What If It Was Jesus?

Papa went to McDonald's the other day. He was hungry while doing his Dallas delivery run and decided to stop. He went in and ordered his food. As he sat there eating he noticed a very friendly man crossing the street. This man stood out from the crowd. He was happy and friendly to everyone.

The man entered the restaurant and started playing a game that was there. After a bit he leaned around the screen and asked Papa if he could have a bite of his hamburger. Papa's automatic response was, "No!" But then he asked the man if he was really hungry. He was, so Papa gave him the $4.00 he had in his pocket. It was either that or a $20.

Papa went out to his vehicle and got to thinking. What if that was Jesus or an angel and he didn't even give them enough for a whole meal!?

As he recounted this story to us at home Mom's response was, "Well Jesus doesn't drink Coke!"

So there you have it.

Heading to Texas

Today the children and I are heading to Texas for the rest of the month of January. This is Keith's busiest season at work and we decided that this would be a nice thing for the children and I to do. It sounds great. Until we actually have to tell Keith good-bye. Now that we are so close to leaving I wonder what we were thinking!

He does plan to fly down for one of the weekends that we will be there, so we will see him about half-way through. Which makes me think I'll survive. Maybe.

Of course, the tribe is excited. We are headed to the land of cousins, grandparents, farms, markets, and sunshine for an entire glorious month! What is not to love about that? And I'm hoping to rest and find it a healing time physically.

Stay tuned, many adventures are about to unfold...

The Placed and Matched Superkids of 2014

This video is of children who were seen and advocated for by Superkids Charity volunteers. These are children who either came home or were matched in 2014. I have met these children. I've held them and loved them. I've prayed for them and advocated for them. I've spoken with families about them. And watching their faces, one after the other, on my screen fills my heart with gratitude.

Looking Back...

I always love looking back through blog posts at the end of the year. Here are a few highlights:

First of all the most popular posts of 2014:

Silence

There Is Just Something About Daddies and Little Girls

On To The JiangXi Province

A Rare Find

Cheering You On From Here

A few more interesting facts:

Most viewed post of all time:

Introducing

The month this year with the highest number of page views:

June/July (This coincides with my trip to China.)

While the vast majority of readers are from the USA, the next highest number of readers are from France, Canada, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

I know many people read here whom I do not, and never will, know. I want each of you to know that I appreciate you. I love to hear from you! (Hint, hint... what Blogger doesn't love comments?!)

Thanks for stopping by my little space on the internet!

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas from the Martins!

It's the Most Wonderful Time...

"It's the most wonderful time...

Of the year..."

I was singing as we walked through the parking lot. I saw Annika furtively glancing around to be sure no one was near. And I laughed! My little girl is old enough to be a little embarrassed of her mother. We've all been there, I guess.

Excitement is running high in the Martin household. Today marks the first day of Christmas vacation from school. We are planning Christmas menus and wrapping gifts. (Oh, and waiting to see if Amazon actually pulls through and delivers the final gift tomorrow!) We are hanging candy canes, snowflakes, and salt dough ornaments in the widows.

We were in Target this morning and a couple stopped us to ask what size slippers a 6 year old girl would wear. They were buying gifts for a little girl they read about in the newspaper whose father had been in an accident and she was going to have no gifts. Annika tried on slippers for them and we figured out which ones a little girl might love. It was sweet and heartwarming.

I know there are many people stressed by so many things this time of year. But I see these acts of kindness and I see Jesus. I know that so much of the meaning of Christmas has been lost. But I see the joy of the children as we carry out our own little traditions and I see Jesus. I love the extra time we spend as a family. I love the secrets and the planning as the children buy gifts. (We exchange names and each buy a gift for one person.) It is such a rich, meaningful time of year when you can see Jesus in all of these things!

Tomorrow night we are planning to attend a Christmas Eve service then come home to new pajamas. We will make beds in the living room and all sleep there together. The younger ones fall asleep earlier than the rest and we visit with the older ones in the dark (And yes, I do normally end up in my bed at some point during the night...). It is one of our most cherished traditions, one that the children look forward to all year.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?  

P.S. Speaking of embarrassing, don't you pity my children that I take my big camera in to Target and take pictures of them?

Blogging

Well, I know it may not seem like it if you only follow this blog, but I really have been busy blogging. I've been posting three times a week on the Superkids blog. And I post daily on my photography blog (except when I get behind then play catch up). And now I'm deciding that I'm going to have to have a schedule for this blog if I am going to keep up with it. Let me just say right now that I'm not an organized, stick by the schedule type of person. That's just not me. But I'm going to try because I do so love looking back through the chronicle of our lives. So I'm aiming for twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday, think I'll stick to it?

I truly love this time of the year! The songs, the weather, the baking, the secrets, the traditions... I love it all. Last year I was too sick to enjoy it much, so I'm trying to plan carefully and cut out unnecessary things so that I'm well enough to do the things that are important to me and my family this year.

And speaking of this time of year, on Saturday evening our church is having a Christmas sing-a-long. Local people are welcome to come! Just ask for the address if you are interested!