Shared Cheetos

My youngest son's most favorite snacks is Cheetos. He would eat them all day if he could. Today at lunch I gave him a few to eat with his sandwich. When I sat down next to him to eat my lunch there was a single Cheeto in my spot. I looked at him and he smiled and said "Look what I got for you, momma!"  To know that he was willing to give up something that is valuable to him, a 4 year old, not out of obedience but out of love, without being asked! How often do I give up things that are valuable to me and give them to those I love? What a gift!

baby dedication

Sunday was Sydney's baby dedication.  We were so blessed to have friends and family there.

We are so blessed to have friends and family near and away support us and help us raise our 3 kids! What a Gift!

Birds don't sow or reap

Today was the first day of my challenge to name 1000 gifts that God gives to me. I was excited to see what would jump out in front of me this morning to be my first one.  But that's not how I found it. I was waiting in car-rider line to drop my youngest son off at preschool. As I was sitting, I glanced out my window at the empty church parking lot and there I saw a bird pecking the ground finding food. At first, it didn't mean anything but then I was reminded of the verses in Matthew: " Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" ~ Gift #1: a quiet, I almost missed it, reminder of His goodness to me!

Give Thanks

My mom recently gave me a book called One Thousand Gifts written by Ann Voskamp.  Little did I know how much it would challenge my life. It is a challenge to live a whole and full life right were I am now; To realize all the gifts God bestows on us in the daily, mundane, hum-drum of life AND to give thanks.  To give thanks with full hands or empty ones and to name them, one by one. She says "it's a dare to name all the ways that God loves me. The true love dare. To move into His presence and listen to His love unending and know the grace uncontainable." So, i am taking the challenge she puts forth to make a list of 1000 gifts; the spectum is broad: my salvation, my family, to warmth of a spring day, the reminder of family at the sound of my perculator, the smell of fresh cut grass, etc.  It's thanking Him for His goodness. "The gift list is thinking upon His goodness- and this pleases Him most!" Take the challenge!