Rita Buettner

My sons and I have been staycationing this week as we get ready for the school year to begin.

Last week I told the boys that today would be our pilgrimage day—that we would pick a destination and go pray for a great school year.

What a frightening time for the people who are affected by the flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Texas. They are in desperate need of our prayers—prayers for those who are being rescued and those doing the rescues, along with prayers for many who are still waiting and hoping that they will be able to stay in their homes.

My niece and nephew are spending the week with my parents, and with Daniel’s Gotcha Day, soccer practice, and other excitement, the week has been getting away from us without any solid cousin time. So yesterday I took our boys over to play.

Having the opportunity to be this little boy’s mother is an amazing blessing. It’s also an astonishing gift for me, especially since I wasn’t sure I would ever be a mother—never mind a mother of two sons who were born on the other side of the world.

The beach is a place full of wonder. The ocean is magnificent, powerful, and moving with a rhythm all its own.