What was then is now.....

What was then is now...........for those of you who knew us earlier in our lives, the five little Averys have grown up. Not a lot has changed and yes, a lot has changed. The children are sitting in order of birth from right to left on the top row with Grant, Troy, Brad, with Jenna and Chad between Dane and me. The lives God has planned for our children have given us much opportunity to live large and wild. We have had many special opportunities to travel the journey with each of our children. There were the typical sports games when the children were young, the dance recitals and band and chorus concerts, lots of music lessons and performances, long hours of homework, wrestling, squabbling, differences of opinion, choices to be made, hard lessons to be learned, christian camps and retreats, busy schedules and all the things that go with raising a large family.

Now as adults, our children continue to offer us lots of opportunity to experience life with anticipation of what God will do next with all of us and through each of us. Even when life brings the struggles God allows to grow each of our children, we live in hope and faith and deeply connected to one another. I remember a time of the three older boys "skating" in our kitchen, having dumped oil, peanut butter and cereal all over the floor and sliding in the goop. I was exasperated at the time and wondered what these busy little boys would become as adults. We are proud of what they have become and will continue to be as they journey on. We are humbled at what God is creating through each of them. We are honored that God chose us to parent the five and enjoy the journey with them.