Growing Gratitude

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“He calls me smart and big and tall!” ~ six-year-old “He builds me a train track.” ~ four-year-old A couple of weeks ago, when Doorposts shared Encouraging a Thankful Heart, we sat around the table at lunch time and listed what my husband does for our family. How he blesses us: Gets money for the [...]

Hands that show…

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Rest… Writing practice… Learning… Play… Helping hands… Caring… Gentleness… and generations of hands… Great-grandmother’s hands of love holding generations… What do your hands say? Counting the gifts of all we can do with our hands… hugs, pats artwork and pictures made by little hands at church handmade Valentines showing lots of love love notes written [...]

The Messes of Yeses

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Yes, we can make Valentines. Claps, squeals. Stickers, pink and red construction paper, sharpies all mix together and little hands churn out love notes. Littlest concentrates. An eldest boy is not too shy to make a special sentiment for a teacher at church. Stacks of valentines are pushed aside. Glue dries. Lunch is served and [...]

The Accident and the Amazing Answer

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Above is a cartoon version of the amazing accident we experienced yesterday. It really was a crisis at the time. A traumatic Thursday. My motherhood and faith were tested in several ways. Here’s Middle Girl with her part of the story… I was in little brother’s room playing with him after lunch. I was playing [...]

Master Artist

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When there is someone with amazing talent in your midst, you can’t help but share. Maybe since I’ve grown up with her paintings, her artistic touches, I might have taken her gifts for granted. These gifts she has. Being able to look at something and copy it with her artist’s eye. To see it and [...]

A New Year – Plus One Thousand Gifts Giveaway!

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On this Gratitude Monday I’m counting gifts, sharing some encouraging thoughts and tools for the new year plus offering a giveaway of one copy of Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts! First… 1. Prayer Changes Things – Last January’s new habit resulted in a paper ream full of answered prayer. “Back in January, at the start [...]