Best. Mother's Day. Ever.

This is my 15th Mother's Day as a mom, if you count the one following my first pregnancy, which ended in miscarriage. I've received a lot of sweet crafts and cards from my kids, and flowers, chocolate, etc. But this year tops them all.

First, 10 days ago my girls took me on a special early Mother's Day date. Eliana paid for lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory and then the new Cinderella movie. It was a red letter day. We loved the food, enjoyed our time together immensely, and were enthralled by the movie. It was wonderful!

Then, when Mother's Day actually arrived, I had the honor of sharing the podium at church with my delightful 14-year-old daughter. It wasn't originally planned that way, but two events -- my preaching and her announcement -- just happened to find their way to the same day on the calendar. Mother's Day was the occasion for my invitation to preach, but because of Eliana, yesterday was also "Compassion Sunday."

Months ago we received a letter in the mail from Compassion International. Because the child we sponsor shares a birthday with Eliana, all the mail from Compassion is addressed to her. This one invited her to become an advocate for Compassion International by hosting an event at our church. It caught her attention. A few days later, we were on campus together at Multnomah and a volunteer representative from Compassion just happened to be there manning a table. I was busy meeting with a student, so Eliana wandered over to the table to find out more. Without any involvement from me, the correspondence between them continued over the ensuing weeks. Before long a box came in the mail for Eliana with photos of children waiting to be sponsored, a T-shirt for her to wear, and posters to hang at church. She met with the Compassion representative along with one of our pastors to plan the event.

Yesterday I sat proudly in the front row and watched Eliana address our congregation and introduce the Compassion volunteer. She looked completely at ease as she give a stirring plea for all of us to consider. Where did this beautiful, responsible, articulate, and motivated young lady come from? And what happened to our little girl? The best part was that Eliana planned the entire thing from start to finish. What a gift to see God at work in and through our children!

Wait . . . that's not all. By the time we packed up and headed home, 13* new children had sponsors! Way to go, Eliana! That's the best Mother's Day present I can imagine.

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*Update: Some folks took a week to think and pray about sponsorship. By the end of the next week's services, the grand total rose to 20 sponsored kids as a result of Compassion Sunday!

In case you missed the press release in 2013, Compassion International submitted to an independent study by academics in the social sciences to find out if child sponsorship really works. The outcome far surpassed expectations. Compared with un-sponsored kids from the same families and communities, sponsored children grow up to earn more, learn more, be healthier and become leaders in their churches and communities. Sponsorship empowers young people to exit the cycle of poverty. Educating girls is the single most effective strategy for alleviating world poverty.

For related blog posts about inspiring kids to make a difference, click here and here.

a woman called "blessed"

Somewhere in Colorado a very dear woman is watching the sun set on her special day.

To the one who began as my mother and became my friend . . .

Happy Birthday! 

On this your 60th birthday, I am thankful 60 times over for you.

60. THANKS for a happy childhood
59. filled with books
58. and games
57. and camping trips
56. and family work days
55. snow ice cream and green pizza
54. and long hours to play outside.
53. THANKS for sewing me dresses
52. and teaching me to sew.

51. Thanks for doing my hair hundreds of times
50. for cutting it
49. for teaching me how
48. and for lending your talents for special hair-dos ... like for my wedding and high school plays.
47. Thanks for cleaning the house
46. and not just physically,
45. for feeding my body
44. and also my soul,
43. for teaching me how to cook
42. and teaching me to pray
41. and for praying. A lot.
40. Thanks for cheering me on
39. and for telling me I was wrong
38. for letting me go (overseas at 14 years old!)
37. and for coming to see me (overseas some 14 years later!).
36. Thanks for your financial support
35. and for hosting open houses.
34. Thanks for modeling frugality
33. and resourcefulness
32. for being content and making do.
31. Thanks for making sure I had piano lessons
30. and a Christian education.
29. And thanks for being there when I got home.

28. Thanks for making birthdays special,
27. for being a friend to my friends,
26. for back rubs
25. and phone calls
24. for memories saved from childhood.
23. Thanks for your creativity,
22. for crafts with me
21. and teaching me art
20. and scrapbooking.
19. Thanks for eating healthy
18. for giving cheerfully
17. and selflessly
16. for working hard and giving me chores.
15. Thanks for the example of your faith in God
14. and faithfulness to Dad.
13. Thanks for bearing me for 9 months
12. bringing me into the world
11. for knowing me
10. and loving me warts and all.
  9. Thanks for loving my husband
  8. and making our wedding such a special day.
  7. Thanks for loving our kids
  6. and for supporting us as parents.

  5. Thanks for your encouragement in hard times
  4. and your example in suffering.
  3. Thanks for being available
  2. and for listening.
  1. Thanks for being my friend.

Thanks for being the kind of Mom who makes it easy to make a list this long.
What a gift you are to me!
I love you, Mom!

a dose of encouragment . . .

. . . for all you moms out there:

http://www.gypsyink.com/2012/05/a-letter-to-kate/

http://rachelheldevans.com/leena-tankersley-fantasies-fog

Beautifully written, and so true.

Blessings!

Carmen

live from Seminary Avenue

We made it safely to Wheaton on Monday and were met right away by three wonderful surprises:

• my parents, who spontaneously decided we'd need their help this week and suprised us by showing up less than an hour before we did!  We're super thankful to have them here to help us settle in.
• classmates to help us unload the truck (Charlie is wrapping up his dissertation under Dr. Block, and Austin is starting with me in the fall.  He and his wife, Heather, were here looking for housing and gave up their afternoon to help!).  Dr. Block stopped by, too, to officially welcome us to Wheaton and invite us all to dinner at his house that evening.
• a darling house that we're delighted to call home for the next 3 years

The landlords spared no expense in renovating the house for our family.  Their mother lived here for 65 years.  They put in new flooring and paint througout the main floor, thoroughly cleaned the upstairs, and cleared out the unfinished basement so that we could use it for storage.  They added air conditioning on both floors, a dehumidifier in the basement, and a number of supplies that they knew we'd need right away (like a shower curtain and toilet paper).  They even left us kitchen curtains and a privacy curtain on the front door.  There were gifts for the kids and a card for us.  I just love the way the Lord works.  We spent all day Friday and Saturday moving out of our house in Charlotte and attempting to leave it as clean as possible.  We decided to leave our shower curtain (which was like new), privacy curtains by the front door, kitchen curtains, and toilet paper for the new owners.  We left a few girly things that we thought the family might like for their daughters and a card for the new owners.  And now we have tangible proof that you simply can't outgive God!

Last night we took a break from unpacking to see Lake Michigan.  Chicago. Is. Huge.  So is Eliana.  As you can see, she's now taller than the Sears Tower!

It felt surreal to leave Charlotte and the rich web of relationships we had there.  Our hearts are slowly catching up to our new surroundings, and soon this, too, will be home.

I had wondered whether I'd need to change my blog and use something other than "seminarymom."  After all, I'm not in seminary anymore.  Wheaton is a Graduate School.  But God is a God of details, and He provided a house for us on Seminary Avenue so that I could keep my blog as is.  I'm still a seminary mom ... my hands are still full ... and so is my heart.  I'm delighted to have you join me on this next stage of our journey!  Our zip code has changed, but goal is the same: to know God and His Word and to bring Him glory wherever He takes us.

special friends and special gifts

Many special friends helped us celebrate my graduation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Phil and Julie (top), Nicole (middle), Kimi (bottom), and many others showered me with gifts ... as if graduating wasn't gift enough on its own!  All the gifts were wonderful, but one deserves special mention.  About 2 weeks ago a package arrived on our doorstep.  It was rectangular in shape, not very heavy, and not very thick.  I tore into it right away, wondering if it could possibly be ... and it was!

'Simeon's Moment' by Ron diCianni
Photo: C Imes

Simeon's Moment, by Ron diCianni, has been my all-time favorite painting since high school.  For 17 years (yes, it's been that long!) I have dreamed of one day having it on my wall.  It depicts the event recorded in Luke 2:22-38 when 8-day-old Jesus is dedicated in the temple.  Simeon, a devout Jew, had a divine appointment with baby Jesus that day.  The Spirit compelled him to go to the temple, and when he laid eyes on Jesus he knew that centuries of expectation were coming to fulfillment in this little child.  Jesus was, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah, sent to be a light to all nations.  The story of Simeon and Anna has been a favorite of mine for most of my life.  I love their unwavering faith in God's promise to deliver His people.  DiCianni captures so well the look of rapturous joy that must have been on Simeon's face. Even in greatest darkness, with no tangible evidence of answered prayers, Simeon and Anna cling to what they know is true of their God.  He is faithful.

This print of Simeon's Moment was a gift from my parents, who were unable to attend my graduation.  They more than made up for their absence with this perfect present, followed by a beautiful letter of blessing.  I feel so loved!

my curriculum vitae

(With deep apologies for writing more than you have time to read...)

The kids all went happily to school this morning, and I'm working on my resume (or CV, as they're called in academic circles).  I've set a mental deadline of September 30th by which time I hope to finalize where I will apply for doctoral studies.  Finishing my CV is part of the process.

How does this sound so far?

Mother of 3 Growing Children  
2001- present

  Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• procuring food that is both healthy, delicious and affordable and preparing it in such a way as to please the palattes of the entire family
• selecting and maintaining size- and season-appropriate clothing for all 3 of them (includes sorting, stain-removal, washing, ironing, folding, and lobbying for proper treatment of clothes)
• maintaining household cleanliness and supervising clean-up crew
• planning and implementing yearly birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and other events
• teaching children to count, read, use manners, pray, share, pick up after themselves, throw, stop throwing, jump, stop jumping, and many other things
• pregnancy, childbirth (2 natural and one c-section), nursing at least one year per child (49 months experience), burping when needed, and changing enough diapers to fill several semi-trailers
• drying tears, bandaging scraped knees, kissing owies, and giving hugs during thunderstorms
• healing the sick, maintaining positive relationships with other medical professionals such as doctors and dentists
• celebrating successes
• keeping track of homework assignments, field trip permission slips, school newsletters, and the rest of the paperwork that comes in the door at an alarming rate
• teaching children all they need to know about God, themselves and the world before they hear it in a twisted form from somewhere else

  Awards include:

• "You're my best Mom" - Emma, age 5
• "Lovee, Mom" - Easton, age 2
• "I'm so glad you're my mom." - Eliana, age 9

Whaddaya think?  Should I include all this on my resume?

a seminary mom's mom

I wish that all of you could know my amazing mom.  For the past 33 years (almost) she's been my cheerleader, encourager, listener, and (for a long time now) my best friend.  For 9 years she's invested in my children as only a grandma can.  No subject is too trivial, no issue too deep for us to talk about.  Her availability has been such a blessing, helping me to weather the storms and celebrate the victories of motherhood, school, and life in general.  Her prayers have upheld us.  Her gifts have cheered us.  And her love has carried us through.

Mom has a remarkable ability to make something out of nothing.  Her resourcefulness, creativity, and thriftiness have made lean years into happy ones.  And that resourcefulness has undergone severe testing; since her car accident 6 years ago even energy and mobility are in short supply.  But in the midst of more pain than most of us will feel in a lifetime she has persevered and continued to care for those around her.  Her brilliant creativity is trapped inside a body that won't cooperate with her ambition, yet she makes use of the brief moments of respite from pain that she has.  And through it all (because of it all!) her faith is vibrant.  She prays, she dreams, and she continues to remind me that no matter how broken our bodies or discouraging our circumstances we can worship the God who made us, loves us, and is working out his purpose in our lives.  Her willingness to share the journey with me -- no matter how hard -- is such a gift.  What more could a daughter want?

I love you, Mom. You're a blessing from God!