Joyfully Overloaded

  My Happy One, Nine today! Half way to adulthood. You have grown by leaps and bounds this year. You are quickly becoming a pro at reading. You have a deep love of animals, and nature. Much to your chagrin you have surpassed my knowledge of cars, makes and models. I'm sorry I'm no longer a useful resource when we're driving through town. You give hugs freely. You pray often both in gratitude and earnestly going before the Creator with your requests. Your heart is tender and beautiful. My prayer for you as you grow this year is that you would continue to turn to your Father in times of need. That you would seek out ways to love and serve other people in your life. Ultimately that you would love your neighbor as you love yourself. And that you would continue to know you are loved, my chocolate eyed boy. You are an answer to prayer. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to be your Mom. Interview with your 9 year old self: Who is your favorite superhero? Spiderman Wh...

I have had the opportunity this summer to teach Introduction to Leadership Skills to the youth at Camp Roosevelt. The very first thing we talk about in this course is casting vision, not just for yourself but for those you lead. Man of the Woods, how many hours in the car have we counted corn fields and dreamed of this vision that you set for yourself? In kindergarten we knew you learned differently from your peers, but we thought it was a focus issue so rather than holding you back we decided to homeschool allowing you one on one time and less distraction from your classmates. By second grade it was clear you worked hard and focus wasn’t the problem, that’s when we received the diagnosis of dyslexia. It was around this same time that we went to the Sportsman show on the UMaine campus and came across a group of scouts from Troop 76 making and selling paracord bracelets to fund their epic scouting adventures. They suggested you continue walking around for a few minutes while they worked...