It's the Little Things: Day 35

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a sweet Sunday full of worship, quiet, blogging and snuggles.
• It's Hercules and Dastroyah transporting 3 dirt bikes safely and getting 2 of them running before the end of the day.
• It's DT getting an invite from Grma and Titus to spend some hours at the park.
• It's Pat and Nathan rejoicing over an entire afternoon of video game time since they didn't have to work, and then both falling asleep and enjoying a delightful Sunday afternoon nap. (It's so precious to have friends that don't care if you fall asleep in front of them. And how glorious to be that comfortable to be able to do so)
• It's the kick off of our 21 Days Fast at church. The title of the sermon series is Back to the Basics. Most of my friends that I've asked are fasting from sugar or FB, but I can't seem to pick just one thing. I'm asking God to lead me in the right direction.
• It's catching up on laundry and dishes while the house is quiet.
• It's enjoying a few uninterrupted hours to blog (I think I posted 8 blog posts yesterday) while my mind was in one place. 
• It's reviewing my 2018 Goals and realizing I've made more progress than I thought.
• It's dreaming about how to spend our tax refund money in a responsible way...and still having a little fun.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Days 27 & 28

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's when your child cleans his room and all the kitchen towels that have been missing for months magically turn up in the laundry baskets.
• It's catching up with our Reel2Real friends that have been sick for a few weeks and are now well enough to be back at church.
• It's Derek and I embracing the idea of an entire day at home. No chores, No errands, No work, No school. Just home. It's been a gift!
• It's being invited to my first paper-crafting event in over 5 years. Oh my stars, how I LOVE playing with paper! Paper Pumpkin if you are interested in playing along, it's a delightful monthly subscription service for people who love stamps, stickers and paper-crafting.
• It's time to make pizza from scratch, and to work up 4 pounds of pinto beans for meals in the coming weeks. (The Pantry Challenge continues)
• It's a child asking ahead of time if they can have command of the living room one night a week to host their own version of Game Night.
  ---Yes, yes you can! 
• It's glorious January weather that allows Dan and the BIGS to go 4-wheeling together all afternoon.
• It's a child whose birthday gift finally arrived in the mail that is delighted with it, even though it's not fancy or costly. 
• It's a child that calls late in the evening to 'demand' a haircut, but you're pretty sure he just wanted to talk about life, because haircut time when he tells you his problems. 
• It's binge-watching a show we both like with Hercules. Have I mentioned how delightful it is to have him home again?
• It's learning the art of listening to audio books while I'm in the kitchen. I've used them for many years for the boys in school, but never really implemented them for my own use. It's pretty great!
• It's being well rested enough to manage getting up an hour early to get a jump start on the week.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

A Sermon on Marriage Parts 2 and 3

If you're looking for the follow up on the marriage sermon series, you can find them here and here. The rest of the series was excellent, focusing first on serving one another and then keeping the love alive, and both of them stepped all over my toes, and possibly Dan's as well. You'd think after being married for 20 years, we'd have all of this figured out. You'd be incorrect. *ahem* Being the stubborn people we are, we still struggle with some of the basics, even though I'd not hesitate to say our marriage is strong and growing. But that doesn't mean we have it all figured out and our life together is perfect. It means that we are always growing and changing and working to make our marriage better...and that sometimes we are more successful than other times.
It does mean that this sermon series was a blessing, and a spring board for several great conversations, and that you're never too old or been married too long to get some tips and learn a few new things.
Thanks Pastor Dennis for this series!

A Sermon on Marriage

Pastor Dennis started a sermon series called "Til Death Do Us Part" this week at MPCC and R2R. It was fantastic. You can watch it here.
Here's the highlight reel:
~You can't have a lasting marriage without God in first place, and quoted the verse about a strand of three cords not being easily broken. God is the third strand.
~Live with a sense of urgency. The time is NOW to focus on the important things, not the urgent things. Life will keep on throwing things in your face. Make time for the things that matter. NOW.
~He ponders why people say their vows once and then never seem to remember them again. He wonders why aren't our vows framed and hanging in plain view where we can see them every day and remember the oath we've taken to love and to honor and to cherish.
~Favorite quote from the sermon: "It pleases Christ the MOST when a wife serves and honors her husband in the times he deserve it the LEAST." (ouch)

Dan was really leaning into the sermon like I was and he stopped at the store on the way home to pick something up while I was caring for the B-Bunch critters and preparing for the BBQ we were about to attend. He came in the door and said he thought of a craft I might like and to [lease stay in the kitchen for a few minutes.

After several curiosity-filled minutes, he came back and asked me to come see what he had done. And then, this...

Time is fleeting. The time is NOW. Focus on the important NOW. We aren't promised tomorrow. 

Our vows: framed and hanging in the dining room near our wedding photo. And a cord of 3 strands.

And then, we both cried. (Getting old and feeling all the feelings is for the birds, but I digress) He cried because he loves me so much and did something that made me so happy. I cried because he loves me so much and because I knew the sermon touched his heart.
We may eventually figure out this marriage thing. {heart}
Life is good, y'all.