The Concrete Angel

She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she's holding back
Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with the linen and lace, oh

The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born

Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place
Where she's loved concrete angel

Somebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear but they turn out the light
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it will be too late

Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place
Where she's loved concrete angel

A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot

Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place
Where she's loved concrete angel

 

Our Dear Leecia's 6th Birthday

Father, thank You for my daughter, for her intelligence, hard work, good health, grace and beauty.

Thank You that she can go to school. I pray that You will be with her every time, and pour out Your blessing on her. Please fill her with Your Holy Spirit. Help her to know You and trust You, and to show Your love and truth to other people. Please fill her life with love, joy, peace, hope and purpose.

Please give her grace to be honest and truthful, loving and kind and wise, faithful to You and righteous. May You be pleased with the way she lives. Please keep her safe. Please protect her body, soul, mind and spirit.

Please bless and guide all of her relationships. May she be a blessing to others, and may others be a blessing to her.

Please bless her school work. Help her to care, work hard, think clearly, learn, understand and remember.

Amen.

The Gift of All Those Perfectly Ordinary Days

Time flies too fast for our own comfort. They were only little sleeping babies then tenderly cradled in our arms. The next time we know, they are crawling, jumping, running and trying the threshold of our patience and wits. Ahh, the joys of parenthood.

When we look at a patch of dandelions, we see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over our yards.
Our kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When we look at an old drunk and he smiles at us, we see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and we look away.
Our kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When we hear music we love, we  know we can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so we sit self-consciously and listen.
Our kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When we feel wind on our faces, we brace myself against it. We feel it messing up our hair and pulling us back when we walk.
Our kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When we pray, we say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that.
Our kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When we see a mud puddle we step around it. We see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.
Our kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

We wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? 

No wonder God loves the little children so much.

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day we may look back and realize they were the big things.

Heaven's Rose Garden

Love your Moms while you still have her around. She's the very glue and cement that binds every family, the divine intervention between you and God and your eternal blessing that even when she's gone, you will feel loved and cared for. 6 years now since our Mommy Luz joined our creator. Thank you for everything Mommy. We love you forever.

Prayer of a Mother and a Wife

Doi Inthanon Chiang Mai City

Compassionate and loving God, thank you for giving me the opportunity and the challenge of being a mother. 
I know that this is not an easy task -  to rear a child and build a home. 

Ancient Siam

Please help me when life seems too difficult, when I lose my patience, understanding and generosity toward my husband and my child. 

Loha Prasat

Grant me the spirit of love, peace and joy so that when I am doing my daily routine, though heavy they may be, these virtues may give me the strength to lighten my day.

Wat Yannawa

Help me to be always cheerful and serene so that my child and husband may look forward to coming home again after school and after the day's work.

Hua LamPhong

Dear God, my constant prayer is my concern for my child. 


That she may become successful in life, able to serve her countrymen, but more importantly that she may grow up to be Your faithful child. 


Amen.







- Liezel

Muang Boran

Prayer of a Father and a Husband

Dear Jesus,  I place myself in Your presence. I put my whole life at Your disposal. I acknowledge my shortcomings and failures. I give up my pretenses and excuses. You lived among us and experienced a family. You shared the Father's love. You showed us how to be obedient and dutiful children. 

Today, my Lord, with Your blessing and guidance; I renew my marital commitment: 

to love my wife till my last breath, 

to serve and not to abuse, 

to cherish and not to forsake, 

to be faithful and not to betray, 

to forgive and not to accuse,

to protect and not to hurt.

With your grace, I also renew my obligation to my child: 

to take care of her as to give her a better future, 

to share my time as to let her feel that I love her, 

to give my love as to provide her a worthy life, 

to show her good examples as to rear her as a worthy child.

And for these, my dear God, I humbly seek Your blessing. Guide us against all harm and secure us from any danger. Let me live longer for my family. Let me be strong to work in view of their future. 

Make our house also Your home. Live among us and stay with us, dear Lord. May we live united as a family like the Holy Family at Nazareth. Amen.  

- Larry

How A Child Is Wonderfully Made By God

1st Month Week 1	You’re not pregnant. This is the week of the start of your last period. as the uterus sheds its lining and causes bleeding, the hormones are preparing another egg for release.
Week 2	You’re still not pregnant. The uterine lining is thickening and ovulation (the release of an egg) is getting ready to occur. You may feel a twinge pain as ovulation occurs.
Week 3	This could be the week. When an egg is released into your fallopian tube, it meets up with your partner's sperm. (There are 350 million sperms in the average ejaculation that have a chance at making the trip into the fallopian tube. The ones that make it will wait there for an egg as long as four days) when the sperm penetrates an egg, fertilization (conception) occurs. The fertilized egg is called a zygote. Immediately the egg begins dividing into identical cells as it floats down the fallopian tube to the uterus. Now you're pregnant.
Week 4	There’s lots of action going on that you are completely unaware of. your little zygote finds its nesting place in the uterus and is now called blast cyst. Once in the uterus, it divides in half: one-half sticks to the uterine wall and becomes the placenta (the life-support system that brings nourishment into your baby and takes waste out). The other half will become the baby. Transvaginal ultrasound shows a gestational sac (a small circle that will become the baby's home). by the end of this week, you will have missed your period, giving you the first sign that something's up. Some women see a slight spotting called implantation bleeding that happens when the blast cyst nestles into the uterine wall.
Week 5	At this point a pregnancy test can confirm the pregnancy. Your baby is about the size of an apple seed and is now called an embryo with a beating heart of its own. The placenta and the umbilical cord are in full operation. You would be shocked to see how rapidly your baby is developing: =) the head and tail folds are distinct =) the primary brain vesicles form =) the nervous system begins to develop =) two heart tubes are fused in the midline and begin to contract
Week 6	Your little embryo is dropping its calling card. This is the week the physical sensations of pregnancy usually appear: nausea, sore breasts, fatigue and frequent urination are all signs of this incredible growth process. The embryo looks more like a tadpole than a human, but the body is growing rapidly: =) the head, tail and arm buds are easily recognizable =) the optic vesicles and lens form =) limb buds are present =) the earliest form of the liver, pancreas, lungs, thyroid gland and heart appear =) blood circulation is well established. =) the heart bulges from the body =) the cerebral brain hemispheres are enlarging in the stomach area, the primary intestinal loop is present
2nd Month Week 7	=) the heart is completely formed =) the limb buds are present =) on the face, the nostrils have overhanging borders =) the eyes appear as dark spots =) the tongue is beginning to form =) permanent kidneys begin to form =) the heart is relatively larger =) the trunk of the main body is elongating and straightening =) the eyelid folds are forming =) in the middle area, the appendix and pancreas are present, and the midgut herniates into the umbilical cord =) the pituitary gland is forming in the middle of the brain =) spleen and liver ducts are forming =) the intestine elongate =) the cerebral cortex (the part of the brain that directs motor activity and intellect) can be seen =) the stomach and esophagus begin to form
Week 8	=) the embryo is half an inch long =) the leg buds have divided into thigh, leg and foot units =) the arm buds have divided in hand, arm and shoulder units =) the gonads, testes or ovaries are forming =) cartilage and bones are forming =) the hands are flexed over the wrists and meet over the heart bulge =) the feet are approaching the midline and may meet =) the external ear is well advanced in form =) the head is in a more erect position and the neck is more developed =) the limbs are longer =) cartilage appears where bones will later develop =) the head is bent forward onto the chest =) the eyes develop pigment =) nerve fibers connect the olfactory lobe of the brain, laying the groundwork for the sense of smell =) the brain stem is now recognizable
Week 9	=) the abdomen and chest cavities becomes separated =) eye muscles and upper lip develop =) using ultrasound, the first fetal movements can be detected =) the nerve cells of the eyes' retinas form =) the semicircular canals of the ears form =) the nasal passages open to the outside =) the nerve connections from the retina to the brain are establishes =) a distinct neck connects the head to the body =) all fingers and toes are present =) the urinary and rectal passages are completely separate
Week 10	=) the embryo now weighs 1/13 ounce and is 1 1/4 inches from the top of the head to the rump =) the eyes have moved from the sides of the head closer to the front if the face =) bones begin to replace the cartilage =) the palate and roof of the mouth form =) the stomach moves into its final position =) taste buds begin to form =) neck muscles are forming =) the clitoris appears in female and the ovaries begin to descend =) the two lobes of the lungs extend into many tiny tubes (bronchioles) =) the diaphragm begins to separate the heart and lungs from the stomach
3rd Month Week 11	=) the head is almost half the size of the fetus =) the eyelids have fused and will stay that way until week 24 =) the external sex organs are developing =) the hair follicles of the skin are forming =) the ears are still abnormally low on the sides of the head =) teeth are beginning to form
Week 12	=) a skeleton of cartilage is forming =) the gallbladder secretes bile from the fetus =) the lungs are completely formed =) the thyroid gland and pancreas are now complete =) it the forehead is touched, the fetus will turn its head away =) the liver is functioning to make blood cells. This organ accounts for about 10% of the entire weight  of the fetus.
Week 13	=) the fetus is about 3 inches long (double its lengths at week 7) =) the fingernails appear =) the beginnings of finger and footprints begin to form =) tooth buds appear for all 20 baby teeth =) the vocal cords begin to form =) the trachea, lungs, stomach, liver, pancreas and intestines develop into their final functioning form
Week 14	=) the ears have moved from the neck onto the head =) the sex organs have fully differentiated into male or female =) the digestive glands are complete =) the taste buds are numerous and the salivary glands form =) the vocal cords are complete
4th Month Week 15	=) blood vessels can easily be seen through the skin, which is very thin and translucent =) the legs are longer than the arms
Week 16	=) the fetus can make a fist, open its mouth, move its lips & swallow =) the fetus may suck its thumb =) fine lanugos hairs can be seen on the head =) the nails are well formed =) the heart is beating 117 to 157 times per minute =) the stomach is producing digestive juices =) the kidneys are producing urine
Week 17	=) brown fat begins to form =) the period of rapid growth rate begins to slow down =) white fatty material begins to enclose the nerve fibers of the spinal cord =) between the 17th and 20th weeks the hearing develops; the fetus can hear internal-organ and outside world sounds
Week 18	=) the skeleton can be clearly outlined on x-rays of the fetus =) ears stand out from the head =) lanugos covers the entire body
5th Month Week 19	=) parts of the leg have now grown in proportion to the rest of the body =) you can feel the fetus kick, move its arms and wiggles its fingers and toes
Week 20	=) a skin covering called vernix caseosa forms to protect the baby's skin from the amniotic fluid =) delicate eyebrows are forming
Week 21	=) body parts, tissues and organs continue to mature
Week 22	=) the eyelids are very well developed =) fingernails are completely developed
6th Month Week 23	=) eyebrows and eyelashes are forming =) lips are becoming more distinct =) eyes are becoming more developed, but they still lack color =) the first signs of teeth appear beneath the gum line
Week 24	=) blood vessels in the lungs are developing =) the head is still large compared to body size =) the baby can swallow
Week 25	=) her body is beginning to become plump =) the skin becomes wrinkled =) if the baby was born now, she would attempt to breathe =) taste buds are forming
Week 26	=) the face and the body generally assume the appearance of an infant at birth =) baby begins to make breathing movements although there is no air in the lungs =) will respond to touch
7th Month Week 27	=) the network of nerves to the ear is completed =) the fetus takes some breaths and although breathing in water, not air (in the uterus, babies breathe in amniotic fluid through the lungs and exits back into the amniotic sac) it is good practice for their lungs =) because the retinas of the eyes are not finished forming yet, an eye problem called retinopathy of prematurity can occur in babies born at this time
Week 28	=) brain tissue continues to develop =) the baby begins to dream =) the eyes open and close =) the baby sleeps and wakes at regular intervals =) although the lungs are still immature, they are capable of sustaining life in the event of a premature birth (often with the help of a respirator)
Week 29	=) your baby can turn his head to find the source of a bright light =) the fat layers continue to form =) fingernails are budding
Week 30	=) in males babies, the testicles move from near the kidneys through the groin en route to the scrotum =) in female babies, the clitoris appears large and exposed because it's not yet covered by folds of skin called the labia =) the baby's head is getting bigger
8th Month Week 31	=) lungs and digestive track are nearly mature =) the baby can see the womb (if you shine a bright light on your belly he may move his head to follow the light out to touch it) =) eyebrows and eyelashes are completed
Week 32	=) layers of fat are being deposited beneath the skin =) arms and legs are fully proportioned in relation to the size of the head =) the baby is passing water from his bladder =) the baby's movements may be less frequent and less forceful because he is running out of room to move around
Week 33	=) the baby is practicing breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise his lungs =) some babies have a full head of hair by now; others have only a bit of fuzz =) boy's testicles are descending into the scrotum
Week 34	=) the skeleton hardens although the head remains pliable to maneuver through the birth canal =) the skin becomes less red and wrinkled =) the toenails are present and the fingernails have reached the tips of the fingers.
9th Month Week 35	=) babies born at week 35 have a 99% chance of survival. the lungs are fully developed and the respiratory problems that used to kill these preemies are now easily treated
Weeks 36 to 37	=) more fat layers are added to help control body temperature after birth
Week 38	=) the baby is now "full term" this means that if he's born today, he'll be considered a full grown baby. Babies born before 38 weeks are called premature babies
Week 39	=) the baby sheds her fuzzy layer of lanugo hair and the vernix caseosa, which is the skin coating that covers a fetus to protect the skin. The baby swallows this waste and will discharge it as his first bowel movement in a blackish mixture called me conium =) all organs are ready to function outside your womb =) the lungs are the last organs to mature. They should be fully developed by this time
Week 40	=) bingo! This is the due-date week when your baby just might make her entrance. But then again maybe she did that last week or will wait until next week. Remember that due dates are rarely exact. (only 5% of babies are born on schedule) even carrying a baby to week 42 is considered normal. After that, the baby is post-term.