Gut-Wrenching Sacrifice

As Easter approaches, I find myself thinking over and over again about the number of sacrifices connected to this holiday.

God gave His ONLY Son.  

I am a mom to only one child.  I connect with God in this way.  And if you have children in your life, too, it doesn't matter the number, you can sense the sacrifice that God must have experienced.  As a mom, I can feel in my gut (and maybe you can, too) the deep pain that must have been felt by God, knowing the pain His Son was going to go through while dying on the cross.  

Jesus WILLINGLY gave His life.

Jesus loves me...ME! (silly, outgoing, stay-at-home mom - ME! - who likes Goodwill and random things like hamloaf and hot summer days and serving others and ballet and Shawshank Redemption and does NOT like spiders and brussel sprouts and the many injustices in this world)...and you...YES, YOU!...Jesus loves you enough to have died in an extremely painful way.  He sacrificed His own life for us.  My sins...your sins...our sins are washed away by the blood He shed. 

Jesus PUT ASIDE His earthly desires.

He sacrificed the things of this world.  The relationships he had with His earthly mother, Mary, and father, Joseph.  The relationships with his family, his disciples, his friends, his neighbors.  I'm not a deeply theological person, so I may not get all of the details correct...but I do know that in a human, earthly sense, He sacrificed a career, a home, hobbies and interests.  He sacrificed fame and attention.  He sacrificed wealth.  And in giving up everything, He gained everything.  For you and for me.  Because He loves us.  

*Would I sacrifice like this?  

*Give up all of this?  

*Do I sacrifice like this?   

*Place my own desires aside for others, and more importantly, for God's glory?  

Christ's example is convicting.  Oh, to be more and more like Him!  Thank you, Jesus, for your example.

I'm sure there are more examples of sacrifice in the Easter story.  But these three examples have really struck me this year, have really touched my heart in an extra special way.  

And on a slightly different note...but still connected to sacrifice....

As an adoptive momma, the word "sacrifice" and its definition and emotions behind it really resonate with my heart.  I can't help but feel deeply about the sacrifice that our daughter's birthmother made in choosing to give our daughter LIFE.  She willingly put her own desires aside and invited us to become the parents of her daughter.  Our daughter.  Her example to me and to Mya are a beautiful picture of sacrifice, and I pray that her heart can continue to heal each day and that God would bless her abundantly.

Let me take a moment to remind you:  It's never too late...you're never too old...to begin your journey with Jesus.  

I invite you to begin learning more about Him today.  And if you can, please join us on Sunday morning at Faith Church to worship, honor, and learn more about God and Jesus this Easter Sunday.  All are welcome.  We'd love to have you!  

Facing Fears

Do you live in fear?  Do you fear...

Thunderstorms, SPIDERS, the Dark, the Unknown, certain Social Situations, what Other People think of you, Death, getting Sick?

The list could go on and on.  Fear is very real.

I have feared spiders and centipedes for as long as I can remember.  My parents even invested in a "spider zapper" that plugged into an outlet in my bedroom wall as a kid and supposedly sent out some kind of frequency or radio waves to keep those creatures away.  God bless my parents; I love them!  And just the mere thought of a spider's or centipede's creepy legs crawling across my foot is still enough to give me chills.  I smile as I remember that that tiny creature is only a small fraction of my size, but over time, fear has been set inside me.  My fear has grown, but as an adult, I can live with it and even face my fears when I need to.

From one day to the next, a fear can really impact your life.

A couple of years ago, we began receiving prank phone calls.  Directly to our home.  The prankster first called our house just after midnight, waking us from our sleep and totally freaking us out.  The prankster always called and asked for my husband by his first name.  The prankster liked to distort his voice, too, making it all the more eerie.

These prank phone calls continued on-and-off again for several months.  Happening at the most random of times.  Evenings, weekends, mornings.  Sometimes sporadic and other times with calls happening one right after the other.  And each time, the prankster always asked for my husband by name, even if I answered the phone.

Talk about scary.
Talk about fear.

Fear quickly built up inside us.  I found myself keeping an eye out around me.  Becoming extra aware of my surroundings.  And even living in fear.

This was not me.

It was terrible.  In those months of prank phone calls, I experienced living life in fear.  It made me anxious.  It made me edgy.  It made me doubt and question.  It was not how I wanted to live.  And thankfully, after months of fear, one final conversation with the prankster, and a call to our phone company to make some changes to our home phone, the prank calls ended.

But to this day, we have yet to learn who that prank caller was.  Fear is a hard thing to deal with.  With each passing day, sharing about this with friends and family, seeking changes to our phone's plan, and lots of prayer, I was able to lessen this fear and not allow the fear to influence or direct my days.

I am thankful that I don't have to live in fear.  Jesus releases my fears, and I can live instead with trust and hope.  I am protected and loved.  And when struggles and hardships do come along (because I know they will) God is always with me, each step of the way.

Rather than fear - Today, I choose trust.  Will you choose trust with me, too?

10 Easter Activities

As the Easter holiday quickly approaches and warmer, more Spring-like days are in our weather forecasts, here are some ideas to do with the little ones in your life.  Click on each picture for details and instructions.

[1]  Paper Plate Daffodils



[2]  Color-by-Number Easter Egg Decorating



[3]  Hand Print Bunny



[4]  "Thumb" Bunny Loves You!



[5]  Easter Eggs - WITHOUT Candy!



[6]  Bunny Mask



[7]  Confetti Easter Eggs



[8]  Simple Craft - Retelling the Easter Story



[9]  "You've Been Egged!" Activity



[10]  Printable Coloring Pages




And, let's not forget the real reason for celebrating the Easter holiday - 

Friendship Circle - Sharing Our Journey!

If you would have asked me several years ago if I would have seen myself sharing my story...our infertility and adoption journeys...with others, I would have probably laughed and dismissed the possibility. 

What would I share about my story?  Who cares about what I went through?

But I'm discovering that we ALL have a story to share with others.  And I'm slowly learning how to share our story - not because my journey is more special but because God has called me to share it.  

Our story isn't really different from others that have adopted.  EACH and EVERY adoption story holds its own special and beautiful details, including ours.  But in the last two years, we've been asked to begin sharing our journey with others.  To my faithful blog readers, you've read some of the stories of our journey.  You've entered into our lives and have begun to understand what brought our family together.  We've also shared our story to youth groups, during Chick-fil-A's "Come & Play" times, and to child development classes at a local high school.  

And this coming week, I will again share our story to a group of ladies at "Friendship Circle" at Weaverland Mennonite Church.  {Prayers appreciated!}

At times, I've felt silly sharing our journey.  My story doesn't make my journey better than another's.  My story isn't more amazing, more wild, more adventurous, or more awesome than the stories of many others who have walked down these paths, too.  But God has opened these doors, time and time again, for us to share about our adoption, and each time, we've felt led to accept the offer to speak.  

As we share (and I prepare to share on Tuesday morning), it's NOT about ME.  It's about GOD.  It's about how HE's shaped our lives, and the least I can do is give back all of the HONOR and GLORY to HIM as I share.   Because the truth is - He IS amazing. Those of you that know our story know the details and know that, time and time again, we've turned things over to Him, surrendering our wants and our needs for His purpose.  It's not about us.  It's not about what I want or what we want.  It's about allowing Him to live in us and work through us...for HIS PURPOSE.  And it was hard...really, really HARD...to get to that place of surrender, but I can assure you that once we allowed Him to work, He worked in unbelievable ways.  

And our story is not yet finished.  We have no idea what plans the Lord has for us in the future, in HIS perfect plan.  We have no idea if or when we'll be blessed with more children in the Hershey household...and that can feel scary.  The uncertainty can be intimidating.  But one thing I know for sure is that whatever His plans are for me and for our family, I can rest in knowing that He will get me to that point and give me all that I need to accept that new path of my journey.  

Your story is unfinished, too.  But if you allow God into your life, He can do big...and I mean REALLY BIG...things with your life!

If you or anyone you know would like to hear me share on Tuesday morning, you may contact me for details.  I will be nervous.  I will be anxious and a bit scared, too.  But I also know that I want to step outside of my comfort zone, so others can experience the love of Jesus...through the details of my journey...the way that I did when I needed Him most.  

"I was in your heart, Mommy."

Driving in the car, we approached the traffic light at the entrance to Sight & Sound Theatre.  As we waited for the red light to turn green, I heard from the backseat ...

"Mom, what's that place?  What's way up there?" ... As my three-year old pointed to the theatre's entrance and long driveway which leads to its gorgeous establishment.

"It's a really cool place to see shows, Mya.  Daddy and I will take you there sometime.  Okay?"

She agreed and liked the idea.  Then our conversation continued.  And our daughter's words surprised me.

"I was there before, Mommy."  (I paused, pondering her words.)

"No, I don't think so, honey.  Daddy and I were there before.  But that's before you were born or in our family."  

And without hesitation, she replied, "I was there, Mommy.  I remember.  I was in your heart."  

WAIT?  WHAT?  HUH?

She literally left me speechless.  How could I disagree with her?  Her response was so pure, and she genuinely believed what she said.  I couldn't argue with her, but I literally had no words to say in response except, "Yes, honey.  Yes, you were in my heart."  

As many of you know, our daughter joined our family through adoption.  And we anticipated the day that her understanding of life and the world around her would require her to ask more and more questions.  Specifically questions related to her adoption story.  We've talked to her about her adoption story since the day we brought her home, thanks to the wonderful counseling we received through our caseworkers and training sessions at Bethany Christian Services.  And although she wouldn't remember our dialogues with her from that early of an age, it's made it a pattern for her Daddy and me to learn what to say and how to say it.

Mya knows she has a birth-mommy.  She knows she has a birth-daddy, too.  She knows their first names.  She also knows the names of her half-brother and biological grandmother.  She can identify them in pictures, and when we reconnect in-person with them each year, she warms up to them and remembers them shortly after our visit begins.  We've told her the town and the name of the hospital she was born in.  We reminisce with her about what it was like for us when she was a baby and when we brought her home.  We love sharing her adoption story with her, and as she gets older, we can tell she likes hearing the stories, too.

Mya's adoption story is such a special part of her...and yet I have no way of knowing how these details will all play-out in her life as she grows older and makes sense of it all on her own way.  I love that she leaves me speechless.  I love that her questions and comments give me no prep time.  This enables true, genuine responses from me...to her.  I want her to know my heart.  To feel my desire.  To truly sense my sincerity in conveying my love for her and her own unique adoption story.  I love that each person or family touched by adoption has their very own unique story to share, too!

And yet - with all of this occasional dialogue that we have with our daughter related to her open adoption, moments like this story that I've just shared with you continue to leave this adoptive momma SPEECHLESS.

And I'm okay with that.  :)  

Over 16,000 Coloring Pages!

My 3-year old loves to color.  And she especially loves coloring pictures of characters from books and television shows that she loves.  "SUPER COLORING," offers over 16,000 free printable coloring pages on their website.

Their categories range from cartoons and crustaceans to holidays, spiders, and vegetables.  Your favorite book characters like "Llama Llama" and "Amelia Bedelia" are available, too.  You can either print the pictures or color them online.  They even offer some dot-to-dot pages.  Here are a few examples....

[Click on images to print or color online.]

Llama Llama



The Very Hungry Caterpillar



Pinkalicious



Chicka Chicka Boom Boom



Olivia



Amelia Bedelia



Thomas the Train

AND MANY, MANY MORE.  Happy Coloring!!!

Beautiful Oops!

Every now and then, I stumble upon a book for kids that's just too good not to share.  Yesterday was the first time, in a long time, that I had read this book to our daughter, and I was reminded while reading it, that I need to share it with you.

"Beautiful Oops!" is written by Barney Saltzberg and is a fantastic book that I stumbled upon a couple of years ago and purchased for our daughter.  

Fun. Interactive. Heart-warming.

This story does an amazing job of explaining to its readers that it's okay to make mistakes and that we can take our mistakes and "make them into something beautiful."  I love that message.  The book also helps to lead you, as parents, into good discussions with your little ones.  This is a book for all ages.

Click here for more info or to purchase the book.  

Here are two more sample pages from the book to give you an idea of how it reads....