giving them a firm foundation

    this morning Dave and i stood in front of our church family, and pledged to raise baby B to love, honor and serve Jesus Christ- with her whole heart, soul and mind. Dave was asked to say a few words about B, and what he said was very touching and quite moving. i was weepy, needing to wipe my tears on the hem of B's dress.

    our house was built in the early 1800's, and is still standing firm today. that's because in the basement is a stone wall, the foundation upon which our home was built. the stonework is amazing to look at- solid and linear, supporting the main house for over 200 years now.

    however, the "new" addition was built some 80 years later, and the foundation was very poorly constructed. this foundation consisted of beams merely laid on the ground, supported only by rocks. in the course of the last 100+ years, the beams have been rotting away, and the kitchen and mudroom were slowly falling off the main house and rotting into the ground. it literally took all summer for Dave and the boys to jack up the whole addition, replace all the joists, and lay a new foundation.

    Dave used the contrast between these two foundations to illustrate the job that we are trying to do as parents: raise our children with a firm foundation. above all, we want all our sons and daughters to grow to love God, and serve Him with their whole heart and life. everything else does not matter. we work hard for 18 years or so to give them a solid foundation, and then our job is over. it's up to them to build their house.

    as i stood next to Dave holding my baby B, i was all teary and emotional. i realized, once again, how thankful i am for my husband. he is such a wonderful father to all the children. when he's asked how many children he has, the definitive answer is "6!" there are no qualifications, explanations or descriptions. that is a rare blessing, one for which i am truly thankful.