Category Archives: Sacred Mundane

Just in case you have some free-time over the holiday weekend ahead: Here are a few fun reads just waiting to be enjoyed. We’re loading up the car today and headed on our grand road trip adventure tomorrow. Stay tuned for thoughts on Pioneer Life.  Enjoy!

1. The Hawk and the Dove Trilogy (Slow at first, but stick with it!  The story of a Benedictine monk in an English monastery in 1303: Deals with issues of humility, community, and the marginalization of our sick and handicapped.  Must read. I bought this one.)

2. Ella Minnow Pea (This book fascinates me. A story of a fictional island that restricts the use of certain letters because of foolish superstition.  First off, the way it’s written is absolutely genius. But the implications are fascinating as well. You have to see it for yourself.)

3. Year of Wonders (This one tore me apart: Seventeenth century England, during the Plague. A small village, when infected, chooses to quarantine themselves entirely in order to avoid spreading the deadly disease.  It is horrific, heroic, inspiring and disturbing all at once. My only warning is that the end is stupid. If it had ended on page 272 it’d be great, but for some reason she adds this ridiculous ending. Ignore it.)

4. The Help (I’m sure of you’ve heard of this one by now…  the story of three women, set in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi, and how their lives intersect. Civil rights in a whole new light.  Couldn’t put it down. It’s long too, so be sure to understand that your family will be severely neglected for a while during this one.)

5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. (I’ve always said a novel in letters could never be done. At least not well.  I was sooo wrong. This is amazing. Set in 1946, a story set in London and Guernsey island at the end of WW2.   Humanity, frailty, love … it’s fabulous.)

6. Still Alice. (This is a heartbreaking, but beautiful and insightful look at the progress and effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s.  The author is a neuro-scientist, and uses her years of studying this devastating disease to inform her writing.  Gripping: I think I read it in one sitting.)

7. Lowlands of Scotland Series: Thorn in my Heart, Fair is the Rose, Whence Came a Prince.  These are the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, set in 1764 in Scotland.  I think these should contain a warning label because they will seize you emotionally. I became obsessed, sneaking up to bed early to read, staying up until the middle of the night carrying my book around to sneak in moments when I could.  Carry kleenex. Powerful stuff. BTW there’s a 4th in this series too but I could never get into it for some reason.)

8. The Secret Life of Bees. (A coming-of-age story set in the 1960s.  I haven’t seen the movie, but this book is great.)

9.The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. (I don’t even remember how many are in this series, but you must read them all. They are all wonderful.  The perfect light book for a summer afternoon.  Mma Ramotswe will become your new best friend.  I love her so much.  Set in modern Botswana, this “traditionally built” African woman sets up shop as the No. 1 Ladies detective in her country.  Amazing.  This author, Alexander McCall Smith, also has a 44 Scotland Street series–I’ve read one–, and an Isabel Dalhousie series.  I’ve read several and like them as well, but Mma Ramotswe takes the cake.)

10. The Glass Castle. (Ok, this isn’t fiction but it’s better than fiction!)  Writer Jeanette Walls writes a memoir recounting her childhood growing up homeless. She writes the most unbelievable and often horrific tales without flinching and without an ounce of self-pity. This book is disturbing, challenging, hilarious, entertaining, inspiring. One you can crawl right into! A must-read.

11. Anything by Rosamunde Pilcher.  (The Shell Seekers is her most popular, and probably my favorite, but the lady doesn’t have a bad novel in her. They’re all delightful. No real challenge or redeeming value but well-written; the woman’s just a born story-teller.  Enjoy these by the pool sipping lemonade.)

12. The Rumpole series. (Again, I don’t know how many are in this series but I’ve read every single one and am begging for more.  Not sure everyone will share my love for this odd British humor: Rumpole is a short pudgy aging British barrister who is rather unremarkable, who carries in his pocket a copy of the Oxford Book of English Verse, and is married to a woman whom he refers to as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.  I love my Rumpole!)

13. An American Childhood (Annie Dillard is a literary genius, so brace yourself for some mental mastication.  Such richness in this book though. The part about her rock collection wore on a bit, so I skimmed that part. Her insights into children and adolescents is amazing.)

14. Old School (The setting is an elite prep school in 1960, and the narrator is a half-Jewish scholarship-student (a lower-class outsider) who learns to mimic the mannerisms of his privileged classmates in order to fit in and gain acceptance. More than anything he wants to be a writer, but he cannot write the truth until he first learns to tell the truth about himself. The themes of competition, pride, and pretense  cut to the heart of our image-obsession and veneered society.) My review here. 

15. In the Time of the Butterflies (Historical fiction. The story of the four Mirabal sisters during the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, their plot to overthrow the government, their conflicting desires and emotions, and their tragic end. Fascinating read.)

{What are your favorite fiction reads? I don’t have a single one on my nightstand right now. Please help me out!  Thanks for reading…}

“How far?” Jeff looked up at me as he pulled on his running shoes, a little challenge in his voice. How much was I up for?

I took a deep breath, clipping my ipod onto my shorts. I’m such a wimp.

“Six miles.”

He smiled. “Alright.”

We hadn’t run together in ages. With two little monkeys on our hands, we always run separately. And while I’d passed the six-mile mark on my own, I usually choose the flattest route possible and run my snail-pace and make the whole endeavor as painless as possible.

I hate pain. 

We slipped in our earphones and jogged out onto the narrow country road by our house. He took the lead and with no idea where he would take me, I resolved just to follow.

I’ve been learning to follow. 

Literally. Back on June 1st, God put on my heart to focus all my energy this month on following Jeff. On blessing him, cheering for him, serving him, praying for him, encouraging him, affirming him, loving him and championing him. To simply following his lead, wherever it took me.

So that’s what I’ve been doing for a month.

It was good I’d had some practice before Jeff took me on this run. 

After two miles Jeff turned us off the regular flat-route I call home, and took us down trails, through parks, up and down different roads, and through the forest. Up and down we went, my thighs burning. Every once in a while he’d look over and raise his eyebrows and give me a thumbs up to ask, “You ok?” I’d nod and try to smile and give him a thumbs up back. “I”m alive.”

Now, I don’t mean to be overly dramatic–it was only a 6 mile run. But it was far harder and faster than I normally run and I’m not exaggerating when I say I prayed the entire way. See, I’m a wimp when navigating the unknown. When I run, I always run the same path. I always go the same pace. I usually go the same distance. I get easily frightened when I’m challenged to do something physical that’s outside my comfort zone. I’m really really really not one of those hard-core workout people who loves risk and daring new adventures. Nope. In fact, if I really had my way … I’d walk instead.

But Jeff knows me. And he knows that I’d prefer a stroll through the park and a caramel macchiato, and he also knows that I can do much more than I think I can. He knows I won’t actually die even though I say I will. 9 1/2 years of running together has taught him that.

So as we run I pray, and I can see so clearly that learning to follow Jeff is simply learning to follow God. Do I trust Him? When He takes a sharp left turn and leads me straight UP the hill instead of down the flat course, Will I follow Him?

Will I follow Him even when the path doesn’t look safe at all? 

Will I commit to following Him wherever He goes? Whatever route He chooses? However long? At whatever pace?

Do I actually trust Him?

Do I trust that wherever He leads me will be for my good? Do I trust that He will never run me to death? Do I trust that however long this race, He will give me the strength I need to run with endurance? To finish strong?

It was perfect that we did our run in silence. There was no space for objection, complaints, whining. I held my tongue, prayed to God, and followed my man.

And each time he looked back I gave the thumbs up: “I’m ok.”

Oh God for the grace to do that each day. To hold my tongue, pray to You, and follow my man. To stick right behind him and when he glances back, to give him the thumbs up sign and let him know I’m ok. No matter what we face, I’m ok. No matter how scared I am, or how steep the road looks, I’m ok. 

As I’m learning to follow my man–and my God–that is my prayer. 

{How are you learning to follow the Father today? Please share any life-lessons with us, so we can glean as well. Thanks so much for reading.}

• Picking strawberries with my man.
• Elijah’s heart.
• Reflecting on nine years of marriage. Looking through old scrapbooks, photo albums, remembering the early days. Seeing that crazy do-anything faith we had. Asking God to renew our faith.
• Gift card to Urban Farmer. Oh. My. Best meal ever.
• Our 24-hour anniversary dream-date. Grand Total: $8. Thank you, Lord!
• Long run with my man. Learning to trust and follow him even when he leads me 6 miles up and down hills and I want to pass out!
• So many life-lessons.
• Our road trip ahead, SO excited!!!
• Planning.
• Preparing.
• Cleaning.
• Laundry.
• First day of raspberry season!
• Strawberries for dessert.
• BBQ.
• Seeing the thread of God’s gracious hand throughout our life.
• Learning to trust, learning to follow.
• Jumping off the cliff.
• Quiet.
• Sound of the river rushing.
• Lazy afternoon by the water, throwing rocks.
• My little man in his cowboy boots.
• Free rodeo tickets! SO excited to take my little cowboy to the Molalla Buckeroo!
• Pioneer books. Many.
• A child’s biography of Paul Revere read over and over and over to my little historian.
• Child’s precious prayers: “Thank you for dying on the cross and rising again and showing us how much you love us.”
• Seeing seeds of faith begin to grow.
• Trusting.
• Clean house.
• Drop-in friends.
• Texts that make me beam.
• Towering firs, cedars.
• Garden flourishing.
• Being on the same page.
• Dreaming the same dreams.
• Unity.
• Grace.
• Hope.
• Love.
• Perseverance.
• Anticipation.
• Afton Field Farm fresh sausage for breakfast!
• Still-warm chocolate chip cookies.
• Falling asleep with Heidi.
• Warm rain.
• Everything abloom.
• Changing seasons.
• Knowing for everything there is a season.
• His timing, perfect.
• Rest.

After yesterday’s news, I kind of don’t want to do anything but pray! I want to just walk around asking people what they need and PRAY for them. Wow, seriously.

But in the few spare moments when we are not praying for miracles, it’s also helpful to have meetings with our spouses. Truly, I believe this.  The reason being, unless we are purposeful about setting aside time to download, plan, and get synched with our spouses, the weeks turn into months turn into years and next thing we know we are just constantly reacting to the day’s events without every turning and looking toward the future with purpose and intentionality.

Also, at least for us, when these “business” meetings don’t take place, what usually happens is that date night becomes a business meeting. Business must be taken care of, so if it’s not during a meeting designed for that purpose, it will creep in all over and the fun will be kicked to the curb.

We were so blessed last night to have a special anniversary date. The kids were sent to my parents’ house and we had all evening and this morning to talk, catch up, pray, just be together. So good! Wives, we must pray for and work to make time for this!

A few thoughts:

• Plan a time each week when the kids are in bed but you aren’t completely wiped (some of you are raising an eyebrow wondering when on earth that is?). For us it’s Sunday nights. Jeff is usually home from work around 8pm, so we meet then. I like having it as the start of our week so we’re on the same page with our schedules, plans, goals.
• Pray together.  I dare say we are all convinced that God hears our prayers, yes? (6 minutes to a better marriage here)
• Synch schedules and share expectations for the week.  One thing that has been helpful for us is setting mutually-agreed-upon deadlines. That sounds harsh, but sometimes we ask our spouse to do something, and then get frustrated when it is not done. So we specify: “Can you please have the car serviced by next Sunday?” Yes. Or, “If these things are not sorted by next week may I please do it myself?”  Or, “I understand you are tired and don’t feel like talking about this issue right now. Can we plan to talk about it when we meet on Sunday?” Having a weekly meeting enables you to keep short accounts with each other and talk through any things that arise during the week.
• Ask how you can serve your spouse that week. Does he have any special dinner requests? Are there stressful meetings on his docket and he needs special grace? Does he need prayer for something specific?

Obviously this meeting can look however it needs to for you. But the important thing is having it. (BTW, the same is true for a roommate!)

So tell me: How do you and your spouse remain connected and on the same page? Do you have weekly meetings? How do you maintain great communication? I’d love to hear your tips and ideas for staying on the same track. With just 9 years under our belt, we are still newbies and craving more and more wisdom! Thanks so much. Have a great weekend and thanks for reading.

Tears are streaming down my face.  At 1pm, we all, hundreds of us gathered virtually heart-to-heart and prayed for Elijah.

At 1:20pm today my phone rang.

It was his mom.

HEALED.

Elijah. Is. Healed.

The cardiogram revealed that Elijah’s heart has been completely healed. Her words: “Right and left atriums still a bit enlarged but healing. Pulmonary function normal! COMPLETELY HEALED.”

Pulmonary function NORMAL.

And they said he only had a few months. 

HEALED.

Friends, God is able. HE IS ABLE.

Can we all please get on our knees right now and praise the God of the universe? He may not have instantly healed you today, or instantly done what we wanted today, but He is ABLE, and He loves us, and as we press in and SEEK HIM and love Him and know Him and make our whole lives about bringing Him praise, HE WILL MOVE in our lives.

Let’s rejoice and worship and believe Him today.

THANK YOU for praying! Father we worship You and praise you. 

{Thank you for reading.}

Early this morning, on our 9th anniversary, as I open my Bible:

Back in Job.

The memories come flooding back. When God broke my heart He spoke directly to me through Job’s words, used them to crush me before the real crushing ever took place. It was the most clearly-prophetic and profoundly God’s ever spoken personally through His Word. So every time I open to his place I smile and remember, like looking down at scars, tenderly fingering their once-wounds and remembering when they were fresh, how much they hurt, how I thought they’d never heal. But they have and I smile, shake my head at the reality that Jeff Patterson is asleep beside me. Had I known back then…

But at the time we never know.

All we know is pain. All we see are wounds, open. We reel, thrash, grope in the darkness.  And in the darkness, Job whispers these words and we make them ours:

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)

This is all we know. No rhyme or reason or explanation. No moral of the story or redemptive purpose. We know He has given, we know He has taken away:

And we bless His name by faith. And then we hear:

“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive adversity?” (Job 2:10)

Yes, I suppose. Will we exalt ourselves over our Creator, deciding what is doled out? We embrace this.

And it is still dark. But we have heard His voice and we respond:

“For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” (Job 3:25-26)

We are honest in the darkness. No, this is not a place of warmth and comfort. Not a place of rest and peace. It is a place of reeling, thrashing, groping. But quiet resolve comes, we hear our self say,

“Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” (Job 13:15)

And by barely perceptible measure, there comes a hint of peace. Of trust. Of resolve.  Strength rises slow and we are gripped, moved,

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth. And though my flesh may be destroyed, yet with my eyes I will see God.” (19:25-26)

Without knowing it, we have somehow stood. Where there was fear, there is faith. It is still dark, but could there be a glimmer of Light far off in the distance?

We tremble now not because of darkness. But because of the Light.

He has come. He speaks,

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job. 38:2) Who is this that speaks of what he does not know?

We were fetal ball, writhing, then slowly stood, believing …

Now we bow, submitting.

And speak our worship,

“I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” (Job. 42:5)

He has come, darkness gone. We had heard His whisper in the darkness, butnow we see Him in the light.  Reeling, writhing, groping gone. Now in the light we see our wounds; they are but scars.

Beautiful scars. 

Some flesh, it is true, is destroyed, but with our eyes we have seen God.

So we go back to Job. We revisit. We return not glibly, but gladly, because we know the reward:

God.

~

{Edited from the archives}

Almost every year God uses Job to help me navigate pain. I pray this word-picture can encourage you as well: Reeling, writhing, standing, bowing. The gift of pain: We get to see God. I am so grateful that my greatest heartbreak turned into my greatest joy–my husband. Happy Anniversary, my man! I love you beyond words, even though you broke my heart! Thanks, all, for reading.

Every Wednesday morning for more than 2 1/2 years a dear band of women have gathered together at 6am to pray.  I am so honored to call these women friends. We are all ages, personalities, bents. We pray for everything from global concerns to flooded basements. There are lots of different ways to pray, but every week our prayer meeting goes like this:

1. We pray: God, show us what you are doing.

2. We pray: Show us exactly what you want us to pray this morning so that we can be part of what you’re doing.

3. Then we pray those things. 

Steps one and two are so important! So often I have jumped into praying, without first asking Him to lead and guide and direct my prayers. When I take the time to wait on Him and ask Him, What do you want me to pray?  I feel like He enables me to pray more effectively.

So strangely enough, Him telling me to pray for meat is connected to another mom praying for a heart. 

A heart for her son, that is. 

Sweet 10-year-old Elijah (pictured above) is in need a new heart.  He is the son of my dear friend–an unnamed person I talk about often on this blog. Dear Elijah has cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening deterioration of his heart, and is in need of healing. Complete healing.

Elijah’s mom is the one who gave me the MEAT.  When I told her the story, her eyes brimmed with tears. The same way that God completely provided meat (not just a little!) spoke of the way she is praying God will completely heal her son. Not just a little healing, not just a little better. The boy’s life is at stake, and we are asking God for complete provision and complete healing. We believe that is what God is leading us to pray. My question for you:

Will you join us?

• First, What is weighing on your heart? What is your need? Where are you in need of God’s provision?
•  Secondly, How is He leading you to pray? Have you asked Him? Do! Ask Him how He wants you to pray.
• Third, if you are able: Share with us so we can join together in prayer. 
• Fourth, Thursday, June 28th at 1pm, we’ll be praying together for Elijah and the other needs that are listed by you here. There is no magic in the date or time, no special formula to follow, nothing special about doing it all at the same time. But this is the time of Elijah’s next cardiogram, and we’d like to join together and pray in this way. I’d love to pray for your needs as well.

Where do you need to see God move? How is He leading you to pray? Again, there is nothing magical about us all praying at the same time, but let’s band together and encourage one another and hold each other’s hands in prayer. I know there are real needs out there, and I’d be so honored if you’d trust us with your request.

God provided eternal salvation, He has conquered sin, death, and the grave. He has provided meat for the Pattersons (!). He can give a new heart to Elijah. Our God can do above and beyond what we can even ask or imagine. Whether or not He chooses to is up to Him, not us. But we must pray.

Thanks for joining me tomorrow at 1pm for this special time of prayer. Please do take a moment to share your prayer request below. Other urgent needs include the Assam region of India flooding (Click for details), and my dear friend Shawna, who many of you have followed in prayer for over a year. Let’s continue to pray for Elijah, your prayer needs, and all these who God loves.

{Thanks for reading … and praying.}

I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that there is no such thing as “normal life” in the Patterson home. When we walk with Jesus there is no time to coast, and no vacation from faith. He’s always doing something, and so there is always some grand adventure to be had. Even when we feel like we live on a treadmill … chances are we’re just training for some unknown marathon of faith that’s just around the corner. Do you feel like that too?

So in our recent adventure I’m being extra frugal and God is teaching us to depend on Him for everything. We had already paid for our food CSA, but the first delivery wasn’t until July 26th, and we had no meat in the house. None. Now we avoid grain and dairy, so meat is pretty important around here. We had none. I knew the cost of getting good grass-fed/organic meat at a regular store and knew I didn’t want to pay it.  So as I considered my options, I prayed. And I got this nudge:

Pray for meat. 

Pray for meat? Ok, sacred mundane. We pray for everything right? We need meat, pray for meat! So I do.

I pray for meat.

That was Friday. That night we go to a friend’s house for a BBQ. They serve us massive amounts of meat and even send us some leftovers to take home. I smile to myself. Ok, God, we got some meat. And this leftover is enough to make some soup for the weekend.

Saturday it was a friend’s birthday so I go to her house to wish her a happy birthday. As I get up to leave she says, “OH! I almost forgot. Can I send you a bunch of meat? We have way too much from the farm and it’s just coming out our ears so can you take a bunch?”

I just start laughing out loud.

When she says “a bunch” she means “a ton”! She halfway filled my trunk, and subsequently my freezer full of meat.

MEAT!

I laughed the whole way home. MEAT! God cares about meat!

Then yesterday afternoon I check my email and an email from our CSA farm pops up: They just decided to start the CSA one month early. They’re delivering our first month’s worth of meat this Thursday …

MEAT! Up to our eyeballs in meat!

That is how our God provides–abundantly. I wonder how often I miss His miracles because I just don’t ask? Because I don’t throw myself at his feet in dependence and ask Him to dump out His grace on my life?

We have to know this about Him: He cares for us. He loves it when we depend on Him for our daily needs. He LOVES the opportunity to flex His muscles on our behalf, to show His power, to remind us and the entire world that HE is God and we are not. He is the Master of the universe and the one who orchestrates all things.

We must know this today.  The next morning I read:

“In the world, dependency is seen as immaturity. But in My Kingdom, dependence on Me is a prime measure of maturity.” Jesus Calling, 183

Oh, to grow in this beautiful grace of dependence. I’m learning with you.

{How can you choose to depend on Him today? What is your need? Lay it before Him. Dependence is beautiful in God’s eyes. Let’s embrace it today. Thanks for reading… I’m off to eat some meat!}

For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ through the gospel.

1 Corinthians 4:15

I’ve never been able to put my finger on it until this morning’s quiet time, as I read this verse.

Why is it that some people can so powerfully influence me, more than others? 

What I mean is this: The world is teeming with advice. Under every rock and in every nook and cranny is another person offering advice. Do this, don’t do that. Try this method, don’t try this method. And some of it’s great. But often I find that even the best advice doesn’t “stick” very well. I hear it, I know (sometimes) that it’s true, but I don’t feel compelled to follow. Or, worse, I actually want to go the other way. Sometimes, depending upon the method or the way something’s presented, it actually makes me want to run.

“Quit trying to just fix me! I’m not a broken down car!”  That’s the secret inside-feeling I get sometimes. Have you ever felt that way?

But a few weeks ago I realized why.

A few weeks ago a dear friend took me out for a treat. She is a trusted, treasure older-sister type friend who I admire beyond words. She’s raised tremendous kids, has stood by her man in beautiful ways, and is an example to many of a godly woman.

And you know the best part?

She isn’t trying to fix me. 

You know what she’s trying to do?

Love me.

With beautiful self-forgetfulness she just wanted to bless me, spend time with me, be with me … love me. And as the hours went by I found myself pouring out questions for her–things I’d stored up in my heart but had never had the courage to ask people. And here I was, sitting beside her in our pedicure chairs, spilling out question after question. Basically saying,

“Influence me, please!”

Her answers were simple. Not shoulds or oughts but simple biblical truths ad tried and tested wisdom. Best of all, I could feel that every word came from a place, not of trying to fix me or make me like her, but out of love.

Love trumps influence every single time. 

Please understand: I’m not saying influence is bad. It’s awesome! We’re called to influence others for Christ! But I’m saying that if we skip straight to influence as our goal, we’ve got the wrong goal. In fact, if we aim only for influence, we won’t reach either one. If we aim straight for love, we’ll get both. Why? Because influence is always the fruit of relationship. The reason my dear parents have influenced my life more than any other human beings is because they loved me with a crazy-amazing love. The reason my discipler/mentor/friend has dramatically affected my life is not because she had all the right answers, but because she loves me.

The world will know we are Christ’s disciples, not by our influence, but by our love for one another.

I recently received Platform by Michael Hyatt, a book on how to increase your influence. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but its goal is incomplete.

All the influence in the world will not change people.

Love changes people.

{Who can you love today? Just for today, suspend your urge to advise, fix, counsel. Just love, just for today. Thanks for reading.}

• Strawberry popsicles
• Just the most crazy-amazing God circumstances.
• His perfect timing.
• His love to us.
• His abundant provision.
• My man.
• Celebrations.
• Fathers: My children’s, my own, my heavenly One.
• Love Has a Face.
• Line-dried sheets.
• Doing chores with my girl.

• The garden flourishing! (Yes, there are weeds in there, too.)
• Dinner underneath the birch tree, relaxing in the shade.

• After dinner escapades.
• Saying yes.
• Four little kids adventuring through the strawberry fields.
• Victory!
• Friends. Oh there is nothing like a good friend.
• “Coincidences” = Providence.
• Long phone conversation with a dearest friend in CA.
• Laughter.
• A really great hat that covers greasy hair and still looks cute.
• The little things.
• New books from the library.
• Planning our 2,333 mile road trip. Adventure!
• Watching Jeff and Dutch playing t-ball in the yard.
• Falling asleep with Heidi.
• Watching her sleep.

• Her curls.
• Thinking my heart might explode I love these Littles so much.
• Summer Reading List.
• Kimmee!
• BBQ with friends.
• Stained fingernails from strawberries.
• 2 Corinthians.
• Prayer journals.
• His voice, His presence, His love.
• HIM.