Week's end with thanks

• Brilliant yellow daffodils growing straight out of the gravel along Parker Road. I want to celebrate every time I drive past.  Beauty perseveres!
• Blessed experience at the Faith & Culture Writer’s Conference at Western Seminary. Grace beyond words.
• Debra Kent.
• Arriving home to find hubby, Momma-in-law, and two darling children out spreading barkdust in our front yard. “Mommy mommy mommy!” Running to car. Armful of children. I inhale them. Yes.
• Changing plans.
• Tiny solid-color plastic cowboys and Indians toys, complete with tomahawks and feathers, knives and guns. From 30+ years ago, Dutch plays with them still. Most un-PC toys I’ve ever seen.
• Down comforter.
• How safe it feels when everything is God’s.
• Life broken open, time to share the fruit.
• Having no idea what God is doing but enjoying the journey.
• Farm fresh milk–yum!
• Worshipping God next to my momma-in-law and dear friend Pam. A gift to stand beside such saints in the presence of our God.
• Being too excited to sleep. Four nights in a row.
• Sunshine.
• Oregon Women’s Report dinner. Going with a friend and meeting more. Love love love what God’s doing through women, words, and grace.
• An email from my literary hero, speaking words of encouragement.
• A whole day without leaving the house.
• Beautiful, amazing response from readers on Day Without Shoes.
• $11,297+ raised for precious people in Africa!  And how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News.
• Heidi & Elle giggling down the aisles of Fred Meyer.
• Huge bouquet of daffodils on kitchen table, splash of sunshine despite each day’s rain.
• Single daffodil in bud vase from my friend who gives me gifts.  Six luscious lemon petals outstretched toward me. Single stem strong. Some of us are petals some are stems, so glad we can work together to create beauty.
• Little boy in t-shirt and bare buns. I love those buns!
• Beth Moore teach on the power of song. She is a holy hoot, that woman.
• Needing a nap and taking one.
• “Oh mommy, I discovered…!” “Oh mommy, that’s extraordinary!” “The hail is hitting the glass like bullets!”  Can I just say that I love my little 4-year-old’s vocabulary? What a gift to be able to describe life with just the right words.
• Watching hail turn almost instantly to blue sky. How quickly things can change.
• Bananas with perfect hint of green.
• A  literary lettuce-in-my-teeth heads-up from a friend when I misspelled “peek” in the title of this post. Ha! A peak! Thank you Emily!
• Seeing a friend look so great.
• Heidi accidentally smashing Dutch’s prized Lego-possession, and being amazed:  He didn’t even bat an eyelash, just helped her pick up the pieces. There really is hope.
• Dutch reminiscing about last summer’s deck-building adventure. “Mommy, remember the time…” Sounding like a little old man.
• Vintage children’s books.
• Dutch touching my tummy: “Mommy, are we getting another baby soon?  We need a new baby!” No we aren’t and no we don’t.
• Letting Dutch eat the last of the peanut butter right out of the jar … again.
• More (plenty more) of the much-needed discipline of Dutch that I detest.  But it’s all worth it when he breaks, melts in my arms, between sobs, “Mommy, I love you so much.”  That’s when I break, melt, thank God for this privilege of shepherding His lamb.
• Breath prayers: Lord, help me to be faithful.
• Heidi playing outside in pouring hail, all by herself, wandering and stacking, digging and watering.  Content and lost in her world.  I sneak with camera. She catches me and smiles.
• Fingering Heidi’s favorite sparkly gold shoes, worn almost completely through the toe.   Jesus let me life be just like these shoes.
• Date night with my man.
• Friends who don’t just babysit, they shower my kids with love.
• Holding hands.
• Barnes & Noble. At home among the books.
• People-watching.
• Prawns.
• Peeking in on on sleeping child and gathering up one who’s awake into my arms.
• Powell’s City of Books.  How happy am I that my kids love this place too?!
• Literal lip-smacking from the backseat as we drive. Peanut butter sandwiches, simplicity’s fare.
• Walking in downtown Portland on a brilliant sunny day, one small hand tucked in each of mine, we toddle slowly, taking in the sights. Strangers smile.
• Brilliant blue sky, completely cloudless. Dozens of tulips about to burst, standing tall, dignified, in enormous concrete planters along Burnside.
• My first tulip still hiding its wintry eyes, about to show its face.
• Scribbling all these on back of Powell’s receipt. Must not forget these gifts!
• Fat bumble bee buzzing from flower to flower.
• Neighbor friend stopping by, parked in the middle of the street. All smiles. Warm sun. Hum of lawnmower behind. Telling tales of God’s finger, of God’s faithfulness. She smiles wide and is a gift.
• Sitting on my front porch watching my Pastor walking his sweet daughter home from school.  WCC family, we are blessed.
• Comments from you that bring me to tears. (the good kind)
• My new problem, these lists are getting too long! But that too is a gift…
• Trust.

Happy weekend; thanks for reading.

By grace, with joy,

Kari