Simply Thriving

Here I am, cozy in a favorite blanket  {baby sleeping, kids curled up downstairs watching a movie together} on this “company-just-left”, “feeling-groggy-and-tired”, “wishing-it-was-a-longer-visit” day, sipping coffee, drinking in the pumpkin/apple smell of a new candle and pondering heaven. Heaven. Where visits will never be too short. Where distance will not be an issue. Where only love abounds. Where there will be no family drama. Where boys won’t scratch each other when they are upset. Where heart to heart conversations will go on forever. Where the sweet days of summer will linger on and on. Where beautiful harmonies will rise together at the drop of a hat. Where there will be no doubting. No darkness. No fear. Where those perfect feelings, the ones that come from hugging loved ones, from watching leaves blow in the breeze, from smelling fall in the air, from roasting sticky marshmallows around a campfire, from laughing until your cheeks ach...

This past weekend, my family and I went to a reunion. We were only gone for two and a half days, but when we came in the door to our house we were hit with a HUGE stink. All of the windows had been closed and locked while we were away and it had been HOT. We were all holding our noses and running around trying to figure out what the smell was when, all at once, my hubby said, “The fish!” Sure enough, the fish were dead - All 15 of them. Isaac and Aiden had dumped four containers of fish food in to the tank and all over the basement floor. (Probably thinking that would keep the “fishies” from being hungry while we were gone.) Most likely they died on the first night and floated around in the tank for the next two days because they were bloated and white and the tank (it’s a big one) reeked of death and rot. On top of the smell, the water was cloudy, greasy and rank. Growing up on the farm, you see/smell a lot of gross things, but this one was far and above any terri...

Yesterday we lost our keys. Well, not  our  keys actually, someone else’s, which was the stressful part. The house was turned upside down. Stores were called. Parking lots were examined… and re-examined. Prayers were prayed. My kids and I held hands in the kitchen and prayed that Daddy would find his keys. This led to talks about wishes and prayers. And Jesus making wishes come true. Almost as if He was part of the Disneyland franchise instead of being King and Orchestrator of the universe. Funny how we don’t change much as adults. Treating prayers like wishes. Pouting at God when they don’t come true. I say this, because I do it. Oh sure, it’s so easy to say, “God’s ways are not our ways.” “Things don’t always happen the way we think they should, but God knows best.” Etc. etc. Unfortunately, in my experience, these statements are usually only smile deep. They are true (and based on God’s Word), but rattling them off is not the same as believing them; not th...

This is one of those things that I probably should keep to myself. If you don't struggle with depression, this likely won't resonate with you.  I do. Struggle with depression that is. I HATE to admit it. Most of the time, I am cheerful, confident, and ready to weather any type of adversity. But, every few months "it" hits. (My husband can attest this this, and he is a saint for walking through the valley with me. I am certain that there is a great reward in heaven for him on my account.)  Suddenly, and unexpectedly, nothing is certain. No love. No grace. No joy. It's all empty.  I've only told one other person besides Josh that I struggle with depression before today. Even in this age, it seems so "taboo". However, as a redeemed child of God, I can say that it is real and it is horrible. And it doesn't make me "less" of a Christian.  I'm still learning how to walk through it (mostly by the prayers and comfort of Josh and t...

214 That’s the number of shutter actuations that occurred at our house this morning. The number of times my camera went “click”. The number of times that a host of little people said “cheese”.  The number of smiles that were frozen in time. The number of silly faces. The number of sweet faces. The number of memories made. Today we celebrated our oldest little man’s fourth birthday. What a journey we have had with him these past three years. I thought parenting was easy when it was just my daughter. And, if I’m being honest, I thought I was pretty awesome at it too. How terrible is that! But then there was Aiden. The boy who puts the energizer bunny to shame with his dawn till dusk momentum, who lives up to his name, “Little Fiery One.” The boy who climbs and bounces, fights, braves and loves fiercely. Nothing in my life has humbled me as much as he has. And I’m glad for it. Through him, God has taught me to slow down. To celebrate accomplishments of all s...

Just this week a friend and I were laughing on the phone about my inability to “stand up for myself”. She made a comment on how sweet I was but, as an aside, said, “What if there is actually a bitter person inside of you that just has a sweet chocolate coating on top?” Wow! And just like that, my self-awareness blew open. I Samuel 16:7 flooded into my mind. “…the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Am I truly sweet inside? Is there a gentle and a quiet spirit in there or is there a giant weed of bitterness, fighting to find a crack in the chocolate coating of the external me? Hello conviction! Which posed the question: “How do you get rid of a weed?” Have you ever tried to uproot horseradish? It’s the hardest plant to "exterminate" that I have encountered yet. Pulling off the top is useless. Digging out a bit (or even all but one tiny, buried piece) of root is equally useless. You need to...

This is what the 1828 Webster's dictionary has to say about Thriving: THRIVE, v.i. 1. To grow; to increase in bulk or stature; to flourish . Young cattle thrive in rich pastures; and trees thrive in a good soil. 2. To grow; to advance; to increase or advance in any thing valuable. 3. To prosper by industry, economy and good management of property; to increase in goods and estate.  A farmer thrives by good husbandry . When the body of laboring men thrive, we pronounce the state prosperous.  Diligence and humility is the way to thrive  in the riches of the understanding, as well as in gold. It puts me in mind of Peter's words in 2 Peter 3:18, "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."  This is my prayer for our home. That we would be like the trees of Proverbs 1:3, planted by the waters, who "yields it's fruit in it's season and it's leaf does not wither." And why does this happen?  Because "His delight is in th...

I've always had a love of fresh starts and new beginnings. That wonderful feeling when you write on the first page of a journal or flip over a new month on the calendar. I'm reminded of Anne Shirley. "Tomorrow is a new day...with no mistakes in it...yet!" So, naturally I'm excited about this beginning as well. A little corner of the blogosphere to share the thoughts, happenings and graces of our bustling family. To write about and capture in time sparkly rubber boots parked in front of the bathtub. My little girl who wants to be a mommy when she grows up and the two little boys who plan on travelling together to the moon with their cousins once they are old enough to fly. Sticky fingers and stickier kisses. Late night musings and prayers in the dark with my strong, funny, patient man. There is so much that goes on. So many "moments" packaged inside moments that light up my life....and, I'll admit, sometimes drive me wild. Each of them is a gift,...