Gifts Spring from Hurricane Ike's Wrath. . . .

Continuing the gift list with gifts found in an unconventional place-- blessings poured upon us after hurricane Ike crossed our path.
70. A family kept together and safe during the storm.
69. Giggles from boys who loved sleeping in sleeping bags next to each other during our evacuation.
68. Family out of state who care about us and call to see how we're doing.
67. Being able to see old friends and meet new ones while evacuated.
66. The green of grass and plants after a storm.
65. Being able to help neighbors wash clothes and keep items cold with what little generator power we had.
64. The joy of power restored!!
63. Reminding a boy to be thankful that he has a home, even though his swing set was destroyed.
62. Neighbors coming together to fellowship and rebuild fences.
61. A prayer of thanksgiving, as all the neighbors bowed their heads, thankful for what Ike did not take away, and grateful that he couldn't take our connection with our Maker, no matter how hard he tried.

I wanna be like. . . Aidan :)

Oh, Aidan. He's my mischievous one-- we call him naughty; Memaw calls him "inquisitive". Or should I say, Memaw CALLED him inquisitive. Until at 18 months of age, he climbed up onto her dining room table, all decked out for Thanksgiving, grabbed a piece of depression glass, and began toddling around the house with it. Then, Memaw decided that maybe he was just a touch naughty. But, Aidan, he's also my cuddly one. That child can snuggle with the best of them. We joke that he's trying to make up for the naughtiness, but today the LORD showed me that he's not. That's just the way he is :). He can be naughty and then doesn't even think twice about snuggling up next to me. Why? Because I'm his mommy, that's why! He's knows that it doesn't matter what he's done. He knows that my love isn't dependant on how good or naughty he's been. And I know that, too. He could have thrown the hand towel in the powder room into the toilet (been there done, that), gotten into the gift wrap stash, or told me "uh-uh" a thousand times that day; but when he comes to snuggle in my lap-- none of it matters-- he is my sweet little boy, who's come to rest in his mommy's arms. And, so, I wanna be like Aidan. It's inevitable that I'm gonna mess up in this life-- yell at the kids, grump at the husband. But I should NEVER be hesitant to cuddle up into the Father's arms, because his love for me is not dependant upon my actions. He still wants to cuddle me, no matter how naughty I've been. His love never even considers my actions-- I cannot sway him to love me more or less-- he just wants to BE with me. Father, I'm resting in your arms today. Amen.

More Gifts. . .

70. Pillow mazes winding through the house.
69. Boys who eat all the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms.
68. A new service opportunity through church.
67. Being able to plan an upcoming trip to Disney World.
66. God working all things together for good.
65. A new job that makes my hubby happy.
64. A boy who can't wait for his birthday to come.
63. Air-pillow fights.
62. Boys who sing in their beds in the morning.
61. Reconnecting with old friends through Facebook.

The Shift

I cried out to God today-- Frustrated by my lack of commitment to Him, my lack of zeal, my lack of love, my lack of direction. Should I chose A or B? Should I being doing C and D?. . . I definitely need to give up E and F. . . And I said these words to my maker: "God-- I'm just trying to live Your life." And how did my maker reply? Did he shout to me-- You're absolutely right-- you need to give up E AND F, and start doing C AND D, and then, maybe then, I'll let you know if you should choose A or B." NOPE, that's not what my maker said to me. I said, "God, I'm just trying to live Your life." And God? He whispered back gently, reassuringly, "How about, you just let me live your life instead?"
Oh.
And so, with one sentence, the Shift came. A, B, C, D, E, AND F-- were all addressed in one simple reply. Maybe I should stop trying to live God's life and let Him live mine. Maybe I should just trust-- believe. Let God lead me hour by hour-- moment by moment. Maybe if I breathed in God with each breath-- all those things I am so concerned about, so guilt-ridden over, maybe those things will fall into place. And so, I'm drawn back-- back to the sermon today at church-- back to the words I've read so often and at times understood, "For whoever wants to save his life must lose it." We are not called to live Christ's life here on earth. We are called to let Christ live ours. . . And so "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3-16-19) Fill me God. Live my life. Amen.

Gifts (Hubby Style)

60. Sore muscles after a good work-out.
59. A great cup of coffee...mmmmmmm
58. Cinnamon Rolls in the morning...very yummy.
57. Being able to see without anymore glasses.
56. A good book to read on those rainy days.
55. A job to provide for my family.
54. A wife who loves me even when I'm less than loveable.
53. Children to wrestle with.
52. Having the gift of marrige.
51. A family full of support.

Gifts. . . Again!

50. Boys who love to get mail.
49. A Christian family and extended family.
48. This gift list :).
47. Cuddles from my big little man.
46. A husband who wants our relationship to be the best it can be.
45. Fresh hair cuts on little boys.
44. "Big hugs" from Aidan.
43. A little boy in footed jammies each morning.
42. Mexican Food. . . mmmmmmm.
41. A little boy who loves his Aunt Beth.
40. A God who is always there to listen, comfort, and heal.

Gifts

40. Having our daddy home more because he is done with school!
39. Little faces after chocolate pudding and chocolate bunnies.
38. Having worship songs stuck in my head.
37. A church with real, transparent women, with real struggles, all trying to lean on God and each other to make it through.
36. A clean house (for this second).
35. Brendan's ever-changing birthday party ideas.
34. Aidan's "birdie" mobile in his bed, and the fact that he turns it on with his toes :).
33. Weekends for the boys at Memaw's and Grandpa's (and rest for a tired Mommy and Daddy).
32. Aidan's new favorite phrase, "Woo-Hoo!"
31. Homemade cinnamon rolls.

More Gifts. . .

30. Boys who could play outside all day long.
29. Sand tracked into the house-- evidence of playing hard in our sandbox.
28. Coming to the end of the long road of my hubby's grad school.
27. Andrew's estactic mood after his FINAL final!!
26. Long walks with good friends.
25. Friends who will tell you like it is.
24. The quiet of naptime.
23. Holding hands to pray at dinner.
22. Having to say the aforementioned dinner prayer three times because Aidan enjoys it so much.
21. A mommy who reads my blog and leaves me sweet comments :).

More for the One Thousand Gifts List

20. Little boys who sing in their beds when they wake up in the morning.
19. A husband who remembered to put the tea kettle on before homegroup.
18. A boy who covered me in pillows to "make me comfy" because I was tired.
17. Beautiful spring days.
16. Seeing Aidan take a ride on Grandpa's tractor.
15. The looks on the boys' faces after a great fireman birthday party.
14. Sweet yellow wildflowers in the backyard (despite our weed n' feed :)).
13. Running to dada when he comes home in the morning.
12. Dada sweeping up said boys who run to him each morning and hugging them tight.
11. Being greeted as the "cutest girl I've ever seen" by my sweet hubbie.

One Thousand Gifts

Ann V. at Holy Experience (my new favortie blog) is encouraging us all to keep a list of one thousand gifts. Not a list of one thousand gifts we want, but of one thousand gifts we already have (thanks for this wording, Ann!). One thousand everyday ways that God has blessed us. And so, I begin today with ten. Ten ordinary, extrodinary things I've been blessed with.
10. The beautiful wooden candlesticks on my kitchen table, made by my brother-in-law.
9. The way Aidan carries his blankie around-- just like Linus from Charlie Brown.
8. Those little cinnamon and sugar frosted donuts.
7. Late night snuggles.
6. Brendan's "man feet"-- because he is not a bear and, therefore cannot have "bare feet".
5. Neighbors who are always there to help, listen and play with.
4. Boys wrestling with their daddy.
3. Aidan's ever expanding vocabulary of car noises.
2. A husband with a tender heart.
1. A boy who snuggles into my lap and tells me he needs some "Mommy loving".

Just Hatched

Here's a cute little kit for Easter. I hope you like it. Download HERE! Special thanks to Atomic Cupcake and their actions!

Happy Birthday, Memaw!!

Memaw-- The Monkeys wanted to tell you "Happy Birthday"! We love you, and we hope you have a great birthday! -- Katie, Andrew, Brendan, and Aidan

Digging Out

I awoke this morning to life cluttering around me: dishes in the sink, a sick, crying boy, mounds and mounds of laundry. Running late, I didn't even have time for my morning devotional-- Speeding off toward preschool at a break-neck pace, I began to gasp for spiritual air-- how could I dig out of this mess? I pray a bit, only to be dragged down by the undertoe of life-- a whining child, another red light-- and somewhere it dawns on me: It was not my job to dig out-- In fact, no matter how hard I tried, I could not rise above the everyday problems encircling me. But HE, yes, HE could dig me out-- the Prince of Peace could calm me, hold me. I still have a sink full of dishes, and the laundry is still piled on my living room sofa, but I am no longer drowning. The Prince of Peace has stilled my heart. Sit, just for a moment, and he will do the same to yours.

Can You See BEYOND?

I read this for my quiet time today, and God taught me something, or maybe he just remined me of something that's inherently already known. This life that we live now-- all of it-- the noise, the pain, the sorrow, the laughter, the love-- it is but a fleeting moment in eternity. It is merely the opening act to the REAL show-- the preview for the REAL movie. And I, well, I should live my life as such. I should not get wrapped up in this little preview-- this pre-game show. I should keep focused on the REAL life to come-- the life I will live in eternity with my Savior. All of a sudden-- so many things seem less important, almost trivial-- and many things seem to be, well, just a waste of time. . . That TV show I love-- Who really cares when you're focusing on eternity? And so, now, I realize that I need to keep my life focused on what is BEYOND my life-- my Love, my Savior-- the One who should be my All, but isn't always.

And as I pondered keeping an eternal focus-- those strange little magic eye pictures popped into my mind-- God often gives me pictures-- little parables-- perhaps because I'm too thick to understand the ones he already gave in the bible ;)-- And so my thoughts were turned to those crazy images that you have to look PAST to really see. I decided to look at a few, and I discovered a few things about living today focused on the Beyond:

You've got to REALLY focus on a point far past the picture to be able to see it-- REALLY focus, for a while, not just a short time-- in fact, when your eyes dart back to the picture, your focus has to remain BEYOND it, in order to see the image. And so, as I live my life today, I am going to focus on my Savior-- I'm going to look beyond this world, this preview, into the REAL life I will lead in eternity-- a life overflowing with love, peace, mercy, and kindness-- a life that is wrapped up in God-- and I will stare into eternity. I have a strange feeling that as I do so, my life will become a magic eye picture-- all the tangle of the worry and the fuss and the unknown-- will suddenly come into view with eternity-- and seen in Eternity's light-- it will all come into focus. And so, I encourage you to look Beyond today-- into our Eternal God, and see what glorious image pops up in your magic-eye life.