grateful

pausing today to give thanks....

for a toddler's smile and sloppy kisses

our son's pursuit of reading and writing skills (very intent this child)

our third girl's desire to create (so like her Mama she is!)

for a twelve-year old's efforts in study

watching the growth in our young adult daughter

being graced with her little guy's focused, yet sweet, personality.


In all this, Lord...I feebly attempt to give you praise.  Though a woman of words, combining 26 letters to share my heart with you often fails to express my gratitude.

So simply...

thank you.

  
  
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grateful

from our days

{we’ll continue sharing around perfectionism & grace tomorrow :: just a few shots from our family that I am grateful for today…}

Gratitude from our days as a family ::

:: for this 4 month old’s focus 

:: for siblings willing to read together

:: and play together

 

:: for creativity!

  :: for a little girl growing in reading skills

:: for new ways to organize!

:: for the sights & smells of baking in the kitchen 

 

For all this, I give thanks!  Participating in A Holy Experience’s Multitude Mondays.

{to answer a question ~ yes, I’ve recently disabled the comments on the blog; a brief explanation here.  Please feel free to share thoughts via email however, I enjoy hearing from you!  domesticserenity(AT)gmail(DOT)com , replace with appropriate symbols, no spaces.  thanks!}

from our days

gratitude rises above

sometimes I am really weary at the end of a day…

…at times motherhood, keeping a home, and the full life we have leaves me exhausted.

there are days it’s tempting to think this phase of life with little ones will go on forever…

and then I download pictures from my camera and gratitude for these days (though tiring at times) wells up in my heart.  I know the time is fleeting, and scenes like these will soon be only memories :: and so I give thanks…

for his wonder of the outdoor world

a little girl learning new sporting skills

and gaming skills

for his intensity :)

for toys strewn about the yard

for diapers that need changing and baby—okay toddler—legs

 for a doting auntie and uncle!

 for sacked out little ones in the car

and for creative messes that need to be cleaned up…

:::

For all of this Lord, I am grateful.  One can lose sight and vision in the day-to-day of a home full of activity, noise! and the many needs of the little people around me.  I pray that You restore my sight and cause me to really see from heaven’s perspective.  Remind me of the eternal nature of what is happening in our home. 

Let me see You at work….

Amen!

gratitude rises above

when love spills over

I really do appreciate ‘just because’ flowers. 

The things is, I’m not really the please-send-me-flowers type of gal (there’s nothing wrong with this of course, it’s just not me).  So when my best friend and partner, this husband of mine, sends me flowers…I know he knows that this time…

this time, the surprise of doorbell-ringing, middle of schooling, children-‘woohoo’ing, Mama-crying, breath-taking flower delivery is so, so much welcomed.

Thank you hon!  I am blessed by you…

when love spills over

oh, September…

Right about this time each year I am tempted to become overwhelmed by the transition from summer schedules to fall routines.  Each week brings a new ‘we start _______ today!’  Bible club, homeschool classes, field hockey, and music lessons are becoming a part of weekly life.  It’s not that our schedule is too full, far from it.  We find ourselves saying ‘NO’ to much more than the actual ‘yes’ activities.  And I am loving the fact that we are home most evenings.

But it all begins at the same time!  With the newness brings paperwork to fill out, backpacks to dig out of closets and prepare for class, etc.  ETC!

When I find my emotions tempted to spin wildly like a washing machine, I pause for a gratitude check and reflection.  Today I think of our end of summer, say good-bye to it, and give thanks ::

for a gathering of Moms, Dads, lots of kids & great food

weekly date nights with my husband (though this continues, yeah!)

for an outdoor worship service & fellowship time with our church family

 

    a fun & filling shrimp boil with other families :: laughing at the fact that we seriously overestimated the amount of food needed!  taking home great memories and munchies

our annual back-to-school campout (in our basement) with a near-by cousin

welcoming the end of the grass-growing season!

for backyard enjoyment, just sitting to read, lie in the shade or watch the stars at night

 

Ah, yes.  That’s much better.  Now I’m ready to welcome all that our new routines bring….

oh, September…

where would I be?

without Your word to lead and guide
sustaining me, encouraging me
rebuking me.

how would I know?

that You love me fully,

lavishly and with abandon

that I can never escape this love.

where would I be without Your word?

Lost.  I would be utterly lost.

thank You, gracious One.  thank You for the written word.

where would I be?

in the midst

In the middle of everything {I’ll just let that word cover all from minor to major stuff}, I try to always be aware of the everyday, the common things to be grateful for.  Instead of listing out my own gifts today, I encourage the community of readers here to consider starting their own gratitude list.  Maybe you’ll blog it.  Or just a notebook that is written in as time allows.  Maybe you’ll just make a list for today.  Whatever the avenue, pause and look for the gifts around you.  Why?  I offer a short list~

Gratitude rejects negativity.  It will literally push away the small talk of complaining!  This is not a practice of denying the realities we face, but rather allowing gratefulness to also fall from our lips.

Gratitude focuses on God’s goodness, not the lack of it.  Whining and grumbling foster an attitude of telling God what He has not done, but gratitude has the opposite effect.

Gratitude reduces stress.  Simply Google that phrase and find a wealth of information on the topic.  Not only in Christian circles, but health magazines, workplace websites, etc.  Give yourself a break and express gratefulness today!

And remember always that gratitude is a choice; it will not just happen, we must make it happen and be intentional in the pursuit. 

So, as we enter a weekend full of what ever life holds for you :: can we pause a moment and write out a few thanksgivings?  Be blessed friends…

 

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in the midst

meeting Isaiah

last week we welcomed into our family

6 pounds 5 ounces and 19 inches of...

...pure grace.

meet grandson Isaiah.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

{I chose a song that has meant much to me the last several months :: rest assured it's a song of celebration, not sadness.  You can find the beginning of Isaiah's story here}

meeting Isaiah

right now

Oh, life is full right now!  Full of goodness, full of randomness (is that a word?) and a tinge of heaviness, though overall much is good.  Ever have a season like that? 

I have found that when the pendulum swings a little too far off and I feel a bit out of balance or the ‘carpet pulled out from under my feet’….seeking out His grace gifts all around restores perspective.  Oh, His grace.  It is more than sufficient :: much more than I deserve or can ask or hope for.  And so I praise Him….

for the completion of another school year of learning and growing with my children

for they have taught me much

the freshness of new growth :: vegetables, fruits in season

the sound of the birds, whispering their songs outside my window

the love of cooking :: making & creating

for the promise of beauty rising from ashes

for the faithfulness of a husband who protects and provides

the steadiness of friendship

laughter!  :: the gift of humor is truly that…a gift

for my One and Only, Jesus.  How I love you so.

 

Pause today and reflect ~ give thanks for the grace all around, always present.

 

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right now

extraordinary grace

fullness from the weekend ~ the grace gifts ::

Good Friday observance with church family, little ones & big ones, young & old all remembering together

songs of praise—He is risen!

family togetherness, quiet afternoons

a new Passover meal tradition! new life cakes…cupcakes in a planting pot!

so very grateful for a husband who understands and allows for my bursts of creativity :: ideas that must come to pass…now! please run to the store to purchase a few terra cotta pots? thanks much hon

children excited once again for celebrations that mean much to our family

Passover candles shining & reminding of His light

little boy breathing easier after last week’s asthma attack

his parents breathing easier too, so grateful to stay out of the hospital

sweet sibling comfort offered to this little brother, prayers said

family.

extraordinary grace

on being twice-born

the first birth :: gratitude for

the hope of new life sustaining pain suffered,

underneath the messy coating of birth fresh beauty never seen before

anticipation settled,

joy unexplainable…

Is this how you reflect upon my birth, precious Lord? Oh, not just the first time :: years ago when I physically entered this arena for life on earth. But the second birth, the one that ties me eternally to You.

Did thoughts of new life coming to your people—the opportunity for fresh relationship—keep you from fleeing the pain of the cross?

Even in the bloody mess did You anticipate salvation settled once and for all?

~ ~ ~

Oh, how I thank you for my second birth! I pause and give gratitude for…

no longer being separated, but connected

Your sacrifice taking my place, making a way

sins lifted, grace given

joy unexplainable…

photo of my youngest son, moments after birth (August 2009)

on being twice-born

gratitude comes softly

sometimes,

it’s hard to see the good. when life’s messes flow freely and the grace always present is flooded by it all.

grace gifts can be hard to spot in murky waters.

but He who is grace, who rises above the flood, is here. and while gratitude does not always come with loud claps of excitement or with shouts…gratitude is what He deserves.

for laughter :: spouse to spouse, side-splitting, tear-inducing laughter

make-up smudges on little girl’s face from use of Mama’s things

sunshine and rain, both needed and appreciated

a girl proud of improvement in math skills

brothers snuggling together

phone calls from my sister, encouraging & uplifting

short words that sit long in my heart

bike rides long-awaited, finally it’s time

butterfly kisses from little ones

spiritual energy renewed

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gratitude comes softly

full of thanks

gratitude for the everyday ::

moments of silence, time to contemplate and ponder, enjoying the stillness

hearing of a little girl’s dreams to grow things

baby’s kisses, sloppy and wet

celebrating God’s grace, His goodness with all the saints in our church community

spouse to spouse sharing :: dreams, thoughts, past and present

for the freedom and right to educate my children

for the peace we experience in our home, even in the midst of difficulty

for better bellies! the exit of a relentless stomach virus

for the promise of spring :: all things new

photos of last year’s spring arrival

full of thanks

gratitude for the everyday

This past week I’ve been focused on giving thanks for the common, the everyday…

 

 

such as ::

little fingers, so small, curling around my own

numerous notes from a certain 6-yr old writer, warming my heart

food in the freezer, the pantry and on our table

a hard-working spouse, making sure our family’s needs are met

smudges on my mirrors from the hands of small ones

laughter!  that daily dose of good medicine

laundry to fold :: never-ending it seems, but grateful for it anyway

phone calls and emails that encourage

 

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gratitude for the everyday

gifts of the season

A kitchen full of the season’s sights, sounds and smells…true gifts of Christmas ::

siblings exchanging decorating ideas

gingerbread filling our senses

just as much icing in mouths as on cookies

a new Christmas CD to enjoy (one of Mama’s birthday presents last month)

family togetherness, including our home-for-a-visit nineteen yr-old

full hearts celebrating His coming

Christmas.

gifts of the season

soul cries

Oh Father, we miss her. We really do.

And while we do not sit with questions of ‘why’, our soul cries out to You in real pain.

To the One who understands our loss.

This grief is so very small compared to the man who called her wife and the children who’s mother is not there at night. We share in their own soul-cry journey from a distance.

And we miss her too, wishing for just one more trip out west…another opportunity to share with friends. It’s difficult for us to accept that those days are over, her passing to Your eternal glory leaves a void here on earth :: and the living grieve.

Comfort your people, O Lord.

Gratitude today for ~

:: bread pudding. Our favorite ‘Annette recipe’ has not been made quite yet, but yesterday we enjoyed a local taste & recounted memories, with tears yes, but precious memories they remain.

:: early morning conversations~spouse to spouse. enjoyed today and reminding me of how our dear friend would never let us get by with a quick ‘fine’ to the question ‘so, how are things?’ We appreciated it!

:: the opportunity for friendships. deep, real friendships.

{photo ~ so completely Annette! At our last campfire together, May 2007, she says ‘Let’s take pictures at the same time!’ So we did.}

soul cries

grace abounds

At the start of a very busy week, one filled with many tasks…I first pause to give thanks ::

for sunshine and leaves, both bright and bold

laid-back Sunday afternoon and evening, a simple day

with a ‘funny dinner’ (my children’s words) of homemade bean dip, blue corn chips, popcorn and grapes

hot tea at the end and start of days

Sunday sermon reminder of His love being the foundation for His law, bringing us life

children’s voices, rising & falling :: more of the first than the second, but that’s okay too

for grace :: abundant, lavish, and available

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grace abounds

9 weeks

nine weeks ago ::

we didn’t know you yet

hadn’t enjoyed your smile

or gurgling newborn sounds

we couldn’t wait for such a long time and now you’re here

as if you’ve always been.

 

how can we not give thanks?

9 weeks