Prayer Book

I have been feeling very convicted lately about the power of prayer.  I have been thinking of ways to teach this to the girls.  So, I finally had the idea of a Family Prayer Book.    I often write down prayer requests on my own, and it is amazing to look back and see how the Lord has answered prayer for our family and friends. 

For our family prayer book, I want to get a nice empty journal and keep it on the kitchen table.  Any of us can enter requests (Lydia with some assistance, of course), and I hope to review it with the girls at dinner time each night. We can pray for those things together as a family at meal time.

I hope this is a family activity that really works for us and we do it for many years to come!

Humble me

Humble me Lord.......
Today I have struggled with feelings of anger and frustration when a client was upset with me...were my feelings hurt?  Yes...a bit.  I wanted to argue and prove a point, defend my actions and the efforts I had made to help a difficult situation. 

I prayed...prayed that God would soften my heart.  I told myself that it was impossible to make everyone happy.

And then, at one point during the day, it occurred to me that Jesus didn't come to earth to make everyone happy. Not everyone approved of what He said or did.

So what makes me think that I am any different?

Humble me, Lord.....help me to always strive to do your will and be your servant.  Help me to remember that it is only YOUR approval that I seek....

Tender Words

Our girls always say the sweetest things.  Unfortunately, our finite minds tend to forget such sweet memories....
these are words that are worthy of print.

Recently, Lydia said "My Dad is beautiful."

The other night, Clara and I were spending some quiet moments before bed.  We were talking about her favorite moments of the day.  As we were talking, I was combing her wet har. After naming a few fav moments, Clara concluded that "right now" (aka the time with me) was the best moment of the day.  This was extra special for me since our morning had been full of rough parenting over cleaning up toys.  It had left me exhausted and emotionally spent.  However, those few minutes with her at the end of the day and her sweet honesty was the best gift ever!

Another tender moment that comes to mind is from last Christmas.  We went to Tennessee, and I always cry A LOT when I leave my mom.  My little sister, Mary Grace, who was 3 at the time, was very concerned about my crying. I told her they were happy tears. Mary took her small hands, wiped my tears off my cheeks, and then wiped them on her own cheeks....saying that she wanted my happy tears.  Well, the river overflowth at that! 

I wish I could soak in every sweet word, every tender look, every radiant smile.  Life is so short.  I am so thankful that one day I will get to spend eternity basking in all that is good with my Lord and my family.

Blog Book

I have recently heard that you can have your blog printed as a book. Wow...what a great idea! I had tried to start small written books for the girls, but a blog book would be really neat! I am going to have to do better at blogging and documenting things.

Today is Canada Day. It has been a nice day at home, and we ventured out to the fairgrounds for some fun.

We are so blessed to live in a country where we can freely worship Jesus! I think of all the places in the world where people do not have this right, and it makes me very sad.

I can hear the fireworks in our neighborhood now, and my sweet family is falling asleep watching Peter Pan.

Off to sweet dream land.....
grits

So, it has been a VERY long time since I posted anything. Seems like time just flies by in a whirlwind of schedules, laundry, and a few hours of sleep. A blog that I follow (see the button on my blog for The Macs) just had the most amazing makeover. The designer is The Design Girl...she has GREAT blog designs, graphics, and really cool digital scrapbooking kits! I've added her button on my blog as well, so be sure to pop over and see all that she has to offer!

Simple gifts

Life is a holy experience....so much can be missed by whirling through the minutes, focusing on tasks at hand, dreams to be chased.

Yet, each day has so many simple gifts...tender moments to be grasped and savored. Endless gifts that are ours for the taking, if we only take the time to own them.


children laughing
the smell of freshly cut grass
the soft, rhythmic breathing of your child as they sleep beside you
holding hands with your sweetheart
the coolness of rain
the wonder of watching a garden grow
capturing the memory of a child's smile, eyes glistening with life
the touch of a child's hand


And such are these precious things....
For a really awesome blog on endless gifts, go to the blog "Holy Experience"...see under my blog list!

Sunday thinking.....

A few weeks ago, we were at a birthday party and my husband overheard our oldest daughter talking about God to the birthday boy. It was such a sweet conversation to listen too, and it really warmed my heart. It humbled me though. Here is my 4 yr old daughter sharing the good news of Christ to her friend. She wasn't intimidated or afraid. She was doing it out of love and pure goodness. However, how many opportunities have I had to do the same thing, but have chosen not to because I was afraid of how a person might react? I am ashamed to think about it. I need to follow the foot steps of my sweet child more.........

Last night Tom and I had the privilege to share a meal with some good friends. It was nice to spend a few hours with them, and laugh (they especially liked laughing at me!) It was a really good time with good food, enjoying people that I hope to know for the rest of my life. God has certainly blessed me!

I'll write more later.......