Living an Intentional Life
Our sponsored child from Food for the Hungry, Sandrine, has written us back!
We are so excited since we have known her now for a few months. We pray for her family every Monday evening at dinner. This Monday, I showed Tatum the letter she wrote us back.
She just turned 14, and we hope to visit her one day.
We love you Sandrine from Rwanda.
I love driving Tatum to school. Sometimes we talk and sometimes we just listen to Focus on the Family. However, when we arrive at school, she holds my hand as we walk up to the gate. They take her temperature (because of the Chinese virus), gel her hands, and she enters. Before she goes in, we spend a few minutes hugging. It’s a wonderful long, drawn out goodbye which I relish, knowing that this won’t last forever.
I say the same thing daily. Make it a great day, Tot! We always have started the morning with prayers, devotion and a good breakfast, so when she is sent off to school, she is armed and ready to face the day.
When I drive off, she waits by the fence waving. I’m so grateful for our relationship, and again, I know this long send off won’t be forever, so I will bask in it as long as it comes.
I love you to pieces, sweet girl.
Our little guy. We just love him. He cuddles with Daddy…
With Tot…
And when I’m on the phone, he pines for a cuddle from the Mommy.
Patience Coopy…
And what better way to commemorate this concept than with a T-shirt!
A few weeks ago, we had a HAY HAPPENS meeting and discussed that we wanted to be a family who CONTRIBUTES, ENCOURAGES, and INFLUENCES. As a teacher, I believe in keeping things visual and out front. This way, we are reminded constantly of what we want to learn. (and be!)
The T-shirt idea was born. In addition to our HAY HAPPENS T, now we have this one.
I took the fam to the park and presented them with the garb.
You like Tot?
Now, you two, let’s play some soccer as a TEAM.
I love you two so much. May we be the TEAM God smiles about and upon. (and may our soccer skills not be representative of our character traits). GO HAYS!
My mom has been writing to President Trump. She is so passionate about him staying President as is our whole family.
Here is one of her letters:
Dear Mr. President,
From before you went down the escalator, I have supported you from my
heart. I immediately recognized that God has equipped you with talents that
are needed to sustain our nation. More than those talents is your steadfast
character and heart for people who need it, not as a handout, but to lift them
up and enable them. You are REAL, not a façade.
You fight for our nation and its people by making and keeping promises
never needing a writer or teleprompter, never deviating from your goals.
This behavior exemplifies your steadfastness or “steel in your spine” (SOTU
speech of yours). You never change mid-course. You are reliable. These are
Christian qualities. God inspired. It doesn’t just happen. But oh does it take
focus and constancy to purpose!
During your achievement years, you used your talents to deliver state of the
art quality and the best innovations possible for the client. Your business
never would have escalated to worldwide status without respect and honor
for each worker’s input, and your recognition of it. Who would work so hard
for a curmudgeon? Word would get out and sabotage your magnificent
projects. But everyone took pride in his part instead. People skills. Do unto
others.
Thus, your assessment skills and teamwork were honed in your building
career. Workmanship, performed in an incredible time frame, produced an
architectural landmark! It takes many gears working together to make a
watch run. So it is with architectural wonders. (At least I think so.)
Management talent is key. You value your people and it shows. Kindness!
(My father developed his business from the ground up and he respected
every worker. He went into the Hall of Fame at his University for his
bacteriological research. Then he set out to do every facet of his business
himself and taught others and eventually became the national President; so I
do have some perspective.)
You speak about winning…not for yourself, for you have already massively
achieved; but winning by giving back… for the little guy who needs
knowhow, jobs, and lifting up. He doesn’t want a handout that robs his
dignity and gives no future growth.
Your ethics have been to help people more effectively than the phlegmatic
efforts of government as exemplified in the skating rink fiasco which you
delivered with unimaginable speed and expertise. You feel government
wastes our taxes and can’t do what business can. You oppose big government
limiting our freedom. Patriotic value vs the Swamp.
You grow our GDP with more jobs than there are people. You cut through
regulation red tape, and overcome impediments of policies, which hoodwink
our progress. The economy soars.
Now, who else has this resume? There are others who are smooth in manner, but
they would fold when met with the onslaught of evil confrontation of lies, fake news,
threats, and manufactured legal charges. Answer: No one.
Your habits of no drinking, no smoking, of dressing properly to respect
others and the office have been an example for your family, and for leadership
which elevates you to function effectively.
Our nation looks up to you…those who stay away from liberal lies of the media,
largely financed externally.
You have protected our nation against ISIS, terrorists, foreign threats
such as North Korea, started a Space Force in our Defense Dept. with a planned
Mars trip, and recently you have met the challenge of the Corona virus by
getting a vaccine “faster than possible.” The vaccine, I understand, is in its third
stage of testing: a double- blind type, within about six months of its occurrence
In the handling of the virus, you allowed each state to control its own strategy
by its Governor. By allowing the states to control themselves, you enabled 50
approaches that displayed a marked difference in Democratic and Republican
strategies and helped us see which results worked.
We have seen how the defunding the police has resulted in widespread looting and
killing of the innocent, fires, and very scared people asking for help, which never
comes. You have offered federal help, if only it is requested. Outsiders coming to
our country have everything to gain, (“parasites who feed off those who produce…
Thomas Sowell). Meanwhile the American people have only you and our heavenly
Father to save us.
You do all this for free! Your service to this country is saving our patriotic
heritage born in the documents of our Christian founding fathers. You have the
heart-felt love of America’s people! Thank you for your service and for that of your
family and of Mike Pence.
I hope you will nominate 3 more Justices to the Supreme Court so we can
establish a new birth of freedom in America.
My prayers and those in my Bible Studies go out to you and your administration
and your family daily. Please read Ps 21:6 and Ps 37:7-9.
Most Respectfully,
Charon Lee Scharf
August 20, 2020
Well, Halloween 2020, she got a response.
And a pic. He truly signed it!
She is over the moon. So grateful for her heart and passion. (and action!)
November 3, 2020. We pray for you, President, to continue your work in our country!
Doug was driving on the 101 when I received his phone call.
Honey, you have to see all of these cars with Trump flags. There are miles of them!
He was with Tatum for their Daddy/Daughter ice cream date when he then saw a truck fixing their flags.
Later on that night, we found out there was roughly 80 miles of cars caravanning for Trumpl
You won’t see that for Joe Biden. Never. not. in. a. million. years.
We only pray for November 3rd. GO TRUMP!
He stands for our country. He stands for LIFE. He stands for religious liberty. He stands for the people. ALL people.
I love this explanation of the differences between Republican and then the LEFT (the rest). How can you NOT be for freedom and for empowering the human being?
This truck says it all. We have our rights from GOD. Not from the government.
AMEN.
We’ve been visiting the Scottsdale Police since 2016.
They have always welcomed us with open arms, especially the Chief of Police (Alan Rodbell). We wanted to visit them in the summer, but we were locked down due to the quarantine from C-virus.
When we arrived, this sign was in the front.
Well, we decided to head over there on her day of this October since we heard Chief Rodbell was retiring in December. We couldn’t bring him cookies, but we did make him a card.
We did not let that stop us. We knocked on the door, and they let us in. About seven of them came out to greet Tatum and me. We told him thank you for all he has done for Scottsdale and for the police. We will miss him.
He then gave me his private email and phone for when he is retired. Wow. He wants us to come visit us on his horse farm.
Later on in Facebook, I see this from the Scottsdale Police:
We are so grateful for the men in blue. They matter and so do you, Chief.