My husband, My Hero...! Happy Birthday, Ted.

It’s amazing to think that the best day of my life happened 15 months & 1 day before I even took my first breath. The faceless woman who labored to bring my husband into this world 50 years ago today didn’t have him in her plan, but his Father in heaven sure did!!! And the world is a better place for His gift...

THEODORE:

From the Greek name Θεοδωρος (Theodoros), which meant "gift of God".

I take him for granted way too often, but today I am just missing him terribly and sharing this tribute.

he·ro

 noun \ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\

: a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities

: a person who is greatly admired

: the chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.

                                                     Merriam-Webster

Hero

A hero or heroine refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. Wikipedia

By all definitions, you see, my sentiments are absolutely TRUE.

In the aftermath of the recession & a forced career shift, he chose not to seek his own wealth and happiness, but the path of helping others who were in greater need than he had ever imagined.

He has worked tirelessly on behalf of at-risk children and families for over 3 years now in Haiti and his shoulder is at the plow still as he follows the path his Father has laid out for him, abroad. It isn’t easy, but it IS making a difference.

He wouldn’t see it this way, but the sacrifices that he makes every day are astounding.

At this very moment he is making several:

-          He is working 40-60 hours a week under the Haitian sun overseeing countless projects that are slowly changing the landscape of poverty, everything from fish hatcheries, to schools, a special needs orphanage, medication distribution and more are under his eye at the moment.

-          He is caring for a sweet & spunky 6 year old, who adores her papa.

-          He remains in Haiti, while I am away tending our big kids' needs.

-          He’s dealing with an extended separation with the needs of many others in mind, but primarily for the sake of processing the adoption of his youngest child.

-          He is providing the physical & emotional support, for me to start midwifery school in a few weeks. All the while, with the future of Haitian nurses, midwives, and the precious LIVES of mothers & their babies in mind.

-          He drives to school, grocery shops, pumps water to flow through our house, keeps electricity running, attends parent/teacher conferences, medical appointments, and even does LAUNDRY…

I know for a fact, there are things he does, that I never know about, to help make our lives possible there and to promote the well-being of others.

I LOVE and admire this man!!!!

It feels so miniscule to only be able to offer this tribute on such a MONUMENTAL day…and from afar.

Please join me today in THANKING GOD, in CELEBRATION and by offering words of joy & encouragement to MY HERO…my husband.

HAPPY 50^th BIRTHDAY, Ted Barlow!!!!

I LOVE YOU and am so BLESSED by you…

I hope and pray to share the second "half of a century" more walking the journey and adventures of this world with you!

Writing our names in the land...?

This post is a heartfelt response that came bursting forth as I read this recent post by our friend Elizabeth Trotter, who lives & ministers in Phnom Phen, Cambodia. If we had been given more than 3 weeks together and didn't have SO much to process during our shared experience at Missions Training International on cross cultural preparation for life overseas, we may have been destined to be bosom friends....so much in our hearts is similar.

SO, before going forward review her post HERE at "A Life Overseas":

How do you write your name in the land?

So what sustains you in your host country? How do you plant yourself in the place God has called you to serve? When the earth under your feet seems to crack, when your life is dry and scorched, what do you hold on to? When the soil starts to disintegrate and your well dries up, where do you go?

When no rain falls, when the crops wither away, and there’s no harvest, what do you do? What is your anchor, and where are your roots? Where have you put your signature?

How do you write your name in the land?

Being a fellow homeschool mom, I remember us reading & studying Sarah Plain & Tall AND Skylark and watching the movies when my kids were little.

It's SO true...and something I would have NEVER thought I would ever have applied that story to in the future. Back then I could never have dreamed that we'd be living in a 4th world country, in HAITI...where life is HARSH and complex.

I've just spent the past 5-6 weeks working with moms & babies in a more remote area here. The hardship & DANGER of childbirth for these women has broken my heart afresh...and yet they hurl themselves forward into motherhood just the same, sometimes by choice, quite often even against their own desires. But they are BRAVE and STRONG in the midst.

I've been helping train the FIRST ever postnatal nurses at this hospital to provide follow up care, catch lethal infections, identify breastfeeding issues that could lead to malnutrition, water borne diseases in newborns & death. We've discussed postnatal treatment for the rampant hypertension here...and it's already working. Babies have been referred to higher care that would have been unidentified & gone home & died.

So while what often DOES sustain me IS the beauty of this land...YES, I am a palm tree lover too and the SKIES, the mountains, the sunsets...nature has always FED my soul.

My answer is found though in the eyes of a mom looking down at her new babe...and praying to God for safety. In feeling the arms of a malnourished child grasping my neck as if holding on to life itself, as I sing to her. In the soft touch I must give to a family member who has just lost their loved one. 

THIS is where & HOW - despite being completely overwhelmed at times by the raw & unforgivable sides of this country - I DO find myself writing my name in the land...

And then of course, Haiti has indelibly marked our lives as well: