You've Come A Long Way, Baby!

I hear it again..."Mama! Did you remember my tooth?", she calls out from her bed for the tenth time. My little one just lost another tooth. I highly suspect that she forced this tooth out prematurely, simply for the financial gain. It was not always this way......

She was five when she lost her first tooth. Only her K4 teacher can appreciate the trauma caused by the amputation of such a precious member of the body. The ordeal lasted a full month from the time the tooth first got wiggly, till the blessed moment of release. Due to fears, her world was somehow entirely rocked. Her diet changed, as she would no longer eat anything with more cosistency than pudding. Sleep was often interrupted by fears that she would lose her tooth mid-slumber and swallow it. Conversation now totally consisted of comments and queries about losing teeth. Our family and her teacher endured her fears to the best of our abilities. The whole thing finally went down at naptime in her classroom, much to her teachers dismay. It was an ordeal to say the least. Surprisingly, the drama continued, next to include the Tooth Fairy. When did the Tooth Fairy become a frightening force to keep innocent children from entering sweet & needful slumber? We stepped in and finally removed the tooth from her room and placed it downstairs, assuring her that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't mind at all. Finally sleep found us, and all too quickly, so did morning. Life goes on. We live and learn. So does she. Now a beautiful 9 year old, she still deals with her share of fears. But, thankfully, we have conquered this one. There will always be fears and trauma and oodles of drama. But each fear conquered is another step on how to trust God for each trauma that comes our way. I am so blessed to be her mama. God teaches me so much as a result. I love to watch her trade in her quaking knees for prayerful ones. She keeps my life so interesting and worthwhile. Speaking of interesting, I have an appointment with a Tooth Fairy to negotiate a fair price. Goodnight.

Gotch Day Ponderings

Her Story Unfolds

"Mama, was I an orphan?"

She questions from out of the blue.

"Yes, Baby, you certainly were,

But that was before we adopted you."

Her questions, the same yet different,

Are repeated year after year;

As she grows in understanding, and

Her story becomes even more clear.

She knows that her story is different,

So her questions are quite a big deal;

Cause she so wants to know her story

To believe what is really real.

Born with no real future or past,

A baby house in a far away place;

Now confidently knowing that she belongs

In our family's loving embrace.

So I'll always answer her questions,

As any loving mother would do;

And help her sort out her story.

I'll teach her the things that are true.

But more than anything else, I pray

As she seeks and desires to know;

That she'll see the work of God's hand,

And her faith will continue to grow.

by Diane Proctor
Oct 15, 2011

Grateful For A Shepherd

As I was doing some fence repair this mornng, God reminded me of His love for me. He brought to mind the parable of the lost sheep found in Luke15:4-6

4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep."





Somewhere between hammering loose boards, and shoveling dirt into holes, I was working out my frustration. You see, I along with my son, had a midnight mission. The mission was thrust upon us whether we liked it or not. We did not! We would have preferred to be warm in our beds. But Cheyenne, our beagle, did not consider us or our preferences. She willfully left the confines of our yard before we could bring her in for the night. We could hear the distant yapping of a beagle on a scent. If you know beagles, you know what I mean. When she has her nose to the ground, nothing else matters. She cannot be distracted from her instincts to sniff it out. It is like she has returned to "the Wild," as she goes crazy trailing the temptation. Anyway, this time the temptation lay outside of our yard. She either dug or pushed her way out and was hot on the trail when we became aware of her absence. So we put on our shoes and picked up a flashlight and the leash, and headed out into the dark misty air. The thought did cross my mind to just leave the silly dog out! But I couldn't have slept knowing that she would be roaming the neighborhood waking all the neighbors with her yapping. People, believe me when I say it is loud and constant! I reluctantly vowed to find the little dog who had gone astray. Working together, we managed to locate her a few houses down and even captured her without getting too dirty. For this I was grateful. I must confess that while I was carrying her in my arms, I certainly was not doing so in the manner listed above in Luke 15:5. Other than the sheer accomplishment of having conquered her, there was certainly no joy in my heart. I was annoyed! If I were to call my neighbors, it would not have been to rejoice, but to apologize for any disturbance. Not so with my Shepherd. When we stray, He comes after us and lovingly brings us back into His fellowship. May I reflect on His mercy and His forgiveness and His love. May I be reminded of this love the next time one of my sheep goes astray. And may I always rejoice that God has not yet seen fit to give me 100 sheep! He knows what I can manage.

Contrary to Popular Camping Opinions...Pt1

After enjoying a few days in the north GA mountains of Hiawassee, I return with new insight and understanding into some of life's common misconceptions. I will pick a few of my favorites and share them with my friends.


Contrary to popular camping opinion..... staking your tent should never be considered optional. We battled some steady winds while setting up one of our family's tent. It took all hands on deck to maintain control during the process. When we had the tent placed just where we wanted it, we let our guard down. Just then, before we had gotten any stakes in the ground, a major gust blew in. Lifting our tent right off the ground, the wind rolled it across our campsite. Thankfully, God grew a clump of pine trees strategically between us and the pond, keeping our tent from tumbling into the pond. After taking a deep breath & reminding ourselves that we were having fun, we dissassembled the wreckage and started over...a little smarter the second time around.





Contrary to popular camping opinion.....Not all roosters have feathers.
I admit I was as shocked as you, to learn this amazing bit of info. You see, we camp often. We are completely accustomed to being awakened by roosters, crows, and the like. But this trip, we were awakened promptly at 7am each day by an odd rooster. Rather than the age-old, over-rated, typical "Cock-a-doodle-doo!", our Mr. Rooster's signature call sounded more like "Eeeeee-Awwwwww!" I was so intrigued that I set off in search of Mr. Rooster. I had to get a glimpse of this guy. I walk to the end of our campground, thru a small thicket, jumped a little stream and came to a pasture. I made certain there were no rogue bulls grazing before setting off across the field. I went as far as I dared tresspass, before giving up. No Mr. Rooster anywhere. But I did find a neat old barn to photograph.


Mr. Rooster Hunt...Take Two.....
While approaching our campground via the road, we came upon a neighboring pasture. It was there that I glimpsed Mr. Rooster for the first time. I had my Daddy pull over and I jumped out and stealthily made my way back to the field. To my utter "amazement" he looked nothing like a rooster...but rather like a donkey. Not a feather anywhere!

Mr. Rooster was very friendly to approach, and we were soon on a first name basis. What a novelty! I rather liked being awakened by a donkey. Hey, it's not everyday.........


"Eeeeeeeeeee-Awwwwwwwww!!!!!!!"

Lessons From the Leash...Random Roadside Toilets

Dear Sage, our rescue dog, has a real issue with fear. Basically he is afraid of...well...everything. We are not sure what the 1st 6 months of his life was like, but this dog came to us unusually frightful. Since a fearful dog is an unpredictable dog, I have been working with him quite a bit. Leash walking is excellent for exposing him to situations and helping to desensitize him. on one of our earliest walks, Sage couldn't even walk in a straight line. Don't think he'd ever been on a leash. Can you say "zig-zag"?. By the time we reached the end of the block, he had yanked my arm out of socket. Needless to say, our walk was not long. Later, however, he learned the art of walking in a straight line. He is flighty, though. If it weren't for the leash, he would be gone in a panic. One particular day we were walking through a familiar part of the neighborhood, when all of a sudden Sage panicked and tried to bolt. Then I saw the monster that startled him. It was a random roadside toilet sitting next to the road. He had rounded a large brick mailbox, when that porcelain monster scared him out of his fur. When he couldn't run away, he ran around...my legs that is. So here we were, all tangled up together unable to move away from the monster. I managed to step out of the leash and drag him away from the scene. Once out of sight, I comforted and reassured my silly, frantic dog. I laughed at him for several more blocks until God drew me a picture. How many times in my life have I bolted in my walk with the Lord. Fear has been my companion more times than I care to admit. I've missed some awesome blessings simply because I was afraid. Praise the Lord, He had me on a short leash. He had me. He still has me. He won't let me go. His Word is mine to comfort, reassure and lead me to my Promised Land. From 2001 till 2003 and even beyond, our international adoption journey was littered with random roadside toilets (okay, work with me here). Most days nothing was familiar. It was a road only accessible by faith. Also along the road were blessings that far outshone the toilets. God had us in training for such a journey as this. Every random roadside toilet that we come across is for our ultimate good and growth. May God continue to train us in the way we should go. And then, when He says, "Go!" we'll be ready. Learnin' to love the leash!

9/08/03....A Day To Remember

Eight years ago we journey half way around this world to meet our daughter for the first time. She was a treasure worth searching out.....and still is. Mommie loves you sweetheart!


TREASURE OF THE HEART


I remember as though it was yesterday,
the events that took place that day.
With excitement beyond description,
to Azerbaijan we had made our way.

This journey was unlike any other
in the eyes of this anxious mother.
For the treasure ahead was our daughter;
and a child is a prize like no other.

I held my breath and strained to see
the treasure she held so lovingly.
My heart beat wildly, I refused to blink
as the caregiver walked straight to me.

I beheld the most beautiful baby.
She was tiny and cute as can be.
I could hardly believe it was real,
when this treasure was handed to me.

I held her and I breathed her in,
memorizing her face, round and pure.
This child was the one I had prayed for!
She is much loved and wanted, for sure.

For so long I had dreamt of this moment,
and I'll always remember this day.
For this baby was born in my heart,
and in my heart forever she'll stay.

copyright
Diane Proctor

Lessons From The Leash...Introduction

Meet Sage, our rescue dog. We adopted him almost 1 1/2 yrs ago, after the loss of our beloved 14yr old Golden Retriever, Radley.

Sage has a darling smile, an engaging personality, and a whole lot of baggage! He is now around 2 years old and keeps us very busy. He is a Golden Retriever/Border Collie mix.

God very often uses my 4 kids to teach me truth. Now He is also using a dog named Sage to teach me. He is my four-legged-lesson-bearer. I must often take a step back, sigh, gather my wits, and renew my determination to make something out of this bouncing bundle of fur. I do not acquire to see him famous, or even regal. I just want a pleasant, controllable, enjoyable family pet. Now, he can definitely be that dog at times. But at other times? Well, that's the stuff good journals are made of. So be watching for the occasional postings entitled, "Lessons From The Leash."