it was a hard week.

the medicines made him sick.
the food seemed tasteless.
the tiredness seemed to never lift.

AND THERE WERE THE DREADED WRITTEN QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE ANSWERED IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.

AHHHHHH.

if you ever were a little boy,
you know what I'm talkin' about.
yeah.

but I walked into the room,
and the Brave Boy was humming to himself.

Jesus loves me...

that's when I knew we were going to make it.

as long as he can sing,
we'll be ok.

later that day, he was tackling the Written Questions.

he was singing to himself again.

It's a Hard Knock Life, for us... It's a HARD KNOCK LIFE!

ha
yup. we're going to be ok.

the Brave Boy has a new song that he hums over school work
or while he's in bed
or when he's re-arranging action figures.

I find my heart echoing it in my own heart.

how long must I wait
must I wait for You?
how long must I pray?
how long until I see Your face?
see You shining through?

If You're everything You say You are, won't You come close and hold my heart?

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"You should only marry someone you REALLY love,"

said the Brave Boy, meditatively reflecting Deep Thoughts over his plate of chicken legs.

I agreed.

This was BEFORE the 24 Valentine's we made for his class at school... After that ordeal was completed, neither of us really felt like talk about Love or anything related to it. eheh.

--------------------------

I often have a whole series of post relating to Valentine's Day... This year, it just didn't happen.

However, I didn't want to just leave off the tradition entirely! Allow me to share a few links that may encourage you, may make you laugh, and hopefully remind you of what is really important.

Surviving Church as a Single (we all laughed)

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2012/02/surviving-church-as-a-single/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+stuffchristianslikeblog+%28Stuff+Christians+Like+-+Jon+Acuff%29

What Men Really Want (a little blunt, perhaps, but thought-provoking)

http://makeitmad.com/2011/06/28/what-men-really-want/

God's Love (convicting)

http://media.sermonindex.net/3/SID3958.mp3

It was Sunday.

The Brave Boy and I were listening to a sermon.

It was a choice between Bible Homework or Sermon.

He chose the Sermon. Ha. You can listen to it here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=517111430514

The Preacher mentioned Losing Your Faith.

"I almost lost my faith a couple of times," the Brave Boy commented thoughtfully.

"You did? Want to tell me about it?"

We stopped the sermon. I listened.

I thought of how his daddy left his family.

I thought of how, at the age of 6, the Brave Boy was diagnosed with cancer and told most little boys didn't survive.

I thought of how, almost immediately after he went into remission, the Brave Mommy was told she had breast cancer.

I thought of how, right on the heels of her battle, he was told that his cancer was back... and he might not live to see Christmas.

I thought of how the insurance almost refused to pay for his treatment at Duke University...

I thought of how there almost wasn't a stem cell donor.

I thought of how he cannot go out to his favorite toy store or to school or even touch dirt because the risk of infection is too high.

I thought of many things... and waited.

Remember that day that I was crying about my homework?

I remembered. He had been up in the middle of the night with stomach aches, nausea, and general yuckiness.

Well, I had prayed and asked God for NO written questions... and then my teacher said I would have written questions... and I thought... I thought that God had not listened or that He didn't care.

I cried. And I almost lost my faith.

But then, you came up and told me that there were NO written questions...

Ah. Yes. The faith of a child. A child who duels with death and deals with great loss... yet is worried about homework.

And the God of the Universe cared enough to change the heart of the teacher for that day.

Yes, the questions will be there next week. No, God does not always give us what we ask for. But on this day, He knew exactly what a little Brave Boy needed -- to know that the God who made the mountains and hung the stars... cares about homework.

Have I told you about the Brave Boy?

He is 11 yrs old.

He got cancer when he was 5 years old.

Only 30% of kids live to tell the tale. By the mercy of God, he lived, went back to school, started living again.

But then the cancer came back. And so now, we fight again. The cancer is now in remission but every day is a fight to beat the odds again against all complications. He is not well enough to go to school... so I go and chillax at his house a few times every week, do homework, oversee Life, etc.

---

The Brave Boy had a twinkle in his eye when he announced,

"Homework is NOT on my AGENDA."

He waved his imaginary agenda.

Lunch.

Nap.

Play.

Miss Elizabeth was not fazed: And, HOMEWORK.

He smirked. Not on my agenda.

"Yes it is," Miss Elizabeth replied coolly. "I just wrote it on the list."

I wited it out.

It was written with MAGIC INK that GOES THROUGH the wite out.

I covered it with GLUE AND WITE OUT.

It's so POTENT that it still seeps THROUGH!

He was getting desperate.

I AM COVERING IT WITH WATER!?!

Miss Elizabeth was ready: THE WORDS GLOW IN THE WATER!!!

yeah.

intense.

---

How often

God has such converstaions with us.

"My child, this is the detour for you."

"My child, this is the next step."

"My child..."

"Waaa? That wasn't on my agenda."

 Life changes, great or small... so often weren't on the agenda.

"Ummmm... God? Did you hear me? NOT ON THE AGENDA?!!"

He smiles.

"It's written in ink that cannot be erased."

And then He whispers,

"It's because I love you. And I see beyond today."

---

In other news,

both the Brave Boy and I took naps,

and awoke more sane.

And we did do homework... just a little.

Brennan Manning, in his book Ruthless Trust, tells the story of the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh who went to work for three months at "the house of the dying" in Calcutta. He wanted to know how best to spend the rest of his life.

On his first morning, he met Mother Teresa and she asked, "What can I do for you?" Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. "And what do you want me to pray for?" she asked. He expressed the deepest desire of his heart: "Pray that I have clarity."

She said firmly, "No, I will not do that." Kavanaugh was taken aback. Mother Teresa continued, "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of. " When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, "I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God."

Story was told to me by Kelly... but I found the actual text here: http://www.hiu.edu/inhope/issue5_23.htm

'I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day.
We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year.
As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.
And thus I drift along into the holidays - let them overtake me unexpectedly - waking up some find morning and suddenly saying to myself: "Why, this is Christmas Day!" '
David Grayson

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/anonymous-donors-pay-off-kmart-222535611.html

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