Week 17

I feel so energetic. This weekend Mitch and I went for a long hike through Schenely Park and took Theo. Theo absolutely loves the park because of all the wonderful things there are to smell. It is so fun to watch him stick his little nose into any crevice he can find in hopes of discovering a chipmunk or a squirrel. :)

I feel so incredibly blessed to be on this journey of bringing a child into the world. The thought that God has trusted me with a little life is so humbling.

Mitchell and I have been wrestling through all kinds of ideas about how we will parent. With truly healthy families becoming more and more rare we feel that it is our responsibility to raise our children in a loving environment in which they can thrive. One day our child will be grown and one day our child will have children of his or her own. I pray that they can look back on the love that was poured out on them and choose to pour it out onto their children just like Mitchell and I have chosen based on the love that was given to us by our families.

I love the book of 1 Thessalonians. The very first time I read the book I was probably 16. I was a new in my faith but God used those words to speak to me. Even though I was young I knew that those words were what I wanted to teach my children. The book is full of encouragement to love one another and to praise the Lord. It encourages faith to grow and it tells those to whom the letter is addressed that "Indeed, you are our glory and our joy" (2:20) (Bonus: It is only 5 chapters so you can read it in no time flat!)

If my children know to love God, to love others and that they are precious to me I think I will have done a pretty good job as a parent.