163 million flowers

I heard a wonderful quote over the this week from my brother.  He and his wife are in the final stages of an adoption.  They are waiting to bring their son and daughter home from the Congo.  I'm usually not a big quote person but something about this one just struck me...

"How can you say there are too many children?  That is like saying there are too many flowers."

~Mother Teresa

When I think of the "orphan crisis" related to this quote it made me realize that the crisis is not the actual number of children.  To picture a field of 163 million different colored flowers is amazing.  The crisis is made up of so many factors.  I can think of a few:  prideful government officials, fear of failure, the desire to live a settled, non-complicated life, the "I've already got too much on my plate" and "been there, done that" thinking, laws written to surpress women,  the lure of a quiet retirement, living in a sinful world.  The list can go on and on.   I think we can all come up with reasons that we can't adopt (again), foster, give more, visit and minister to the needy, etc...

"How can you say there are too many children?.  That is like saying there are too many flowers."

~Mother Teresa

The privilege of parenting is like no other.  The challenges and rewards cannot be found in any other relationship.  The amount of influence a parent can bestow on their child's life cannot be found in any other relationship.  The privilege to train and raise a child, to model and share with them the Lord's love and purpose for life in like no other.

I certainly can't write a parenting book.  There are days that I am frustrated and impatient.  There are days I watch the clock and wish them all to bed.  There are days that I am upset with myself and my lack of good parenting but at the end of everyday, whether good or bad, I am amazed and extremely thankful for the 5 flowers my husband and I have been gifted and the grace, freely given, to parent them.