Farewell, summer!

​Can you believe it is August already?  Public school starts in less than a month!  (I’m pretty sure I just heard an audible groan)  It’s been a busy and exciting summer here at the Center: we had our #relationshipgoals Group to hang out with some awesome teens and discuss what healthy relationships look like; you guys rocked with our annual Change-A-Life Baby Bottle Drive fundraiser; our Life Center office got a mini face lift with new furniture in our counseling rooms (thanks to our awesome supporters!!!!), and the addition of a Mommy Corner in our Baby Boutique; we were so blessed with donations that we did a free rummage sale to bless the community; AND we have given out diapers at the Free Lunch sites and the Wisner Market.  WHEW!

In the busyness and excitement of the Summer, though, it is so important to take a step back and really look at those around you.  Take time to enjoy the little moments of doing nothing, listen to the child that never seems to stop talking, go feed the birds with your parents, read a book together, play with the squirt guns, and eat ice cream before dinner.  Watch funny videos together like Bad Lip Reading “Seagulls” and “Watch Out for my Body Rolls” (both of these may have been played in our office earlier…..) and laugh out loud together.  Recent tragedies remind us that we never know when our time is up.

In light of that: do you know that you are amazing?  That you are loved and that you have a purpose?  That you impact the world every day whether you know it or not? You are an absolute rock star because you are YOU.  You were created to bring glory to God and He delights in you.  If you're a parent...it's a tough job, so be sure to take time for you.  Being a young person is tough in today’s world, take advice from those you look up to and know your value. 

Proverbs 6 tells us to “Keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.  Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck.  When you walk, they will guide you;  when you sleep, they will watch over you.”  And even more so, be reading the Bible because that is where you learn more about the God who created you and where your value and purpose come from.