the faces of children

Yesterday Jocelyn brought home a black-and-white xeroxed page with all her classmates' school pictures.

As I looked at the squinty eyes and uninhibited grins of her fellow six- and seven-year olds - Liam, Kaleb, Maddy, Dixon, Ebie, Columba, and more - something made me think of other pictures I've seen this year...

Similar school pictures of young ones from Sandy Hook who never made it to the end of the year.

Unsmiling pictures of orphans who watch friends leave the orphanage with new mommies and daddies but who don't have anyone coming for them yet.

Faces peering out from behind hajibs, which cover the girls' heads but not their courage as they pursue education despite the physical and cultural ramifications.

Dirt-smudged faces of girls who have been freed after being bought and sold and trafficked by people with plenty of resources but little integrity.

Pictures I've seen of the 10 youngsters who died in the recent Moore tornado, including some whose lives ended when the storm hit their school.

Pictures I haven't seen but can almost imagine of another 10 schoolchildren who died recently, these children at the hands of a suicide bomber in Afghanistan earlier this week.

I don't know what it was about the black-and-white pictures of Jocelyn's classmates, but they stirred in me a mix of despair and hope for the children who aren't able to go to such an excellent school. Are they worth less than my daughter and her friends?

Certainly not.

So why do I have hope too and not just despair? Because I know three of those orphans I mentioned earlier. They will go to Jocelyn's school, but they won't be orphans anymore; they'll simply be following in their big sister's footsteps (along with another former orphan and a silly little man who has never been without parents).

Because I see other glimmers of God's promises, spurring me to consider beauty in the midst of brokenness.

I weep for the broken places and people. I cry out, "Come, Lord Jesus." I ache for the parents who don't have their children to hold and the children who don't have parents to love them.

And I persevere, knowing I can't mend all the torn places (nor am I called to do so), but I can be faithful to obey where God leads. In doing so, I accept His invitation to join in the sort of fast described in Isaiah 58:

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to dwell in.

six under seven

Yes, with the addition of our precious children in Uganda, we’ll have six children under the age of seven.

When that first occurred to me, it made my brain hurt.

Now? We’re good.

you see this bench? we're going to fill it up!

All six will be in car seats or booster seats.

At least two of the six will be in diapers.

All six will be pre-readers or emergent readers, so I’m prepared for a whole lot of read alouds.

Depending on when each child is developmentally ready for kindergarten, we may have two or three kids in the same grade.

Assuming all our kiddos go to college, we’ll have kids 1, 2, 3, and 4 in at the same time. Once our oldest graduates, we’ll have 2, 3, 4, and 5 there together. After kiddo 2 dons the cap and gown, it’ll be 3, 4, 5 and 6 in school.

For those of you familiar with the layout of our church’s children’s ministry, we’ll cover the A, B, and C halls with little Dingles. (It’s a good thing Laurie and I are buds!)

Speaking of church, I’m expecting to have to wake up an hour earlier to get everyone dressed and out the door. (As is, I sleep in a bit while Lee gets up the earliest.)

We’re thankful we live five minutes from the pediatrician’s office, because we’ll be there often.

I don’t expect it to be easy peasy to foster sweetness in all the sibling relationships, but we are committed to praying for just that and doing what we can to make it happen. (Would you join us in praying?)

Some days, it will be wonderful to have kids so close in age.

Other days, it will be hard.

Six under seven. It’s gonna be fun, y’all.

we just call him napoleon.

His mama was a basset hound.

His daddy was a lab mix.

The rescue group, from which we got him 2.5 years ago, called him a Bassador.

Another friend calls him a Labrodwarf.

My dad calls him "a mistake of nature."

We just call him Napoleon.

some mornings

you need coffee before you can make your coffee.

Or is that just me?

Happy Monday.

i want him to be both.

Thanks to Zulily, I have a new favorite boys' clothing company.

Nope, this isn't a sponsored post, and I purchased the shirt Robbie is sporting. (Though if you sign up for Zuliliy using the links in this post, I'll get a referral credit... but be forewarned that it's an addictive place for kids', home, and women's items.)

The brand is Warrior Poets, but at $32 a shirt, I wouldn't buy it at full price. When Zulily had a sale a week or two ago, though, I couldn't help myself. (Plus Robbie is growing at record pace right now, so his closet is slim pickings. Anyone have hand-me-downs in boys' size 5 or 6?)

What's with the "be both" on the shirt and in the title of this post? It's the company's philosophy, from their website:

History shows us many examples of The Warrior Poet. From the chivalrous knight, to the intrigue of the samurai, we are drawn to this gifted individual. The Warrior Poet is balanced, stronger than most, more thoughtful than most – part of the leadership class who guides with wisdom and courage. The Warrior Poet is a spiritual warrior who understands that he embodies the heavenly representation to the earth and the earthly representation to the heavens.

Like The Warrior Poet, at the core of every young man is the desire to save the day and love to the fullest. Pop culture says, “You’re either a lover or a fighter.” The Warrior Poet says, “BE BOTH!” At Warrior Poet Clothier, our crusade is, “Building Armor with a Flare for the Next Generation of Men.” Telling them to go farther, dream bigger, and look good doing it.

I know it's marketing which is clearly working on this mama, but still.

That's what I want for our Little Man.

I love his sensitivity.

I love his spirit.

I don't want the world  - or a skewed version of Christianity on either extreme, sissification or hyper-masculination - to tell him he can't be both sensitive and spirited.

Both warrior and poet.

Willing to hold his mama's hand, with dirt and clay under his nails.