Lent

I have never participated in Lent before. I really didn't know much about it, other than the fact that people around me seem to give up soda or sweets for 40 days. This year, I felt prompted to look into it more. What I read, I liked. "Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus." "The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ." (from Wikipedia) It intrigued me. 

I want to make a sacrifice. Not something like no sweets or no t.v. or no coffee. Those are all great things to give up, but I wanted something different. I wanted something that would push me closer to God, force me into His arms. I prayed and thought and prayed and thought. And I finally came up with this: 

For the next 40 days, I am going to get up early and spend time in prayer, specifically praying for the miraculous healing of Superman. 

I normally spend time each day reading my Bible and praying, but this will be different; more intense.

Although Superman's health has improved drastically since last year, he is still plagued by a few things that just will not let go. And I'm ready to get up a 1/2 hour earlier for the next 40 days to spend time praying specifically for his healing. And I expect the Lord will do miraculous things! Whether he will heal Superman, I do not know. But I do know that our God is a God of awesomeness, and I know He does not disappoint. 

So, today marks the beginning of Lent. We will pray and experience Ash Wednesday as a family, repenting of our sins and asking the Lord's forgiveness, while thanking Him for the many, many blessings He has given us.

How will you experience Lent?

Food Allergies and Discouragement

Some of you may remember my post awhile back about Superman's diagnosis of Celiac Disease. His life has improved dramatically since he cut gluten out of his diet...he's gained 20 pounds (which was very needed!) and feels so much better. But still not better. He continues to have issues that plague him. And it's discouraging. I know how discouraging it is to me, and I have to multiply that multiple times to get to the angst he feels. 

He recently went to a doctor, well, actually, a chiropractor who came highly recommended by a colleague. This colleague's son was plagued by many symptoms like Superman, and after exhausting all the conventional medical avenues, decided to try the "naturalistic" path. We have, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit, always turned our nose at the "natural" remedies found in unconventional medicine. Maybe because neither of us have really been exposed to it before...I don't know. At any rate, to make a long story short, this doctor says Superman is sensitive to corn, dairy and soy as well as incapable of processing wheat. Wow. If it's true, it'll explain why he just hasn't felt healed yet...but I must admit, I'm a bit skeptical.

With this news comes new responsibility for me...I'm the one who has to feed Superman; it's in my job description. And as much as I'd like to just say, "Well, you're on your own..." I have to find meals that the kids and I can enjoy that will also be edible for him.

To be quite honest, I feel overwhelmed. I have a hard enough time thinking of something to make for each meal when there are no diet restrictions. Coming up with new ides that don't have any of those ingredients is going to be, well, a challenge. I think I said before I like a good challenge every now and then. Well, I don't think I'm really on board with this one yet.

I feel bad complaining. I mean, it could be so so so much worse. And it's not. But still, this is my reality, and it is hard for me not to be a bit discouraged by it. This coupled with the fact that our kids have been pushing me to the edge of sanity this past week...I've completely fallen off the "no sugar" wagon and resorted to replacing almost all my meals with sugar. I'm not exaggerating, either. This past week, I have barely eaten anything of substance. I've eaten plenty of chocolate, cookies, tootsie rolls, and any other sweets I can get my hands on, though. I feel stressed.

I think my mood could be the dictionary definition of the word "slump." It irritates me that I feel that way. Here I am, living in my dream world on property...our kids are healthy...our roof didn't leak when it rained over the weekend...there's a fire crackling in the stove...I'm making a pumpkin pie from scratch (whoops! More sugar...). What in the world do I have to complain about? Sigh.

I suppose we're all allowed a few "off" days every now and then. I think I'm just ready to be back "on." 

Compassion.

I just love Superman. I know I've said that before, but it really can never be said enough. He has got to be one of the most compassionate men I know.

We talked about "adopting" a child through Compassion International a few years ago, but didn't make the leap until last year. See, if it were just me and the kids, I would have thought one child was sufficient. But Superman, he's always thinking outside the box. He decided it would have more impact if each of our kids eventually "sponsored" their own child. Someone his or her own age...someone they could relate to...someone who we could introduce them to down the road when we can travel overseas. He also wanted to pick kids from countries that our kids had some ties to...so, since I'm 1/2 East Indian, we chose an Indian boy for Mr. C. J-Man and M-Dog both come from African-American roots, so Kenya was the country of choice. Of course, we have no way of knowing which exact country their line stems from, but our church does mission trips every year to Kenya so we figured maybe down the road we could hook up with them for a trip. N and G will get to pick girls out when they're four years old.

They each get $10/month for "allowance." Five dollars of that goes to sponsor their overseas friends (we sport the rest). Superman regularly explains that we sacrifice some of our "extra comforts" so that we can help these kids...give them an education, provide them with good food and water, and most importantly, help them realize that Jesus loves them!

So far, the three boys are each sponsoring someone. Each child is roughly the same age as our boys. They send them letters, pictures, and fun things to play with. And now that we're homeschooling, part of our "curriculum" is writing letters and sending fun things to our friends who are less fortunate.

Today, after "school," we all went to Walmart and picked up a bunch of things that are less than 8.5 x 11" wide and 1/4" thick (per the rules). We came home, and each boy drew his friend a picture and stuffed the envelopes and I wrote a letter for them saying what they wanted to say. And it was magnificent. Seeing our boys purposefully thinking of someone else, not expecting anything in return, and getting sheer joy out of sending something small overseas are probably some of the most fulfilling moments of parenthood for me so far.

So let me introduce you...

Here's M-Dog's buddy, David (from Kenya)


And J-Man's friend, Dennis (also from Kenya):


And Mr. C's buddy, Subhash (from India):



The joy we receive from knowing we are making a difference in the lives of these boys is wonderfully contagious. I only wish everyone could...or would experience it.

Ode To Superman (and our marriage).

Superman.

My Godly,
hilarious,
perfect balance of me.

The most wonderful dad in the world.

When looking for a photo of him to post on this blog, I realized I have only a few of him all by himself. I need to change that.

When God created this man, He must have perfectly combined the necessary ingredients to come up with a soul mate just for me. And I don't use the term "soul mate" lightly. He is, without a doubt, the epitome of my other half.

When we were first married, I was a wreck. I mean, I was pretty darn messed up. I had never really witnessed in depth what a healthy marriage was. I had seen the way my mom was treated by my dad and knew that I never was going to be treated that way. I was mean. I was angry. I was manipulative. But only to my husband. I suppose I knew no one else would take such abuse from me.

But, I digress. Those first 6 months of marriage were a nightmare for me, and I'm sure a night horror for Superman. We would get in an argument (usually provoked by me), and I would say, "Why don't you just divorce me?" Poor, poor Superman. He was and is a patient man. He would assure me that divorce simply was not an option, and that I was stuck with him no matter what.

One day, Superman said something that changed my life. He said, "Shanti, you need to make a change. I'm willing to help you, but I will not be treated like this. You need to go to counseling. I'll go with you if you want me to, but you are in serious need of help."

No one had ever called me on my behavior before. I was a master at being the kind, bubbly, outgoing girl with everyone in my life, except for the person who was closest to me.

A few short months after that conversation, I gave my life to the Lord. I had accepted the Lord into my life years before, but I had never truly given my life to Him. And I have Superman to thank for prompting me to do so. It was his perseverance and devotion to me that saved our marriage and changed it from one of anguish to one filled with joy, love and true happiness.

Superman is wise beyond his years. He leads our family effortlessly (or at least makes it look that way). He is not afraid to take risks, in fact he seeks out ways to stretch himself so he doesn't get complacent. He is fully devoted to following the Lord's will for his life and will do whatever is necessary in order to accomplish that. He is not fearful of the future or uncertainties. He is confident that the Lord will provide and that whatever trials we go through are directly related to His will for us.

I wish I could share this man with everyone. Alas, he is an introvert. Put him around a group of adults, and he turns into a quiet observer. Put him in a room with his family or close friends, however, and it's like he is a different person. Here's an example of that:




Or here:



Superman is a teacher by trade and was made to have a lasting impact on his students. He is a natural in the classroom, and he actually makes math fun (as you can see from the serious video above).

I love this man more with each passing year. And I really mean that. He is not perfect, but he's pretty much as close to it as one can get.