How can I forget?

Do you ever forget how God has been faithful to you in the past? I'm not sure why or how I can forget this, but I do.

The summer after my freshmen year of college I worked as a camp counselor at Camp Willow Run. It was an amazing experience! While there, I had a bad fall water skiing. Turns out I cracked three vertebrae in my lower back (L1, L2 and L3) After various x-rays and orthopedic surgeon visits, I was told that it was likely there was weakness already there and the water skiing fall caused the cracks. I was bedridden for several weeks and in excruciating pain. When I returned to Virginia Tech for my sophomore year, I scheduled less classes so I could keep up with all the physical therapy I would need to do to strengthen my back. It was a trying time. I was cautioned not to exercise because of the potential risks of damaging my back further. Aside from walking to classes, I was pretty sedentary. I gained weight and was not happy about that at all. Occasionally I swam laps (which was considered safe), but was pretty insecure about being in a swim suit.

But GOD WAS FAITHFUL and HE is still faithful today. He brought me through that time and as far as I know, my back is fine. I can't even remember all the details, but I think after not being in pain for a several years I chose to be more active again. I started biking my senior year and then eventually running. I haven't had any other back issues. Praise be to God!

I can't imagine how different life would be if I couldn't be active with my three VERY active boys. Today while running as fast as I could to keep up with three biking boys, I was struck by how much I love this part of boys. What a gift that I am able to run and bike and keep up with my busy guys. My heart was full of joy as we laughed and dripped with sweat together. Praise the Lord for these moments. How can I doubt His faithfulness and provision?

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:24

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more then all we ask or imagine, according to his power that at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Taking time to "Smell the Roses"

In the past month as I've struggled as a homeschool mom and as a parent, the Lord has been gently reminding me to slow down and enjoy the now; to enjoy the precious moments He has given me! Whether it's been a blog post, daily devotional, scripture or a passing comment from a friend, it has been a recurring theme that has been nagging at me. I've been challenged greatly to LOOK for the delightful moments (in the midst of the bumpy times), to lessen the distractions, and to find ways to joyfully engage with my children.

Some "roses" I'm smelling today...
1) I delighted in a bike ride through the neighborhood with the boys. I especially enjoyed Aaron pedaling so fast on his bike with his mouth open and tongue curled in delight. He kept saying, "Awesome!"

2) Digging up earthworms and watching them wriggle in little hands.

3) Eating lunch together on the deck with a cool breeze and bright sunshine.

4) Eating spinach from our garden in my salad for lunch. yummy!

5) Pulling weeds in the yard while the boys pretended to be a lawn care crew. They used plant stakes to pretend to trim and weedwack the yard. All three were kept busy with this for 30+ minutes complete with "buzzing" noises and pretty realistic sound effects. Almost put me to sleep... almost. :)

6) Painting with the boys -- I don't usually enjoy this because of the clean up and the short attention span, but ever since art class they are inspired! I have delighted in their creativity today.

It's time to pull out our thankful journal and pick up where we left off. It's such a good thing for my heart to practice looking for these blessings from God!

Fix

The Lord is so quick to encourage my heart! wow! The problem is not "fixed," but I am so encouraged to fix my eyes on Jesus and not my problems. Wanted to share an excerpt from my devotions this morning and some scripture the Lord led me to this morning. I hope it encourages you as it has me.

The only way to keep your balance is to fix your eyes on Me, the One who never changes. If you gaze too long at your circumstances, you will become dizzy and confused. Look to Me, refreshing yourself in My Presence, and your steps will be steady and sure. ~ Sarah Young (as if Jesus was speaking to us)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. 

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - 

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 

who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 

he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:8-12

Wired

It's way past my bedtime and I'm getting up in a little over five hours to go running. I'm exhausted, but wired. After almost three weeks hosting my little brother Jonathan, and his family, they departed today for Canada. I am feeling sad to say goodbye, not knowing when I'll see them next... maybe in a year or two or three? It was a completely exhausting three weeks, but also a cherished three weeks. It was the longest I have spent with my brother since high school. That was twenty years ago!?! There was never a dull moment in the house while the kids were awake. Always a need(s) to be met, meal to be prepped, laundry to be folded or some parental training opportunity. ;) Jonathan and his family got to see the good, the bad and the ugly in our house. And in the midst of all that, I had the opportunity to get to know Jonathan all over again. I enjoyed realizing the similarities between us as well as the differences. I loved reminiscing about our growing up years. I appreciated seeing him serve his family and was encouraged by his no nonsense parenting. Although he's been married for almost seven years, I've only had short visits with his wife once a year in all those years because they live so far away. This time, I had the chance to get to know Sarah a little more too. Such a treat! And who could forget those two sweet girls I got to hug and play with!!

Hopefully over the next couple weeks I'll sift through my 400 photos to find the pictures that best capture my memories. I'm overflowing with thankfulness! I think it's time to schedule a trip to western Canada so we don't have to wait years before seeing them again.

Did I mention they insisted on baby sitting the kids one night so we could go out on a date? They fed and put to bed all five kids. It was awesome! Thank you Jonathan and Sarah!!

Swirling

I am warning you now that this post is going to be very long and very disjointed. My head is swirling... let's see if you can make it to the end. :) I have no idea how to organize my thoughts.

* This weekend was truly tiring, but I'm still in awe of how God even cares about the less important details of our lives. So humbled by how he uses situations to draw His people to Him. So thankful that He shows His love for us.  "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1


And really, the weekend circumstances were all about trusting Him. Do I trust Him with everything? Do I trust Him to take care of my family and me? Do I trust Him only when things are good or do I also trust Him when things are hard? When I trust Him, then I will find strength.  "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust are your strength." Isaiah 30:15


* I recently read an interview with Ann Voskamp on the blog Preschooler's and Peace. It really got my brain thinking and pondering. The question was "How do you grasp the idea of living a 'spiritual life' as opposed to having a 'Bible Time' as part of school?" I loved her answer so I'm going to copy portions of it below. You can read more here.

~This, for me, is at the heart of what kind of life I am praying to live. I
don't want to box up God into a "quiet time," as if that is the only place I
can meet Him. I want Him to flood all of the messiness and craziness and
beauty of every moment of my day. I think everyone wants that. But what does
that look like? What does that really mean? 


To live a spiritually holistic life, one can't simply have "Bible time" and expect to nourish an intimate relationship with Jesus. It is about keeping company with Jesus for the other 23 hours of the day, speaking with Him, singing to Him, praying to Him, calling out to Him, resting in Him--living in Him. -Ann Voskamp

* School this week has been different, but good. I like routine and I know that the boys benefit from routine, but our routine this week has been off. 
     On Monday, we were all still recovering from our weekend and we didn't start school until 10:30am! (gasp!) This is very unlike normal and it was VERY hard to rein the boys back in after they had a couple hours to get involved in play. However, we did finally work on our lessons and after some coaxing were able to focus and finish up strong. None of us wanted to do school, but we did and I'm thankful for the freedom that home schooling allows. Especially the freedom to stay in jammies!!
     I was wiser on Tuesday, so we started on time. Somehow though it felt more relaxed. A lot of time was spent reading and cuddling and that made me thankful for home schooling again. Thankful for those moments with the boys. We did not go to art class mid-day on Tuesday due to some cold germs and that eliminated the rush out the door -- and allowed the boys to stay in jammies again. 
     Today, Ethan had a low fever so we stayed home from Community Bible Study... another break in our routine. I decided we would do things a little differently for school and it worked. I put Luke and Ethan's name into a box and had them draw out one name. Whatever name I pulled out was the boy I worked with independently while the others played cooperatively upstairs. Then we swapped.  And again...another day in jammies for the boys. Of course I don't like when they're not feeling 100%, but they sure are mellow. :)

* We're continuing to fill in our thankful journal at meal times, but not as often as I would like. 
     I am thankful for:
     203. Christian music! I love singing along to songs with good words.
     204. Little voices singing boldly along with the Christian music
     205. dinner in the crockpot
     206. warm days in January
     207. good books
     208. jammies


* This was a verse we memorized with Luke's curriculum and I love it. 

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

For those of you who made it to the end of this crazy post... ** SURPRISE** leave a comment here or send me an email (djlsmith@verizon.net) by January 27th and I'll put your name into a drawing for a free copy of "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. Make sure you include a way for me to contact you. :) I've always wanted to have a give away. 

Kid Thanks

Here's a quick simple thank you note idea for kids...

The boys received lots of thoughtful gifts from family for Christmas and I think it's important to have them write notes of thanks. However, one per day is all we can manage on top of our school work. 

(So it's taking us a while to complete them.)

Using the boys fingerprints, I made these cards. Not fancy at all, but cute. (I just colored their fingers with washable marker and made the print. It easily washed off at bath time. I attached the white paper to a folded piece of cardstock, and put the thank you notes from the boys inside.)

Luke did the majority of the writing and Ethan added a word or two and his name. 

Aaron's contribution was just his fingerprint -- which was fine with me. 6 down, 2 to go! 

Turkey Traveling Continues

After one night visiting with my side of the family, we packed up our bags and headed to Darin's side of the family. I am so thankful for more beautiful weather and the opportunity to be outside playing. Darin's sister, her husband and their kids (1 boy, 2 girls) met us at his parents for Friday and Saturday. We spent quite a bit of time outside playing football, kickball, basketball and playing at the park. Perfect for my busy boys!

Our second baseman (Luke) and permanent pitcher (Darin). 

 My nephew has lots of sports experience but was very patient with our simple game. 

My niece had such a terrific attitude and determination!

After all our outside play, we enjoyed some games and puzzles. 

Grandma and Grandpa prepared a delicious traditional Thanksgiving meal for all of us. 

After more outside playtime on Saturday we had an uneventful drive home. Phew!

Here is a picture to conclude this thanksgiving season. 

May we continue to look for God's blessings throughout the year. 

(We're still plugging away with our thankful journal...almost up to number 200!) 

Now let's bring on the Christmas traditions!!

Thankful Tree

In the midst of the craziness of life, I have really enjoyed continuing to add to our thankful book with the boys at meal times. I'm realizing that in the past when we asked them what they were thankful for, they had some standard answers. (God, Jesus, brothers, house, etc.) All really good things, but mostly quick answers so they didn't have to really stop and think. As we've spent more time reflecting on our blessings, they are noticing more and more things for which to be thankful and going just a bit deeper. (Plus it helps a little to distract from the mealtime shenanigans.)

Last year, I read this blog post and just had to copy the idea. I know a good idea when I see it! (Thanks Ali!)  I drew a tree on a large piece of paper and let the boys paint it. Then I cut out simple leaves in five different colors (one for each of us). The leaves look a little bit like colorful footballs but you get the idea ;} Each night we shared 1 or 2 things we were thankful for and taped it to the tree. In the end we had a beautiful fall tree full of blessings from God.

This year, I decided to recycle our tree. Darin had carefully packed it away so it was able to be re-used. I wasn't sure how it would work since we were already filling in our thankful book, but decided that we could never be too thankful. So, last night was our first night and already I see a difference in their thoughts. I had to restrain Luke from not using up every red leaf all in one night. Although in hindsight, I shouldn't have squelched his desire to be thankful. I better cut out more leaves!

This will definitely be our November tradition.