I'm Back (at least I think I am)

Far too long.  That's how long it has been.  Simply far too long since I have taken the time out to sit and write.  It hasn't been that long since I've thought about writing...I think about it nearly every day.  But, to sit and write...that just hasn't happened in far too long.

So here I am, deciding that I must write.  Something.  Anything.  Words on a page to start the flow again.  I hope.

Why, pray tell, has it been so long?  Life, I suppose.  It managed to get busy...busier than I anticipated or hoped for.  It hasn't been an all bad kind of busy, but neither has it always been of the all good variety of busy either.  Some of it has been "fabulous and fun" busy-ness.  Some of it has been "I'd rather just bury my head in the sand" busy-ness.  And, in the midst of living this full life, I ran out of time and energy to stop and write.  Hopefully, it is just a hiccup.  Hopefully, I'll be back to writing on a somewhat regular basis again soon.

In the meantime, for the moment, I'll write about my kids.

I have three of the coolest kids ever.  They stretch me - sometimes to the point of pain - and challenge me in ways that I never imagined any kid could.  I see in each of them glimpses of the Divine... something He has put in each of them, to make me understand Him more.  And, I see in each of them glimpses of Ken and I as we rub off on them in our day to day.  That scares me, actually.  Unfortunately, I know that not all of me that is rubbing off is the very best of me.  Oh, would that I could be perfect in all circumstances for the sake of others!  It is those not so lovely rubbings that I pray God will overshadow with His grace and goodness.  He can do that, you know. And, every day, I see glimpses of the uniqueness of each of my children...that which sets them apart from the others and from me.  It is, all at once, wonderful and scary to watch them grow into their own.  Wonderful... as I see their unique gifts, talents, interests, and personalities more fully emerging.  Scary... as I see the that time only advances and there is no turning back the clock.  I cannot keep them young and under my wings forever.  Nor can I iron out all their imperfections (and, in truth, I shouldn't really want to). And, before I know it, my oldest will be leaving the nest. So, wonderful and scary as it is... I have three amazingly cool kids who are growing into amazingly cool people right before my eyes.

Tonight, during dinner, we discussed Thanksgiving...all that we have to be thankful for.  Our lists were long and full of good things, events, and people.  After talking about all that we are thankful for, however, we also discussed the reality that we are among the richest and healthiest people in the world.   Something to be thankful for?  Yes, absolutely!  But, it is also something that should make us uncomfortably thankful...and honestly unsettled.  It is something that should not be easy to swallow.

This is not a new discussion in our home.  It has, in fact, been a topic of previous posts.  And yet, each time we discuss it, it brings about the humbling and pressing reality that we must somehow respond .  As people who call ourselves followers of Jesus, we are responsible to care for the hurting in the world.  So, tonight we decided we would act by picking out and ordering items from the World Vision Gift Catalog.  The gifts were small, but meaningful and beneficial...to someone in the world and to us.  In the end, the children chose 5 ducks, 2 rabbits, 2 soccer balls, and a set of mosquito nets.  A tiny drop in a huge bucket.

The coolness of my kids came out during this time once again.  They discussed what they would like to give (it was way more than what we did give) and why.  They talked along with us about how sad it was that where you live might well determine how much you have or how likely you are to even survive.  Ben and Elly counted out loud to understand the horrifying statistic that every 6 seconds someone dies of malnutrition.  I did the math with Ben to figure out how many people that equals in one day.  Sobering.  And, near the end of the discussion,  Ben, honestly and sadly asked, "why does it seem like all these people "in danger" have brown or dark tan skin?" simply pointing out the obvious dominance of color on the pages of the World Vision Catalog.  Even my not-yet-6-year-old daughter knew there was something wrong with that.  A brief and certainly inadequate attempt was offered to begin unraveling that loaded question.  Ugh.  And then, the shopping continued.  In all of it, the excitement my kids experienced when trying to do something to help right the wrong was very cool.  When the gifts were ordered, there was a palpable energy in the room.  A moment of rightness in the reality of wrongness.

I hesitate at times to write about something like this, by the way.  I do not want anyone to think more highly of us than they ought...nor do I want to sound as if I am bragging.  Believe me, the amount that we spent in relationship to all that we have does not merit bragging rights.  It is, in fact, one of those things that, Biblically, we should do "in secret" (Matthew 6:4).  Yet, I guess I write it because maybe it will encourage someone else to do the same and because it is a way to share about how my kids are growing into themselves in really good ways.  And, selfishly, so that one of these days, when I feel grumpy about them being selfish over something, I can look back and read about tonight...when their thoughts were held captive by others, not themselves.

I hope to find my way back to the keyboard again this weekend.  It felt good to take the time to write after such a long time away.  Though, it is now far too late and I should be asleep.  Oh well.  Hopefully something good comes out of the words on the page that makes it worthwhile.  Good night and thanks for stopping by!

Castor Kids For a Cause

A few weeks ago, I received something in the mail from the Gospel for Asia organization asking for money to provide wells in India.  I was moved as I read about the plight of people who don't even have clean water to bathe in or drink.  It was not that this was new news to me.  In fact, we are fortunate to be are friends with an amazing couple (the Chees) who are doing well and filter work in Cambodia with Samaritan's Purse.  Another friend, Russ, used to do the same work in an African country.  But, as I sat there with my three children, eating to their full at lunch and planning to take a cool dip in the lake, the weight of this situation struck me more deeply.  The contrast to our lives was so great.

I shared the story with my children, reading excerpts from the letter.  We talked about how hard that must be...how life is so different for so many around the world.  We talked about how good we have it here in North America and, more specifically, within our own home.  I shared with them how we are some of the richest people in the whole world; a fact that seems shocking in light of where we are on the local "income scale" (i.e., we are certainly not "rich" locally).  I also shared with them how, even in the state and town that we live in, there are people who have very little and may struggle to make ends meet. 

This was not the first time that we have discussed the inequitable distribution of life's goods and riches.  I have been known to remind my children who claim, "I'm starving!", about what starvation really looks like by showing them pictures or videos of people who are truly starving.  It was not that long ago when my kids were complaining about not having enough toys or things to do when I showed them video of children rummaging through garbage heaps to find something to keep or sell.  Even driving through poorer areas of Minneapolis or the subburbs has sparked conversation about economic differences.  Yet, most, if not all, of these discussions also touch on the similarities between us all and the basic needs and rights we all have.  And, almost all of these discussions lead to the question, "how should we respond?"

It is remarkable that even young children know that there is something wrong with people living a world away in utter poverty.   They understand that it is not right that there are homeless people and children without families within a short drive of our sheltered life. A 5 year old knows that it is horribly sad for someone to go to bed having only eatten one meal during the day.  A 9 year old understands, at some level, the problems that might come from having no clean water.  A 12 year old realizes that we have significant benefits simply because of where we were born and where we live.  Bono stated it well when he sings, "where we live should not decide whether we live or whether we die."  And yet, that is the realitiy for many, isn't it?


As we talked about the lack of fresh water in India, babies without families, and families without food, we again came to the question, "how should we respond?"  Over and over in God's Word it says we are to take care of widows, orphans, and strangers.  As Jesus followers, we have a responsibility to help those in need and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  With that in mind, the kids and I brainstormed some ideas that might help us love our neighbors as ourselves and deal with some of the needs of the world.  It was fun to watch and listen as this discussion took place.


A few days later, with nothing else pressing in the schedule, my three kids and I hatched one of our plans.  We began to bake.  Each child took responsibility for one recipe while I took on a fourth and oversaw all operations.



Don't worry, she washed her hands after loving on her doggy!



 A few hours later, when the baking was complete and cookies were cooled, I assembled plates of approximately10 - 12 goodies.  In addition, Zac helped me type out a note of explaination to hand out with our cookies.



Castor Kids for a Cause!

Finding creative ways to raise money for The Love of Christ Ministries (TLC), an orphanage in South Africa. 

TLC believes that every child has the right to a loving and responsible family.  Since April 1993, they have helped over 600 babies who have been abandoned or orphaned.  Find out more about TLC on their website: www.tlc.org.za

Thanks for helping us make a difference!

With a cooler loaded up with 11 plates of cookes, the kids, Smudge, and I headed out to ask neighbors if they would like to help support our effort to raise some money for a South African orphanage near and dear to our hearts.  Zac and I decided rather than "pricing" the cookie plates, we would sell them by donation.  I honestly did not know how much one might possibly want to spend on these small plates of cookies.  I anticipated that we might raise $30 - $40 during this first venture and would combine it with something else in a month or so.  I admit, part way through the mess of baking I wondered whether I should have just sent that amount of money myself, rather than buying and donating ingredients and making a mess of the kitchen.  But, I knew that this project was about more than just sending money to Afica.  It was also about helping to mold my kids' hearts to view the world more and more with Jesus vision and to consider the needs of others as more significant than their own "comfort".

An hour and a half or so after leaving the house, my kids and I returned home, having sold 10 plates of cookies. All but one of the neighbors that we went to eagerly bought a plate of cookies from the kids.  At one home, two preteen children ran to their rooms to find money to buy their own plates and contribute willingly to the cause.  Each Castor child played a role in the sales.  Zac usually "pitched" the cause, while Elly handed out the cookies, and Ben kept the dog in control or pulled the cooler along.  We were pleasantly surprised and so encouraged by the generosity of neighbors.  In the end, the kids raised $110 for their cause.  The kids, especially Zac who knows the value of a dollar more than the other two, were thoroughly pleased.  Zac commented that we have some really great neighbors.  I agree whole heartedly!

Within an hour of being home, I forwarded the money via PayPal, to TLC with a note to Thea.  The next day, the kids got an e-mail and a lovely e-card from Thea.  Thea wrote that TLC would use the money to buy warm pajamas for the toddlers.  It is now winter and, due to some circumstances, they did not have proper heat.  I was thrilled to see that the kids (with a little help from Mom) were able to meet a real need in an amazing home meeting the needs of kids every single day.  It wasn't much in terms of the overall need, but it was something.  And, perhaps, more importantly, the children were integral in the planning and carry through of this project to serve.

My hope is that the kids, Ken, and I can do more of this together in the months and years to come.  Not necessarily baking, but doing something fun and creative with an intent to serve.  I hope even more so that my children will develop a heart for serving others in our own community and around the world...even serving one another along the way!  The world is smaller than we realize, especially when we expand our hearts and open our hands to reach around it.