Discovering our purpose

"I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." Jer.29:11

It's been a while since our kids were this small. Now Cristina's just months away from having our 2nd grand baby.

Just today I was talking to Anita (smallest in the picture - now 27) and she asked me how long we waited to have our first child. That's Cristina. I remember thinking I had wanted to wait a couple of years to have a baby--wanting time to adjust to being married. I wanted to at least feel comfortable with cooking, and all that went with being a wife.

I heard the phrase here lately, "Life happens" and another one comes to mind, "The best made plans..." Well that is sort of what happened to me. 5 or 6 months into marriage I was expecting. I called to find out the results at the lab, and he said, "The rabbit died." It took me a few seconds to understand that meant that I indeed was pregnant. I remember sitting in our treehouse like apartment in Pensacola, waiting for Steve to get home to break the news to him.

Anita said that she feels like being a mother would give her more purpose in life. From this end with all the kids being grown up and gone I told her that was a temporary purpose, because from experience I knew that they do grow up and go on with their lives. What would my life have been like if I had not had these 4 precious very different individuals in my life. I can't imagine. Much of the woman that I am now was formed as they grew up beside me.

So now we have one more than the picture show's who's now 24. He, Tim, is in the Army in Iraq for a year. The baby in the picture (Anita) was then younger than our grandson Jared is now (14 mo.). Cristina, Philip and Anita are all married now. Life goes on.

I do remember, when we lived in Honduras, after Philip was born ('78), that I was glad that I had been pregnant with Cristina in the U.S. I learned enough about breast feeding and what a baby was like that I was not confused when my first pediatrician wanted to give Philip something for diarrhea when he was several weeks old, probably just because he had not seen the stool of a totally breast fed baby before.

Now it's 27 years or so after this picture was taken and I am still finding the purpose that Jesus has for me. I still am the Helen who wanted to be a blessing to other people's lives. Even in the midst of things that confuse me and the challenges that are before me I am really a blessed woman. There is so much more and "I aim to find out what that is."

So now I embark on the great adventure of writing some of the things that have happened to me and some that are yet to happen. As I write I will understand myself better and you can get to know me as well. Join me!