Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Royal Wedding

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few months, there is a big wedding taking place in London tomorrow. Prince William and Kate Middleton will be exchanging vows in Westminster Abbey at 4 AM tomorrow. I have considered getting up to watch the nuptials but I have a feeling my bed will win out. However, thanks to modern technology I have my DVR set to record the whole thing so I won't miss any of the excitement or any sleep. :-)

Now I am not a huge royal watcher or anything like that. However, I am a little enamored by princesses. On my first trip to Disney World, I cried when I saw Cinderella for the first time. You may be thinking that is not an uncommon response for a child to be overcome with joy at seeing a princess in front of Cinderella's castle for the first time. However, I was 34 years old at the time. :-) Basically, I think the idea of princesses is kind of cool.

I started thinking about Kate Middleton and what happens to her tomorrow when she marries Prince William. She becomes a princess and member of the Royal Family. She is no longer Kate from down the street or simply a pretty girl. She is now "Her Royal Highness" and her life is forever changed. Everywhere she goes she will be treated with the utmost respect and honor simply because of WHO SHE IS and her identity as Princess Kate!! I have a feeling that Kate will carry herself in such a manner fitting of a princess as well. She will know who she is and will have expectations as to how she is treated.

What is happening to Kate Middleton is a pretty amazing thing...but not really that amazing if you think about it. God does the same thing for us. When we enter God's "royal family", our lives are forever changed and receive a new identity that makes us Princesses or (Princes.. if you are dude.) I know that when I first learned this concept and really took it to heart, it TOTALLY changed the way I thought about myself. When I realized who I was in Christ and that God was absolutely crazy about me, it was revolutionary in so many ways in my life.

This concept has even more meaning for me a parent of a little girl. It is my hope for Anna that she never doubts who she is and what God thinks about her. I want her to be secure in who she is so that no BOZO of boy is going to treat her badly or she is going to think things about herself that are not true. I pray that Anna will always embrace her identity as a princess, a daughter of the King.

So...enjoy the royal wedding and remember as Kate becomes a princess that there is a God who is crazy in love with you and considers you a Princess (or a prince).

Friday, April 15, 2011

Birthdays!!

Hello Friends! I cannot believe it is already April 15th. April is definitely a month of birthdays in my world. Today is my Grandpa Foster's 95th birthday. I cannot imagine living 95 years, but I hope that I have inherited some of his genetics. :-) Here are some impressive things about my grandpa.

He and my Grandma have been married for 70 years. Pretty impressive legacy of lasting marriage.

He worked as farmer a good portion of his life. I think a rite of passage for every Foster grandchild was getting to go on a tractor ride with Grandpa. Up until about a year or so ago, he was still driving. It might have been a good idea for him to stop before that, but still impressive that he was still driving in his 90's. :-)

    Well into his 80's he still worked the Farmer's Markets in Chicago selling produce from my uncle's apple orchard. This may not sound like a big deal, but it involved getting up at 2 AM, driving to Chicago, unloading a big truck, setting up displays and standing on the hard pavement doe about 7-8 hours in a variety of weather. Pretty hard work, especially for an 80 year old.

    My sister and I went on countless trips with him and he taught us all about the (now defunct) license plate numbering system on Indiana license plates. I think we knew all the numbers for all the counties by the time we were 10 or 12 years old.

    I don't think I have ever seen him yell or get really angry.

    He and my grandmother raised 8 biological children and 1 adopted child. They have 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild (I think I have those numbers right...but even if I am off a little it is still a lot of people!) :-) I consider myself extremely blessed to be among that number and I am very thankful that Anna has had a chance to meet and get to know him. Happy Birthday Grandpa!! Tomorrow we are celebrating his birthday complete with cake and visit from a State Senator (who is a former 4th Grade student of my Grandma's.) Since we are on the subject of birthdays, a shout out goes to my sister Mindy who celebrated a birthday on April 3rd!!

    April is also my birthday month. On Monday, April 18th I will turn 41 (so no worries...you still have time to shop for my present). :-) I have to admit that I have been struggling a little with 41...way more than 40. Not sure why, but I am trying to look at it from a positive perspective. After all, Jennifer Lopez is my age and was just name the "Most Beautiful Woman in the World" by People Magazine this week. While I am no J. LO, it does give me hope that 41 will be great and that 41 isn't as old as I once thought!!

    Well, I guess that is all for now. Bring on the Birthday Celebrations!! :-)