A Tribute to Samson

It rained the day Samson died.

Born from a litter of nine pups, Samson stole our hearts immediately. To be such a big, strong animal, he startled and ran at the slightest intimidation. But he had a big bark, and I loved that bark on the long, dark nights when Paul was gone with work.

Samson was a lover for sure--hogging all the petting and love we had to give, often pushing his mom, Lil' Ann, out of the way to get it. :-)

I really miss seeing him playing around the yard with his mom or the click of his nails on the tile when we'd bring him inside to play.

Losing Samson so suddenly has awakened me to several realities about life and health.

One, we never truly know how much time we have with our loved ones. It is so important to make the most of the moments we have. Those moments are a gift. I have replayed Samson's last hours many times in my mind and wish I would have lived them more tenderly, more meaningfully. I don't want to regret anything with my family members.

And two, I've realized that if we did live with that awareness that any one of us could be gone in a breath, we would live life a lot differently. We would live more peacefully with one another and a lot less selfishly. We would live more powerfully and make a difference on this earth for good. And we would live more joyfully with one another, delighting in the good only.

I have also realized that no matter how careful we try to be with caring for our health, the results are ultimately in the Lord's hands alone. And I'm good with that now. For years I struggled with pride in the area of health. The choices I made to eat this or not eat that or take this supplement or that herb distanced me from the people I loved so much because I allowed myself to care for my family's health for my own glory rather than God's.

But I know now that God takes good care of His stuff and if He loves my children more than even I do, then He's going to do the best for them, no matter what. I completely trust that now.

Samson was such a blessing to our family and added to our joy each day. We are grateful for the time we had with him. He will hold a forever place in our hearts.

The rain of the past few days has passed and a cool front has moved through, bringing with it hope for a new day. Go hug your "baby" today--more than once.

I love this tribute Paul put together for Samson and want to share it with you here. . .

I'm the Mom of a TEENAGER

Amberlyn isn't my little girl anymore--she turned thirteen yesterday! I was feeling all sentimental and thought-full yesterday morning, so I journaled.

When I read it out loud to my husband, my sudden tears surprised me as the memories flooded my mind like well-loved photos. I thought you might enjoy my journal entry from that special morning. . .

My baby girl is 13 today! I literally have been grieving. We have graduated from "young family" to "youth group family" overnight. And I used to have so much more hair!

But my mother-in-law is well known for always saying: "I love teenagers," and I believe that is a beautiful statement of hope, excitement and faith in the next generation. It needs to become my own mantra, especially since we have at least four strapping sons who are going to be teenagers very soon, and we will be living in "teenagerland" for a very long time!

"Oh Lord, these are your children--in every stage of their lives, they are Yours. I completely trust that You take good care of what is Yours. Please grant me the wisdom to lead and teach them what You want them to know and empower me to lead by godly example so that they are inspired to become great people who love You deeply and walk with You intimately. This is my prayer."

Birthday Party!

My baby boy turned ONE YEAR OLD yesterday! Chase has learned to love so many different, new things over the last year. He has learned to love toddling around after his older brothers and sister, exploring every nook and cranny of the house. He's learned to love whole, fresh foods like cucumbers and broccoli and he's learned to thoroughly enjoy splashing in the bath. It's so fun to watch him loving life. The part I love the best, though, is when he wraps my neck in a big, strong hug and then he's off for adventures. dreamy sigh Thanks for allowing me a Mama Moment.

This week I've been on a gotta-eat-healthy kick. I want it to stick because I have begun to feel so good and see some inches slip away. So, my dilemma yesterday was what to prepare for Chase's first birthday treat. Many of the recipes I found called for exotic ingredients that I didn't have in my pantry. Then I discovered a handwritten recipe in my recipe box for Tasty Vanilla Cupcakes. I had all of the ingredients, so I set to work. I reduced all the sugars in the recipe by 1/4-1/2 cup and they were still plenty sweet. In this picture, Chase kept grabbing for the cupcake while the candle was still burning. Poor baby; I kept shooing his hand away during the birthday song. He was so confused.

But then he got happy!

Here is the recipe. Please forgive the confectioner's sugar. . . it was a birthday party, after all.

Tasty Vanilla Cupcakes

makes 10-12
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup organic sugar

2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup vanilla-flavored milk (I use rice or soy or almond)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter or oil

1 egg, beaten

Grease your muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients, Then add wet ingredients, beating until smooth. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Frosting: Blend with a hand mixer--1/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs. milk, and 1 tsp flavoring of choice.

This is such a basic recipe--it's easy to make it your own. Just by adding things like a little cocoa or carob chips to the batter or by adding peppermint flavor to the icing, you can make it fit your family's special likes. I do try to use organic ingredients as much as possible in my baking because they taste the best and are the nicest to our health. . . even in sweet, birthday cupcakes.