When my son Alex was a little boy, one of his favorite things to do was play Batman. I had made the investment at one point in an actual Batman costume, complete with superhero cape, and he literally wore it out. Since the cape did not last long, he began using anything as a cape (or a "cate", as he would say) - towels, small blankets, etc., tied or pinned around his neck Even at his grandparents house, he'd ask grandma, "Can you make me a cate?" I think he realized that a true superhero should really never be out of uniform. This picture is of our little friend Elijah. For his 3rd birthday, my family bought him a real Batman costume complete with, you guessed it, superhero cape. If you know Elijah, you know he loves to play dress up & he loves any kind of superhero. He also loves Alex (and vice versa). Since my son was not little in the digital photo era, I don't have a picture of him in costume, but I think Elijah represents himself, Alex & all superhero's well! Elijah's 3rd birthday was 2 weeks ago. I got to thinking that it feels like Alex's 3rd birthday was 3 weeks ago! The truth is, my little superhero will be celebrating his "20th" birthday this coming September. He will also be moving to Florida in July to finish his education.
How can this be? When did all that growing up happen? Wasn't he just 3? Didn't he just run through my house with a "cate" flapping behind him? Didn't he just pitch in his first real baseball game or sing in his first school play? Didn't he just start kindergarten? Or middle school? Or even high school?? I stand in amazement at the warp speed that my son has grown. From a tiny, completely dependent little guy, to a fully independent, thoughtful, sweet young man....all in the blink of an eye. He gave us much joy over the years, so many sweet memories. As I watch him prepare to go, I am filled with pride for the young man he has grown to be. I'm also filled with excitement, as he embarks on this new journey in his life. Yes, there's sadness as well, but it is far outweighed by the knowledge that we have raised a confident, loving, compassionate, funny, godly young man, who will always be my
"superhero".
In a little less than 2 weeks, myself & 11 others will be headed to Gulfport, MS, to do relief work in the Hurricane Katrina battered gulf coast area. (This is an actual photo of Hurricane Katrina). I've been doing a lot of praying for our team - safety, team unity, smooth travel. Then I heard a report on this morning's news. Forecasters are predicting a "busier than normal" hurricane season for 2007. The National Weather Service forecasters said they expect 13 to 17 tropical storms, with seven to 10 of them becoming hurricanes. I also read the following, "with a death toll of more than 1,500, Katrina was the third deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. It was also the costliest ever, with $80 billion in damages." Is that not an incredible statistic? It has been 2 years since Hurricane Katrina, and there is still much work to be done. My prayers have now done a shift off of myself & our team and towards the people who live along the gulf coast. I was part of a team last year that went down to Gulfport & the stories people had to share were unreal. I'm sure that when they hear predictions like the one above, they are full of fear. Many have outright left the area knowing that they could not face this type of catastrophe a second time. (This is a pi
cture of what was left of a church along the coast in Gulfport, MS. ) So, as our team prepares to go, I ask for your prayers. Not just for us, although that would be greatly appreciated, but more so for the people who call this area home. May they feel comforted by those who come to be servants in the name of Christ, knowing that they are not alone. May they, as well as us, remember what His Word says in 2 Timothy 1:7 (King James is my favorite version of this scripture), "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Thank you all for your prayers...and thank you Lord for calling each one of us to do Your work for Your people. Proverbs 3:27 tells us, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act."
