Beyond Our Reach, But In Our Prayers

It's a beautiful sunny, spring day and our journey continues, including learning many new lessons along the way. The lesson for right now seems to be learning to trust even more for the protection and provision of our loved ones. For they may sometimes be beyond our reach, but they certainly remain in our thoughts, prayers and hearts...yet in the hands of God continuously.

Our daughter, Rachel, is in New York City as I write this. The university choirs were invited to sing at Carnegie Hall and left last week to make the trip. She's already seen a Broadway musical, visited Times Square, Central Park and will witness Ground Zero and the Empire State building today. They have also been rehearsing for their concert tomorrow evening. After their concert, they will enjoy a cruise around New York Harbor and view the incredible Statue of Liberty. What an amazing experience this is for her and the other sixty-some choir members. What an amazing lesson it is for her parents! :) She has called home faithfully to let us know she's ok and we are always grateful when the phone rings and she's on the other end. We are indeed grateful for that call of assurance each day. We have even stated that of all weekends she is visiting NYC, we are so thankful that she is there the same weekend that the Pope is also visiting NYC. That would certainly mean more security in the area...and we breathe a sigh of relief for that. Of course, this isn't the first time she has been away from us. She has toured with other choirs as far west as Missouri and as far south as Florida. (We are so thankful for cell phones!) :) Yet for her to be in such a large city with limited supervision is a big step for her...and us.

As we considered all the "what ifs," I had to remind myself that just because our loved ones are out of our reach in the physical sense, that doesn't mean that our love and prayers cannot surround them. In one way, this is very similar to what we are experiencing in our journey to our little girl/s in China. We are unable to hold, protect and provide for our little one/s in a literal sense right now. But we have the peace in knowing that although we are limited by physical distance, we are not limited in the love and prayers that we can offer. So, I guess you could say that with our oldest daughter in NYC right now....and our baby girl/s in China, we are learning much more about trusting God to protect and provide for each of them as only He can. There are dear people in this world in other cities and countries whom God can certainly work through to take care of our loved ones while we're apart. And we must trust Him to do that and release them into His care knowing that He loves them and is a very capable parent, Himself!

We are grateful for all of your thoughts, prayers and love that you extend to our family along this journey. We cherish your kindness, hope and faith that you encourage us with as we wait...and learn...and grow along the way. We also pray that God will protect and provide for each of you in your journeys, as well. For even when we cannot see you on a daily basis, we must also remind ourselves that He's holding you in His hands, as well. God must certainly have wonderful and amazing hands as He holds all of us in His love and care. And if we're all in His hands, I guess we're not so far away from one another as it sometimes seems.

Cherish the gifts of life and today. Hug your loved ones nearby. And hold those "out of reach" in your hearts, thoughts and prayers...for then they really aren't so out of reach after all.
Cherishing our loved ones,
Terri and family