Friday Praise & Prayers

I came home from a meeting last night and O was still up. He wanted to lay in bed with me to fall asleep. We climbed in and he began telling me about the book he is currently reading. Now let me tell you, O is usually our quiet one. He thinks before he speaks. His kindergarten teacher told me that she learned early on that when he had something to say, she stopped and listened, because he didn’t talk, just to talk. He shares because he really has something to say.

But last night as we lay beneath the comforter {me still in my jeans & sweater}, he told me about this book like it was a movie he watched. His details were amazing, like he saw it with his eyes. I could barely follow as he went from one chapter to the next, pausing only to let me take a few ‘mama & O’ pics {I am trying to not just take pics of the kiddos alone, but be in the pics, with them}…

He smiled and went right on talking about the next chapter…

and the next…

God, I am thankful for that moment…

Time to hear Owen’s voice.

Time to let him share his brilliant mind with me.

Time for a little one on one with my 2nd born.

God, my prayer today is for Your hope to shine brightly. May I see You in every part of my day.

What are you thanking God for today?

 

 

Yesterday I met with a young mother her recently lost her 2 year old son. Our hearts connected instantly.

Last night I went with my Grief Share group to see ‘We Bought A Zoo’. This morning I am still processing different parts of the movie.

Even though I choose to do these things {and I think they are good for my healing}…

It can get emotionally heavy.

And when my heart is heavy, I’m not always sure what I need.

But this morning I knew what I needed.

And I got to spend a few extra minutes here…

Thanks babe for continuing to care for me.

Letters to Ana

We got another letter from Ana this past week.

She told us about her family & what she likes to do for fun.

So now it’s our turn to send her some love.

They made little paper presents for her this weekend…

D made her a beautiful 3D snowflake…

O worked on a cross that you fold open…

And these 2, colored pics for her {mermaids? – sure, why not?}…

Praying for Ana as we think of Lulu, especially today.

I know that You are for me…

I need to hear this today.

 I need to be reminded that He is for me.

Do you need to hear this?

My friend, that needs a little bit more encouragement that He sees you.

My friend, that is struggling with work, do you need to know that He is faithful & constant?

My friend, that longs to hold your baby one more time, do you need to know today that He fills you?

I need to speak it into my soul again.

My kiddos may think that this is the only song I have right now – I have been playing it on repeat for 3 days straight now.

Sometimes my soul just needs to be fed like this, with music, with words that will speak to me.

He IS for us.

You are in our everyday

I smell you when I am rubbing lotion on Boo after her bath.

I touch you when I hold your blanket near.

I taste you when I nibble on Simon’s cheeks.

I see you when I look at your daddy laying on the couch asleep.

I hear you when the wind blows through the chimes on our back porch.

Grief does not know time…

It doesn’t know when it has been a month…

two months…

six months…

a year…

Grief is still as strong as our first day without you, Lulu.

It may not come every day like it once did.

But when grief does show up, it covers like a blanket.

Heavy on my chest.

Oh, what I would give to be holding you on my chest today.

Friday Praise & Prayers

“Try to view each day as an adventure, carefully planned out by your Guide. Instead of staring into the day that is ahead of you, attempting to program it according to your will, be attentive to Me and all I have prepared for you. Thank me for this day of life, recognizing that it is a precious, unrepeatable gift. Trust that I am with you each moment, whether you sense My Presence or not. A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from My perspective.

A life lived close to Me will never be dull or predictable. Expect each day to contain surprises! Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route through the day. Be willing to follow wherever I lead. No matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place to be is by My side.”  –Jesus Calling

My prayer today is that I will stay close to Him all day, knowing that His plan is still better than mine.

As much as I am a scheduled person, today I am thankful for impromptu date nights.

Jason & I went out last night for dinner & it was so good to get away, just the 2 of us.

I always feel better when we connect & are able to talk 1 on 1.

We went to Sam’s after dinner {yeah, we’re fancy like that}.

As we were walking through the aisles we remembered the time we had taken Lulu there with us.

I carried her in a wrap against me.

She wore her pink Ohio State hat.

An older lady came over to see her & say how beautifully tiny she was.

We walked around that giant store with the tiniest treasure we had ever been given.

Oh what sweet memories.

I miss you so much baby girl…

Hope

Last year I chose a word to focus on & to study. His peace is what I what I needed {and still long for} every day as I walked that first year. The last month or so I felt God was placing the word “Hope’ in different areas and reminded me that in all my sadness & brokenness, He still is my only hope. I am believing this year, I will find a new hope in God as His peace continues to pour out over my scarred heart.

I saw this saying on a church sign last week & thought how fitting for Peace & Hope to be intertwined, just like in my life.

He Offers Peace Eternal

And then Shelly brought me this Hope box yesterday.

It will be my reminder to look for this word & choose Hope in my life for this new year.

Give Thanks

I’ve been thinking about this new year & what it will look like for our family & what steps I can start it off with that will help shape me & our year. I know many things in life we cannot control, but I believe how we start each day is in our control.

So I have I have been thinking about forming {good} habits.

And so this morning when I came across this I knew immediately what habit I wanted to start-up again.

source

As much as I love {most} of our technology these days, there is something I adore about hand written things. I want to write down {with pen & paper} 3 daily things I am grateful for.

This must be something deep within me because although most days my thoughts are fleeting, I remember going away to college & unpacking a box of goodies my mom sent with me. Tucked down in the side of the box was the lightest pink pack of thank you cards tied with a ribbon & a small handwritten note from her that said ‘a grateful heart is always in style’. I’m sure I have that note saved somewhere.

I also vividly remember when D was a toddler, I bought us each a little notebook from the dollar store & every day we sat down & wrote 1 thing we were thankful for. His thanks were lines that he drew, but as he told me what those lines ‘said’ I would write the words down & knew that his heart was being grateful.

My sweet friend, Susan, has her children stop when they begin to whine & tell her 3 things they are thankful for in their lives.

Love it! 

I can find something daily that I am ungrateful for very easily, but I want to choose to find 3 things that I am grateful for starting today.

Would you join me as I give thanks, for our God is SO good. 

Here’s my starting list {I’m behind a few days, so I will continue to add to this list}

 1. cinnamon vanilla coffee creamer {yummy}

2. my husband {whether he brings home a deer or not} ❤

3. God’s very spoken words that I can read & that are new to me every day

4. boys from the bus windows saying ‘I love you’ in sign language

5. a warm home

6. blueberry muffins

7. a little girl who snuggles me

8. ‘Jesus Calling’

9. the excitement of a new home

10. an empty laundry basket

11. Lulu