Today

This is my birthday week! Yay! I love birthdays, and I had a great one this year.

The celebrations actually began LAST weekend when my parents-in-law were here and we all went out to East Coast Grill for a birthday dinner. It was SO fun.

Sunday was the actual day. There wasn't time for a special breakfast, because it was "church day" and John was preaching. But Theo said, "We have to have a special breakfast! It's your birthday!" We compromised with the Dunkin' Donuts drive-through on the way to church.

The children gave me an awesome musical card. You know, the ones that play music when you open them? This one was Alvin and the Chipmunks singing "Funky Town". This was selected by Theo and they all LOVE it! Lucy picked out some fluorescent colored pencils for me and the boys gave me a WICKED AWESOME clear umbrella, the kind that comes down over you like a bubble. I just love it! And I've been wanting one, too!

Going to church on your birthday is lots of fun because you get lots of people to say happy birthday to you and it makes you feel really special. At least it made me feel really special! And thanks to Facebook, you also get lots of birthday greetings from hundreds of people that you don't really even know all that well. And that makes you feel special, too. At least it did to me!

Monday was a faculty day at my school and we went on a field trip to this amazing place. The Community of Jesus is down on the Cape. The most striking thing about the place is the gorgeous church they have built on the property. The artwork on both the exterior and interior of the building is beyond belief...frescoes and mosaics done by Italian artists, carved stonework, a huge and beautiful organ. The weather was not typical November weather - sunny and in the upper 60s - so we enjoyed everything about the day.

Oh, wait the title of this post is today...and I didn't even mention today!

That will have to come tomorrow! Good night!

Sometimes

...you just have to grit your teeth.

One of my sons is playing with a toy that makes a COMPLETELY ANNOYING sound. I am SO tempted to tell him to knock it off!

But I remind myself that a) he's having a lot of fun with it, b) it won't last the whole morning (please, don't let it last the whole morning) and c) it's good to not be an annoyed, snippy parent. He's not trying to be bad or irritating.

One of my home-schooling friends used a beautiful phrase on her blog the other day, as she wrote about their days together: "Like sandpaper, rubbing sometimes all day long, we become smoother." Lord, let the rubbing make me and us smoother every day. Jesus, help!

One by one

One by one, I want to number the things for which I give thanks, the things that remind me that I'm the daughter of a loving Father.

The thing that I love about this is that they do not depend on the circumstances of my life! His goodness doesn't change. I want to hold onto the idea that even in the worst storm, I could continue this list, calling out the ways He shows and declares His tender care.

Today I bought a journal that I intend to turn into a Gratitude Journal for the family. Especially this month, I want all of us to have the place and opportunity to write things as they come to mind.

Here's part of my continuing list...

0121
great discussion with the boys at our devotional time tonight

0122
reading Little Pilgrim's Progress with Theo (and whoever wants to listen) and hearing his observations

0123
the blessing of being able to buy the groceries I need

0124
my preacher husband. He is so faithful, to me and to the Church and to the Word.

0125
a yummy dinner of sausage ratatouille. Good, good, good.

0126
looking forward to my birthday this weekend! I've always loved my birthday. And I share it with THREE wonderful sisters at church!!!

Blessing to you tonight!

In case you're wondering, the photos from yesterday and today are from Mix and Match Day at the boys' school last week!

November

Bet that picture got your attention!

It's been too long since I posted, my friends! So much has been going on. We had Halloween and my dear parents-in-law visited. Man, October was one busy month!

This month I want to keep special track of the blessings of the Lord. I want to foster a heart of gratitude each and every day. Tonight, as I write, I've been struggling with a very ungrateful and angry spirit. And the verse that rang in my ears as I cursed under my breath was from Jonah, the book that we've been taught from at church.

Twice God asks Jonah, the reluctant prophet, this question: "Do you do well to be angry?"

I felt God asking me that same question tonight, as I raged in my heart about my perception of how my children provoke me, ignore my instruction, blah, blah, blah. Me, me, me. Forgetting, like Jonah, that I am a sinner.

Forgetting, like Jonah, that before I was in Christ, I was fully deserving the righteous wrath of God.

Forgetting, like Jonah, that my own anger is VERY RARELY righteous or justified.

Again, I turn to giving thanks, a surefire way to experience a change of heart, a foolproof method of finding my joy again.

Let me not delay to remember, and give thanks. On our way to 1000 Blessings!

#0112 - 0120

0112
the words of the Lord coming back to me, "Do you do well to be angry?" Gulp.

0113
our community group from church

0114
being able to get up earlier than usual the past several weeks. I hope make it earlier still in the coming weeks

0115
time with the grandparents. So good to be with them and miss them while we're apart.

0116
my special friend, M. I love being her friend and am so grateful for her and her family. They are really and truly gifts to us.

0117
real enjoyment in classroom teaching these days. And today I received some great feedback from a highly respected colleague. I yearn for feedback! And positive feedback makes me feel so good.

0118
that the Lord can use anyone, even me, even Jonah, even you!

0119
the last brilliant days of fall. I love leaves swirling through the air

0120
looking ahead to February when I will travel to Dominican Republic with my students. Lots to pray about and plan for!

For more potent reminders about gratitude, finding beauty, giving thanks and walking with the Lord, may I highly recommend A Holy Experience, written by Ann Voskamp? She says it all so much more eloquently than I do.

More tomorrow! Don't miss these last two pictures...

How her mind works

I know, I know, second Lucy post in a row. But she's so funny!!! To me, at least.

Here's a log of some of her thoughts and sayings on our car ride to school today. Whew, what a ride!

This is all Lucy:

(in a worried voice as we drove out of our neighborhood) I hope we see my favorite color, green, today!

(a few seconds later) Oh, there's some green! In the trees!!

(in a quiet voice, to herself) My God is so...strong. He talked and things...came.

(as we crossed the Charles River) It's a good day to canoe!

(as we passed the Harvard playing fields) I wish there was a bigger guy football game. Mom, will you sign me up for football? Then I can be big and strong like my mom.

[Later in the ride I gave a friendly toot of the horn...yes, I promise it was friendly...this time...to warn someone that I was in his blind spot.]

(when we picked up the brothers, this was the first thing she said to them when they opened the door) Guys, guess what?! Mom honked!!!

Our story

Got a Lucy story for you.
This was our conversation the other day in the car:

L (sounding skeptical): So, Mom, when there was nothing in our story, Jesus TALKED and things were made?

K: Yes, that's right, God spoke and things were made!

L (still not sure): So...when there was nothing in our story, Jesus TALKED? And things were made?!

K: Yes! Isn't that amazing?

L: He can do magic!! I can't do magic!

And then a few days later, she asked this:

L: Mom, how is our story going to end?

(By this time, I'm catching on to the fact that "our story" is life as we know it. Love that phrase.)

K: Well, the Bible says that Jesus is going to come back and there will be a new heaven and new earth, and we are going to get new bodies!!

L (whimpering): I don't want a new body!

Another day as we walked out of the house, she asked, "Are there going to be any squirrels in our story today?"

Our life is one big story.

Multitude Monday

Time to continue the list. Since my last Gratitude post, I've heard from more friends about how this list has encouraged them with their own thanks to our Father!

Glory be! It really does make us different!

0095-0111

0095
time away to learn the teaching craft; it give me great joy

0096
apple picking with friends; an autumn tradition continued, this time in the lovely mountains of New Hampshire

0097
Oldest son waving to me from across a field with an enthusiastic, "Hi, Mom!!!" So glad he still likes me. :)

0098
church retreat and living our lives with these dear friends

0099
our boys sitting at lunch table with a bunch of single friends from church, chatting and laughing together

0100
amazing foliage colors in NH! Glory!

0101
gospel teaching over the weekend and great discussions afterward

0102
stars...you can see so many of them when you leave the city!! I had forgotten.

0103
anticipation of a few days away with sweet husband! Fancy hotel, here we come!

0104
remembering God's faithfulness as I looked around at church friends over the weekend. He has done and is doing so much in our midst.

0105
time on my drive to Maine to really pray and sing and admire the creation

0106
sweet memories of our early years of marriage and living in lovely New England

0107
this morning, I woke up for a bit and then was allowed to go BACK TO SLEEP. It was that deep, sweet, relaxed sleep that I don't feel that I get very often. Mmmmmm.

0108
laughing with son #3 and seeing him grow in confidence

0109
holding Lucy, my sweet baby. The way I yearn for her is just a little picture of how the Father yearns for me. Can you believe it?!?

0110
thinking about the story of the prodigal son, and how maybe he felt when he saw his father RUNNING down the road toward him, all dignity and caution thrown to the wind. May I feel THAT love as I learn to authentically repent and move on in Christ's life.

0111
apple crisp from the fair and our SWEET friends who brought it to us! What did we do to deserve such a gift?

Thank you, Lord, for your goodness to us! You whisper your love in so many ways.

Read more and see the Gratitude lists of others at Holy Experience.