A few days ago I read through an old blog that has been “retired” http://blog.prayfordaisy.com/ that was written by the parents of a precious 8 year old girl who passed away years ago after three rounds of cancer. The blog is overflowing with God’s grace and merciful, loving care in the midst of immense pain, heartache, and suffering. Below are direct quotes from Kate Merrick in the blog that I found to be poignant and applicable to my life:
“Love. Love your babies, your husbands, mothers, sisters. Love each day like it’s your last. All you mamas out there, you have been entrusted with the precious gift of a human life who depends on you. Enjoy your gift. Breathe in the scent of your child’s hair, breath. Let them cook with you and make a mess of the kitchen. Play hide and seek with them, build sand castles with them, take them on picnics, read to them! Listen to them, value and respect them, never shame them. Your words they will carry with them their whole life and you have the power to give them wings or stunt their growth. Motherhood can be tough but it’s worth it. It can be exhausting, boring, tedious, but never for long. You blink and they’re grown.”—Kate Merrick
“Sometimes the feelings and fears and stresses of our struggle are overwhelming and my heart travels north, while other times mercifully it stays put, safely in the niche of my ribs. This week has held much soul searching, much exhaustion of our circumstances. Upon waking, tears escaped my eyes and slid into my hairline above my ears. My much loved husband gently reminded me (much kinder than Westley disguised as the Dread Pirate Roberts so harshly says to Buttercup) that often, life is pain. It’s part of the human experience, and if you scratch the surface of anyone’s story you will find it. No one is exempt. We must face our fears, believing that we will be carried through and held up by the One who made us. Do I only focus on what hurts and is hard and what is being withheld, or will I thank Him for what is good and right and given freely? I must not believe God is my cosmic vending machine, spitting out only what I’ve inserted a crisp dollar for, but instead trusting God with where He takes us, not just with our desired outcome. If I believe God is good and sovereign over my life as well as Daisy’s, circumstances need not dictate our general emotional state, need not cause us to roll into a ball and hide under the covers for longer than necessary. God is my refuge and my strength. Yes, I’ve been singing this song for months, years; and this week I needed a fresh reminder.”—Kate Merrick
“…One last thought, as a parent and as a human being; opportunities to love surround us. When we take those opportunities time seems to stop, and in that timelessness is where memories are made and beauty is beheld. We will never regret rising to the occasion. I believe it has something to do with the fact that God is love and we are made in His image. Suffering isn’t what we are made for, but it can be fruitful in ways we could never imagine. We love because He first loved us. “–Kate Merrick
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Good stuff, huh?
May we too, be like those little birds with mouths wide open to the All Sufficient One to feed our souls.
Paula
I hold you by your right hand- I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” (Isaiah 41:13)