Happy Birthday!

In the midst of the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina I fondly remember checking in at Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama on August 31 so that the next day Cyd and I would have our first bundle of giggles and ponytails. Neither one of us got any sleep that night, meanwhile what seemed like 3/4 of our entire family was on the way to our cookie cutter house to stay the day and/or night to see the new baby. Our lives changed forever that September day as we welcomed our oldest child into the world. Overwhelming...yes...
awesome...yes...joyful...yes...life changing...yes! What an incredible joy and privilege to be a parent...to be able to try to instill in children the biblical principles of life and faith!

I look back on the last 6 years and it seems like we were just bringing her home from the hospital (a scary scene indeed as Cyd and I looked at each other and said now what do we do after we all three got strapped in the car to drive home). Life has brought many challenges through the years but one of the greatest is the responsibility of being a godly parent. Trying to model a godly life, a life of faith, hope and love can be a daunting task at times, but I am often reminded that God works in spite of my sin in my own life and in the life of my family to teach us to love each other deeply and authentically.

Working with teenagers also means that Claire is turning 6 but she thinks she is 16 at times. I have seen so many students make great choices and so many make poor choices...being a parent has taught me that I need to be faithful to God in my responsibilities and pray like crazy for my girls and then to rest in the knowledge that they are secure in his hands, no matter what.

As we celebrate Claire's 6th birthday we anticipate the arrival of Pagliarullo baby #3 in the spring. If it's a boy he will need help from having two big sisters and a mother smothering him...but if it's a girl I will need help paying for proms and weddings, so just to be safe I will take donations beginning yesterday.


Happy Birthday Claire! We Love You!