Thursday, August 26, 2010

Who Will Love Our Children When They Leave The Nest?


Our 1st child has gone away to college.

Shane had his car packed to the brim, a smile on his face and thoughts of adventures as he pulled out of our driveway.

I was quite composed, I thought, for a mother who not only is dealing with her 1st child leaving the house but also quite hormonal due to this pregnancy at 44 years of age!

He turned his head and said,

"Thanks Mom, for everything!"

I went to the bathroom and bawled!

Our precious child that we have loved long before birth and has given us a world of joy is thanking me.

It didn't seem right.

Our lives have been so very blessed by the children that God is loaning to us while here on earth and I know I could never thank Him enough!

I try

but know that my thankfulness will only be enough in Heaven!

How has Our Loving Father taken such good care of us that He gives, and gives, and gives,

without us even being barely aware of it?!

He has given us a most precious gift in the children He has blessed us with!

As Shane was preparing to leave the nest, I knew I had to completely put him in God's care.

I am not equipped to care for him anymore like I was when he was little.

Oh, I knew that God was taking care of him all along but I guess I thought I was taking care of him better than anyone else at the time.

No one loves more than a mother, right!

Well, of course, I had to come to face the fact that, yes, someone does love more than a mother!

Our children's first Father!

I worried and prayed that Shane would be okay, stay on the narrow path, fight temptation, even study, for Pete's sake!

Then God hit me with a ton of bricks!

This is what I felt He said to me:

"I am His Father. I created him and had plans for him long before he was in the womb. I WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM!"

I felt a little sheepish!

It was all so clear!

I was just clouding it up with my own fear and doubt!

I have surrendered my child into the hands of his Father as I should have been doing all along!

It has given me peace!

I still love him and miss him as only a mother could!

I miss putting a plate a food aside for him when he comes home late from work.

I miss his smiling face.

And his whistling.

He has truly been, and still is, such a joy to all of us!

A precious child that only God could create.

A true joy straight from Heaven!

I am so very thankful for the time we have had together!

He has been homeschooled all of his life, except for kindergarten in Australia, and I believe that God has blessed us with that opportunity to treasure Shane's life even more.

I am so very thankful!

I am happy to see him go.

We are so very proud of him and we know we would never want to keep him from his path in life!

He knows he is loved and that is what I pray that all of our children will come to know.

That they are loved!

And truly they are!

More than we will ever know!


I pray for all the Mothers out there who have had to let go of their children in one form or another~

May the peace of God fill your hearts as you hear again how much your children are loved, for Our Heavenly Father has loved them all along and loves them as perfectly as only He can!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Homemade Hummus

We love homemade hummus at our house!

~With fresh veggies,

~tortilla chips,

~on a salad,

~with warm pita bread

~or on a sandwich!

My sis-in-law gave me this recipe years ago:


2 cups garbanzo beans (chick-peas). I use dried beans, soaked overnight, drained and then cooked until soft with fresh water, but you can use canned, too.

~Joni suggests adding kombu seaweed to the cooking water for a ton of extra nutrients!

~save a little bit of water for blending, if needed, for smoothness, etc.

1 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

2/3 cup tahini (sesame seed butter). I buy sesame seeds and use them whole with a little water instead of the tahini. My blender blends them up real good. Tahini is easiest but it can be quite exspensive. And anyway, tahini is nothing but sesame seed ground up into a butter!

1 teaspoon sliced green onions.

~You could add any vegetable you want, roasted red peppers etc.

1-5 garlic cloves.

1 Tablespoon-1/2 cup fresh olive oil

Water, as needed.

Put all ingredients in blender and blend, adding a little oil at a time.

~Add water as needed.


This is an easy recipe for a child to make!
You will never want to buy store-bought again!
I hope you LOVE it!