Blog FAIL

So the last few months I will, to be honest, say that I have been fairly lazy in my blog updates. Looking back over 2009, where the year went amazes me. Popeye has grown leaps and bounds since that last post and the fact that we daily have full conversations as he is speaking FULL sentences exhausts and prides me.

Considering the timing of this post I suppose it would be fitting to consider all that Popeye and I have to be thankful for. My sons ever growing vocabulary, surely. My new ability to be patient- one that I never knew I had (I don't have to weigh in my driving skills under that, do I? I may lose some points there). Our apartment that we adore and landlords that live downstairs who are full of conversation, hearty eats and laughter- that I am more than grateful for.

One thing that I am exuberantly thankful for this Thanksgiving is how good God is. When I was full belly with Popeye two years ago as of this date I would never imagine he and I would have accomplished so much by now. I made promises to God daily; twice daily; thrice daily; that if He would take the lead then I would follow and trust Him. In return I would do everything I could to raise a child who sought out Gods plan for his own life. I promised that over and over, and the day that I met Harrison I promised it again.

What exactly my end of the promise entailed, I dont think I quite wrapped my mind around. Then again, when you tell yourself what kind of parent you will be I dont think anyone really wraps their mind around what the blueprint looks like. The weight of that promise has been with me more often these days. I don't think I had or even have an idea now the amount of responsbility that goes into approaching such a sensitive topic as Gods Being in our lives. I think often that if I approach the topic with an insensitivity the idea of God can be scary to a child. If I take the idea of a relationship with God lightly then Harrison may follow suit and take his own relationship with God lightly. Recognizing God in each of our individual lives is just that- it is individual, and what I want so much for Popeye to recognize is that while I can provide him with the tools for his relationship with God he must start a process of seeking God in his own heart.

As Harrisons vocabulary expands and he begins asking more questions about his world it has been an exciting opportunity for me to make fuller gains on keeping my end of that covenant with God. Reading the books about Noahs Ark and Baby Jesus, being sure Harrison understands that some books we read our tales and other are true lessons that God has given us.

God continues to be good to us, with different kinds of blessings, and our own lessons and stories of life to grow from. I have learned so much in the last two years that asking God to take the lead doesnt mean that things will come easily or without harboring a struggle. It is an ongoing conversation with God of why, how, where and when. I feel the dynamics of that struggle while difficult for every parent is different too for the single parent. While a single parent home trying to keep a covenant with God isn't always ideal, God has blessed Popeye and I with this wonderful relationship. We are able to meet eye and eye and use our powerful two man team dynamics to explore some amazing worldview together. I would say that Popeye and I have a lot to be grateful for.