Splash in the Rain Puddles

 We've entered that sweet spot of the summer when baseball has wrapped up, the crops are in the ground and growing, the temps are warm and toasty, and the garden is growing and producing.  I was thinking back over our years of gardening, and it just makes me smile....it makes me smile knowing that our garden brings just as much joy to Jack today, as it did when he was 4 years old and managing that little square of space like it was his own farming operation.  There have been years when, if it were up to me alone, the garden would have been a no go.  There was a season where it felt like we were just creating more work than we possibly had time for, but at the end of the day...we did it anyway...simply because of the joy that it brought our boy.  All of our boys, really.  But especially Jack.  Just as life goes....so have our gardens gone...some years producing an abundance, with hearty plants and not many weeds...other years struggling from heat and bu...

 Another school year is in the books, and while it always goes by fast, this one felt like the fastest yet.  And now the oldest has only one more year of high school ahead of him...the middle is thriving in high school and ready to take on his second year...and my baby is ready to begin a new chapter in middle school.  All of which seems hard for my mama heart to comprehend, but at the same time loving this stage of life we're in.  For the past several years the boys and I (and Chad when he can get away from the farm) have gone camping at the beach right after school is out to celebrate the end of another year.  I booked this year's trip not knowing how many other things were going to be happening over that same time...and honestly, I wanted to cancel...it was the easier thing to do considering all the coming and going we would need to do.  But when I talked about it with the boys, I realized how much they wanted to go...that they look forward to that time,...

 I love how God's word is never stagnant.  As I read and study the Bible there are always new ways that he speaks through verses I've thought about many times before, and through some that I've never given much thought to.  Today, it was Isaiah's message from the Lord to Hezekiah concerning the remnant of people that He always preserved.  It's first found in 2 Kings 19:30 and then again in Isaiah 37..."And the remnant who have escaped the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward ."  I love that.  As I'm thinking about my mission in life, that is how I want to look at it...deep roots that bear upward fruit...sowing seeds of deep faith into the hearts of my children and those around me....living with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control...so that those seeds would grow and continue to bear fruit, long after I'm gone.  It's so easy to just get through each day with a ...

It's been one of those weeks.  Full of unexpected challenges and things we would not have chosen.  Yet still full of reminders that our God is a merciful God, and uses all things for his glory.  Sunday morning on my way to church, when my light turned green and a person going the other direction ran their red light...well, it could have gone a very different way.  Praise the Lord that I wasn't just a few seconds faster, at which point would have taken the hit straight to my door.  But instead, walked away with just some bumps and bruises...and completely unharmed children.  I don’t know why God allowed it to happen...but I do know that I'm so very grateful that He wasn't finished with me yet on this earth....or with my boys...or with the driver of the other car.  But we also face the very human responses of frustration with insurance companies...frustration with asking why it had to happen at all.  So my prayer has been for patience and grace...as...

 I'm so thankful for the clarity that oftentimes comes with getting older.  At some point, we begin to realize that those things we thought were important, those things we thought defined us...those are not really the important things at all.  You come to accept that sometimes not compromising on what the Bible teaches as truth, may come with a cost.  Many years ago I heard Charles Stanley say, "compromise is the biggest threat in the church today"....and I think it's still true.  I try to be genuine and authentic...true to who God has called me to be...to not compromise, but still show the grace and love to others that is so mercifully poured out to me every single day.  But sometimes, I can still find myself doubting and questioning...did I handle that situation correctly?....did I show love and understanding even in the midst of a disagreement?...would God sign his name at the end of my day, proud of the way I represented Him?  Unfortunately the ans...

Fifteen years ago, early in the morning, I was breathing my way into the ER, determined that I was not actually in labor.  I was scheduled for a c-section in just two days and I had already been in two days earlier with a false alarm...so clearly that's what this was.  But I had been breathing through contractions all night long, trying to get some relief...and it. was. not. happening.  So hubby stepped in, and informed me it was time to go.  Turns out, I was five centimeters dilated and on my way to giving birth.  This little one was ready to make his entrance.  After a quick call to my doctor, a shot to slow the contractions, and a good old epidural, they got me to the OR within an hour and we welcomed Chase Daniel into the world.  My second born.  It's amazing, the immediate bond that forms when a momma first looks into the eyes of her newborn.  He was my baby who loved snuggles, naps, and mealtimes.  He was my toddler who loved to le...

Over the past year, I have felt a shift in my phase of life.  As our children get older and more independent, it's almost like coming up for air after a season of survival.  Surviving the daily grind of discipline and training little ones...staying persistent and wondering if anything was sinking in...managing 3 schedules of extra curricular activities and piecing it together like a jigsaw puzzle each month.  This is certainly not to say that I think the challenges of parenting are coming to an end.  That proves daily, not to be the case.  But there is a significant change in the issues we deal with and how we go about handling them...it feels just a little less all-consuming.  With new phases, come new challenges and questions.  What does this new phase look like?...as my kids are requiring less of my physical presence, time, and discipline and more of my understanding, encouragement, and oh so many prayers.  Am I effectively encouraging their in...