Just dropping in to document Mack’s last teen birthday! Cannot believe our “baby” is in his last teenage year. We enjoyed the weekend shopping and eating and celebrating him.
He’s had a great year and is growing spiritually which is a blessing to my heart!!! It’s hard to not place most of my focus for Mack on productivity and academics—both important parts of life to be sure —but without a strong spiritual foundation, it’s just hay and stubble. Thankful for the foundation God is laying in Mack’s life.
(Side note—I’m always 30 years ahead of Mack. I brought him home on my 30th birthday! So that means I’m in my last year of my forties now. Wowza!! Crazy how time flies.)
Special Delivery from Josh💞Here’s to “almost 50” LOL!
How many birds sitting on my kitchen window sill will it take for me to fully grasp how much I’m cared for by my Heavenly Father?
I found the blue one in a boutique yesterday. $4.99—a small price for what serves to be a daily reminder to “consider the sparrow.”
“You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:25-27 NASB1995
There’s a gracious plenty that tempts me to worry, to try and control or manipulate a situation rather than to trust God fully and wholly. Three kids—two about to graduate and move into a new, unfamiliar season. One moving back home this summer. All three growing and maturing at their own pace and in their own ways. It can keep me in a constant state of worry. What if they can’t find a place to live? What if they aren’t ready? What if the internship is a flop? What if they meet their spouse? What if they don’t?What if they have a car accident or car trouble all those miles away? What if they hate it there?
I’ve seen people wearing hats or shirts that say, “What if it’s wonderful?”
Somehow that is not the first or hundredth “what if” question that comes to mind for me. I wish it were. I’m trying to move it to the top forty, so that’s progress!
But the bottom line is that God cares for them so thoroughly, so perfectly. He is good. He isn’t asleep. He doesn’t need me to figure anything out. He’s inviting me to trust. To pray. To not worry. To pray some more. And to expectantly look for Him at work through provision and presence.
Because truly, with Christ, it’s bound to be wonderful.
Trusting Him to give me eyes to look for His wonderful working power in all of the circumstances that tempt me to worry.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34 NASB1995
The girls just wrapped up their Senior year Spring Break. We got a house in Pigeon Forge and some DollyWood tickets and set off for a fun few days. Oh and lots of groceries. Lots.
The weather took a cold turn for most of the country, so I shouldn’t complain about a little snow but I definitely did complain about the snow. I hate winter. But thankfully it didn’t last long. Josh and Molly exercised in the freezing weather on the extremely steep driveway.
Crazies. The media room was cool. And Molly used it for our first meeting which was actually hilarious. These have been on all the Spring Break trips. And Lillah too!Josh was the MVP for sure. Always cooking and serving and taking out the trash…and making sure coffee was hot and ready in the morning. He amazes me and teaches me so much about serving people and being generous. Always always giving.
Dollywood was fun! It brings back so many memories of when the kids were little. They loved that place. And still do! Josh and I loved that busy season of younger years, but we knew things had shifted when we wanted coffee and to find a place to sit and listen to live music. lol. And that’s what we did!
Thankful for the time away and thankful we could be a part of another Spring Break! Next year it’s Mack’s turn!☀️
Mack’s Spring Break was this past week. He had some appointments that had to be taken care of this week, so unfortunately he didn’t get a trip to the beach. Considering he lives on the coast, I didn’t really feel too terrible for him. And he still has a few years where we can plan some fun trips on his breaks.
We enjoyed having him here. He slept. He ate. He rested. He saw some friends. He enjoyed chill days—besides the appointments and besides my list of to dos that he said I had a lot of. I promise I just needed him to go get an emissions test done. That got done on Friday afternoon, and I am super thankful he obliged.
This is about the only photo we got. He’s on his way back to Wilmington!
Molly came home last Monday and stayed a couple of nights. She wanted to see Mack and pick up some dresses for a wedding she is singing in this weekend. I am so glad she made the trip. I always enjoy having her around. She even played and sang for my Bible Study group.
This is her with Robin who taught her how to bake sourdough bread…aren’t they too cute?! And the bread looks pretty amazing, too.
We all three went to the gym on Tuesday afternoon. I enjoyed having them there with me!
I cooked dinner. You may think that isn’t a big deal, but let me assure you, it is. I haven’t cooked a meal like this since they left for college. And it is so funny because they enjoyed it but nobody was raving, necessarily. And I told them I actually need lots of praise for cooking and maybe even a round of applause. It reminded me why I took the major break from cooking to begin with. So. Much. Work.This photo was posted on our church instagram page, and I am so glad Josh is beside me, but it makes me pause a sec and remember we used to have all three kids with us every Sunday for lots and lots of years. We are definitely in a new season. The shift continues in a million ways. Some days I feel so confident we have settled into this new season, and then something happens to make me miss the way things used to be. The fullness of the pew. The noise in the house. The many opinions and unsolicited advice thrown around. But then I think about the cooking and cleaning and I start to feel better about the empty nest. lol. Super grateful for Josh.
Let me end with a picture of my baby Rolo. I still have her following me around! She cracks me up. Like a little person. So sweet!
On Wednesday, we gathered. It was a special gathering because Molly was home and agreed to play a couple of worship songs during our time. It was so sweet! She sang “This is How We Remember” and a song she wrote. I wish I had taken more photos but I didn’t! Just enjoying the moment.
This week we discussed our homework which was all about Jesus’ crucifixion. We discussed how His body broken for us covers all of our sin and daily struggles. We were challenged to take communion with the “whole body theology” in mind—reminding ourselves that the struggle we have about our body isn’t silly or petty or too small to take to the Lord. His sacrifice covered all of that.
This was the communion spot—didn’t get a pic with bread or juice—but it was a sweet time.
We were also reminded through our group conversation that Satan hates our bodies and wants us to hate our bodies. Mainly because our bodies house the living God!! And that’s what we will study this coming week—the Spirit alive inside us.
But as we reflected on Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I was soberly reminded that living in my body means so much more than what it weighs or what size jeans I wear or if I can put off aging. I don’t want to spend my life working on my body like it’s a project, but rather living well in my body so that I bring glory to God!
