The Beautiful Life

So Grateful…

More endless gifts…

9. Sunshine and a warm winter day.
10. Kids running outside and enjoying the afternoon.
11. A job I love.
12. A quiet hour to think and meditate on what is good, and Him who is the source of all goodness.
13. A thoughtful book to wander through.
14. An under-the-weather husband who goes to work so he can provide for his family. How he loves us!

Friday Gratitudes

Continuing my Gift List for this year…
This week, I’m thankful for:

5. My kids’ joy in the little things, like new pajamas.
6. Hope, even in the midst of disaster.
7. A quiet place to read and reflect and slowly start my day and
8. Children who know my need for a slow start and happily and patiently give me the space to do so.

Photo: My quiet place bathed in early morning light.

Friday Gratitudes

Once a week, I’m going to try to remember to post the things I’ve been grateful for during the week. Last night, I had a really awful headache and the kids were so sweet. This morning, while I was still in bed, they made me a jelly sandwich for breakfast and Graham drew and cut out a bunch of flowers and put them in a mug (vase). Then they brought it all up on a tray so that I could have breakfast in bed. I’ve got such great kids.

This week, I’m thankful for:

1. Red paper flowers, cut out and carefully arranged.
2. A quiet evening in the dark, curled up on the couch with my husband and a good movie.
3. The power of prayer to change despair into hope.
4. A good book to read aloud together on freezing cold afternoons.

Making Room

As we’ve been cutting back and learning to live on less, I’ve been expecting it to be hard. And sometimes it is. I can’t just go out and buy anything I want anymore. I have to say “no.” I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared for were the ways that God would continually surprise me by stepping in and giving me whatever I had thought I was going to have to do without. I thought I was just putting our family on a budget, but what I was really doing was making room for God to move in my life and for me to be humble enough to see it happen. In this living without, I am learning that God is more than enough. In the big, scary, life-changing moments, He is more than enough. In the day to day struggles, He is more than enough. In good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until He returns or calls me home. How He loves me.

The Beautiful Life

We are in a season of transition around here in so many ways. I’m more encouraged than I have been in a long time, but it can also be overwhelming for someone who is most comfortable when things are the same. I am needing to be reminded of the gifts He gives me every day, the small tokens of love that I so often overlook. I have a feeling this blog is where I’m going to be coming when I need a breath of fresh air, a place to display the gifts and glorify the Giver. In the sticky fingerprints on backdoor windowpanes, there is beauty. In the pile of muddy boots on the deck, there is beauty. In the crumbs on my bed from little ones, eager to be with Mama first thing in the morning, there is beauty. Everywhere there is hidden beauty, waiting to be discovered, if only I can have eyes to see it. God is so good.

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some related posts:
Ugly-Beautiful
Ann’s Endless Gifts

More than enough…

We’ve been cutting way back on our grocery budget because I’ve been doing a lot of home improvement projects, trying to get our house ready to sell. It’s been an interesting challenge to feed our family of five on 1/3 of our normal budget without resorting to buying junk. This weekend, as I was working out my plan of attack for the store, I added only apples and bananas to the list. We just couldn’t buy anything else, even though I really wanted something more. So I prayed. Just a quick little, “God, I’d love for one of our neighbors to give us some fruit” kind of prayers. We live in town and I didn’t really think anyone would have fruit to give away. Really, I have no idea why I prayed that. I just did.

Today, when I walked through the produce department, I looked over at the pears, trying to figure out a way to squeeze in a couple without going over budget, but I quickly realized it was just not going to happen. So I left without them. Fast forward to this afternoon. My kids walk in with a huge bag of…NINETEEN PEARS! It turns out that our neighbor at the end of the street has a pear tree and had more than they could eat. So she gave them to us. I have no idea how we are going to eat so many. God is really the God of more than enough, and tonight I’m feeling so blessed.

Being Thankful

Tonight I’m full of thankfulness and gratitude for

friends who see through my social inadequacies and know the real me,

three sweet children who hug and kiss away my low moods,

a husband who sees me in my weakest moments and still gives me honor,

and God who knows my thoughts and my sins and makes a way for me.

How can I be so blessed?

Happy Anniversary!

In a couple of hours, James and I will be celebrating our 9th anniversary. Nine years ago today I was a nervous, teenaged bride, getting ready to marry her best friend. Over the years, we have grown so much, and best of all, we’ve done it together. I can never thank the Lord enough for sending my husband to me. He is such a gift and I’m so proud and humbled to be called his wife. I love you, honey. Happy anniversary!

The Ugly-Beautiful

I’m blogging over at Scrapartist this morning on artist dates and the ugly-beautiful.

Today I’m grateful for…

It’s  been a rough week around here with my husband gone on yet another work trip.  He’s been gone three of the last  five weeks and it’s starting to wear on us.  We’ve cried, we’ve complained, we’ve lost our tempers.  But now as I’m counting down the hours to him getting home, and wanting to just feel relief that we’ve made it, I’m wondering if I’ve missed something–or someone.  Somewhere between the tears and complaints, I’ve missed God.  He’s been giving me little tokens of his love all week, and I’ve been too busy just trying to survive to see them.  Isn’t this the way it always is?

So tonight as I sit here, looking over happy memories from Christmas, and listening to the peaceful silence as little ones slumber, my heart is suddenly full.  I am blessed.  I am BLESSED.  Today I am grateful for…

• A mother in law who took the time to bring over dinner and dance around the living room with the kids, while I got to sit down and rest.
• My sister and mom who came over earlier in the week with smiles and laughter when I wanted to cry.
• Our Thursday morning playgroup, getting to make new friends having a place to go where you are loved and accepted no matter what crazy thing your kids just did.
• My kids, who love to dance and sing and live life.
• Airplanes, because waiting six months for James to come home on a covered wagon would not be cool.  LOL

Have a blessed weekend!