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Thankful Thursday

August 25, 2017 //
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Thankful for …my walks at the river and that this time, when I asked, everyone said, “No, not today…” but then when I was ready to go, there were two sons and one husband ready to go along for the ride…and the walk. Sweet surprise. Love going for a walk, but love it more when there’s someone walking beside me.

Thankful for walks that include walking and talking, and walking and not. Silence feels right at home in the woods.

Thankful for wide-eyed wonder and little eclipse watchers. Thankful for ‘aha’ moments and the way they bring together whoever has eyes to see.

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Thankful for sweet moments with students…for dancing to sight word songs and laughing out loud when students get my stupid jokes on the side. Thankful for stubborn stand-offs and seeing the moment that the student realizes maybe this teacher is being stubborn because she really does care…and that’s why she’s willing to dig her heels in and draw her lines to help teach students more than math and reading. Thankful for breakthroughs that come after ‘stand-offs’.IMG_5283.jpg

Thankful for the amazing sunset that Tanner and I saw on the way back from a trip to the mall to get some new shoes. It was the night of the eclipse, and was different than any sunset I’d ever seen. Oh, and am so thankful for the “I’m going to do my own thing” kind of spirit that my LeBron-loving-Tan-Man had as he purchased …Steph Curry shoes. Ha. Quite the dilemma for a bit, but he’s defining his own little walk and not walking in another’s shoes. Thankful for that…and for the laughter and freedom that came after the dilemma was solved and he decided that he indeed could wear his Cavaliers hat and Steph Curry shoes at the same time because …he could!

Thankful for encouragement from friends.  For verses shared and words spoken that hit the need spot-on at just the right time. Thankful for being able to walk with friends during the hard times and horse-laugh not just in the good, but in the hard. Yeah. It’s good to have people that know you and can see a broader view when you’re stuck in the middle. Sometimes laughter is the best thing to grant perspective for sure.

Thankful for my favorite quote of the week from a 5-year old little boy with an ultra-fun baby sitter ...”How do you spell ‘havingagreattime’?   🙂

Thankful for the many details worked out in a week during  yet another period of lots of transitions for adults in my life who happen to still be my children <3. Thankful for so many steps forward, and some back, but that that’s the dance of life. Am so very thankful for this dance of life. Thankful for the chances for ‘do-overs’, reboots,  and ‘let’s try that a different way’-s that are about so much more than getting it ‘right’, but more about growing those heart and mind and spirit muscles in these ones who I’ll always see as my greatest gifts…

and last but not least am thankful for a Friday night when pizza is on the menu (and the cinna-bites that Tan-man wanted so badly that were worth every minute of the extra ten minute wait). Thankful for a Friday night  when I can kick up my feet and read and rest and be thankful for the week behind, look forward to the week ahead, but quietly sit here in the middle of it all and reflect on some of the sweet moments of the week.IMG_5300

Happy Thankful Thursday on a Friday 🙂

Blessings ~

Heather

 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

 

Thankful Thursday

 

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Thankful Thursday

July 6, 2017 //
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On this ‘Thankful Thursday, am thankful for…

…for sun…and rain…and sunflowers in the rain.

…for the way the seed from bird feeders has allowed for these beauties to pop up in some of the most inopportune places…and that even though they looked like weeds, I didn’t pull these sunflowers because I knew what potential for beauty they held. They were worth the wait.DSCN0786

…for looking on the bright side of having old cars: no car payment,  low insurance rates, and the humility that comes with driving them. 🙂 Also for the time I have to catch up on my summer reading during the three hour repairzzzz.

…for two more days of “Summer break”.  For time well spent with family and friends and for all the things crossed off my “summer” to do list.

…for phone calls from one coast to another from my kids.  For connections with them that miles can’t take away. Yep. Very very thankful for that.

…for a new coffee mug that I love and use for way more coffee than any person should ever admit to drinking.

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…for three different “chance” meetings with people this week. Love how paths often cross at just the right times.

…for little hands and eyes that remind me of wonder 🙂

 

…for the reminder that life is precious … and the reminder that we need each other. (A friend from years gone by lost her 24 year old son… have written some things…but tough to find words for things so deep sometimes.) Prayers for Ashley and her family…and for those Jake left behind who adored him and are facing a deep ache and incredible void.) May God comfort in the ways that only He can. Screen Shot 2017-06-28 at 2.12.28 PM

…for a friend sending me songs ‘out of the blue’ that helped yours truly beat a bad case of the blues. (Thanks Cheryl. Worship gets my eyes and heart back to where they need to be…. and for the so cool fact that the first one she sent was one of two that I keep playing over and over daily.)  One of my new favorites is Starlight by Amanda Cook. Bethel Music.

…for my camera and misty mornings walks. For cows that make me laugh and dandelions that so don’t look like weeds to me.

 

…for visual reminders that help me see and understand deeper truths that I need to take hold of…and the truth that “Love hopes all things, bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”  It was on the bulletin for my wedding. And “if I have not love…I am a clanging symbol…”  Below is a photo of a visual of “the two shall become one…”  Black sand mixing with white sand as a powerful visual.  Tough to separate grains of sand. Marriage is a blending, a meeting in the middle, a union. Yeah, good to have that reminder for me and my oh-so-polar-opposite-of-me-husband (and him and his oh-so-polar-opposite-of-him wife!) Thankful for the differences though…I really am.  A balance of extremes can be a good thing. Even a great thing. Just sometimes the blending of the two isn’t as easy as with sand.  At all.DSCN9764

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…for Greek yogurt with blueberries and granola (tastes like dessert… probably even qualifies as dessert!) and the time to eat breakfast outside on a cool summer morning. (Yep, there’s my new coffee cup ❤ ) For the views, the fresh air, and a new day and the birds flitting around from branch to branch singing their little hearts out.

…for ‘game changers’…truths that reach deep and transform mindsets and encourage and give strength and a new awareness for the day (or the minute as it may be)… (Ephesians 1: 18-20)DSCN0798

…for writing…blogging…and the venting and processing that comes with it. …for time to be able to write over these past few weeks, and for the creative outlet it is.  For connections with people I’ve never even met but feel like I know, and for the deeper connection made with people I do know that comes through sharing of thoughts, heart, and experiences and those moments of smiling because we get it and understand where the other person has walked or may be walking.

…for this verse…“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)  Thankful that the ‘wherever you go’ doesn’t have to be distant lands, or huge undertakings. The ‘wherever’ is wherever…. grocery stores, back yard decks, car service stations, business meetings, schools…yep. It covers “where-ever”.  And the courageous doesn’t have to be big and bold and earthshaking. It can be the quiet trust that knows that it’s not alone…and that thought alone is enough to empower and en-COURaGe to take the next steps…where-ever and what-ever they might be. 

One thing I know is that there is always a lot to be thankful for. Not just on  Thursdays, but every moment of every day.  I’ve just gotta take the time to see it.  So thankful for extra doses of time these past few weeks to do just that…

Blessings ~

Heather

 

Thankful Thursday

 

 

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Wordless Wednesday

March 29, 2017 //
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Version 2

“Be still and know that He is God.” Psalm 46:10

Wordless Wednesday

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…a few thoughts on husbands…

February 5, 2017 //
2

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Yes, I have a few thoughts on husbands.  Correction.  Husband. Singular. Meaning mine. I’ve joked (sort of) in other posts that my husband is a ‘man among men’ in many ways. (And sadly, this was said more humorously than amorously…)  He is stubborn, thinks he’s invincible, and often doesn’t filter his thoughts through his brain before they come out of his mouth.  He will probably admit to all of the above freely.  He lives with an extreme intensity which has probably greatly contributed to his success in playing football, being an undercover cop, and coaching sports. My husband is one of a kind and like him or not, he is who he is. (I happen to like him, most days anyway.)

Well, this weekend, I was reminded of a few things about the man. You see, he’s living about 4 hours away right now, building a home on the coast of NC, so we are traveling back and forth to see each other. This weekend was my turn, so on Friday after work, my son and I jumped in the car and made the trek to Wilmington. On the way, my son got a call from his Dad.  I could tell that Buddy was asking Tanner what snacks he wanted because Tan started listing things like ‘Oreos’ and ‘chips like Doritos…yeah Doritos’.  And I kinda wished that he would ask me what I wanted because I was so in the mood for popcorn, but I kept quiet and just asked that we have coffee in the morning. I would definitely need coffee in the morning.

And when we got there, we all hugged and brought in  our stuff to his little apartment (that he affectionately calls his ‘bachelor pad’, ha.) and what did I see?  Coffee already made, two mugs, with ‘my cup’ on one and ‘your cup’ on the other. He of course got Tanner the Oreo cookies he wanted, but remembered from way back in the Fall that I had tried the Lemon Oreos and loved them. Yep. They were there too. And do you  know what else was there?  Pop corn.  The man notices.

And I guess that’s what this post is about. It’s about …noticing.  Noticing the little thing, the little things he does that are so thoughtful.  You see, this man who drives me crazy in every possible way and doesn’t pick up  his socks, communicates in one word answers and is as stubborn as all-get-out….this man knows me.  He notices things I don’t think he sees, and cares about the little things.They aren’t always the things I care about, but that’s what happens when you have different takes, view, perspectives on things. When the kids were little, he knew what every one of them wanted on his or her sandwich (that’s no small feat with 6 children). He works hard for our family. And the man who may not be seen as the greatest communicator makes sure that he talks with all of our kids almost on a daily basis.

And it’s good for me to notice what he notices. It’s good for me to step back and appreciate those little things. It’s so easy to see what’s lacking, the gaps,the falling short. I know that as women, often long for more and have a vision of what we hope things could be.  But there’s so much that is. And the cool thing is, is that the more I notice what is,  it seems, that there is so much more to notice.  There it is again…perspective changes everything.

They say that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I can only speak for myself, but it sure has helped me to appreciate my husband. In his absence, I see what is. Like a puzzle with pieces missing, I realize what was there that maybe I didn’t see before.  I so wouldn’t wish living separately on many couples. But it sure has helped me and my husband. I have a feeling he’s seeing some of the missing pieces too, and appreciating what is. And even though he may not communicate and have deep conversations with me about this or that, he’s showing me in his own way that he’s all in and he cares and he notices. And I can’t help but notice that.

Oh, and he called tonight to make sure we got home okay and said he’d definitely be coming home next weekend. In the midst of all the absence and gaps and loss, we’ve got a lot to be thankful for. And what we don’t have?  Well it seems to make us more thankful for what we do.

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What Bud sees when he walks out the door in the morning….and what we get to see when we’re there…Kind of the best of both worlds, I’d say.  At least that’s how I’m choosing to see it…

Blessings~

Heather

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 Love never fails.”
I Corinthians 13:4-7
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Silent Sunday

August 13, 2016 //
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Wordless Wednesday

July 5, 2016 //
0

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Thankful Thursday

January 9, 2016 //
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Thankful1So, the ride home the other day was beautiful. Lately, the sun has been down by the time I am driving home from work, so it was awesome to see the light for sure. I intentionally left work a bit early and called my son…the one who is home from college and leaves in a few days…the one who I have seen off and on, but who has been really busy.

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I called him and say, “Hey, do you want to go for a walk with me at the GreenWay?”  And leaving work became so worthwhile cause he said yes and in a few minutes, I was dropping by home to pick him up.  One short stop to McDonalds for a strawberry-banana smoothie, and we were on our way.

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So…we walked…and talked and caught up.

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The sun was still above the horizon, thankfully.  We took it all in.thankful4

Here’s my view of his view…

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…yep… it was definitely time well spent.  It’s funny how there are certain times I can look at my adult children and see them standing there being 19, but I’m remembering them being 5…same eyes…same expression…same connection.  yep.  time well spent.

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…of course, the cell phone was along for the ride, as well as the strawberry-banana smoothie…

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…We’ve taken photos here with his brother, Aus… on a Spring day.  Same tree hanging over the water, same view.  It’s there when we’re out doing our thing, and there when we come back.  It’s a great place for them to sit….kind of like a bench hanging over the water.

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…as we walk, we pass lots of visual reminders of change.  The remnants of a fire years ago….the way that life goes on.  Life sure has lots of loss, but we press on, move on, and keep growing.  As he has gotten older, he knows a thing or two about change and loss.  I’m so thankful for the conversation, relationship, and grace that helps to keep things in perspective, helps us see loss in a different light….helps us see and seek the joy in the middle of it.

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I’m thankful for truth that rocks and mountains were meant to climb, and for the desire to climb them that was so there when he was little and is even more there now that he’s older.  Praying that he keeps reaching and climbing. Always…and enjoys the view. “Wow…you can see everything up here!” he says.  So his mom ventures to climb the rock as well. Yep, thankful for those who climb and reach and in so doing, encourage others, (even their moms ) to climb.

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I’m thankful for visual reminders and verses that come to mind ‘out of the blue’ as we see things.  Here’s one:  “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my Deliverer’ my God is my Rock in whom I take refuge…” (Psalm 18:2)

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Thankful for rushing water that’s loud and cold and clear.

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Thankful for the visual of how the ridges on the rocks underneath determine the waves on the surface. That’s another blog, but something I’ve been thinking about.  Fun to talk about as we watch all the big and little waves on a day when the river was overflowing.

So on this Thankful Thursday, there are so many things to be thankful for.  Love so much catching up with my children, and what’s going on not just on the surface, but underneath it all.  So so very thankful that they are a gift, and that even though there are times when they won’t say “Yes” to taking a walk, that there are precious moments when they do.  And when they do?  I’m all in!

Oh, and can’t beat that that night my girl Hope had a wonderful chai latte waiting for me…even labeled it….

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Yep. It was a good day….

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…”

Psalm 107:1-2

 

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Thankful Thursday

October 16, 2015 //
0

thankful thursday

Today, I’m thankful for sunlight.  I’m thankful for sunlight filtered through trees, for sunlight shimmering on the water, for sunlight on my face and the warmth that is so much more than heat.

I’m thankful for walks and talks with a  dear friend…for the laughter, and words, and just time well spent that comes when we take a little bit of time out of our busy, busy days just to do the stuff that matters.

I’m thankful for projects…big, long-term, investment of blood, sweat, and tears types of projects that are -done!  I’m thankful for the ones who put their hearts, souls, and mind into creating things that will impact others. I’m thankful for the encouragement people will get just from hearing people’s stories.  I’m thankful for the one who is telling the stories, and that lately, people have taken the time to not only listen to, but ask about his.

I’m thankful for frozen spaghetti sauce with meatballs that makes for a quick dinner when my walk went a bit past the dinner hour and my family was home and hungry.

I’m thankful for a job that  s t r e t c h e s  me to the limit, but that’s part of growth.

I’m thankful for Gevalia coffee, spinach salad, and croissants. I’m thankful that the scale is starting to tip the other way after tipping a bit on the other side.  Somehow it seems that time at work makes me think of chocolate quite a bit.  Seriously.  On stressful days, I think chocolate.  And my skinny assistant always has some.  And so does my fellow teacher. I am realizing that while they are good for me in some ways, providing endless supplies of chocolate is not one of them. At all. I’m thankful that clothes still fit and that tight was never my thing anyway. I’m thankful for scales that tell the truth and the ultimate truth that beauty in the world’s eyes is so different from beauty in God’s eyes…He sees the heart and wants us free.  I’m thankful for health and exercise and that a few extra pounds isn’t the end of the world…and that beauty is so much deeper than fluctuating scales.

I’m thankful for teenaged boys whose Friday night activities consist of going to football games and coming home to watch “Football Friday night” and the marathons of Friday Night Lights on TV. I’m also thankful for the “WhOAAA”s and “OH YEAHS!!!” that come when they see that one of them  made it on TV on this week’s version of the local news’ broadcast of “Football Friday Night”.  Yep, a little celebrity can go a long way.

I’m thankful for my kids finding their way.  For jobs. For hard work.  For lessons that  say, “I didn’t realize how much there was to just keeping up with everything.”  I’m thankful for time well spent with my girl and for little things like candles and scarves, and leggings that can make a difference.  I’m thankful for ‘chic flicks’ and Nicholas Sparks and the fact that having a good cry every once in a while seems to make it easier to laugh.

I’m thankful for sons who want to come home from college, and sons who want to go back. I’m thankful for papers written and a sixteen year old son who really did want to think about the differences and similarities between Gilgamesh and Oedipus, and who knew exactly what he thought a hero is. I’m thankful for the arts and the way they stretch the minds and hearts of our kids and for the way people from the past can greatly impact people of the future.

I’m thankful for friends who hold firm to Biblical standards who may want to absolutely flip out in certain scenarios (and rightly so), but choose to trust God who is unseen rather than give in to the stress of the circumstance that is so very present and seen.  I’m thankful for faith that trusts in the firm foundation of what God can and will do rather than ride the roller coasters of life that depend on circumstances and people’s choices and attitudes and actions.  God’s grace covers and protects and comforts and allows those who trust Him to have a teflon spirit which lets things roll off that need to roll off. I’m thankful for sisters in Christ who encourage us to walk well, not to do what can be rationalized or excused.

I’m thankful for words.  For a 7 year old who is learning to use them and for the smile that comes across her face that seems to electrify her whole body. I’m thankful for magic markers, and stickers, pencils, and candies that encourage a struggling kid to keep working…that the struggle will lead somewhere worthwhile, and giving up just won’t.  I”m thankful for days when we see that teaching makes a difference….for gains made and the smiles and sense of pride and accomplishment that comes when students realize that they are making gains.  Funny, how academic gains can so impact the countenance of a kid.  I’m not talking about pride in a bad sense, I’m talking about confidence in a beautiful sense that encourages.  En-courage.  Give courage.

I’m thankful for Fridays. For thankful Thursday posts that come any day of the week.  I’m thankful for rest.  I’m thankful for a house full of boys/men, and ….me, and for a room to be able to have quiet and a candle while they have LOUD and football. I’m thankful for the fact that in the morning, they’ll be snoozing quietly, and I can have full reign of the house and put the music on and do my thing, and have my kind of loud.  I’m thankful for friends and family, for sure.

Blessings ~

Heather

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Thankful Thursday

June 25, 2015 //
0

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So, today, am thankful for this little sunflower. I had noticed a few weeks ago that a tiny green shoot was different from the red salvia plants that were growing in the pot on the deck.  The stalk grew daily and I smiled as I anticipated seeing the sunflower bloom. And this morning?  Voila!!  It’s beautiful and simple and sweet.

How had the seed gotten in the pot to begin with?  Leftover birdseed, of course! I love that sometimes, the unexpected things in life, the things that were “mistakenly” placed in our proverbial pots, sometimes bring the greatest little joys.  Life is full of the unexpected.  And today?  Today I’m just praying for the eyes to see them, take notice, and enjoy them.  Yes, am on the look out for “sunflowers” of sorts that appear at unexpected times in unexpected ways and unexpected places. Life is full of surprises and a lot of them are so good, but often go unnoticed.

Oh, and I should probably be too embarrassed to say this, but I’m going to write it anyway.  Any guesses on what I did with the leftover Mesquite barbecue-flavored sunflower seeds leftover from my son’s baseball game?  Yep, they ended up in a pot as well! More later on how that turns out!

Blessings ~

Heather

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I Thessalonians 5:18

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Weekly Photo Challenge ~ “On the Way”

May 29, 2015 //
6

on the way kayak

a few thoughts on “on the way”

The  traveling “through”

is often so much more than the  getting “to”

In other words,

the journey is often so much richer than

reaching a destination.

We spend a lifetime of moving toward destinations,

and only moments arriving.

I am thinking maybe that’s why it’s so important

to enjoy the journey…the little things along the way.

Because the little things are so often the big things…

and if we’re so busy looking at our destination,

we miss the beauty right in front of our eyes….

not just the beauty in the “what”,

but the beauty in the “who”.

Here’s to joys in the journeys

and the eyes to see them!

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