- Ending our trip on a restful note – visiting Calvary Chapel Leatherhead and enjoying the sweet Kottman family. Watching their four children all contribute to the weekly church set-up. Nine-year-old set up children’s church. Seven-year-old set up the book and CD table. Five-year-old swept the floor. Eight-year-old helped mom set up sound. So cool.
- Eating watermelon carved and cut like a cake.
- Trying to carry on our a polite British conversation while spitting watermelon seeds into a fancy tea-cup.
- Jeff preaching the gospel.
- Walking to church in the glorious sunshine down a narrow path in a country field. Really? So beautiful.
- The best Indian food I’ve ever had in my life.
- A hike down (and up!) Box Hill to see the stepping stones.
- Jeff rescuing dear little Isaiah when a dog knocked him off the stepping stones into the river. Both Jeff and Isaiah were heroes!
- The view overlooking green English countryside.
- Driving down “zigzag” road, a road so narrow our side-view mirror hit a car passing us!
- Jeff fixing the mirror. 🙂
- Sunday nap.
- Cereal for dinner. (It wasn’t just the kids were happy about that one.)
- Early morning wake-up for the airport. Met with fresh coffee in travel cups. Dianna is amazing.
- Getting detained at security, but detained by a very nice worker. It’s always amazing when an employee’s kindness can make a very unpleasant situation actually feel like a treat. I left feeling like we’d just had a coffee date. Good reminder that a cheerful attitude goes a long way…
- Long layover meant not caring that our flight was delayed. Oh well!
- Seeing America finally show on the flight screen! Hooray!
- First glimpse of “Portland” show on the flight screen map. Couldn’t help but smile.
- Really yummy airplane lunch. Who knew?!
- Breathtaking vistas from the airplane window. Clearly seeing Iceland, Greenland, exquisite Canadian mountains topped with snow. Lakes and rivers, iceburgs and rocky shores. God’s creation is so amazing.
- Realizing again that of all the sights around the world, I think we live in the most beautiful place on earth. Wow.
- Evergreen trees.
- Running out the revolving doors at PDX, glimpse of red Ford truck, windows down, little ones in backseat searching for our faces. Bursting onto sidewalk, little eyes meet ours. “Mommy Daddy Mommy Daddy!!!” I dive into the backseat, pull them into my arms, plant a thousand kisses on their faces.
- Heidi just staring at my face the whole drive home, wide-eyed, “Mama! Mama!”
- Home, pulling her out of her carseat and into my arms. Inhaling her sweetness. A thousand more kisses in her open, laughing mouth.
- Front porch surprise–welcome basket filled with delicious, nutritious treats.
- A dear friend who delivered dinner that night — fresh fruit and vegetables and all the amazing Oregon food I had missed so much.
- All four snuggling in our bed. Vowing never to leave again.
- Is there anywhere in the world as glorious as one’s own bed?
- Back the next day into daily routine. Some hiccups along the way but so good to be back into our life.
- Jeff returning home from work grinning, “So good to be back home at WCC.” A happy husband is an indescribable gift.
- A clean house, fresh clean sheets, new dish scrubber — little practical kisses from my mother-in-law strewn throughout our house.
- A patient husband.
- An amazing God-gift from a friend when we were virtually out of food and wanting to wait until the 15th to grocery-shop. Out of the blue phone call, “Hey, I’m cleaning out my fridge before I go to Africa. Can I give you a bunch of groceries?” Jaw dropped. Really, God? Really? You even give us groceries? Just the reminder I needed of God’s personal care and attention.
- Sunshine.
- Afternoon spent in the kiddie-pool. Amazing how much fun can be had with six inches of water.
- Tomato plants shooting up.
- God’s word, our daily bread.
5 thoughts on “Week's end with thanks”
Comments are closed.
Love you Kari! This made me cry… thinking about you coming home to your kids. Really loved yesterday’s post. Love, love you being able to rest in Him and not take on burdens that are not meant for you! xoxo
Oh thank you dear friend! I miss your beautiful face so much. Hope to see you soon!
I love your faithfulness in coming back at the end of each week and thanking the Lord for so many big and little blessings. Reminds me of the one healed leper who returned to thank Jesus.
Isn’t it wonderful to have enjoyed a trip and opportunity of a lifetime, and then to love returning to the Sacred Mundane with just as much joy!
God bless you Kari. Em
Thank you Emma. It’s such a joy to be connecting with you here. Yes, isn’t it wonderful to return HOME and find it the best place in the world? 🙂 Blessings on you today.
O sweet joy to read a recap of your perspective of joy. mommydaddymommydaddy….I did cry.