Blessed to be a Blessing!: Filler Up!

II Tim. 3:17 so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for good work.

I remember when I was growing up and my parents would pull up to a gas station and roll down the window and say "Filler Up" to the attendant. That phrase is in my mind these days, but with a very different meaning, of course. We have this delightful girl here, with a very empty tank. Our job? FILL HER UP! We love doing our job, and tears come to my eyes as I write to tell you how thankful and excited I am to have been given this job to do. Blessed, honored, full of joy . . .
Whenever I give her a compliment or word of encouragement, she is just soaking it up. I know for sure that the reason I am full of strength to pour into Vita is because this is the job that God has for us to do, and He's equipped us to do it!
So far we've been shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, playing games (UNO, Rummikub, Ping Pong), sledding, hiking, journaling, watching Christmas movies and cartoons, and a highlight last night - attending our church's middle school Christmas party! That was quite scary at first, but in the end brought lots of smiles. I am VERY sure that the memories made will be cherished, and I can't thank Becca Studer enough for the way she PATIENTLY stood by Vita, encouraging her to participate and even giving hugs. Her smile and sweet kind words will never be forgotten. I sure do hope we can carve out some more time with Becca, I would love for her to be able to continue to develop a friendship with Vita. Becca showed so much maturity last night, I cannot say enough! We are also very grateful to Patrick Curtis, and all of the other youth leaders/helpers who were kindly reaching out to Vita last night. Even though she didn't show it on the outside, she truly was very happy to be there. Everyone's kindnesses to her are all gifts she won't soon forget.
Vita met our daughter Annie and her husband Man and their three children on Monday, and did quite well. She even enjoyed a couple rounds of hide & seek around the house. Good thing this girl loves pizza - that makes her a shoe-in around this family! She's still looking forward to meeting our son Patrick and his family, and our daughter Kathy and her family. We try to do this in stages, you know!
Tonight's plans include a visit to a dance studio, courtesy of Liz Clinton. Vita's really looking forward to the lesson time.
I can't say I'm happy to know that the temperatures are forecasted to continue to rise over the next few days. The snow here in the woods has been so beautiful. Oh well, I'm glad we got some sledding in before the change, and even a snowman and a round of snowball throwing with/at Frankie!
Thank you for continuing to pray for us - WE FEEL GOD AT WORK!