unAnchored

Two weekends ago my sister stayed with us to help me care for Wesley while Hillary was with family. We visited Celebrate West Hartford, which like a town fair. There was face painting and since there was now way Wesley would sit still for that he got an anchor tattoo. Looking back, this has been a month where we've felt as if we're moving all over the place. Family has been in town, Hillary has gone on vacation and visited family. I'm gearing up for our annual missions trip with our teens and then we're off to the Poconos for a few days of vacation. It has hard to imagine it slowing down, though I know that time will come.
While all this is happening there have been times where we are deeply anchored despite the activity. I've been reading through 1st John and in there I keep running into the theme of "abiding:" abiding in Jesus, his love, his commandments, and the opposite, abiding in death, the ways of the devil, indifference, and hatred. Even amidst busyness and stress there are times when we have been abiding, in a right way, and it has made all the difference. I want to grow in abiding, not just because it helps me deal with life, but because I love God and it is what he deserves. That is a huge idea to unpack, because often we think of what we deserve and are owed. Thinking about what God is owed helps me all the unanchored times in perspective. This isn't some wooden legal sort of things but the dynamics of a real relationship. Maybe I'll write more in the future.

diverse scolding

Our church has community groups where people who live in a local area get together on a Sunday night to spend time together, talk about the sermon, and pray for each other. This Sunday night we had people from two groups at our home and Hillary related this neat interaction. Fabi, from Nicaragua, and her son (7yrs old) were there early and he was exploring and playing with different toys. Another woman who is Ukranian arrived a little later with her son (2yrs old). Both of these boys were getting into things they shouldn't have and one mother was scolding in Spanish while the other mom was scolding her son in Ukranian. It was a neat picture of life in the body of Christ. We come from different places but have similar difficulties and are working towards the same ends.

The splash park - part of Wesley's daily regimen

Wesley's usual day: sleep, eat, play, eat, splash park, sleep eat, play, eat sleep. In the past week and a half that it has been open we've gone pretty much every day and Wesley enjoys it more each time. At first he would only stick his hand into the smallest jet of water shooting out of he ground. Now he goes in face first, mouth open, as he dashes around the area, running right into the jets of water and even braving the purple tunnel which sprays you from all directions. This park is about a block and a half from our house so it is super convenient and we've had so much fun taking him there. We usually get pretty wet when we go because he'll want to be picked up every now and then or he'll get knocked over by another child running around and need to be held. This past week was my (Jarrett's) first night on my own with Wesley as Hillary traveled with a friend to Newport, RI to get a little break. It was good for Hillary to be away and I enjoyed my time with Wesley. This week I'll have another two nights on my own with Wesley. Fortunately my sister will be in town, so that will help. I'm looking forward to the time spent together, but a little cautious as to how it will all work out. We are heading into a busy few weeks as school winds down and summer begins. This is an exciting, but stressful time for teens as they transition from the challenging finals season to the relaxation of summer. I need to do my best to care for them well.