May

May has been a difficult month in the Toepfer household. The boys have been sick, sick, sick. We did have a fun day celebrating Josh's birthday on the 7th of May. We went the zoo (without Josh, he had a meeting) then we met him at work for lunch. We had lasagna and cake for supper and then Josh had the following day off. I spent most of the day cleaning since Grandma Pat and Grandpa Tom were coming down to watch the boys swim. We cooked out for lunch and Uncle Tom came over. It was kind of an impromtu Mother's Day celebration. Uncle T.J. gave Grandma Pat his old laptop. What a nice mother's day present!! Especially since it has a video camera and we can skype with them and so they can see and talk to the boys and the boys can see and talk to them.
Besides that, the boys have been sick with ear infections, colds and I think Jacob has a sinus infection now. He has been very sick since this past Thursday. I was able to make it to the last mom-time of the year on Tuesday and then he got sick. I have been joking that I may need to got to pre-school next year to be sociallized. I feel like we do one thing and then someone gets sick and then the other brother get sick and we are stuck at home for weeks. Josh and I kind of feel like we are hermits. Thankfully today we both were able to go to church!! Different times, but we both made it. It was a very encouraging message on the myth that Everything happens for a Reason. It was a great message on how God allows things to happen in our lives even though it may not be what his desire for us is. We live in a sinful world where Satan is alive and at work and we have free will, therefore there is no gaurantee that good things will always happen to good people and that good will always come out of bad situtations.
This especially has hit home with the losses that Josh and I have gone thru. But also for a family we support for Campus Crusade for Christ. Their young son had a very promissing football career. However during the first game of his Freshman year he was hurt badly. He broke his ankle and had emergency surgery the following day. Things seemed to be healling nicely, but months later they found out that he had lost 90% of the cartilidge in his ankle. Weeks after finding out this information, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota had requested information on this young man. It was the first steps in the recruitment process. My heart goes out to this young man and to his family. As a mother of two young boys who are already crazy about sports, I can't imagine receiving this news. Unfortunately, on God can see the whole picture as to why this has all happened. But as a believer in Jesus we do have God promise Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God wants the very best for his children, but there are things that he allows to happen that are not always what he desires for us. Sometimes they are the affects of our own sin, sometimes they are the affect of others sins and sometimes it is from the evil one. I think the question is, "How will I respond to this situation in my life." My hope is for this young man to seek the Lord of comfort and to be obediant to his will. I look forward to seeing how God will use this situation in this young man's life.