Week's end with thanks at Riversong

I’m sitting here looking out over the Molalla River as the sun comes up. The kids are playing in the living room–Dutch is a puma and Heidi a grizzly bear. I just had a cup of the darkest coffee and one slice of bacon (is there a better breakfast imaginable??). We slipped out here yesterday and after many very busy weeks we are savoring a quiet family day unplugged. So I type this from my parents’ computer, (no wireless here) I don’t have any new photos, but I’m grateful for the frost-tipped wilderness outside and the warmth of the fire and ability to recognize that these days won’t last forever. I know God will always be good but this particular season is so sweet. Young kids, bounding, jumping, imagining. They are innocent wonders, haven’t yet learned sarcasm or cynicism. The world is still new and magical to them.  My parents are alive–and I will cherish everyday I have with them. My husband is happy. I know we have many heartaches behind us and, inevitably, before us, but this is the day that the LORD has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

In college I had a quote posted to my computer screen: “The time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is here.”

Now. Here.

I think of that quote often. Sure, maybe it’s juvenile. But it’s also a great reminder to me now, as a stay-at-home mom embracing the sacred mundane. We all are so prone to look ahead to someday, to look ahead to the next weekend, the next vacation, the next big break.

But the day to rejoice and be glad is today. The time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is here. So today, in this place, I’m grateful for…

• The bird-chirp voice, “Mommy, will you play with me?” I know I won’t always hear those words.
• The thunderous noise of Dutch bounding through the house–a puma, a grizzly, a jaguar.
• Waffles.
• The aroma of bacon and coffee.
• Half-and-half and how it makes the black all creamy goodness.
• A good night’s sleep.
• A warm fire.
• Hand-me-down Real Simple magazines to peruse.
• The soft fleecy inside of my sweatshirt.
• Our minimalist overnight bag–4 toothbrushes.
• My boys building me … a big red heart made of Lego bricks.
• Our dear housemate who brings grace and generosity and fresh flowers to our home.
• Connecting with so many of YOU who are beautiful, courageous, kind, generous, and seeking after God. You are a gift!
• Friends who inspire me.
• Friends who celebrate with me.
• Quiet places to listen to Him.
• Resting in His love, acceptance, grace.
• That we’re all “developing.” (Love that word, Debra.)
• Wearing a lens of HOPE as we look into the mirror and out at the world.
• Jeff jazzed as he studies God’s Word.
• That God is bigger then our foibles, failures, mis-steps, and mistakes.
• That all this stuff doesn’t depend on me.
• That He called us, you and me, before the foundation of the world.
• Secure in His grip of grace.

Happy weekend, friends! Thanks for reading.