A Quick Break...

Wood-working on hold. Creative process paused. But heart still dreaming and very much connected! It’s that time of year again. School’s out and summer activities are ramping up. For us this means its VBS week at church. I’m so excited!!! But you may be reading this and asking…how in the world does VBS have any connection to By the Brook Designs?!?! Well it may not have a direct connection but it’s near and dear to my heart. Read on to find out why.

I don’t have many vivid memories from my young childhood. I have faint memories, little glimpses into my childhood that pop in my head every so often. But I never really know if these aremy true memories, or have I imagined these things based on stories I’ve been told? It really doesn’t matter where they originate, most of the time. They all serve the purpose to remind me how blessed I was to have the upbringing I did. I grew up knowing the love of both of my parents, my grandparents, and so many others involved in my life. I was taught at a young young age just how loved I was by my Heavenly Father too! Oh what a blessing that was to my childhood. Not every kid gets that in their home. But for a week at VBS we get the chance to show them that kind of love! That makes my heart so happy. It’s that same passion; to share the love we have been shown throughout our lives, that drives us to pursue adoption. The chance to spend my whole life sharing that kind of love with whichever child God chooses to bring into our lives: it makes me grin from ear to ear just thinking about that opportunity.

So that may have a little to do with adoption and how VBS might connect. It’s probably not that hard to see how a connection between those two things exists: after all that is what God tells us to do in Scripture over and over (insert verse). But if you were to ask me what I really remember (on my own) about VBS it would definitely be the crafts! I have this one very vivid memory about using a hammer and nail to punch holes into one of those old Mason-jar metal lids….no idea what we turned that into (I feel like it was a Christmas ornament but that doesn’t make much sense) Why I remember this so vividly I couldn’t say for certain??? But it was likely because it was something different than what I got to make at home. It tapped into that creative side that I didn’t even know I would fall in love with way back then. Now this for sure wasn’t my first chance to be creative: my mom was awesome and would let us paint and play with playdoh and all that fun stuff. I had an outlet for creating, but something about swinging that hammer and using a “tool,” I found that to be awesome. And now twenty some odd years later I still find joy in swinging the hammer and making something cool. My tools are a little different now. And the creations are a little more sophisticated (I hope ;) ) But how awesome is it that God has allowed me to continue to use thesethings, that brought me such enjoyment as a little girl, to prepare us for welcoming a child through adoption. So here’s to VBS and the crafts that will be made this week. Can’t wait to see how God weaves his thread through all the many kids lives that we get to interact with this week.