God's Unfolding

"My plan for your life is unfolding before you. 

Sometimes the road you are traveling seems blocked, 

or it opens up so painfully slowly that you 

must hold yourself back. 

Then when the time is right, 

the way before you suddenly clears

 - through no effort of your own."

Jesus Calling (Dec.21) by Sarah Young

Life is unfolding for me (and of course for you as well)...and each fold carefully and slowly undone has revealed to me Someone else is in charge.

These past three weeks have not been absent of tears both sad and happy ones. They've been filled with both the tears of laughter and of heartache. Days started out with consuming fear yet halfway through the day claiming victory for God's miraculous defeat over it. 

God gave me three weeks in Georgia to wrap things up, and while I was doing just that (wrapping), God was unfolding His plan in all the details.  I wish I could sit down with each of y'all and share how God answered this simple prayer for me,

"Dear God, allow me to cross paths with anyone you want me to encounter in these last few weeks here in Georgia."

I had no idea how God would answer this request, but He did in his usual amazing and crazy fashion.  Each encounter showing that God is still in the business of healing and reconciliation and the transformation of lives.

Over these three weeks friends have loved us up, hosted us, prayed over us, encouraged us, housed us, fed us, helped us, believed in us, and celebrated with us. Pouring into our lives abundantly, and we are forever grateful.

I picked up Ava from school on her last day, and she was telling me in the car about all the nice gifts and cards she had been given.  Then she began to cry.  I looked back at her in the car, and she said to me, "Everyone was just so loving to me today." 

Yes! We have been loved so well, and that's why it's been a hard but beautiful three weeks as we leave the South and head for the Northwest again.  God has crossed our path with precious people, and I want to say THANK YOU to each of you over and over again.  Your lives are forever a part of our lives.

We now wait to see what unfolds for us in our new life in Idaho, still with much uncertainty and unknown, but we trust that our five years in Georgia is a vital part of what unfolds here in Idaho.

Today is December 21, and it reminds me of new life.  The day is a symbol of rebirth. It is a special day for me because 36 years ago on this day at the age of six, I met Jesus in a very personal way. 

Our paths crossed, and it changed my life...and I'm forever changed by Him. I'm thankful it wasn't for a short time, but a lifelong friendship that has been on life's path with me all these years.  Sometimes He is walking beside holding my right hand. At other times He runs ahead to prepare the way. Sometimes He has to even carry me because I don't want to go on. Whatever I'm going through on this path - moving, saying goodbye, taking a leap of faith into unknown -God is there unfolding a greater plan than I can see at this moment in time.

As God prepared a way for all of us through His Son Jesus, unfolding His perfect and loving plan to reconcile us to Himself, may we see clearly during this holiday season that God is still in the business of healing and mending relationships and transforming lives. 

May we CELEBRATE the real meaning of Christmas with gratitude in our hearts that God is alive...and carefully and lovingly unfolding our life stories.  

Then when the time is right, we will see clearly...

New Providence

Closing Day!

Final touch-ups and good-byes to our New Providence home - the loved on and fixed up foreclosure.  We met three years ago, overgrown with brush and tall weeds, it's beauty hidden within.

Yet my husband once again saw something I didn't - or didn't want to see - POTENTIAL!!! He could envision what wasn't but could be. I focused on the defects. It was Brent's enthusiasm verses my reluctance. Each time we visited this quiet two acres, it grew on me despite the floral wallpaper and royal blue countertops. It was wrongly dressed at the time, but it's structure was perfectly built for our family's liking.

I slowly saw potential and then allowed myself to dream a bit. Explore possibilities. But just as my excitement grew, the door closed. The bank said "no", and I figured that was our answer to give up the hunt.

Brent wasn't taking "no" for an answer and kept a close eye on it.  I didn't understand why. 

However, the door that had been closed shut in our faces began to slowly creep open.  We waited and watched until it looked like a green light - we made a second offer and the left-behind house became ours.

With some face lifts here and there, this 70's style home became the nicest home we've ever lived in.

Today cleaning the kitchen sink, I remembered Austyn saying as she washed her hands under the new faucet for the first time, "I feel so rich!"  We never had a new faucet and sink before.

I get attached to houses. It must be because we keep buying older houses and putting so much work and love into it that it makes it hard to part ways. I guess I need to buy a newer home next time!

As I completed the last tasks of cleaning, I let myself cry, letting feelings do what God created them to do - FEEL.  No shame in that.  Just gratitude, tears turned into praise to God and prayers for the next family who will walk these halls and live behind these doors and create new family memories together. 

It was a time of closure I needed; saying good-bye to a friend. 

This home is where our family bonded like never before. (sorry for all the ever's and never's) We were on our own.  New terrain.  I will cherish the memories this house has created for us - laughter, safety, fellowship, adventure, milestones...a home away from home. We leave fingerprints behind, all the sweat and painting and staining and trimming and cleaning and fixing to pass on to a new family to enjoy.

I know home is where your heart is or where your "people" are, but I've been gifted with yet another house that has become a dear companion. This one for this specific travel and season of life. 

I will miss the trees I've looked up to as I waited to hear from God. 

The window that gave me a glimpse of God's perfect splendor each morning.  The barn that spurred on creativity and play in my girls. The campfire that brought friends together.  

The kitchen that welcomed teens for a meal before Bible study.  The stove that warmed our home and hearts.  And the screened porch that invited us to stop and sit and enjoy sights and sounds.

Sights and sounds such as: the beauty of deer grazing in our backyard. The sighting of a little raccoon. The sound of a screaming fox in the middle of the night (now that is a story to tell- someone call 911!!!) A coyote walking by in broad daylight.  A confident fox sitting on a stump watching Cooper bark at him ten feet away. (I think the fox was sizing him up for dinner) And lastly, I swear I saw a wolf on our property. Brent doesn't believe me, and others claim there are no wolves in Georgia but I beg to differ.

I'm thankful because this house is another example of God's provision in our lives.

I never really thought about our home's address and the meaning of the word - Providence. 

"The protective and spiritual care of God"

In fact, the road was named New Providence.  It was God's NEW way of caring for us, protecting us, and watching over our family.  I wonder...how many times did I say, "We live on New Providence"?  A description that we live in and under God's care! 

This house had been orphaned and left empty. We needed a home. Even though at first the bank turned us down, God had a plan of new providence for us.

All I can say is....I'm thankful as I let go.

Imagine Sitting

I think I've re-written this blog three times.  It's only because I'm scattered.  I just sold half my belongings at a moving sale, the rooms in my house feel empty, but there is still so much to pack and many decisions to make before we head out of town. 

I just finished Emily Freeman's most recent book, "Simply Tuesday".  Yes, it took me quite awhile to finish it because I can't help dissect the book of an author that knows my thoughts, my tendencies, and writes about things I've experienced but didn't quite know how to explain it.  She simply says it for me.  Honestly, it freaks me out at times.  How does she know me so well, and we've never met?

Any who! What she's been teaching me in her book is how to SIT....(pause).....yes, SIT.  Sit and embrace smallness in the hustle of life.  Oh, I got hustle alright!  Right in the middle of this intersection...

(Thanks to my friend Jennifer who lives in the Dallas area and snapped this photo when she took a wrong turn. God can give us literal signs, eh!)

So today I decided to start packing some things up in boxes.  I had no plans to SIT today.  Get as much done before the "troops" get home.  Let's start with the family photos...I went around the house taking down all family portraits and framed photos.  (Can you believe I counted all my framed photos and had over 50 of them throughout my house? Am I egocentric or just love pictures of my kids?)  

Any who, again!  As I was taking down pictures, I found myself pausing to stare at them for a moment...a smile formed on my face and my mind quickly went back to the scene of the moment I had captured.

Unknowingly I sat down.  I pondered, cherished the glimpse of that part of my story, and found a deep breath for my soul, which is why Emily writes.  What should have taken me 20 minutes to pack three boxes of photos, is still undone on the hardwood floor.

I kept avoiding one room, passing by a wall of photos I knew I needed to take down but just couldn't bring myself to do it.  It's in a room I rarely make time to sit in but when all that was left in this room was my historic photo collage all I could do was SIT and look at it. 

The photos of my parents and grandparents and Brent's parents and grandparents were whispering to me...drawing me to stop...and SIT.

I know I get to take these photos with me to Idaho, but still the moment was greeted by tears.  I don't know why, and I'm trying really hard not to evaluate every situation (another thing Emily is teaching me) so I just embraced the emotions that joined me and my relatives on the wall.  

I looked at the faces in the photos who were once young and are now grandparents and some are now living with Jesus.  In the world's eyes they are small and insignificant, but in mine they are huge!

Their small interactions with me and small deposits into my life have made a significant impact on my life, making me who I am today.  They took the time to SIT with me and color, help me with school projects, teach me how to ride a motorcycle, pick a slimy fish out of a net, work side by side with family, drive a tractor, stay clear from anchors, share experienced wisdom, give generously, pray unwaveringly, trust wholeheartedly, and love deeply.  The SMALLS are numerous, all which took the time to sit with me.

"Feeling significant beats feeling successful." 

John Maxwell 

Staring at the history on the wall, I see once again how fragile and precious and short life is and how easily life travels by in the hustle and bustle...and I rarely take the time to sit and recall the beginning of the story that's been written and captured and hung on my walls.

(Here my girls carry on the tradition, sporting their mom's uniform number, who wore the #4 in honor of the greatest basketball player ever - Spud Webb!)

One of my favorite photos is not a photo.  It's a caricature, and it makes me smile every morning when I go downstairs to wake up the girls for school. 

It's my cartoon character, but that's not why it bring me joy each weekday morning.  You see, I've never agreed to do something like this because of the cost.  Yes, I'm pretty tight and thrifty with my money.  I shop at consignment stores and garage sales.  I still have a few items of clothing from college days, and I only buy on sale.  So when my girls asked me if we could get "drawn up" together at the Georgia Aquarium, I went crazy and said yes. (Deep down I've always wanted to know how someone would draw me as a caricature- would I have big cheeks or a pointy chin?  I do think my nose and teeth are a little big in the sketch). 

So the girls and I SAT down together, trying not to move too much nor make a goofy face that would show up on canvas.  We giggled and watched onlookers faces as they walked by to gather clues if we looked ridiculous in our picture or not.  Ten minutes later the artwork was complete, and we'd been officially sketched!  The girls did what girls do, critiqued their drawing, but all I could say was, "Wasn't that fun!?!"  They had no idea I've wanted to do that my whole life!  

So I framed them and hung them up while the rest of the family thought I was weird to do so.  I framed them because they remind me of a moment I splurged with my girls on something pretty needless, and I gave myself permission to stop and sit with my girls to document the day together. 

Just IMAGINE if we all just took more time to put aside the to-do lists, silence the phone, turn off the computer, and simply SIT in the smallness of our lives.  I'm trying to learn how, and yet today in the midst of packing it came quite easily and naturally.  As I took down pictures of days gone by, I picked up a new lesson for the rest of the story.

I now understand what Emily Freeman writes in Simply Tuesday:

When we sit, we let what is be, we are able to release outcomes or admit how tightly we are hanging on to them.  

When we sit, we let ourselves be human.

We may realize that an ending doesn't have to mean an end.  Maybe it simply means it's time to begin again.

And in her prayer she writes, "We have everything we need to walk thru small beginnings wherever they lead.  Teach us to SIT on benches as we take the long way home." (2160 miles to be exact)

See what I mean!  How does she know that about me?

Cherishing The Seasons

The leaves are beginning to fall and change color, signaling the season changing.  It is also a visual reflection and reminder of a seasonal change in our life right now. 

It's the endings and beginnings I've talked about before. A time to cherish the days gone by and with anticipation look forward to what the new season may offer.

Much activity has been going on at the Deakins' homestead.  These past two weeks have been filled to the brim....and in them have been numerous moments I've wanted to capture to show you but they were simply too sacred.

To pull out a phone to take a snap shot would have ruined the moment and just be plain disrespectful. 

The sacred moments were not captured by my phone's camera, but by the lens of my eye and the snapshot in my memory.  Memories I will cherish forever.  Words that I will hang onto for life!

Days have been filled with hard conversations with ones we love, and yet the hard conversation only revealed what we already knew about our Georgia family - they are a beautiful reflection of Christ Himself. 

God gives us family wherever we go. Surrogate grandparents. Friends who have become lifelong sisters. Brothers who have our back.  Mentors willing to run interference. Children you'd adopt into your family at a moment's notice. Even though none are blood related, the bonds run deep like blood.  

Can I even begin to describe the snapshot moments I wanted to capture?  Let me try... 

Love expressed through locked eyes as we watched tears emerge from each other's eyes. No words are needed. It is felt deep within. Love expressed through the grip of a wrinkled hand who has been where I've been and understands. I wanted to take a picture so badly as she held my hand tightly and bowed her head to pray for me.  

Love expressed through an extended embrace, unstoppable tears, the joy of laughter, and a bear hug that literally lifted me off my feet! 

A pastor, who has walked many more ministry miles than we have, intentionally turned to look us in the face and speak wisdom into us, life giving words over us. He confirmed our calling in ministry.  He built furniture for us and continues to build the Kingdom through his wisdom, words, and generosity. 

They've invested in us, and we in them. They've loved us like family, the unconditional kind. The kind that believes in you and trusts your heart even when they don't have all the details. They don't need to because they know you. 

These relationships are a gift from God and what brings comfort to me is that these gifts are lifelong.  Lasting throughout time and distance.  God placed a precious group of people in our path for a season, for His purposes, to journey with, to sharpen one another, and to grow with.

We've become family!  And it isn't easy to leave one family for another but when God is the One prompting, there is much peace. 

We've been in this place before. In fact, it seems like this is how God usually works in our lives. We've been in many seasons of change and transition without knowing what's to come, without a plan, without jobs....just a word from the Lord..."Go".  Abraham is once again our mentor and example of living in faith. It was Abraham's story of leaving Haran that God opened my heart towards missions.  It was Abraham's willingness to give up his son that convicted me of an idol in my life.  And now it is Abraham once again being told to "Go" but not specifically where that God has prepared us to venture on to unknown territories.  

God simply said, "I will show you."

The changing of seasons can be beautiful as displayed in the trees all around me, the anticipation of cool evenings, warm drinks, and the holidays approaching. The new season brings excitement yet provides a meaningful time to pause and cherish the days gone by and the approaching end of a season. 

Something extraordinary happens when you are smack-dab in the middle of two seasons, when you gain the awareness that the season you are in is now temporary....you live differently.  You see it differently, holding on to life as if fragile...

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to be with those God has placed in your life for that particular season...

 You gain a heavenly perspective when uprooted from this earthly life.  A perspective I should have everyday!

I'm writing this on October 21, 2015, the date that Michael J Fox flew in his DeLorean to the future in "Back to the Future 2".  Well, I don't have a flying car nor a real hoverboard like in the movie, and I don't see Doc and Marty McFly around the Alpharetta clock tower. 

It just goes to show you that while we all would like to know what the future looks like, it is still a mystery....unwritten and unknown. And while the future is unknown to me, it's not for Him.  He knows.  He's got it.  He is trustworthy.  He created the seasons for His purpose and our good, and we "GO" knowing that we have family here and there whom we love deeply.

God has lead us through this before...

It should not surprise us that God will surprise us! 

              

From Old To New

When my girls were young, I would pick up their toys at the end of the day after they were tucked into bed. You are going to think I'm a mean mom, but those toys then became mine. I would tell them "Feel free to pick up any toys you want to keep, and I will keep the ones I pick up." 

They didn't believe me until they noticed all their toys were picked up the next morning. Yes, I heard moans and groans, but they didn't forget to pick up their toys that next evening.  Some toys they left because they didn't care about the McDonald's toys. That's fine. I just collected them in a bag until a few weeks went by, and I thought, "What should I do with all these toys now?  They don't seem to care about these or miss them."

I heard an idea from a parent in one of my first parenting classes. She told me she had a garage sale with her kids' toys. Now, before you think I'm a really mean mom, let me explain. 

I had a garage sale for my girls. I laid out all the unwanted toys on the dining room table, put up price signs, and told the girls they could shop at my sale.  Surprisingly, they ran to their rooms to grab their purse and any loose change they could find to purchase their own items. You should have seen the looks on their faces as they began to shop, hunt for the right items and figure out what was worth their small allowance. You know I always gave good deals, and sometimes they would combine their money to buy a bigger item together. It was like magic. We had so much fun with it, and guess what? Mom was the best that day!

These old toys became the highlight of the day. The girls took all their purchases down to their rooms and played all afternoon together with their once old, but now fun new toys. The old had become new! The once taken for granted became cherish possessions.  The ones left behind and unwanted were worth buying back. The ordinary became of value with a little absence.

A couple Saturdays ago, I decided to clean the garage. As I was pulling everything out, Ava saw all the paint cans and asked if we could clean up and paint the shed. 

We started to pull things out of the little red barn. It was full of old paints left from the previous owner, broken pieces of shelving, cobwebs galore. You name it...it was in there. We even enjoyed taking a sledge hammer to an old broken cabinet. 

Once cleaned out and dusted, we used leftover paint from the garage to touch up the room a bit and bring in some color.

As we painted, Ava asked me questions about my old playhouse on the Enzminger ranch on the Bluff.  It was a place where my imagination grew. It was where I mimicked my mom's cooking and served my family (aka stuffed animals). It was where I developed the art of organizing and arranging. I was a mom. I was an explorer. I was an interior decorator. I was a pet owner. I was grocery shopper.  I was not a wife because boys were gross at that time in my life, and I couldn't imagine being married to a weird boy.

It was small, but to me it was MY home. This is the only picture I could find of it in my photos...I was a bit too big for it when this picture was taken. After I left home, it became the dog house.

Yes, I'm wearing wranglers and cowboy boots. I sometimes dress the part of the country in me.

So compared to my little playhouse, Ava and I were cleaning out a mansion. After all our hard preparations were done, the interior decorator showed up....sister Austyn. She was so excited by the transformation of the little red barn that her creative juices began to flow...adding flowers, lights, and furniture. I could see my job was done, and the project had a new manager. The old shed given a facelift was ripe ground for imagination and new sister fun.

I didn't see them for several hours that evening other than passing me by in the garage with armfuls of school supplies from their rooms. At one point I decided to check things out. 

Right after school on Monday, Ava disappeared. I found her doing her homework in the little red barn. We just added square footage to our home; it's just a detached room.

With a little transformation, old became new. With a little determination and work, unused space became a fun space to do life. With a vision, new activity and life formed. Sometimes we miss the value of the old, worn out, and dirty, but Jesus didn't.  Sometimes we forget what we have because we are looking for something better with not as much maintenance. Jesus doesn't shy away from maintenance.  I'm thankful for that.  Jesus loved to turn the old into new, to clean up and sweep out the dirty, to breathe life into death, and I'm so glad He still does.

What's old in my life that He wants to make new? What "old" in my life do I now see as valuable? What area in my life do I need a clean sweep and dusting?

I'm sensing God has picked up some of my old toys that I've left behind, items that didn't seem as valuable to me at the time, but now He is holding a garage sale and showing me newness in the old. I'm finding even more value in them now in this season of my life, and I'm grateful He is offering them back to me.

It Started With A Walk

I felt like a walk. 

Cooper, my terrier mix, looked bored and I just needed to clear my mind and focus on outdoor stuff. My youngest invited herself along. Knowing she still enjoys being with me, makes me cherish her enthusiasm for a simple walk.

We pick up fallen branches, not to move aside or pick up the roadside, but they spark an idea for mom.  We pile them up so we can get them on our way back.  

We like to walk down to a little lake in a neighboring subdivision. Walk on the rocks, spot turtles and feed ducks in the water. 

As soon as I get away from the house that holds many responsibilities and technology devices that distract me, simple moments instantly present themselves.

Beauty reveals itself.....

I think Cooper was even capturing some tasty simple moments as the ducks swam by....

We picked up our branches on the way home, and I started putting them around the front porch.

This may sound funny, but it was so energizing to bring a new look and personality to my porch. This then led me to climb up in the attic and pull out some fall decorations.  The anticipation of fall and the coming holiday seasons made me childlike. 

My grandma Lucille would change the color of her decorations for each season. Yes, each season had a color. Decorations of all sorts were stored away in every closet of her small house on Pine Street. For fall, the decorations were mainly orange. I'd help grandma put away all the knick knacks, candles, plastic flowers of pink summer and then display the browns and oranges of fall. I loved helping grandma redress her house. 

As I opened up the box with just a few decorations of my own orange, the excitement as a girl all came back, ready to unwrap the items stored a year ago.

I pulled out the pumpkin I bought last year and hung it up along with my branches in front of the window we had replaced from this house & given a new function. I didn't even read the words on the pumpkin until I took a picture of it. I didn't even realize THE word was there....

It's a subtle word. Not bold or fancy. Easily missed. Hidden within the beauty and sparkle of others. But it is there, and it now captures my eye.

I didn't plan on redecorating my porch today. It definitely was not on my to-do list during a very busy week. But a walk led to branches...which led to letting go of distractions...and opened up creativity...and producing a life-filling project for me. Every time I walk out of my house, it's a reminder of God's simple blessings in the simple moments and to give thanks!

It's easy to list moments I want to cherish, but what about the things I want to change?

Will they make my Simple Living list? 

This week I realized they can.... if I look at the other side of those things I want to change. To look at uncertainty as adventure, loneliness as a time to draw near to God, brokenness as a way to healing and transformation, tight budget as a challenge to find simple ways to have fun, unexpected circumstances as opportunities for God to show up, and fear...a path to find the courage within. 

Emily Freeman writes in her latest book Simply Tuesday,

 "What if your big break is you becoming acquainted with the suffering and brokenness of Jesus?"

Not the big break I'm looking for, but I get it. 

The Psalms have become my friends so much that I think I could write my own. My cries to the only One who understands the complexity of my thoughts and emotions. It's an avenue to pour myself out, knowing He understands and can handle the absurd things in my soul. 

This morning I read Psalms 13:14-15,

"I trust in you, O Lord; you are my God. My TIMES are in your hands." 

While I'm holding on, He is holding on to me. When times feel heavy, the strength of his Hands keep me afloat. 

So I'm going to keep going back to King of Pops and trying new flavors...

I'm going to remember what needs to be remembered even though it's painful at times...

I'm going to cherish the touch of a loved one's hand on my lap and forgive the hurt I wish had not happened and would change if I could.

AND celebrate the SIMPLE moments that penetrate the soul, bringing life, and making His presence known...

You never know where a walk will lead you.  Perhaps into a new season dressed in orange and simple.

That's A Wrap!

So I've challenged myself to try a new recipe every month (I know that doesn't sound like much but for me it's a start and a motivation).  Then I'm going to attempt to share it here at View from the Bluff as my "Meal of the Month". You can be sure that the recipes will be easy with few ingredients you can find in your local grocery store.

One of our family's favorite meals is Lettuce Wraps.  I've had this recipe for awhile now, and I can't remember where I got it.  Probably because I take a few ingredients from several different recipes to make my own that fits our liking and my "healthy ingredients" standard.

This meal is one every member of the Deakins' clan enjoys! Trust me, that's hard to find.

Ingredients:

2 inch Ginger Root (peel & grate)

2 cloves of Garlic

2 Green Onions (thinly sliced)

1 can sliced Water Chestnuts

1 cup Cashews

3-4 Chicken Breasts (diced)

Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Pepper

Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce

Sauce:

2 T Honey

2 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Directions:

First toast cashews in a baking dish at 300 degrees for 3-5 min. 

(I like to crush them up a bit)

Warm up a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil in a frying pan, add chicken.  

Season with sea salt and pepper just like my chef here is doing...

After chicken is cooked, add ginger (I use a cheese grater), onions, garlic (I again use a small grater with garlic). Mix well then add chestnuts and cashews & pour in sauce.  

My family likes extra sauce so I usually double the sauce ingredients. 

Keep on low heat for 3-4 minutes to heat through.

Spoon ingredients into lettuce, and as our cousin Avery would say, "Voila!" 

I think.....THAT'S A WRAP!!!!    

And one hungry family now speechless!

The Theme of a Fern, Dr. Seuss, & King of Pops

It's been fun to capture some SIMPLE in my life. God keeps whispering His presence in the ordinary, and it always makes me smile. In fact, inside it feels like my heart smiles too. Can I share some simpleness with you?  It may mean very little to you, but for me there something simply grand in it.

I've started buying the two day old already deemed "not good enough" flowers on clearance for just a few bucks at Kroger to decorate my living room with some yellow sunshine. You should see how these orphan flowers open up and bloom with a little love and attention and bring a touch of brightness to my day! Simple, right?

Writing in Audra's ENO with the sounds of the forest around me. Even though my house is 18 steps away, in the ENO it feels like I'm in another world where imagination takes over.

A new hanging FERN. Again it's simple, but makes a splash in my sunroom.  And my daughter Austyn would say, "I know, right?!!!"

A new friend that let me read my daughters' favorite Dr. Seuss book, "Oh The Thinks You Can Think." This is after being at Revel's house for five minutes. He sure knows how to love.

Celebrating a new baby brother just on Sunday and his mom's birthday today with King of Pops popsicles at Inman Park in Atlanta. Best ever!!!

Life is so much more fun treasuring these small and simple moments. I've decided to start a new list in my gratitude journal. My last list was "One Thousand Gifts" from Ann Voskamp's book, but now this one will be themed "Simple Living".  A list of those simple moments that do something inside me.

It's hard to explain, to put words to it, but this week while reading Psalm 22, God gave me words in verse twenty-five that made sense to me.  David writes in his psalm:

"From You comes the theme of my praise."

That's it!  It's life, ordinary life, turned into praise. An earthly moment transferred into a heavenly connection. The natural result of capturing these simple moments is a heart full of praise.

Not praise to me. These ordinary moments don't tell me what a great life I have. They don't prove anything about me. They aren't moments to brag about. This simple living theme comes from God in this season of life I'm in, and it simply describes my praise to Him. 

It's how my soul honors Him. It's a soul thing, and that's why I struggle to find words to explain how simple times captured brings such joy within. 

Would you like to join me in this quest to bring back the SIMPLE into our lives by creating a "Simple Living" list along with me.  It doesn't seem like much, small really, but it can make a huge impact on your day. Get in tune with what makes you smile. What catches your eye in the ordinary. What stops you in your tracks. Take it in a bit longer than usual and give your soul time to praise!

I'd love to hear some of the simple moments you've captured or the theme God has given you. Share them below in the comments or email me.  Can't wait!

Lettuce Wraps can wait one more week!