Take His Life, Lord

How do I begin such an important post....

The date is December 4th, 2011.  It's a Sunday morning, and the Squires family is headed to church.  From the back of the van comes Abel's voice.  "I want to ask Jesus into my heart today."

Travis and I look at each other in surprise, and as my eyes fill with tears, all I can say is, "Really?"

"In fact, I want to do it right now."

Some mixture of joy and awe and shock washes over me.  Travis and I have prayed that Abel--all of our children--would come to know Jesus at an early age; and Abel's own prayers have been giving us hints that something very important has been happening in his heart.  Indeed, we have expected that Abel's salvation would come, and yet we couldn't have known it would be at this moment....

"Okay... but can we wait until we get to church so we can sit with you and talk?"...

...That particular morning, the children of the church had been invited to the stage to lead the body in singing "Joy to the World."  Abel and Amariah were among the many youthful voices that together created a choir whose sound certainly caused the listeners to consider the purpose for which we were created.  And looking back, I realize what a beautiful backdrop that was to what was about to happen next....

Soon after Abel and Amariah had joined us back in our seats, we reached the point in the service where we would be celebrating communion--a perfect time to talk to Abel about the desire he had expressed on the way to church that morning.  During our talk, Abel confirmed his understanding that all have sinned and need God's forgiveness--including himself.  And after stating in that beautiful, childlike way that he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart because "I want to show Him how much I love Him," Abel began his prayer.

"Dear God, please forgive me for all my sins, and please come into my heart...."

I remain in awe of the goodness of God towards us and our son, that He would extend His grace and grant His salvation to our tenderhearted little Abel.  I realize that we (the human race) are so undeserving of this free gift of salvation which is available to all who will believe; and I feel indebted doubly--first for my own salvation and now for my son's.

As I have listened to Abel's prayers over the past several months--prayers such as, "Dear God, please help me to love You more," and, "Dear God, please give me a wise heart," and, "Dear God, please forgive me for all my sins, and please come into my heart,"--I have witnessed a miracle.

Abel's prayer has been answered, and in that, Travis and my prayers have been answered.  But this is not an end.  It is a beginning.  It is the beginning of a life being lived for Jesus.

Oh, Dear God, I cannot express my gratitude to You for Your grace, Your mercy, Your salvation.  Thank You for the work You have done in Abel's young heart, where Your Holy Spirit is now residing.  As you have answered his prayer for salvation, please also answer his prayers both for a growing love for You and for a wise heart.  Take his life, Lord, and let it be consecrated to You.

"Jesus Dying on the Cross" by Abel Squires, 12-09-2011

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Kids Say, vol. 14

Amariah:  "Abel, I hope Ande is a boy because you don't have a brother."

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Elliana (pointing at the alphabet poster):  "There's the O."
Mommy:  "That's right!  What does an 'O' say?"
Elliana, confidently:  "/k/!"

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Amariah (praying for my parents' dog who has an ulcerated eye):  "Dear God, please help Barney's eye to not fall out and not hurt so bad.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen."

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Abel tripped up the unfinished basement steps a few days ago and scraped his shins on the front edge of the step.  I, of course, offered my motherly comfort and sympathies; but after his crying had gone on a little too long, I politely asked, "Abel, how are you ever going to play football if you can't fall down without crying?"  His smart reply came, "Mommy, that's why they play sports on grass and sand... so they don't get hurt."

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Abel and Amariah were looking out the front door this evening, admiring the stars in the sky.  The next thing I knew, I heard them around a corner praying together.  Abel passionately prayed, "Dear God, thank You for the beautiful sky that You created, and thank You for Your Son Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.  Amen."


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Cleaning: A New and Improved Routine

Being that I haven't blogged in so long, there is plenty I could write about today.  However, I have to choose for this post that which I can't get off my mind:  cleaning!

Not just any cleaning, though.  It's cleaning with Norwex that is crowding my thoughts--and has been for the past few weeks.

At our Lighthouse (the name given to our church's small groups) meeting earlier this week, the group leader commented that sometimes, when lacking spiritual fervor, we need to do something new that breaks us out of our lackluster routine.  Not at all to demean the truth of what he meant for a spiritual application, I was pondering my new found excitement for cleaning and realized that his statement could likewise apply to any routine... even cleaning.

I wouldn't say that I don't like to clean, but I think it would be a stretch to say that I've ever gotten excited about cleaning (until now...).  It's just one of those things that you have to do, and you do it joyfully because you are thankful that you have a home to care for.  That has been my attitude, anyway.  You develop a routine that maximizes your efficiency, and that's just what you do... often without giving it any further thought.

That was true of me until a couple months ago.  I had a certain cleaning schedule, certain cleaning methods, and certain cleaning products that together made up my cleaning routine.  It was working for me... I guess... and so I didn't really consider making any changes to it.  That was until I started learning about a company called Norwex and the great products they have to offer.  The more I learned about how Norwex reduces the use of chemicals in cleaning, the more I questioned my use of chemicals in cleaning.  As I learned that with Norwex I could save time and money while at the same time creating a cleaner and safer environment in my home, I began to question just how clean and safe my current home environment really was.  I started wondering just how much bacteria I was both breeding and redistributing with the wash cloths, towels, sponges, etc., that I had been using; and I wondered just what unknown effects my various cleaning chemicals might be having on our bodies.

My learning and questioning resulted in some quick conclusions for me.  I wanted to not just revamp my cleaning routine, but to make it better.  And I wanted to do that with Norwex.  My "Norwex Wish List" grew rather large in a hurry, and having been told of the unmatched hostess benefits offered by Norwex, I decided that the most economical way for me to get started with their products was to host a party.

That is just what I did a couple weeks ago, and having just received all my new cleaning supplies yesterday, my new and improved cleaning routine begins--with excitement, I might add--today!

I'm excited to be excited about something as humdrum as cleaning.  I realize that the excitement will probably wear off as the newness does, but I believe the reassurance that I have made a change for the better of my family will only grow with time.

My new Norwex supplies, most of which I received free through the Hosting program (and all of which I will use)!

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I Guess They Were Right

"You're a busy mom...."

I can't begin to number the times I've heard that statement upon making any type of public appearance with my four young children.  I must admit, its overuse over the past couple years has bothered me some, mostly because I haven't felt all that "busy."  I suppose I have been... busy, that is... but I guess when you're busy doing what you have to do, you don't always take time to think about how busy you actually are.

Lately, however, I can say that the common opinion that I am a busy mom has felt quite true.  For one thing, the return of the school year has taken a considerable chunk of time from my days.  After only four weeks of teaching a kindergartner and a preschooler simultaneously, I have found myself further behind in housework than I've been in while.  Indeed, I can't deny that homeschooling is keeping me busy.

Oddly enough, though, that wasn't what changed my mind on the "busyness" assessment.  It was the countless number of times in a day that I hear, "Mom, Mommy, Mom!" that caused me just the other day to stop and say to myself, "Yes... yes, I guess I am busy."  I am the go-to person for four kids.  I am the helper for every need.  I am the answer-er for every question.  I am the listener for every story.  I am the entertainer of every idea.  I am a mother of four, and I. Am. Busy.

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A Long Awaited Reunion

I think our busy (but fun!) summer is unofficially over.  This past weekend saw us traveling once again, this time on the road to my hometown for my 10-year high school class reunion.  I have looked forward to my class reunion(s) since before I ever graduated from high school, and I can say that 10+ years down the road, I enjoyed being there just as much as I had anticipated.

I grew up in small town Nebraska, and though I now live neither in a small town nor in Nebraska, a piece of my heart will always remain there.  It's part of who I am.  My past is there, and that means a lot of memories are there.

Obviously, I have been back home many times over the past 10 years.  However, when the purpose of the trip was to attend a class reunion, more memories and emotions were evoked than what I would get from the typical we're-going-to-Grandma's-house trip.

Reuniting with old friends--people who share so much of my past--really was a most unique feeling.  We engaged in good conversation almost as if it hadn't been 10 years since we last did so.  There was a sense of camaraderie in the comfortableness of it all.  It felt good to be back together again.

Some of the girls at our reunion luncheon

Two of my best girlfriends from high school

11 of 35 classmates

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Summer Fun

Boy, has it been a fun-filled summer in the Squires household!  I haven't blogged in a little over two months, and I guess that's in part because we've been so busy having fun.  (According to my last post, June was a fun month, too, so I guess I didn't even miss a beat in my blogging absence....) ;-)

Are there any other sun-loving moms out there who feel like they need to cram as much fun into one summer as possible?  Perhaps it's partly because I don't like to go out in the winter, or perhaps it's because summer brings a break from school... but for whatever reason, this mom is heavy on the "summer fun"--this year, at least.

In early July, we made a trip to my sister's house in Omaha to celebrate both the Fourth of July and Amariah's 4th birthday (July 3rd).  While there we not only went to the best fireworks show we've ever seen (and put on a little backyard show of our own that wasn't too shabby!), but we also took our kids to the theater to see the newly-released Cars 2 movie and to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.

July also provided each of our kids, two at a time, the chance to visit their grandparents (my parents) all by themselves for a week.  The kids had been begging to make the 400+ mile trip for a while, and we were glad for the opportunity to make that happen for them.

That wasn't the end of our July travel, though.  The month also saw us making the trip to Minneapolis twice--once for Travis' business meetings (which gave the kids and me an entire day to "waste" at the Mall of America!) and once for personal reasons (my long awaited shopping spree at IKEA!  More to come on that later!..).

The first part of August has also brought lots of fun, as we took our first real family vacation AND started our second year of homeschooling!  But, both of those exciting things deserve a post of their own, of course.  So, stay tuned, because there's more to come at Eternal Outlook as soon as I can take a break from having fun (oh... and from all the other things that keep me busy... ;-)) and find some time to blog!

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Fun is Good for the Soul

So far, the month of June has brought Travis and me a couple of what I think have been the most fun weekends we've had in a really long time, and I think it's due in part to the fact that we are moving beyond the baby stage of parenthood.

I'm certainly not saying that parenting babies isn't fun.  In fact, saying goodbye to the baby stage has been bittersweet for me.  I will definitely miss all the pleasures of babyhood, and yet, I am excited by the prospect of moving on (presuming that is what God has in store for us...).  I think our recent weekend fun has been a foretaste of what I was sure would come someday--an increased ease in getting out....

Saturday, June 4th, was Travis and my sixth wedding anniversary, and we celebrated it as a family.  After a nice dinner out with the kids that evening, we decided on a whim to visit Bass Pro Shop.  A store recently opened in our area, and since we hadn't all been there yet, we thought it would be fun to walk through it.  We joked that it seemed kind of redneck-ish for an anniversary date (Ha!), but we really enjoyed looking at the fish, the stuffed animals, the camping supplies.  We even tried out the little shooting range/hunting simulation thing.  (Okay, so I don't even know what it was called, but it was fun!  It was actually my first time ever holding a (fake) gun!)

This past weekend brought lots of fun, too, but this time of the kid-free sort.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad Squires!)  Thursday night, Travis and I went out for dinner and a movie and had a wonderful time.  (We saw Water for Elephants--pretty good!)  When we got home at 1:00 a.m. in the middle of a hard rainstorm, we went directly to the backyard to put a tarp over our new and as of yet un-shingled shed.  By the time we were done we were literally dripping with water, but I tell you what... it was fun.  We were together, we were laughing, and it didn't matter that we were wet and cold because we were simply enjoying our friendship.

The next day, Travis and I attended our first homeschooling conference, and I don't think "fun" is a big enough word to describe it.  Tons of useful information, books everywhere we looked... this information-seeking, book-loving couple was on Cloud 9.  I already knew going in that I'll be using Sonlight Curriculum again this year, so that took all the stress out of weeding through vendors and sifting through books.  Instead of looking to buy, I could simply enjoy the browsing!  (Although, I did heftily buy from one vendor.... :-))

Saturday we were without childcare, so Travis and I took turns attending portions of the homeschooling conference.  That afternoon, our family was honored to attend the beautiful wedding of our neighbor followed by a most lovely reception and super fun dance.  We haven't been able to really enjoy a wedding dance since our own, but this one was different... because we have exited the baby stage.  Instead of our children having to be held during the dance, they were right there beside us dancing the night away.  I can't remember the last time we've had so much fun together as a family as we did on that dance floor.

All that being said, I'm feeling a little lighter than I have in several years, and I'm enjoying that.  My responsibilities as a mother, homemaker, and wife have by no means lifted; but the ease of leaving the house--with or without kids--seems to be finally setting in.  I hope that as I find more freedom this summer I can strike a proper balance between work and play; because though there is work that has to be done, a little fun--even if it's just standing out in the pouring rain--is good for the soul!

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