When I was young and recently married, Rich and I thought that 5 children would be a nice comfortable number for our family.  I have always liked the numbers 5 and 10.  They are easy to add and track.  I agree, not a very sound basis to use for the decision of how many children to bring into the world.

Anyway, that is not the point that I want to make.  I never had any qualms about having children, after all, I am the oldest of nine children – plenty of experience in raising and caring for kids, right?  Oh, so wrong!

Imagine my surprise when I found out that babies had to be fed in the middle of the night!  No one eats in the middle of the night, well, that was my opinion anyway.  And the constant demands for comfort and food were not issues that I had dealt with as an older sibling; that was my mother’s job.  So, I had a definite learning curve as a new mother.

Fortunately, I had great teachers around me and a very supportive, although just as confused, husband.  Together we were able to weather the rough waters of infants and toddlers, teenagers and young adults.  We early on changed our minds about having five children.

Two is a nice round number and very easy to manage.  My two sons are visiting this week.  It is a pleasure to enjoy their company and know that they also have weathered some rough waters and survived to enjoy this life one day at a time.  They are loving, interesting and helpful men.

Here’s the thing:  I thought that I would be the one to shape their futures and control the outcomes.  I wasn’t and I am not.  I thought that I needed that knowledge and power in order to do a good job.  I thought that I had a head start with my own family-life experience.  I was wrong.

More has been revealed and continues to be revealed daily.  God, who loves us unconditionally, wants only the best for us.  Building trust with God takes time and patience to see the results.   The results may not be what I had planned, but acceptance that those results are not in my control is key to serenity and peace in this world.

Today, I am overflowing with gratitude to our loving Lord, once again, for the gift of my two sons, for the lessons learned and attitudes discarded, for the trust that has developed in my relationship with God.

Terri