Urgent prayers needed!

Please pray for baby Stellan - from MckMama's blog - go there and read all about baby Stellan, who wasn't supposed to survive birth b/c of a heart defect - but God performed a miracle. Now he is in the hospital and it is VERY serious! PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!!!! I can't imagine how his parents are coping, but God gives us peace and the ability to hang on when we think we are at our last thread. Pray for Stellan, the doctors and their family - for God's hands to slow down his heart and to bring peace whatever the situation.

Intentional

"Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:5

Being intentional...that is my focus these days....whether it is with my children, my co-workers, friends, husband, family, stranger, neighbor....am I making the most of every opportunity? I've read other people's blogs about this, heard sermons on it, listened to music about it - seems like everywhere I turn, this is what God is trying to teach me.

We live a VERY busy life. I am a type A "doer". It's not easy for me to just "be". Yesterday I hid Easter eggs for the children and enjoyed popsicles in our backyard, I watched the children ride their bikes and laughed with my little one in the bath tub. I work part-time, I am "crazy psycho" about keeping my house clean (all by myself - with my dear husbands' help of course), 1 out of my 3 children is involved with ballet and soccer (what in the world will it be like when all 3 are playing?), we are very active in our church, I run in the mornings and play tennis and my husband plays basketball.. we are VERY busy - and it's all good stuff, but where is the time to just "be"? I'm not really sure - I don't have any answers or solutions aside from just "dropping" it all, but I don't think that's the answer.

What I have come up with is to make every.moment.count. Look my children in the eyes when we're talking and really "listen" to them and "read into" what they're telling me or asking me - because often it's alot more than what I just"hear". Take joy when my 10 month old is on his knees holding his hands up with that big grin instead of thinking of all the things I could get done if only I had 2 hands to do it. Don't worry that my feet and hands and clothes and nose will be covered in pollen when I finish and go hide those EGGS - that's what a sink is for! Don't fret when my 4 year old wants me to pray for her instead of her praying for herself sometimes....after all, isn't that how she is going to learn to pray?

There will always be cleaning and laundry and ironing and vacumming and many more things to do - and I WILL do them, b/c that is how I serve my family and I truly believe they benefit from having an orderly household and it makes me happy to have those things done...but I can't forget that life can change in an instant and to make EVERY.MOMENT.COUNT.

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"

Lamentations 3:22-23