Month: October 2024

A couple of Fridays ago, Mack had a football injury and now he’s out for the rest of the season and has to wear a boot for three weeks. Booooo.

We ended up in the ER when he was in too much pain the night he got hurt. So we had a slow weekend and helped Mack adjust to his splint and crutches.

Then, Monday Mack and I went to Ortho Carolina for his official appointment with a doctor. I scheduled it wrong and so we had to leave for lunch and come back later. We went to lunch and had time to talk about all kind of things.

Later that day Mack started getting a bad cold and ran a fever for a couple of days. He and I continued to have a lot of time together.

Wednesday he still felt awful so I let him stay home from school again. We needed to leave the house for our cleaners, so I took him to lunch (we ran into his girlfriend and mom), and we got a smoothie after lunch and had more time together.

More time together than we’ve had in a very long time! Made me think about our homeschooling days that allowed for plenty of down time and conversations. Especially with Mack! He was my sidekick as we waited on the girls during their dance classes or every Monday and Wednesday when they attended a co-op. Mack would sit at the island eating hot dogs and strawberries while talking my ear off. He was (and still is) a very funny kid with lots to say. So being with him during those days was good for my heart. He’s usually at school, at football practice or with friends or Brooke—all good and normal ways for a 17 year old boy to spend his time. This fact, though, made our extra, unexpected time together even sweeter.

And with football ending so abruptly, I was forced to deal with Mack’s “lasts” before I was ready. I knew the next Friday was Senior Night but I hadn’t spent much time thinking about it. I don’t know why, but it just hasn’t hit me that Mack is a senior. I’ve ordered his cap and gown, turned in the official name to be on his diploma, and there is a Senior yard sign in my driveway I see every day. Yet it still hadn’t sunk in that Mack is a Senior. But this week it has.

This week I’ve remembered snuggly, chubby baby Mack, talkative toddler Mack, creative elementary Mack, brave middle school Mack, rebellious Mack, and now a more mature and even funnier and more thoughtful High School Senior Mack.

I am proud of him for a million reasons (none of which have to do with the state of his room), and I look forward to how God will lead Mack into his next season.

Super proud of Mack and his football journey. He’s a great teammate. It’s been so fun to watch him play! 🏈

This morning in my RELAXED bible study by Megan Fate Marshman, I was faced with this question [the homework is about submitting our ways to God as it relates to money]:

“Tell a short story about the most satisfying work that you’ve ever done in your life.”

Within .5 seconds, a smile spread across my face, and I started writing…..

“My days began with bed-head all around and pajamas for a couple of hours. Cutting up pancakes, listening to their jabbering, wiping down sticky hands and cheeks. There were books and blocks, time for painting or teaching abc’s and 123’s. We walked the neighborhood looking for pretty leaves or pointing out puffy clouds. Lunch and laundry. Naps and snuggles. Tears and boo-boos. Singing and dancing. And so many words.”

It was the most exhausting work in the best of ways. I wouldn’t change a thing. Do I sometimes feel like I’m floundering in this new season with mostly-grown kids? Yes. Slowly, but surely I am finding my footing though.

Proverbs 3:26 says, “For the Lord will be your confidence (translates ‘at your side’) and will keep your foot from being caught.”

As I write these words in a quaint coffee shop, sipping hot coffee in between bites of quiche, the girls are in college and Mack is working his way through his senior year; we are all worlds away from the sticky bites of pancakes, but there is One who is with us still—our precious friend, Jesus. I’m so grateful for the gift of His presence in every season. Just as the Lord was with me in those years of young motherhood, He will be with me in this new, (ahem) mature season of motherhood—one step at a time.

These two seniors are out on a Homecoming date. They looked so nice and spiffy!

Brooke was also on Homecoming Court at Carmel—like Ruby and Molly.

And she won—just like Ruby and Molly!

It was a super fun evening watching her get crowned. Mack had a football game he had to play in, so he had to miss it, unfortunately.

So happy for her! And so happy the senior year is moving along smoothly so far.

Sure do love this guy. My senior. My baby.

This post has been sitting in my draft envelope for a while now. I found it today and was reminded of the truth of each day having enough trouble of its own. Hurricane Helene brought destruction far and wide in the southeast. A mere two hours west of us whole towns have been wiped off the map. And my Georgia family is dealing with their own mess from Helene, though we’re all thankful it wasn’t worse for them. It took my brother in law hours to get to a neighboring town because he had to stop all along the way to cut and remove trees from blocking the roads. And my little sister is still without power—day 7. My dad had his own stories of the destruction he saw when he ventured out. But all of it reminds me that all we have is the moment. No one is promised tomorrow. Disaster can strike anytime and anywhere. Nothing is for sure except Jesus and His promises. Here is the post I drafted——-

Josh taught through the book of Ecclesiastes this summer in our small group. Weekly, it seemed we were reminded that: 1) You’re going to die. 2) You don’t know when. 3) Enjoy the life God has given you!

Maybe it wasn’t quite that simple, but those were my takeaways.

So when we spotted a wildflowers painting while shopping in Ohio, we decided we wanted them as a representation of this season and how we want to live. You see, wildflowers are just beautiful. There isn’t anything super predictable or any patterns that are sure to repeat. Except beauty. Color. A sight to behold. There’s nothing to do with them—just let them be. Let them grow. Watch them sway. And take in the beauty. Enjoy the pretty flowers. Sounds simple. But how often do we just not have time for slowing down? For noticing our surroundings and taking in life as it is?

Wildflowers grow together in unity to create their overall beauty. Each one worth looking at, but it’s their togetherness that makes them a sight!

In Matthew 6:28, Jesus tells us to “Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.” And a few verses later the summary is this: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” This song has been on repeat since I first found it. Who doesn’t need this reminder?

My prayer for all of us is to find the beauty wherever you are. It’s there. Maybe it’s in the faces of your loved ones. Maybe it’s a neighbor who shares a meal with you. Definitely beauty is found in the helpers, the givers, the ones who share and show they care. But there’s also beauty in nature. Even among the downed trees and power lines, look up further still. Find the birds, listen to them sing. Find a flower and look at its beauty. Find a face and let them know you love them. And remember that God is still ruling and reigning and one day there will truly be nothing to worry about! Until then, consider the Lillies and rest in Jesus.