Andrea O. Freeman

As I get a little older, I am amazed how much faster time seems to go by. Sunday at church a couple of friends commented on how much my daughter Rylee has grown. It is true, and sometimes I stop and look at her and I am in disbelief. How can she be 13? How can she be going in to 8th grade in a few weeks? I am remembering with a mixture of emotions what I was like at that age. Hormones are raging, intense confrontations over the littlest things occur more often than Ryan and I would care to deal with, and somewhere along the way our little girl is blossoming into a lovely young lady. I keep thinking God has done an amazing work in her life because we can only thank Him for how she is turning out. I know we wouldn't be the parents we are without the example and influence of our parents. Junior High was a difficult time for me, because we moved and I was forced to face some fears--new school, making new friends, finding our place in a new city, new church, new world. Going f...

There are many things I can think of in my life for which I have had great expectation. I remember as a child 2 things I looked forward to with great expectation: Christmas and Summer Vacation. That pretty much held until well into my high school years, possibly college years. As a college student/young single adult, I can remember thinking, "Lord just get me through this so I can graduate and get on with my life!" And of course, "Lord, when are you going to bring a good man in to my life?" and, "Why did he turn out to be such a disappointment/heart breaker/jerk/...___fill in the blank!" Then when it did happen, when I had those moments of sheer joy, of seeing God reveal His plan and His presence in my life, Wow! I can't imagine doing it over any other way! Meeting Ryan, Oh my Gosh! God is so amazing and so good! Our wedding was a dream come true, and diving right into life with every single moment of its ups and downs, who could have planne...

Okay, Lord, I know you are tired of hearing this from me but man....I am tired of waiting! I could really use this now, so what is the issue? I'm ready. Go ahead, you can give it to me now. Anybody else relate to this conversation? I find myself doing it more often than I care to admit and it seems to be getting worse as I get a bit older. My father is a strong, firm and outspoken man but he does not lose his cool very often. He is one of the most patient persons I have ever known. There have been those occasions over the years when he has had his limit and unfortunately, I and a few others have had the rather unpleasant experience of being in the path of his temper. I was on the direct receiving end of it as a college student at one point in my life, and I would rather not re-live that scene again. He was apologetic shortly afterward, chose to be transparent with me and admit his weakness and his temper getting the better of him. It was not pretty, but it was a learning e...