Time to start posting again!

Now that I'm about half-way into pregnancy, maybe it is about time to start reflecting on this thing called motherhood. Not that I haven't given it much thought to this point. It is just slowly becoming a reality more and more as the days go by. Interestingly enough, there are times where I forget I'm pregnant. I know, hard to believe, but every now and then I'll catch myself and have to remember (or little J will kick my spleen to help jog the memory) yep- this is really happening. Throughout my life I've played the role of a "mom" in many ways: camp counselor, baby-sitter, Sunday School teacher... but of course all those kids returned home at the end of the day and were no longer in my care. This is the big kahuna. And I'm thrilled and nervous all at the same time.

I work daily with many kids from all over the world. It never ceases to amaze me the wide range of personalities that children can have. Some can have amazing parents, but be extremely rebellious. Some have terrible parents, but they work hard to overcome the barriers to their success. Some have great parents and turn out great. Some have less than great parents and they fall into a group of peers that leads them into trouble. It almost seems as though there's little reason to how they are! Then I think of my own family and our dynamics and how we (the siblings) all seem relatively well-adjusted, healthy, socially-conscious individuals. I know there is no magic solution to making good kids. No matter how many books you read and how much you try, more and more I know that it has much more to do with relying on faith than our own power. I keep praying that our son grow up to appreciate his roots, be conscious of suffering around him, have a desire to serve and live a life of faith. That's what I hope for and that's what I will strive to teach him! Plus, with so many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins... it is nice to know he will be surrounded by much love as well as much guidance.

It's a small world afterall...