Well, I thought baseball was almost over.  I guess there will be a game or two tonight and possible game on Saturday.  This becomes such a dragout affair that it isn't fun any longer.  Last night Charley and Hunter played soccer.  Charley's team lost but it was an exciting game.  Hunter's team won and he made one of the goals.  I like soccer because the game only last one hour.  The same goes for Hunter's flag football....the games only last one hour.  He will be starting practice for flag football pretty soon.  Charley got the back wire on her bottom teeth yesterday.  Around Christmas time she should be getting her braces.  She still needs to loose a few baby teeth.  She also got a mouth guard which is driving her crazy.  But, she has to protect her teeth...so she has to wear it.  Lib says that Alex is sleeping through the night and has really taken to eating solid foods.  You can see that he is growing bigger and stronger.  Santino already is bigger.  At the end of preschool Santino brought home a bean plant.  This bean plant has beans on it now.  He wants to make sure that his teacher gets one of the beans.

Shining in Dark Times:  Esther must have wondered so often about the plan of God and his promises.  The plan of God was to redeem lost mankind.  That divine plan concerned her nation Israel.  From this special people, the bright Morning Star, the Messiah himself, would come.  Esther literally staked her life on these bright and enduring promises, and she trusted even when she lived in possibly one of the blackest and darkest periods of her nation's history.  This we know, she staked her life on the providence of God that would enable him to keep his promises concerning his plan.  What happens to us when we find ourselves in the middle of dark situations?  Do we believe the things that are happening to us are accidental?  Do we seek to change our circumstances, or do we accept them with a fatalistic attitude?  Can we change our circumstances, or should we even try?  Sometimes we can change things, and we must try.  That is why we are here!  At other times, having tried, we find we cannot alter anything, nor can we escape, and so we must allow those situations to change us and we must accept the privilage of shining here. by  jill brisco