In just a minute...

You can heat up dinner in the microwave.
You can sweep the floor or scrub a toilet.
You can change over a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer.
You can check out what your friends are doing via Facebook or Twitter.
You can send an email to a friend.
You can give a hug, a kiss or a smile.

And in just a minute, your life can be changed forever. A week ago today, my little boy almost drowned. Some mornings this week I woke up thinking what if he really died and I've just lived this week in a dream? EVERY day I imagine him in the water. And every day I'm thankful that we don't have to live through the dying. God gave Wyatt back to us. 6 swimmers within 15 feet, and no one saw him fall in. How does that happen? By not being vigilant in our stewardship of our children. Not that accidents don't happen. Obviously, they do. If we are being good stewards of the children that God has given us, however, there will be lots less opportunities for sorrow.

In a minute...a 3 year old can save his brother's life.
In a minute...a dad can instinctively know how to get the water dispelled.
In a minute...waiting arms beg to hold their baby brother to be reassured that all is well.
In a minute...we can praise God for miracles.
In a minute...
God reminded me "Never think for a MINUTE that I am not watching over you. Never think for a MINUTE that you are alone. I am here. I was with your little boy. He rested in my arms through it all. It was MY choice to give him back to you. Please cherish him until the time that I choose to take him to be with me again."

It probably took about a minute to read this. I pray that it was not a minute wasted, but rather one to remind you to love your little ones, big ones, and all those around you, and remember that it is God who has numbered our days. Let's not waste any of them.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Spring Is On The Way!

Spring is on the way...and how do I know this? Because BASEBALL SEASON has begun! Truett had his first game tonight...was the first batter...and scored the first run of the 2009 Carrigan Royals season. It was so exciting!

Growing up, I hated baseball. Didn't just dislike, or kind of not be interested in, but really, hated baseball! My brother played everything from little league through High School. I didn't have any Spring activities, so being only 14 months younger than my brother and therefore obviously not old enough to stay at home alone, I was needed to cheer on my brother in every game (READ IN, I was drug there). Couple that with church softball leagues and I felt I spent half my life at the ballpark. Considering I was (and still am) extremely sports challenged, you just might as well have beat me with a stick. I played in the dirt, read a book (this was well before Gameboys), climbed up and down the bleachers and whined for french fries. To top it all off, my mom was generally the "TEAM MOM" so she was the number one fan, in charge of everything and officially the person to yell at my brother to "Get the lead out of your britches, honey!" For me, it was misery. At home, my lack of affinity for baseball didn't improve as our television seemed to only have one channel...TBS. That's right...Braves baseball took up permanent residence in our home, and as far as I know, still does at my parent's house. Seriously, I don't watch baseball at all until the playoffs even now, so to start watching it in pre-season all the way through the World Series is just insane! Truly, baseball didn't have any redeeming factors until high school when I was able to date my brother's teammates...but that's another story.

So my relationship with baseball was rocky until...I had a little boy of my own. A little boy who at 5 played T-ball and at 6 hit one all the way to the fence. A little boy who started at Carrigan's Rookie league in February of 2006 and whose heart for the game has made me proud ever since. Truett's not an all-star. He's usually in the bottom half of his team. He comes from a sports-challenged family and sometimes, it shows! What Truett has, though, is heart. He's the first one out when the inning begins, the first one to the dugout when it's over. He listens to his coaches, is polite and respectful, and well liked by his teammates. Every coach he's ever had has wanted him back. Truett has played on two city championship teams and won some heart-attack games. Through watching him, I finally understood the plaque that my mother had in her bedroom for many years that said "When ball season is over, I'm going to have a nervous breakdown." Now my "little" boy is 10. He's in his second year of minors, and things are really coming together. Tonight, he got a hit and a walk and scored 2 runs. His team won 13-7. Always, though, he comes away thankful he got to play. And I'm thankful that I get to watch. How different life is as a mother! I can hardly wait until Emmett and Wyatt begin little league...in 2012 and 2014. BATTER UP!

Babies Are Blessings!

Okay, now that I said that and scared my parents out of their minds...no it isn't me. But all babies truly are blessings, and my precious friend Angela delivered her sixth such blessing yesterday. Now, when a woman is expecting, she has all kinds of plans. A plan A, B, C, & D for what will happen when labor begins. My labors have been somewhat unpredictable...but all but one have "felt" like I was in control. I say that because, obviously, God is in control. Sometimes He just humors us by allowing us to think that we have some say. Yesterday when Angela woke up, I'm sure she had no idea that at 7:15 last night her little one would be born via emergency c-section and ultimately taken to the NICU in a nearby city. It was not her plan A, B, C, or D. See, our plans do not supercede those of our Father. Even when we do not understand, even when our heart hurts, even when things are upside down, He only wants us to trust Him. That may require some stretching on our part, but He is there, waiting for us to trust. Know that His plans for us are sure. They are good. And for those that love Him, everything happen to point us to Him.

We are so thankful for this new baby that we get to enjoy and invest in. My prayers are not only for her immediate safety, but for her future, that she may come to know Christ personally and be able to share Him with others.

Babies are blessings! Welcome to our world, Laurel! We are thankful that you are rapidly improving and will be home soon with your family.

Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Get your act together, It's FEBRUARY already!!!

Oh my...it seems time just flies by. I can't believe that it is February when just "yesterday" I was making Christmas photos. In the past several weeks, our septic tank has backed up (oh crap!), our frig and freezer have gone on the fritz (they're in a union, you know), the hot water heater quit...heating, and we sprung a delightful leak in our foundation in the bedroom. The frig and freezer are repaired, we're limping the septic tank along, two new heating elements in the hot water tank make for nice hot showers, and now the leak is fixed, albeit there is still no carpet in my bedroom. Life just rolls, doesn't it? God is in control even of this. As I dealt with the many challenges that arose during the week of preparation for Mary's Sweet Sixteen party, I had to just laugh at each of them. "Can it get worse?" I continued to think, always to be corrected, by YES! It could get worse. So, I chose to handle all the little bumps in my plans with as much grace as I could muster. (Yes, I did cry when there was a great possibility that the leak was under our hardwood floor; but I got past that, too.) I tend to let the little things get to me. A crabby person a Wal-Mart (and there's always at least one!), a bad driver pulling out at an in opportune time, an unknown charge on my credit card bill...all these things I could really let eat me up (and sometimes do). BUT! That's not what God wants us to do. He wants us to take it all in stride, knowing that His hand is on even this. He's been with me as I've gone through my pregnancies (including 2 losses); He's been with me as I've watched my precious sister struggle with a chronically ill child, He's been with us as we've closed our business and had to say good-bye to wonderful people whom I love dearly and have sacrificed greatly to try to keep things going. EMMANUEL. God with us. Always.

All in all, I lead a wonderful, privileged life. Not in material things, although there is plenty of that, too, but the privilege of having Jesus Christ as my Savior. The privilege of being born in this free nation. The privilege of health and a marriage that is approaching 18 years. The privilege of knowing some of the most amazing people that God has placed on this earth.

I am privileged, so I will NOT let the little things get me down. And I will do my best to not let the time be taken for granted. I will cherish the little ones in my home and appreciate the teenagers. I've only got 11 months of 2009 left! So I'd better get my act together!

Mary is 16!

It is hard to believe that 16 years and 5 hours ago, Mary entered this world as a tiny 5 lb baby. A much wanted little one...she made me what I wanted to be all my life...a Mom. We didn't know what the future held for her, we didn't know about her brain problems, we didn't know about her difficulties to learn and understand. What we knew was that God had blessed us with the most precious little one, and that she was here safely! Our hearts were full of hope and wonder at her every movement. 16 years later, our hearts are still full of hope for this young lady. Sure, our dreams for her have adjusted with her discovered challenges, but we still know that her future rests in God's hands, and that no amount of labels you can stick on her will truly determine what she will be able to accomplish. Only God knows that. Our job, as parents, is to equip her to reach whatever potential she has. And I pray the ceiling continues to rise. I pray that she will learn to drive (someday...NOT NOW!). I pray that she will have a job. Most of all, I pray that she will be a wife, and that great dream that she made come true for me 16 years ago...a mother. I know without a doubt that she will be a great wife to the man that God has in mind for her. I pray that he is praying for her even now. She has so much to give, and no one should look at her as being less than a person simply because she has a mental handicap. What they should see is a beautiful young woman with a heart, that in its simplicity, loves everyone. Such blessings we have in the midst of those labeled less than "perfect." Remember that NONE of us are perfect...it is just that our handicap may be different than Mary's. It may be a sour outlook, a bad temper, a lack of compassion, an inability to see that there is good in all people. Whatever your handicap, God loves you in spite of it. And I love Mary, in spite of hers. Thank you God, for giving me this most precious gift 16 years ago. I look forward to experiencing the moments of her future as well. Happy Birthday, Mary! I love you!

2009

I can't believe the first month of 2009 is almost OVER, and I've missed it! Life at the Roberts house has been, to put it mildly, CRAZY. Did you ever feel like there MIGHT be a light at the end of the tunnel, IF you could ever get close enough to the end to see it? That's where we are. We are packing up our old office building, which is so much work in and of itself, but work that is sad, feels so much heavier. We've used every weekend since Christmas to pack up stuff, throw away stuff, and move stuff to a small storage location. If we had the energy, we could be excited about the positive changes, but the sadness of closing our "old" business and saying good bye to precious friends greatly overshadows the new opportunities. It's tiring! A New Year, indeed. Bring it on!

In the midst of all of this, we are planning for a momentous occasion. Our oldest child is turning sweet sixteen next Friday. Wow. How on earth can I be old enough to have a sixteen year old? It simply cannot be! Still, the house is being decked out in pinks and sparkles, ready for the blow out next weekend. I will reflect more on the past 16 years in another post, for now, I just marvel that it is here!

We are about to embark on another Disney adventure...my sister and her family will arrive tomorrow morning, and I will be "Tour Guide Paige" for the next couple of days. Since our Disney passes expired, much to my children's disappointment, I cannot afford to take them, but truly wanted to enjoy this time with my sister, nieces, and nephew. (My brother in law falls in there somewhere, too.) I would take every friend/family through Disney if I could, wishing that everyone would enjoy it in the way, and as much, as I do. So, in the haste of travel preparations, I now need to log off to prepare for the next few MAGICAL days.

As for my other comments to start off this new year, I continue to trust that God is in control of all of this, and He will provide for our family as well as for those that we love. This new year can bring great hope, not in our governmental leadership, but rather in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who remains constant and true.

God bless you all...HAPPY HAPPY JOYOUS NEW YEAR!!

2008 Roberts Family Christmas Letter

I know that most of you reading this would GET our Christmas letter, but for those of you who don't...here is our year snapshot.

Dear Family and Friends,

This is my very first Christmas letter! I always enjoy everyone’s updates, so I decided that it was time to try my own. 2008 has been a busy year (as every year is when you have 6 children!) filled with wonderful events as well as some sadness that comes with life.


We began our year with the Anderson clan at our house for our Christmas after Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed having both of my siblings and their families here, as well as my Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad stayed for an extended period, visiting friends throughout Florida. Wyatt began crawling, Mary turned 15, and Truett began his 3rd year of baseball.




February was relatively uneventful (it is one of the few months we have no birthdays!) with a day trip to Disney the only thing of note. Our Christmas gift was Florida seasonal passes to Disney, so that offered more opportunities for visits to our (well, MY) favorite place on earth.

At the end of February, I reunited with my 2 best friends from college, Valerie (Tanner) Gaines and Deborah (Jankowski) Donaldson for a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. It is always a precious time with these friends who can pick up as if a day hasn’t passed (even though we are 9 children and 20 years beyond our college days).

In March we added another Teenager to our house as Bradlee celebrated her 13th birthday with an elegant dinner party for her friends. We pulled it off with help from my sister-in-law, Amy, who cooked a wonderful menu that Bradlee planned herself.
We celebrated Easter at our home church, Community Bible Church of Ocala. We have been a part of this church plant since 2005 and prayerfully hired a pastor who started serving in Ocala in June. Pastor Matt McGuire and his wife, Christy, have been a huge blessing to our little church family.

Spring brought Whitney’s 12th birthday and a camping trip to Fort Wilderness at Disney World. Mary rode in the Special Olympics equestrian event for our county, finishing first in her English Equitation class and 5th in her trail class (due to a very uncooperative pony!). She qualified for the State games as well but did not participate.


All 3 girls danced in the ballet “Jacob’s Ladder” in May, completing their 5th year with Dance Divine and Light of Joy Ballet company. Mom and Dad came to watch, and Bradlee & Whitney went home with them for a 2-week visit. We met back up with Mom & Dad in Gatlinburg and had a relaxing vacation with them and my niece, Sarah. We also celebrated Wyatt’s first birthday on June 7, with him taking his first steps just a few days before.

Summer was quiet with no baseball or ballet, and my personal highlight was 10 weeks of horseback riding lessons taken at Mary’s school. It had been a long time since I had been riding on a regular basis, and I recruited my friend Deirdre to enjoy the adventure with me. It was so much fun. In August, the kids and I traveled to Virginia to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday with all of her family, and everyone but Ben was able to come. While we all missed him, it was a great time. School began in full swing at the beginning of August, with Mary beginning high school, Bradlee in 8th, Whitney in 7th, and Truett in 4th. Homeschooling continues to go well as we enjoy our time together.

Mary competed at a horse show in September for exceptional students, riding independently and placed well. Emmett celebrated his 3rd birthday with a day at Hollywood Studios in Disney World. He continues to make us smile daily with his antics.
We also took an opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of our homeschool schedule; travel time with Daddy to Georgia and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where we met up again with Mom & Dad while Ben attended a Christian School conference.

In October, I celebrated a milestone of my own, turning the grand age of 40. My fine plan was to be at Disney World on my birthday…and that is exactly where we were. We had a wonderful time with several extra magical moments throughout the day. It was our year to stay in Florida for Thanksgiving, so we headed to the Roberts Farm in Polk City and enjoyed Jerry & Karen’s hospitality, riding 4-wheelers, and playing paint ball.

As we end this year, with tears we are closing the doors of our company here in Ocala. Abundant Funds Ministries will now exist as a division of Signature Fundraising, based out of Lancaster, California. We are excited about the new opportunities that will allow Ben, his brother, and our sales staff to continue with the jobs they love, but equally saddened by the loss of jobs for our local employees, several of whom have been with us for over 10 years and are like family to us. We will miss the regular contact with them and pray for great new opportunities for them in the future. The Christian Collection fundraising program for Christian schools that we have developed with great care and precision over the last 18 years, will continue under the Signature umbrella, and we are so blessed that God has brought this company into our path. They are likeminded with us in our business as well as spiritual philosophy, and we will look forward to the coming changes and opportunities.

With all joys seem to come sadness, and while we have been blessed with healthy children and parents this year, I have also lost an aunt and an uncle. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, please take time to hold your family close. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please take the time to reflect on this season as one of great blessing and great sacrifice. Truly the greatest gift ever given was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Marvel at the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Thank you all for your prayers for our family as we have difficult decisions this year. And thank you for the wonderful blessing of your friendship with us. For those of you who are far away, we always delight in visits from you as you pass through our beautiful state, and for those of you who live close, we are thankful for the regular contact that we are able to have with you. Have a wonderful, blessed Christmas.

In Christ,
Paige
(& on behalf of Ben, Mary, Bradlee, Whitney, Truett, Emmett & Wyatt)