blessed beyond measure

When I was in fourth or fifth grade, my family adopted another less fortunate family for Christmas. Whether we did this on our own or as part of a larger group I don't know. What I do know is I stood in their tiny apartment, freshly wrapped gifts in the corner, bags of groceries and a rent check on the kitchen counter, and watched my mother and that family's mother wrapped in each other's arms weeping tears of joy and gratitude. It is a moment I will never, ever forget, two women who didn't know each other from Adam so overwhelmed by the power of humility and loving like Jesus. Right then and there I made the decision that I was going to serve the Lord with my life. Through the years I have watched my Mom and Dad pour themselves out for God, for any in need. Acts of kindness and sacrifice big and small. And with this, I know no other way than to give. To work. To make even the smallest difference. I so love where God has planted me right now. Pretty much ever...

Everybody has their normal. It's what gives life its rhythm, this dance repeated day by day with the movement of the sun. You wake up with a well-worn path blazed through your brain and an unspoken adieu to your warm cozy bed - see you in seventeen hours. Robotic routine takes over with the underlying goal of ending up with a higher stack of did good than did bad. We tend to thrive on repeated process in our house, most likely because the two of us who quite literally see eye to eye flat on our feet are hardcore planners who find peace in knowing what to expect and when and how and surprises are extremely anxiety-inducing. Even good ones. There are two problems with routine, though. One is small talk. As my three well-seasoned readers are fully aware, introverts can't do small talk. After "How are you" is over and done with, our brains glitch scrolling high-speed through our files of what to possibly say next and actually, physically shut down. Then, dread o...

The sky was purple this morning as I shuffled to the side door and raised the shade. Hello, garden. Hello, mountains. Good morning, Lord. The newness and my thankfulness every day expressing itself as a deep breath that fogs up the glass. The boys are awake and calm and steady. Trey always with a plan, Aden six months in finally accepting the fact that school days aren't going anywhere. With a little coaxing, both have been working so hard. Different gifts, different needs, different ways of learning. More than a decade into this parenting gig and I'm still amazed at their individuality. Guess that's not going anywhere either. Basketball season is over, the best season we've ever been a part of. Brandon and our sweet Golden Eagles went further, with more wins, than any team in recent history. A very tangible answer to my constant prayer that the Lord will continue to show Brandon that he's right where he's supposed to be. As much as we love the ...