Friday, March 7, 2008

A dedication of love...


On February 24th we had the privilege and the joy to be able dedicate our girls at church. Dedication simply means that we as parents stand up before our church family and make a commitment to raise our children to know God. We had done this in our home when the girls were little but we had wanted to do this corporately for a while but hadn’t been in a church family enough to call it “family” until now.

There were several things about that day that were extremely precious to us. Let me tell you some of them:
1) My mom (who drove all the way from south of Seattle just for the day) dropped everything on such short notice to be there…that is just her…she treasures us and our children. It is a great gift. We simply adore her.
2) Shaun’s Dad and Nan were able to come. We so enjoy living near Papa and Nanny. We have the best times with them.
3) My sister-in-law Becca and Jack and Sammy were able to be there. We have a very strong and sweet relationship with this family and the kids have a deep bond that is inexpressible. God seems to have given them these cousins irregardless that they are not “blood” by the true definition. They are blood in their minds.
4) Our friends the Vande Kuyt’s came. We went to college together.
5) A mom and tots group that a friend and I have run for the past few years…several of the family’s involved had their children dedicated on the same day
6) One of the most precious things was that Pastor Mark Francisco (our senior pastor and a close family friend since Shaun’s childhood) dedicated the girls.
7) The way our church family gathered around us and celebrated the moment with us was amazing. It was exactly for this reason that we had waited so long to do that which was so important to us.
I think I will draw on the sweetness of that day for quite awhile.
There are days in life that carry you through when things get very rough. When you feel that nothing is going right…when you are discouraged. That day will always remind me of the richness of the love that we, as a family, have been given. That no matter how things may look at the moment the truth is that we are loved…and loved deeply. It is a great thing and a stabilizing thing to realize.

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