children Archives

I really didn’t want to wear a dress today. Not again. And it’s only the sixth day of Dressember.

I flipped through my choices because I made a commitment. I promised to wear a dress each day of December to raise awareness and money to fight human trafficking. Finally, I chose the dress and selected my leggings. Seriously people, where can I get a pair of leggings that are long enough but not too big around the waist? I spend half my day hiking up my pants.

As I got dress, I thought about those who don’t have a choice. I considered the 20 to 30 MILLION people who are enslaved today (DoSomething.org). They aren’t able to make their own choices. And I’m complaining that I can’t wear my favorite jeans.

And what about our children in foster care. As a society, we have a responsibility to care for these kids. But they are our most vulnerable. “In 2012, studies estimate that between 50 and 80 percent of commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) in California are or were formally involved with the child welfare system.” http://www.casre.org/our_children/fcht/

In just the United States, 300,000 children are enslaved in sex trafficking each year. This is a 32 BILLION dollar a year industry! (The Good Men Project)

We can do better than this.

It’s time to stop closing our eyes and stand up.

Join me as a Dressember advocate or a contributor.

It’s a time of change here on the Nelson farm. Not only are the leaves beginning to turn shades of yellow, the fruit ripening, the tomatoes bright red in the garden, but our lives are twisting and contorting into the next phase too.

I’m not that kind of gal who ends August with the longing for pumpkin lattes and winter sweaters. I like summer. All the time…Summer. Spring is good too, but fall, that means change. I’m not a fan.

This is the year we’ve known would arrive, but kind of pushed aside as a someday occurrence. Our oldest child is preparing to move out. He’s taking on the world and forming his own identity and life.

And he’s ready.

I have no doubt that this is a good and positive thing for him. It’s a necessary step in becoming the man God designed him to be. This is the time where he takes responsibility for the choices that will shape his future.

We’re proud…and a bit reluctant.

Reluctant to let go of the little boy we love so dearly. And reluctant to share the young man we’ve come to really enjoy. What a cruel twist. You raise your kids through all the spills and scrape of childhood and the crazy mood swings of adolescence, then they leave right when you see the fruits of all your parenting.

But that’s how it’s designed. And I trust that this too is good. I’m so thankful for all the years we’ve had under the same roof. There will be more family memories to treasure. More trips. More adventures. And of course, there will always be a room waiting if he wants to come home.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22