On Saturday we started registering for gifts for Kieren. Sort of overwhelming. I wasn't really that prepared for it. I hadn't done any research of the "best" products or didn't even really have any idea what we needed. Thankfully Sarah had done some of that and we have loads of friends that have already been through this process, so they were helpful. There we were, walking into Babies R' Us for this huge new adventure. We've been staying with two High School students for a few weeks (while their parents are in Europe) and they joined us, which added a special moment.
Once you are in there, though, with your gun scanner in hand you get really excited and into it. That's when I started having fun even though Katie had responsibility for the gun. For me, the biggest decisions were the car seat/stroller system and the pack and play. There are so many choices so that's both overwhelming and exciting when you recognize the possibilities that exist!
After Babies R' Us we spent some time at Target later that night with our friend Antony. We were basically trying to complete the list of things we didn't find at BRU. We did find the vibrating chair which Matt Crawley insists on having! We also had some fun registering for a few things there that are probably not your typical baby gifts!
In the end we had a lot of fun. The struggle for me, though, is how do I balance what Sarah and I say we want our lives to be about (loving and serving the poor) while living in this world. We seem to over-consume everything when it comes to children and I just don't want to be like that. I keep thinking about all the kids that we have met around the world over the years. They don't have all the things that our kids have, but continue to grow and develop. So I ask, what's the difference in my kid and all these other kids that God has also created? Why is my child so special that she should have all the other things that other children around the world don't have? I'd rather provide her the essentials that she needs while she learns about the struggles of other children around the world. Maybe I'm just weird, but these are the questions I'm struggling through.
Please keep praying for Kieren's growth and for Sarah's health.
And pray for our friends Matt and Wendy (Matt is who I coach soccer with at Millbrook) who just had their baby girl Avery on Saturday. She was a week late, so they were getting anxious. But now she's here!!
Cheers,
Casey
1 comment:
Well, Casey, I feel bad that there are lots of comments about the vegetables and none about these really serious questions...probably because there's no real answer.
We faced similar things readjusting when we got back, the whole culture of want thing. But now you know what's really necessary...some shelter, some food, and a lot of love. You shouldn't deprive yourself or your daughter of what's available just because you know you can do without it. Things are the way they are, so go with the flow. :-) What you CAN do is make sure those lessons are imparted to her...that it's not important to have the new Barbie when what's important is your love and doing some good so that you leave the world a little better than you found it.
Just my 2 cents, which aren't going to be worth much anyway the way things are going!
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