There are a few things (OK, more than a few) mulling around in my head and I thought I'd share today. No real order, no plan as I sit here, just going to babble on a bit...
A few weeks ago we went to the apple orchard. I think the apple orchard visit is seriously one of the highlights of my year. It's a bit of a drive to get there, we often go just the 2 (then 3, now 4) of us, it's a sweet and simple family day...and the Lord keeps blessing me with DARLING family pictures every year. Like honestly, He makes me want to cry because I got to leave again this year with a full heart and sweet pictures to cherish. Snapshot of life kind of pictures...And until today, I haven't shared even one! I've wanted to, just no time to sort and edit and blog. But I'll show you a couple of my favorites anyway :) I'm keeping the best one a secret though because I'm pretty sure it's going to be our Christmas card!
Thank you Lord...I am so grateful for this little family of ours.
I am feeling very refreshed and rested this week. Soccer ended last week, which is always a bittersweet thing. Bitter because we hate to see Trav's team lose, sweet because we're very ready to stop sharing him and have him home more. The month of September is a crazy one, kind of a blur every year. Trav is essentially working morning, noon and night between 2 jobs and lots of expectations and I'm kind of solo parenting through it. It's not that we don't enjoy it or wouldn't change it, it's just that we're always ready for the end when it comes :) We became two ships passing in the night for a few weeks there and neither of us likes how that feels. For us, in our own marriage, we thrive when we get evenings together and freedom on the weekends. After these last couple of weekends and days, I finally feel like we are in a good place again. We're normal, just like you. Sometimes we bug each other, feel like everything the other one does is an offense of some sort. But I attribute most of that to lives that are too busy and a neglect for one another that sets in. Sometimes there are seasons like that when the demands are high, it's just worth the effort to make sure those seasons come to end frequently. I love the conversations we've had this week...I'm grateful we are on the same page or the same team, so to speak. There are some extreme things happening all around us regarding marriages. I think because we are in ministry we get an all too often, front row seat into a family's crisis. We are seeing so much infidelity, so much pornography and/or other addictions and too many broken families. It's heartbreaking and gut wrenching to walk with some dear friends and see the pain of broken trust and divorce in real time. We are just hyper aware that we would be fools to think disaster couldn't strike us or temptations won't come knocking on our door. We see no other option than to walk closely with the Lord, to be in His Word and in prayer, sensitive to the Holy Spirit, to ask for conviction and brokenness over our sin and to make our marriage a priority...even over our kids. We do them no favors if they are coddled and we are falling apart. Lord help us, we need YOU in us, all around us and through us to stay married in this upside culture...
I love him.
I have a wedding this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. Working Moms, my hat is off to you! God has brought a few design opportunities my way lately and I've been challenged to keep all the plates spinning as I've walked my way through the balancing act. I'm grateful to be in a position of being able to say yes or no to things that come my way. I do love exercising some stiff muscles again, using my degree and talents but also just having an outlet for some pent up creativity. The wedding I have this weekend is a romantic north woods style with all the gorgeous fall colors as a palate. I'll take some pictures and share it with you as I can. I can't wait to have a day to myself (mostly) to create and relax and enjoy! I will be tired by Saturday afternoon but it will be a good tired.
Finally, I've held back one of the dearest blessings this Fall from you. Not because I haven't thought often about sharing it but because pictures of the kids usually take precedence when it comes to blogging. I have been leading a small group of 10 Senior High girls from our big High school here and they have been a sweet, sweet blessing to me. It was definitely a group the Lord put together and handed me, I only know two of the girls who are from our Church, the rest are brand new to me. But what I've loved, loved, loved is their desire to grow in their faith, to know the Lord and to walk with Him apart from their parents or Churches. Most of them are brand new to this, have never opened a Bible or really understood what being a follower of Christ is all about. They come from Lutheran, Catholic and Evangelical backgrounds but we are able to center our discussions and our time on the one common bond that is most important, God and his Word. They are sweet, committed and have brought a refreshment to my soul. Sometimes when you serve in the Church, you get used to people who have years of "knowledge" or are able to spout off lots of Christian speak, so it's incredibly fun to be with girls who have an honest inquisitiveness about them, who don't necessarily know the "answers" but are willing to dig and ask the right questions. This is such a PERFECT season in their lives, before they stepping out on their own next Fall and headed to different corners of the country. They are dear friends and I have just enjoyed every minute with them! There are girls from all walks of life, college-recruited athletes, dancers, creative types, and smart academics...I love getting texts during the week, going to their events, keeping tabs on them via Instagram...I wouldn't have guessed this group would ever work or that I'd have time to be with them but the Lord is making a way for all of us and really doing an amazing work right before my eyes. What. A. Privilege. Plus, what a faith builder for me to see these girls get hungry for the Lord, to watch them get serious about what role the Lord will play in their lives. I love going through the fundamentals of what we believe, what the Bible teaches and how to do things like read and study the Word, how to pray, how to memorize scripture, etc. I hope I never think I've outgrown the need to sharpen the basics of my faith, to grow in the disciplines...
Those are just a few things on my mind today, on this chilly Thursday afternoon. I don't know if any of that resonates with you or means anything to you, but maybe it does. Praying for more of Jesus in your world today, in mine too! Blessings, Friends...
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