When
I first introduced my
daughter on this
website, she was
4-years-old. She is now
6-years-old right now in
2005. Where does the
time go? Our precious
child is growing so
fast! Since my
introduction Ashley has
started homeschool. We
will soon be finished
kindergarten and will be
starting first grade.
She knows how to read
now and is so proud that
she can. She can count
to over one hundred and
is a very bright and
smart child.
Ashley loves to color
and draw and calls
herself an artist. She
enjoys singing and
playing with her Barbie
dolls and doing crafts.
She has memorized close
to 20 Bible verses and
is in the Awanas Club.
She has a white and
orange cat named Pearl
and two parakeets named
Tweety and Cuddles. She
also enjoys playing with
our cockatiel, Andy. She
used to be so afraid of
Andy, but a few months
ago, she got brave and
decided she would
overcome her fear and
allowed Andy to sit on
her arm. They have been
buddies ever since!
Ashley loves to spend
time with her Pop in the
garden and loves the
outdoors. She enjoys
going to the park and
will befriend everyone
she sees. God has truly
blessed us with a
precious daughter.
Just recently she asked
Jesus to come into her
heart and made a promise
to serve Him all of her
life. Oh, what a
glorious time it was for
all of us! She loves for
me to talk about heaven
with her and loves when
I read about it in the
Bible.
Ashley sometimes can say
the most precious things
to us. One day she and
her daddy were in the
car and her daddy was
asking her a few
questions. Well,
apparentely she felt her
brain was being
overloaded because she
told her daddy she
couldn't answer because
"her mind went on
vacation." (laugh)
Boy, did we have a good
laugh on that one!
And why is it that
children seem to have
problems saying the word
"spaghetti"?
(laugh) Our little
Ashley still would
rather say "pasgetti".
This is one of her
favorite meals, too.
Ashley
has also been through a
very sad time in her
life. Last August she
had to say goodbye to
her big brother (our
23-year-old son) who
joined the army. She
cried a lot of tears
because she missed him
so much and still misses
him terribly. But she is
adjusting a bit better
now and she prays for
him every night.
She just recently told
me that she wants to
grow up fast because she
wants to get married and
have lots of children.
She was telling me the
other day that she
wanted me to teach her
how to cook so she can
learn to cook for her
husband! She told me she
wanted to be just like
me and wished she was
me. Oh, how precious and
dear to my heart those
words are.
It really hit me hard
though because I
realized how much she
observes me... I am her
role model and she
thinks the world of me.
And I feel so unworthy
and undeserving at
times. It is these kinds
of things Ashley tells
me that causes me to
search my heart each
day. For I do want to be
good mother to her...
one she can be proud of.
I realize that God gave
Ashley to my husband and
I, and she is a gift
from Him. And it is a
gift that I will cherish
forever.
But more than that.... I
want to share with her
by the life I live,
God's ultimate gift to
me.. Jesus Christ. And
if I can give my
daughter this great gift
of love... salvation
through Jesus Christ...
then I can never fail in
raising my daughter. For
it is when I place my
faith and trust in
Christ alone and what He
did for me on that
cross, that I can truly
raise her as it says in
Proverbs 22:6, Train
up a child in the way he
should go, and when he
is old he will not
depart from it.
My husband and I
have chosen to raise her
to become a beautiful woman of God. Our
hope and desire for her
is to be a wife and
mother... a woman of
excellence... a Proverbs
31 wife.... who will
someday raise her own
children in the nurture
and admonition of the
Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank you
for your grace and mercy
and love for me and my
family. I thank you,
Father, for this
precious daughter you
have allowed me to
raise. Father, I ask you
to bless and protect my
daughter always and to
keep her from harm's
way. I pray for wisdom
to be a good mother to
her and to know when to
let go as she grows up.
I pray for
the person who is
reading this right now,
Father. I ask you to
bless them as well and
grant them peace in the
midst of any storm they
may encounter. I pray
that if anyone reading
this does not know You,
that they will somehow
have the desire to know
You and to receive
salvation.
I pray for
those that love You and
are serving You through
obedience to Your word.
I pray that they may
continue to grow in the
grace and knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, if
there is anyone reading
this that is longing for
a child, I ask you to
grant them the joy of
raising a child. I
realize Father, that
this may or may not be
Your will for them, so
it is in accordance to
Your will that I pray
this prayer. In Jesus'
Name. Amen.
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