Nevaeh sits in this seat to watch Veggie Tales.

Her favorite is "Love Your Neighbor."

In a season of wonder, I wonder. But about other things. Why this? Why that? And I wonder why some things in life can't be easy. It seems as if EVERYTHING is so hard to get through. And one more time, I find myself considering some very profound thoughts. It is the pain and sorrow that we endure that makes the happy times the treasures that they are. God's GREATEST desire for us is not that we be happy but rather that we be like Him and God is LOVE. And the greater our pain, the greater our capacity to love for it is only then that we realize true compassion.

It seems that every time I turn around, the dimensions to Nevaeh's case are ever changing. Hope! Hope lost. Hope anew. Hope lost. HOPE one more time. And........waiting?? Last night was indeed the first of many visits to come according to the court order. God was truly with us and before the evening was through, my dear husband was having prayer with all of us involved! There were things about the evening that were negatives, yet there were positives as well and there are still many unknowns. Now is NOT the time to relax your prayers. PLEASE! God is definitely doing something though we haven't totally figured out what. In the meantime, regardless of a possible new facet yet again, we must continue with the visitation as court ordered. We are exhausted. We are trying to continue with the already tiring schedule of the Christmas season pertaining to our church and the plan eats at the very least 8 hours of time every week from our precious family time. May God hold us all together and grant Mark and I the wisdom to know how to handle the next several months.

Tia shared a song with me last night knowing how that music speaks to me. I fear I will have to replace her CD for wearing out that particular song but it does speak to me and yes, I'll share it with you.

"THROUGH"

When I saw what lay before me - "Lord," I cried, "What will you do?"

I thought He would just remove it - But He gently led me through

Without fire, there's no refining - Without pain, no relief

Without flood, there's no rescue - Without testing, no belief

Through the fire, through the flood - Through the water, through the blood

Through the dry and barren places

Through life's dense and maddening mazes

Through the pain, and through the glory - 'Through' will always tell the story

Of a God who's power and mercy - Will not fail to take us through.

Bill & Gloria Gaither & Michael Sykes

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me on.