My child can talk!

"Lea..."

"Mama..."

"Daddy..."

This is what I've been waiting for! I LOVED having conversations with Leilani when she first started talking, and now here Meleana is actually beginning to say words! She still has a ways to go as far as putting sentences together, but she'll at least repeat words that we say to her (especially when we're showing her reading cards). And when we say, "Thank you," she utters her own version of "You're welcome"!

Her favorite books are The Story of Mary (still!) and Goodnight Moon, both given by my sisters. When I ask her to find those books, she knows exactly which ones to pick up. And last week at the school Mass, she was raising her hands with us as we prayed the Our Father. My kids caught me laughing because it was the first time we'd ever seen her do that! I was also sharing with Jenn and Lyn-lyn that on Monday night, she was imitating one of the couples doing the fox trot on "Dancing with the Stars"...I think there were three moves she picked up...haha!

It's SO amazing to watch kids grow up. When I see Leilani reading to the little ones, Jacob singing with his mommy, JJ playing the ukulele, and all the King kiddos behaving so well every time we see them at Mass, it makes me so grateful that I'm able to share the experience of being a parent among family members who celebrate motherhood and fatherhood.

It's so sad that people look at having children as a burden - an unfortunate event that encroaches on your personal freedom. If anything, being a mother or a father opens up your life AND your heart to a world of innocence and purity that we once knew long ago. You can't get this kind of joy any other way. That's why I was so happy to run into one of my friends recently who was able to adopt 2 beautiful little girls after suffering her own series of miscarriages. There's this space within each and every one of us that not only needs to be filled with love, but wants so badly to share that love with children who depend on us for everything.

My last entry was begging God for an experience of His love. I thought I was looking to receive it, but He knew that I needed to be the giver this time. Shortly after writing that post some weeks ago, Meleana got sick. It wasn't serious and it didn't last very long, but Gary and I had a couple of really rough nights with her where we hardly slept during those 48 hours. I remember holding her in my arms, praying that she would be okay...not so I could get rest, but so she wouldn't have to suffer. I wanted to make the sacrifice because I loved her. It was then that the longing was fulfilled, and my spirit was able to rest in the comfort of knowing that God was calling me to something deeper than what I thought I needed for myself.

Emeline has been writing about a new revelation in her own spiritual life, and I feel like I am going through something similar but in a different kind of way. The one thing I do share in her journey is a renewed sense of faithfulness and commitment to the every day duties placed before me, in every aspect of my life. No, it's not about the spiritual highs anymore. Granted I do get excited when I see God working, but life has settled down into such a state of serenity - even in all the busyness of our schedules. There is a peace...a calm...a wonderful "knowing" that God is in control...

Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I can also feel Dyogi baby #3 moving around a lot more these days. Or maybe it was that we also got to hear Bill Cosby speak live and in person about the road he traveled to get where he is today. Or could it have to do with my once again hearing the stories and saw the faces of the students at Verbum Dei, reminded of the good work being done that so many people take for granted? Or maybe because we were able to attend a full seminar given by Dominic on life after death that truly put this all in perspective. Or could it have been the opportunity we had to watch my SJS boys during their football game because God really did tell me that we'd be able to see them play? It could also be the faith and courage of one 8th grader who led the rosary for his family who was mourning the loss of a cousin killed in front of his own girlfriend. Not to forget the phone conversation I had with one of my coworkers/parents who is recovering from a major surgery, as she envisioned Jesus standing over her among the doctors and nurses who cared for her at such a vulnerable time.

Blessings abound. Blessings always abound, even in our broken world. I don't think God ever runs out of ways to show us that He's here.

Sure, tomorrow holds many hopes and dreams and a million possibilities. But today there's so much to be thankful for.