for abbe.

please pray for my dear, dear friend abbe. her family is struggling through disappointment, heartbreak, (and yet in love with Jesus), continue to put their hope in the One who heals.

i don't normally blog about others. i sort of feel like when disappointment comes, it's not really my business to share things, but knowing that abbe makes her struggle known for intercession, i feel ok with this.

and in her honor, i'm deciding to share something that has been on my heart for some time. i've never wanted to point out something creepy, or be a debbie-downer, or make you all paranoid. but in honor of abbe, and the love i have for each of you and your children, i impart this story, and ask you to please consider this as you post pictures of your children on the world wide web.

i'm not a mom. i don't know what it's like. and i don't know the sorts of challenges you face on a daily basis. but a dear friend of mine, who is a mom, shared something with me once that i have never, ever forgotten. i happen to think she's one of the best mom's i know, so heed her advice.

you see, my good friend, posted cutesy pics and videos of her kids when they were little. you know, in the tub with cousins, or getting ready for bed, etc. and then she noticed the number of hits on these posts, compared to others, were higher. impossibly higher. in the hundreds higher. and intuition told her heart to protect her babies. she knew what this meant. so she doesn't do it anymore. which is sad, because she can't share those uber-cute bathtub moments with people that love her kiddos. but as a mom, i know you all want to protect your babies. and everytime i see your cute little kid on a blog in her diaper, i think of this. and get sad. and don't say anything.

but today i'm going to for abbe. and all the sweet friends that would die to protect their babies. and you.

meh. a downer, i know. but i think you should consider it.