Park Party of 5 had an amazing summer! We didn't really do anything wild and crazy like that of the previous summer, buying and renovating a house, but sure enjoyed every moment of our family time together. The highlights would have to be Austin getting up on Ski's and Ainsley taking off with swimming and learning to ride her bike without training wheels! I cant leave Ava out... well she just continues to make us proud to be her parents. Her and lil sis Ainsley became the best of friends and decided they wanted me to combine their rooms so they could share bunk beds. It makes my heart melt to see how much they love each other. I pray it continues through the years, although realistically I know there will be those times when they will want to kill each other.
School has started and Ainsley is my last one home. Ive decided to relish in this last year with her by keeping her home from pre-school and dropping the part time job...This was really not a difficult decision to make seeing how fast the last 8 years zipped by. I know next year I'll have all the time in the world to work or do whatever it is the Lord is leading me to do once my world completely changes and all three A's get swallowed up by the little brick school building where they will spend a good chunk of their childhood...
In the morning after waving goodbye to Austin and Ava on the bus, Ainsley and I go for a bike ride for her PE of the day:) She rides and I run. She is a great little rider and does well staying on the side walk except for this one day. I was shortly behind her and was at that, "sweet spot" of my run. For the non- runners, thats the mile where your legs just carry you, there's no pain, no cramps or breathing issues, just endorphines being released and a blissful breeze as the pace is just right to go with the beat of the song coming through the earbuds in perfect rhythmic harmony. Meanwhile, bike rider Ainsley had somehow for a split second lost focus and was heading straight for a pole that wasn't even on our trail..! I saw it happening only milla-seconds before and was unable to prevent her crash into the dead center of the very large pole. As soon as I saw she was ok, I couldn't hold it in...I had to laugh, because it was so darn funny, and something only a child with Carrie Ann Park's DNA could do. I actually laughed a couple times throughout the day. It was just so unexpected and I really don't know why in all of our rides, her bike has never reared off into the grass, but this one time it did, there just happened to be a giant pole sticking up out of the grass. Its like a magnetic force was pulling her towards it.
After my laughter calmed down and I returned back into my running mode I started thinking of how much that pole placed before Ainsley is just like the obstacles God places before us in life. Things can be going so smoothly but at that moment when we feel the reflection of God's face shining down on us and everything seems perfect and peaceful, BOOM we run into a giant plank that throws us off our current path and out of our comfort zone, requiring us to brush it off, refocus, get back on the ride of life and start again. Could the pole have been avoided had Ainsley been more focused and paying attention? Sure, but thats the thing about life, God doesn't present these little obstacles to us when we are entirely focused on Him, seeking His face in all we do, and gripping tightly to His hand just to make it through each day. The obstacles come when we have our guard down, and it can be anything from a temptation from the devil, to a hiccup that keeps us from pursuing something that God just doesn't have in His plan for our life.
I love how Ainsley cried for a couple seconds, mainly due to embarrassment, but then got right back up and started riding again! Thats what God expects of His children as well, so many of us give up before we actually make it to the finish line, but if we faithfully allow him to carry us through, then we will see the glorious unfolding of what he has set before us. Life is hard, some of those bumps are more like mountains, but with each mountain we climb, God brings us closer to Him, more like Him and better equipped to help fulfill the Great Commission of Christ and purpose for why we are here in the first place! God loves us and he doesn't want to see us fail thats why he sent His son to die for our failures and sins so that we can have a relationship with Him! That relationship is what God desires of us the most. He wants our full undivided attention because He's up to something all the time and if we're not paying attention, praying fervently, and in the Word, we will miss it!!
After my laughter calmed down and I returned back into my running mode I started thinking of how much that pole placed before Ainsley is just like the obstacles God places before us in life. Things can be going so smoothly but at that moment when we feel the reflection of God's face shining down on us and everything seems perfect and peaceful, BOOM we run into a giant plank that throws us off our current path and out of our comfort zone, requiring us to brush it off, refocus, get back on the ride of life and start again. Could the pole have been avoided had Ainsley been more focused and paying attention? Sure, but thats the thing about life, God doesn't present these little obstacles to us when we are entirely focused on Him, seeking His face in all we do, and gripping tightly to His hand just to make it through each day. The obstacles come when we have our guard down, and it can be anything from a temptation from the devil, to a hiccup that keeps us from pursuing something that God just doesn't have in His plan for our life.
I love how Ainsley cried for a couple seconds, mainly due to embarrassment, but then got right back up and started riding again! Thats what God expects of His children as well, so many of us give up before we actually make it to the finish line, but if we faithfully allow him to carry us through, then we will see the glorious unfolding of what he has set before us. Life is hard, some of those bumps are more like mountains, but with each mountain we climb, God brings us closer to Him, more like Him and better equipped to help fulfill the Great Commission of Christ and purpose for why we are here in the first place! God loves us and he doesn't want to see us fail thats why he sent His son to die for our failures and sins so that we can have a relationship with Him! That relationship is what God desires of us the most. He wants our full undivided attention because He's up to something all the time and if we're not paying attention, praying fervently, and in the Word, we will miss it!!
