new beginnings and fresh hope

So today I finally got out of the house for a bit, and breathed deep the sunshiny air, and hugged babies, and talked to some other actual people.

There has been some loss, and we've been sick, and it's flat-out been a rough few weeks around these parts, but I'm thankful to report that life is still glorious even in the hard, and sooner or later the miseries abate even just the littlest bit...and before we even know it we're again standing upright, laughing in the sun :)

Feeling especially thankful this Monday afternoon for...


her solemn explanation that she isn't "here to stay" & they're just "givin' me a ride"

fresh hope

my very first "let's get coffee sometime" since moving

her utter determination in transporting her beach paraphernalia to the sandbox, pulling shovel after bucket after rake out of her frilly pinkalicious backpack

his eyes all lit up when he sees me

that chunky little arm resting casually on my leg as he sits close-as-can-be, dunking his chicken nuggets

that oh-so-yummy way she says "Chik-i-lay" every. single. time.

catching up and hearing good things

baby talk

hints of wellness

soft, WARM breezes

new beginnings, on new days, right in front of new weeks

(A Thousand Gifts 1242-1254)

these things

Flonase,
and Claritin,
and Excedrin

...and icy cold beverages(!)


whimsical gifts on my doorstep


a four-p.m. start time


the new Passion release


fajitas with my girl


averted crises


celebrating her life, lived oh-so beautifully


sibling hugs


homemade veggie-beef soup from the freezer


time for a quick nap


this long-awaited, warm, sunny day




Buh-bye winter drear.  I know you try, but you're just not for me ;)

(A Thousand Gifts 1229-1241)

warm hugs and leaves raining down

So I've finished work for the moment and thought I jot down a few things before we lose power for days or weeks or the rest of our lives, depending on which TWC reporter is on at the moment.

(Did that sound a little mean and/or sarcastic?  I intended neither meanness nor sarcasm.)



Today was a great day and a weird day and also an emotional day.

Is there a better kind of day for us human types to live?  All filled up with, well, feelings?
SO BLESSED, we are.



Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
 



multicolored leaves raining down

the little "fairy" attending Sunday worship

warm hugs

fresh sheets

hot pasta on a breezy Sunday

pumpkin candles

surprises that change everything

hearing him sing

the camera that took these pictures and the friend who shared the camera

the scent of wet leaves

bundled-up baby boys

watching her in the choir

unplanned visits with them in their PJ's, and sharing my pizza, and snuggling tight

(A Thousand Gifts 1215-1228)

Happy Monday :)

it's the (not so) little things that fill me up...

It's my birthday and I keep counting my countless blessings...

(A Thousand Gifts #1200-1214)

Owen flying down the hallway and leaping up into my arms, his happy grin filling his face

Audrey curling up beside me, patting my knee and reminding me, "you're my best girl, Naynay."

Back-to-back viewings of Stewart Littles with my best girl, while the boys snooze in their beds

...while the boys snooze.  in their beds.

Peyton holding onto my hand, or staring into my eyes, or smiling around his paci, or fingering my hair, or in any way just being Peyton

Kari asking her oldish mama to text her when she is safely home

Katie thinking of the birthday doughnuts

The girls walking through the door with - yep - the Pepsi to carry me through my assignment

The most delightful sons-in-law since ever


Movies and snacks and dinner and movies with my friend


Facebook love from the other side of the world 


The boys playing busily with their fuzzy robes tied tight atop their clothes, and Isaiah's casual "Oh hey, Aunt Nay's" and Elijah flashing me an "I love you" in sign language 


Shayne smiling and nodding when I attempt conversation

And, with a happy-birthday-to-me kind of delight - - -

Eight hours of sleep in a row 

Eight hours of sleep...In A Row!

Happy Monday!

nothing to prove

Well I threw it all away.

I've been going through the house and purging like nobody's business.  It seems the right thing to do given all the changes coming with The Move that's looming in the near future.

I haven't even blinked during most of the trashing of my former treasures.  It's fascinating how something can seem un-lose-able one day and a few years later it holds virtually no value at all.  I imagine there's a life lesson or deep insight there somewhere, but I'm kind've into skimming across the top of things right now.

One doesn't trash her former treasures without doing a fair amount of skimming.

Anyway, I've been trashing willy-nilly for weeks now, but today seemed just a bit different.  I knew it was there somewhere, and had already decided its fate, but didn't come across it until now.  I had considered not even looking inside and just tossing it straight out, but fear of losing something still valuable forced me to peek inside.  

It was all there.  The details likely wouldn't matter so much to you, but the not-so-great memories evoked by mere glimpses still take my breath clean away.  

(Interesting, isn't it, our ability to be transported to another place by snippets.)  

I tried to stick close to the surface and not dive straight in, and resolutely I continued to chuck things in the ever-growing pile of the discarded.

But still...

Somehow in a way that's difficult to explain, this bit of no-longer-relevant continues to have some manner of value to me.

I'm reasonably sure it isn't a healthy value (is that possible...unhealthy value?) but it still stung.  

Today I threw away evidence of a storm that was real and hard and terrible, and also full, and rich, and productive.

Today I threw away "proof" that it was just as big as I thought at the time and that I was as sincere as I believe myself to have been.  

Validation, if you will.

Somehow it feels terribly dangerous to just. let. it. go.

What if I need to prove something to myself some day?  

What will I do then?

I suppose I'll just have to remind myself that with God's grace I have nothing at all to prove, and then leave it all where it belongs...

Long-gone, with all of the other out-of-date, no-longer-treasured treasures.

Life is for the living, after all, 

and apparently, for today, God has some living left for me to do.

(A Thousand Gifts #1190-1199)


projected breaks in miserable heat & promises of raindrops

freedom from what was 

sweet new pictures

growing piles of the no-longer-necessary

easy access to effective meds

just...sitting, all together

little boys falling asleep in the middle of the visiting

the delicious peace that comes with realizing there's simply no proof required :)

Happy Monday!

for the sacrifice

 

  

So very thankful, 

...for my loved ones who have fought in faraway places on our behalf, and returned home to us safe, and healthy, and strong.



...for the oh-so-many who fought and died for my safety, and security, and freedom.



...for the families of those who have served our country with honor and courage...husbands and wives, and sons and daughters, who have sacrificed more than I will ever know, in ways I can't begin to fathom.

Happy Memorial Day

 








(Adapted from previous post, A Thousand Gifts #554-557)

 

hard questions and benches in the shade

Friday afternoon Elijah and I hopped in the car with his mama/my sister and headed for the far away land of Bedford.

(True story:  I can't say Bedford without thinking of George Bailey.)

We had a thoroughly tasty lunch at the local Ruby Tuesday's and then headed over to the National D-Day Memorial.  

Photo by Robin

I'm not going to tell you how long I've been meaning to get over there without actually getting over there.  To tell you would bring me great (public) shame.  

I think I'd prefer to keep my procrastinatory failures a touch more private.


Sigh.


Whatever.  

It might have taken me a year or six to get there but I can tell you right now it won't take me that long to go back.  We walked through without a "guide" and it was great, but I'm thinking I would like to do it again and let them answer some of our million questions (see below).

Regarding the below evidence picture, I might or might not have crossed a line jumped a rope to get up close and personal.  I don't really want to say.  

Photo by Robin

(And I might or might not have taken Little Man with me.)

(Does it help that we were very careful not to touch?)


(I'm pretty sure that it does.)

We weren't sure how much Elijah would actually understand, and it would be a gross understatement to say he had a few questions.

Homeboy had a zillion questions.

The questions started before we got out of the car and didn't stop until we had paid for our fountain sodas in the market after leaving.

And when I say they didn't stop I mean they didn't stop EVER. 

I have no idea how much he retained or fully understood, but he was certainly fascinated by pretty much everything, and I think the whole day made an impression on him.  


The questions can sometimes feel a little wearying, but walking through the memorial and seeing it through the eyes of a child made it all seem new to me too.


And a fresh revisiting of history is a very healthy thing.

 

(A Thousand Gifts #1177-1189)

young men who slept in ditches and died in foxholes so we can breathe free

breezy Fridays full of sun and benches in the shade

kind waitresses who like little boys 

mini road trips filled with sister talk and fountain drinks

rainy sundays and eating leftovers and precious friends

watching him giggle and watching them love him

tiny gardens and hard questions

generous people making sacrifices to create a place of beauty and honor

Happy Monday!

p.s.  Happy Birthday Drew!!  I love ya :)

balloons on the ceiling and finishing well

Before Kate and J married they made the decision together to head to NC for school.  Kate had a good start toward her degree but Jeremy was pretty much starting at square one.  

A few years older than Kate, he had opted out of college and had been working and living the life of gainful employment with things like sleep and savings accounts.  

But they were sure that God was leading them toward ministry, and this would require some further book-learning.

They married soon thereafter and settled into married-student life.

and then God gave them a baby girl.

and then God gave them a baby boy.  

with colic.  and attitude.  and general overall misery ;)

And through it all Jeremy kept pushing/plodding/staggering/bounding ahead toward the goal...

Finishing.

I am so very proud of him for many reasons but one of them is most certainly the finishing.

Finishing college when you dislike most things school, while supporting a growing family and maintaining active participation in ministry is no little accomplishment, it's an amazing feat and a blessing to all of us who have watched...

Nearly every day of these last six years he has dragged his tired self out of bed in the middle of the night to drive 30ish minutes to load trucks for UPS, after which he would quickly clean himself up and head to class or one of his other jobs, depending on the day.   He would fall into bed far too late and then pop up again the next middle of the night.

Before they were married they talked about children and how they wanted to raise them, and Jeremy has sometimes worked three jobs in the same day in order for them to raise their family the way they feel led.

So his days have been a blur of no sleep, multiple jobs, and attending class.

And sometimes doing his homework.

And being a silly daddy with Audrey, and jiggling a certain colic-y boy through the first year of his life.

I know they both very nearly lost their minds more than once in these last long six years, but often with sheer determination, and with my orderly, organized Kate holding down the home front and encouraging him in all things homework....he got it done.

Speechless, is what I am.

And proud.  I'm also proud.

and thankful :)

(A Thousand Gifts #1151-1176)

goals met, and hard work, and finishing well

balloons on the ceiling and meeting their friends

reflecting back, and hearing his name, and weekends full of happy 

sleepovers and pizza at midnight

watching others love the ones I love, and oh the celebrating

her pink toes and his joyous enthusiasm to be with me

tables full of cupcakes and trays full of fruit

dozing while not the driver

early morning breakfasts and clowning around with mom

afternoon naps, and chili's traditions, and discovering the potato soup

remembering God's faithfulness, and generosity, and tender love for us...

knowing it's all because of Him.

...every single bit of it.

 



Happy Monday!

babies who sleep and always Jesus

Because I'm so fond of you all and because he is just too delicious to keep all to myself, I offer you a few pictures of my Owen.  

This boy is a mess.  He's a handful.  

He's a human wrecking ball wrapped in very messy form. 

He's crazy busy and aggressive and loud.

He's a lover of snuggling and books and messy kisses.

He's a delight.  He's a joy.  

He's a heart-stealer and he's not even sorry.

He's my grandson and my buddy and my sweetheart, 

and I do believe we should keep him for, like, ever :)

(A Thousand Gifts 1140-1150)

road trip safety

first-thing-in-the-morning orange juice

babies who sleep all night

happy news from my very happy nephew

blueberries on top of the oatmeal

reading, to his delight, the same words over...and again

public safety personnel

early morning happy 

road trip worship

the riot of green following the rainy gray

still, always, Jesus

Have a great day!

baby boys in seersucker suits and sharing my friends' happy

Photo by Katie

Happy Monday!  

Spring break is over around here and I can scarcely believe we're back to the old grind of meandering walks interspersed with Curious George, addition facts, and Max Lucado's "Tell Me The Secrets."  

There might or might not be some new spelling words featuring the short "u" sound this week as well.  

I'm not at all sure we'll be able to handle all the excitement of diving into such a schedule after an utterly boring ten days in Florida by the sea, but I'll do my best to help him pace himself.

(Note: I did  not cross the Florida State line, nor did I bore myself with seaside views.  That misery was all Elijah.  All.him.)

(I'm not bitter.  Not at all.)

After all, it matters not where I am while so busy counting all the blessings raining down.

Plus, I don't have piles of soggy, sandy beach towels to launder this morning.  

Just sayin.'

 

(A Thousand Gifts #1116-1139)

baby noah's safe arrival and sharing my friends' happy

the fun that comes with understanding it gets ever-better 

seeing his happy-to-see-me face for the first time in days

no soggy, sandy laundry awaiting me ;)

marking things off the list

fresh fruit & veggies in the fridge

the hot krispy kreme doughnut

making new friends, and missing old friends (just a few weeks!)

mason blowing the dandelion, straight into his face, and his funny little smile

good days for larry

the optimism followed by triumph that accompanies new recipes with yummy results 

Photo by Katie

sweet (e-mail) conversations with hurting family

pushing peanut through target

sunny lunches with kari and phone tag with kate

sweet certainty that God's taking care of sweet J

trusting His timing and trusting His plan

knowing He understands when the trusting seems hard

strong, small girls in baseball caps and beautiful baby boys in seersucker suits

Have a great day, y'all!