Closed Windows

This morning a small bird got into our house. At first he was just on the back porch. But then before we knew it he was flying around in the house! He finally ended up sitting on the light that hangs down from the ceiling in the front entryway. From his position he could see out the window that is at the same level as the light. Just below the window is the front door.

The bird obviously wanted to get outside, so he would leave the light and fly into the window, then turn and return to his perch on the light. After a few tries, I opened the front door. Instead of flying down and out the opened door, he continued to bump into the window, and return to the light. After quite a few attempts, he finally hit the window hard enough that he fell stunned to the floor. Then he hopped up and made his way out the door. Free at last.

I was reminded of my own stubbornness. I know the desires that God has place within me. I look longingly through the window at my level. Yet for some reason, everytime I try to go there, I seem to run into some invisible wall, a closed window, just like that bird. I return to my perch, look through the window, and try again. Maybe this time I can fly through the window?

But nothing changes. Why is it that we fail to see the open door, just beneath the closed window? I believe God places desires within us, he gifts us and gives us a passion chase after our dreams. But we become so locked into what appears to be the only way to get there, that we often fail to see the way that God has provided for us.

It wasn't until that little bird had beat himself against the window enough times to bring him to the ground that he was finally able to see the way that I had provided for him to get out. If you and I are not willing to wait patiently, and earnestly seek God's direction for our lives, we too will have to continue beating ourselves against closed windows until one day we fall to the ground, at the feet of our God, and discover the way that He has provided for us all along.

Garren's Latest Swallow Test

It's a long journey. We continue to pray, as I know many of you do, that Garren will one day learn to swallow again. I never get tired of the parents who come up to me and say "My son/daughter won't go to bed at night until they have prayed for Garren!" Thank you.

The other day, someone asked me about prayer. They weren't sure if maybe after asking God for something so many times, without getting an answer, if maybe we should stop. I looked him in the eye and said "I have an alarm on my phone that reminds me every hour to pray for Garren's swallowing. I don't plan to stop." We will continue to pray through this until we see an answer.

It's been several months since Garren went to see someone about his swallow, so we scheduled a swallow test check up last week. We had no idea what we would discover. Although Garren still cannot complete a swallow, the therapist immediately announced that she could see changes and progress. The base of his tongue has movement (toward the back of his throat) that was not at all evident before. Other parts are moving significantly where there was little or no movement before.

I will continue to pray, hourly, for Garren to swallow. This is progress. This is positive movement toward healing. We are so thankful to God for these small but significant changes. As the therapist said, it's neurological, and healing in the brain is a matter of time.

Thank you Lord for small steps.

Vote for Kara

Our oldest daughter, Kara, is a senior this year at CATA High School in Monroe. She has really made us proud with her passions and achievements. She has recently been accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It is her dream to go into acting. We are all very excited about this opportunity.

However, as you well know, opportunities like this cost money! Apparently quite a bit of money! So Kara has been tasked with seeking out and applying for scholarships. Lots of scholarships. She recently submitted an essay to WyzAnt College Scholarships. The finalists for this scholarship are chosen by popular vote. So we wanted to ask you to vote, and then ask all your friends to vote as well.

You can read her essay and cast your vote here.

Thank you so  much for your help!