“Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given,
never grasped.
God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift
given: joy.”
Ann Voskamp
...coming across this great reminder one morning...
...kitchen floor snuggles with Will one afternoon...while I was making lunch he kept coming over and trying to get my attention...so often I just keep on doing what I'm doing as I talk to him but this afternoon I stopped and got down on the floor with him and loved on him and he kept saying "do it again Mommy"...
...the joy in his heart as he jumps in a pile of leaves and says "I love autumn"...
...the joy in his heart as he jumps in a pile of leaves and says "I love autumn"...
...coming across this gem one morning...
"Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
Psalm 106:44-45
...hearing Eli read "Green Eggs and Ham"...
"Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
Psalm 106:44-45
...hearing Eli read "Green Eggs and Ham"...
...a night out with good friends...great conversation, great food and pumpkin cheesecake to end the evening...
...seeing this out our front door one morning...there is something so mysterious and beautiful about fog that makes you stop and slow...
...coming across this promise one morning...Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
...little "munchkin man"...
...family picture idea coming to fruition FINALLY...
...a family dinner around the table...candle lit, table set and boys loud and laughing...
...friends all gathered at our home for homeschool science one afternoon...
...a dinner party to celebrate a friends 40th birthday where we laugh long into the evening...
...studying Judges 11 with my CBS class and coming across this little nugget of wisdom regarding Jephthah in vs 3...
"Circumstances beyond his control forced Jephthah away from his people and into life as an outcast. Today, both believers and nonbelievers may drive away those who do not fit the norms dictated by society, neighborhoods, or churches. Often, as in Jephthah's case, great potential is wasted because of prejudice--a refusal to look beyond ill-conceived stereotypes. Look around you and see if there are potential Jephthahs being kept out due to factors beyond their control. As a Christian you know that everyone can have a place in God's family. Can you do anything to help these people gain acceptance for their character and abilities?"
...this song and its truth..."I know who goes before me...I know who stands behind...the God of angel armies is always by my side"...
...being in the classroom with the boys for American Education Week...
...my husband that lovingly reminds me to take one step at a time and to remember that God already knows whats next...
...shoebox packing party with Operation Christmas Child...
...taking my little train man to the holiday train garden for the afternoon...
...and for the photographer in me...achieving bokeh in the above iPhone picture...
...a full, fun soccer season coming to an end...
...a full, fun soccer season coming to an end...