Colter's Thirteen

  Tomorrow is Elizabeth's birthday so our Sunday morning running group  went on a fun pre-birthday celebratory run this morning.    It was also my last 13-miler to mark your birthday.   Our route was a bit longer today, and these extra miles were like those extra candles on your cake (a few more to grow on!). I am so grateful for health and strength today to celebrate YOUR BIG DAY!!)  So 13 miles x 13 weeks = 169 miles for these long runs each Sunday  (running approximately 35 miles a week x 13= 455 miles)   I don't have the exact mileage count, but just know that you have been with me in spirit for A LOT of miles and I have been so excited to get to celebrate you along the way!  Auntie Em (post long run today) smiling because IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!  So very very grateful that God gave us you, Colter....  Happy 13th Birthday!  Love,  Auntie Em 

Today is your birthday eve, so I decided to take a look back at all the posts I have written over the last 13 weeks and look for themes and ways that I have sensed God's blessing over you during this time.  First of all, I had to make sure to give you an update on a post I wrote on March 9th when I was writing a bit about some of my issues that I have had with my blood pressure for the last 4-5 months. I am not sure if your parents told you, but I met with an endocrinologist at the end of March who spent an hour over Zoom trying to figure out what the underlying cause could be. She happened to ask me if I ate a lot of licorice to which I responded "no," but then a light bulb went off in my mind as I thought about all the tea that I drink that does indeed have licorice root in it. After that, I stopped drinking that kind of tea, and my blood pressure has gone back to normal. As a way to thank this doctor, I took a care package to her office with this silly costume to ackno...

 A few more photos below of some sweet memories together.....  May these remind you of good times we have had with you and of how much we love you!

  I read this early this morning, and I thought it was so perfect for my prayer for you today.  It's been a long year with Covid-19, with lockdowns, with so many things delayed, with challenging family dynamics at times, with school being different, and whatever else comes to mind when you look back at this crazy year. As you look ahead to things getting more and more "back to normal," I am praying for you to have this "glory-strength" to stick it out for the long haul. Just like the picture I shared with you the other day from the Jesus Storybook Bible , may you turn to God and run to Him with everything that comes your way with this strength God give you.  p.s.  Verse 12 is good to take with you too:  "It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us." 

 We have so much to be thankful for in the gift of YOU!  such happy memories below.... 

As I think about really important things I want to make sure I leave you with in this last week of jotting down my thoughts and prayers for you for your birthday, I wanted to share with you what is perhaps my favorite illustration in the world which is the one pictured below from   The  Jesus Storybook Bible .   This picture came alive to me through the Anna's eyes when she five.  On one of our last days of an incredible trip to Kenya in 2008, we were on a mountain known as “Prayer Mountain” overlooking Lodwar and the surrounding villages.  She was looking through  The Jesus Storybook Bible   that she had heard me read countless times when she zeroed in on this picture.  She told me that she felt she was the little girl who was running toward God the Father in the picture.  Not only was this a defining moment in her own faith, but it became a specific marker for the direction I want my focus to be: to turn toward God rather than to be ov...

  More goodness below for which to give so much thanks..... 

  another 13 miles down today which means that you now have only  ONE WEEK UNTIL YOUR BIG DAY!!!  Today was Taylor's b'day and we sure did have fun celebrating---  can't wait until it's YOUR turn next week!