One by One

1251.  Watching him graduate from the eighth grade

1252.  Winning an award for volunteering at the school

1253.  Razzleberry pie a la mode

1254.  First day of summer vacation

1255.  That our cat (finally!) likes to spend time on our laps

1256.  Having coffee with my mom

1257.  Discovering a third baby bird in the nest!

1258.  Watching a baby bird try its wings for the first time

1259.  Finding important papers that were "missing" for about a month

1260.  Seeing her paint on the back patio

1261.  Taking him to his first football practice

1262.  Hearing him tell me all about practice

1263.  How hard they worked on a one-day job for a local tree farmer

1264.  Birdsong in the backyard

1265.  Fresh breezes through the screen door

1266.  Her eleventh birthday

1267.  Listening to her talk and laugh with her three best friends

1268.  When the cat burrows in wrapping paper

1269.  Successful dress rehearsals

1270.  Prayer circles before performances

1271.  Watching her dance beautifully while he plays the piano

1272.  When he smiled at her through the open lid of the piano

1273.  When she gets the giggles and can't stop

1274.  Teaching him how to solve a Sudoku puzzle

1275.  Doing a photo shoot in an old historic clock tower

One by One

1221.  All of the different kinds of palm trees

1222.  Hot tubbing under the stars

1223.  Watching him read Scripture to our children on a sunny bench

1224.  Date milkshakes  (a first!)

1225.  A day at the San Diego Zoo

1226.  Koala bears

1227.  "I love Pop" written in the sand

1228.  Father and daughter standing quietly, staring at the ocean

1229.  When you meet someone for the first time, and it feels like you've known them for years

1230.  Winning the table decoration contest at the Spring Tea fundraiser

1231.  Seeing the yearbook come together

1232.  Receiving "Mom, can you come get me?" texts

1233.  The grateful look on his face when I handed my cold, wet, muddy boy his favorite hot decaf mocha

1234.  Best Mother's Day ever!

1235.  The wise counsel my daughter's teacher gave her...

1236.  ...and that she prayed with her...

1237.  ...and spoke words of life and encouragement into her hurting heart

1238.  End of the school year ice cream parties

1239.  Celebrating 25 years of marriage!

1240.  Surprising my "summer birthday girl" with an early birthday party in her classroom

1241.  Balloon bouquets

1242.  How well she danced in the local talent show

1243.  Hay bales dotting the fields

1244.  Watching birds build a nest in the eaves

1245.  How quietly the mama bird sits each day

1246.  How alert and watchful she is over her nest

1247.  Seeing two tiny baby birds peek their heads over the edge!

1248.  Hungry beaks open wide

1249.  My mom, an expert at altering clothes and costumes!

1250.  Photo scavenger hunts

One by One

Hello to my readers, after a very long break!  It has been nearly nine months since my last post. This break in posting was not intentional, but just the result of being a busy mom and living life!  As Christmas approaches, it seems a fitting time to jump back in with counting His gifts, and naming them one by one.  I have quite a backlog to get through, as I continued to count, even though I wasn't blogging.  Won't you join me for a look back at how He has blessed me this year?

1196.  His first smile without braces!

1197.  Buying him a caramel candy bar because he could eat it!

1198.  Waking them up to watch the lunar eclipse

1199.  Bundled up in blankets on the back patio

1200.  That the sky was clear that night!  (not always a given in Oregon!)

1201.  Watching the moon slowly disappear

1202.  The stillness that night brings

1203.  When someone speaks His truth directly into your life...

1204.  ...and they don't even know it

1205.  Words of wisdom scribbled on scraps of paper so they won't be forgotten

1206.  Watching the children wander down the beach together

1207.  Watching them chase the waves...

1208.  ...and the waves chase them!

1209.  Finding a new favorite beach spot

1210.  The drive to Palm Springs

1211.  Hiking on San Jacquinto mountain

1212.  The smell of a Jeffrey pine tree

1213.  Family horse ride

1214.  The different perspective you get when horseback riding

1215.  Riding through the desert...

1216.  ...and into an oasis, complete with palm trees and a stream

1217.  The coolness of shade

1218.  The gurgle of water in a dry and dusty place

1219.  Gourmet milkshakes...

1220.  ...with a mini doughnut around the straw!

One By One

1181.  Birthday doughnuts for his classmates

1182.  My son's 14th birthday

1183.  His healing touch on my aunts

1184.  Rollerskating

1185.  Her sweet friends who spend the night

1186.  How they make a "nest" out of blankets and pillows

1187.  Resolution to a stressful situation

1188.  Receiving my passport

1189.  That they think about what it means to be a true friend...

1190.  ...and are choosing friends wisely

1191.  Vacation countdowns

1192.  His encouraging words when I am unsure of myself

1193.  The wonderful ministry going on at Sole Hope

1194.  Her growing understanding of how the Word of God applies to her life

1195.  The vibrant colors of spring

Serving Lemonade

At the beginning of the school year, my daughter was given a large poster to fill out information about herself as a fun way to introduce herself to her classmates.  There were blank spots for favorite food, favorite book, favorite animal, etc.  One section asked her to tell about a fun memory.  She chose to write about the time that she and my husband worked together to make a costume that looked like a mailbox.  Tucked right in the middle of her story was the following line:

“…while my Mom served us lemonade.”

What a surprise to read that!  It didn’t have anything to do with the costume-making process, but it was clearly an important detail that she felt needed to be included as part of that memorable time.

I sometimes struggle with wondering if I’m doing enough as a parent.  It seems like there is always something more that could have been done, or done better, whenever I pause to reflect on the past.  I want to do the very best I can to raise Godly, well-adjusted children who will advance the Kingdom when they are released from our nest.  Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that I have to do big, notable, or even extravagant things that will have an impact on my children.  Her comment about the lemonade was encouraging.  It reminded me that while I need to take my job as a parent seriously and do my best, I don’t need to strive as hard as I sometimes convince myself is necessary.  Having an impact on your children isn’t about supplying a never-ending string of “big events” or dollars invested, as the world would have you believe.  It’s about time…time spent reading books, being in the Word together, talking over dinner, listening to them, playing board games…

…and serving lemonade.

One By One

1166.  The unique, rhythmic call of guinea hens

1167.  Feathery roosters

1168.  Celery and peanut butter

1169.  Friends who stay for the weekend

1170.  Getting my ticket for Allume 2014

1171.  Perusing travel booklets

1172.  Discovering Journibles

1173.  Journaling through Psalm 119

1174.  Grandparents' Day at their school

1175.  That she remembered making applesauce with them

1176.  Their love and guiding presence in the lives of my children

1177.  Working as a team to win the group project in his classroom

1178.  Planning with them for an upcoming event

1179.  Planning a special retreat for my daughter

1180.  Deep cleaning the house

A Simple Reminder

Getting the kids to school on time can sometimes be a challenge!  On one recent morning, we made it out of the house on time, but my daughter discovered that she had forgotten her coat.  She has been fighting a head cold recently, so I decided to bring her coat out to the school a couple of hours later during her first recess.  She was in the gym, so I just placed her coat on the back of her seat and had a short conversation with her teacher.  When I turned around to leave, she was standing behind me.  Her question was one I didn’t expect…

“Why do you think about me so much?”

She then added, “I’m ten years old, Mom!  I can handle being a little cold during recess!”

I responded with the following words, “Well, I think about you all the time because I love you!  I know that you have been fighting a cold lately, and I just wanted to bring a jacket out to you so that you would be a little more comfortable.”

She thanked me, and we said our goodbyes as she ran back to the gym.  As I pulled out of the parking lot, it struck me how much I am like her sometimes in my relationship with the Lord.  Life has big events…situations when we know we are in over our heads and we seek Him for direction, wisdom, comfort, and peace.  Life is also full of “little things” … those situations that we encounter every day that seem fairly insignificant and easy to manage.  Oh how easy it is to get lulled into thinking that we can handle “the little things” on our own.

My encounter with her that morning was a simple reminder of the nature and character of our Heavenly Father.  His children are always on His mind, and He lovingly meets each and every need.  It also reminded me that I need to rely on Him daily…even in the little things. 

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”  (Jeremiah 31:3)

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

One By One

1151.  Sitting next to my friend M during worship

1152.  Being an adviser for the yearbook

1153.  That my "techie" husband solved my computer woes...

1154.  ...and did so with incredible patience (with me and the computer)!

1155.  Blankets of snow...

1156.  ...and the hush it brings to the world

1157.  Impromptu lunch with a friend

1158.  Eating DQ Blizzards in a snow storm!

1159.  Trees full of plump, red-breasted robins

1160.  Being snowed in...

1161.  ...which meant more family time together

1162.  That we only lost power for a minute

1163.  Watching the Olympics with the family

1164.  Breaking in my new popcorn popper!

1165.  Finding the lid to my favorite casserole dish that got 'lost' in the move six months ago!

One By One

1131.  Christmas 2013

1132.  Sampling my brother's cooking for the first time (yum!)

1133.  The first day in six weeks she said she didn't have a headache from her concussion

1134.  Playing Scotland Yard with friends on New Year's Eve

1135.  Making a special breakfast New Year's Day

1136.  When my pastor put his arm around my son and said, "Come with me, I need your help."

1137.  Little lambs with their heads poking out of the tall grass

1138.  Being a guest speaker at their school chapel

1139.  Mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge sauce

1140.  Reconnecting with my friend Caryn

1141.  That the first Whisperings All-Star Award show was a success

1142.  Sitting on a sea wall in the sunshine, talking with my husband

1143.  Wandering around Laguna Beach, espresso in hand

1144.  Watching the sunset on a deserted beach with my husband

1145.  When she asked her Grandpa if he could make blueberry pancakes...

1146.  ...and he made it seem like a great idea (even though it was already on the menu)

1147.  That she's learning at a young age the importance of keeping your word...

1148.  ...even under intense peer pressure

1149.  Watching my son play a piece written by his father...

1150.  ...and that he did a beautiful job!

Five Minute Friday: Hero

We live in a society that loves recognition.  People love to be named and noticed for the great things they achieve or accomplish.  From a very young age, we are exposed to the concept of a “super hero,” where a man of courage stands atop a tall building in a darkened city, cape flapping in the breeze, ready to fight evil at a moment’s notice.  We are drawn to stories of men and women who selflessly risk it all to pull someone from a mangled car or a burning building.  I admire these people and hope that I would act the same way if the situation presented itself.

As I grow older though, I am finding that my definition of a hero is changing.  For me, heroes are everyday people who live out their faith.  They are humble in spirit, tend to shun the spotlight, and don’t waste time with pretenses.  They make mistakes, but they are not afraid to admit to them, and endeavor to learn from them.  They are people of integrity.  They stand for righteousness, even at the risk of great personal loss.  They praise the Lord and see His goodness, even in the midst of cancer treatment.  When life deals a heavy blow and the battle is raging around them, they get up every single day and see it as a day full of His mercies and covered in grace. 

These are my “caped crusaders.”  I am blessed to be surrounded by such people in my life.  As I walk through life with them, I aspire to learn from them what it means to “live out loud” as we seek Christ together.