5. Thais smile ... a lot.
6. Thai people would rather do anything than tell you bad news. So, even if the news is bad, it sounds good.
7. There are over 50,000 restaurants in Bangkok. People here like to eat.
8. The driving here is crazy, but I've only seen 1 accident so far ... and it involved an American driver.
9. It costs roughly 80 U.S. dollars a year to attend the local university. (Less than the price of my college psychology textbook.)
10. I love this city more than I ever thought I could.

Home Is Where Your Story Begins

I don't think I could love Thailand any more if I tried. This place is great. Below you will find a bit of home life, compliments of a tired yours truly.

In the photo above, you will notice that the bathroom is (literally) the size of a closet. Notice the space between the sliding door and the edge of the bathtub.

In the photo above, you will see the typical homes in Bangkok. (FYI: I would choose to live in the red one. Although, the white one comes with a 7 Eleven.)

In the photo above, you will see the supermarket setup. These "stores" are located throughout the city on the open street. Right above the egg noodles and the local spices you are likely to find Pringles. Nice.