Interession

I looked into the eyes of a friend and saw that she had carried some of the weight intended to "break me".

Prayer is a funny thing.
When we pray for others I think we do not realize that we actually take on some of their burden ourselves.
I firmly believe that prayer for others makes a huge difference.
I have been on both sides: the one praying and the one being prayed for.
When the walls of my life seems to be moving in to crush me, the prayers of others will actually move the walls back; sometimes even remove them.

It is a sacrifice to pray for others this way. You actually may physically feel "uncomfortable" in someway.
When my one of my dearest friends lost a young nephew I prayed... a lot. I could feel the crushing weight on my own heart as I prayed for hers.
When I looked into the eyes of a friend just the other day, I could see she had carried some of the weight I feel about the medical uncertainty that faces my son. She actually removed some of my weight and put it on herself...

Do we knowingly do this? I don;t think so. I think its just one of the ways the Lord knits heart together...
As we pray for one another we support each other in ways we cannot see.

It is written that the Lord does not give us more burden than we can bear.
The truth is that when the weight becomes to heavy a burden he sends someone along to bear the weight with and for us.

Jesus Himself had this happen to Him. He was collapsing under the weight of the wooden cross He was carrying and He fell. Someone was right there to be "required" to carry it for Him.

I am thankful that there is always someone there when the cross gets too heavy.
The more profound truth is that the Lord Himself is praying for us. Even if there is not a physical person there to share the burden, He will be there.

I am thankful for the friends who walk by us through our challenges with Micah.

Through their prayers our burden is spread out and made lighter...
I walk with my head held high most days because someone else was on their knees for me and my family.

Resonating Sound

Have you ever had that moment when listening to a beautiful song where you are captivated by the music?
You know that moment that moves very quickly; first you hear the note, then you feel it resonate through your body, and finally it captivates you completely?

This is what blogging is becoming for me...

It seems as I write each day the Lord speaks some truth to my own soul...
I take the  moment to write it down, and as I do this "random thought" begins to resonate with me.
I always believe in what I am writing, but what seems to keep happening is that as I have a "writable thought" it is quickly transformed into my reality for the day... Then much to my surprise, my own scribblings captivate my life even comfort me...

I am in a strange and wonderful and confusing place.
It is tempting to try to judge my thought as I work to capture it on paper.
It continues to baffle me that I am encouraged and strengthen by my own pen.

How can I possibly know in the morning what I will face in the afternoon?
The truth is, I cannot possibly know... and yet I find it continuing to happen.
My thought for the moment is quickly lived out in my life.
In my weakness and confusion of the afternoons, I am encouraged by my own thoughts from the morning.

The Lord whispered to my heart a couple weeks back.
I was tempted to write these blogs specifically for particular people.
It was an almost audible whisper...
He told me that, "No. You write for yourself and to Me."

Its almost indescribable to be in my world.
How cool is it that My God uses my own hand to write out a thought that will encourage or challenge me later?

If I think too much about this I will second guess this post, and yet I am amazed by how many times this has happened...
I have to truly say thank you Lord... I know its You who ministers to my soul with resonating sound that captivates my attention...

Wrestling the Giant

I was so excited to be able to climb the mountain this past Saturday.

I climbed with a 4, 6, 8, and 11 year old.

It was amazing to me that the 6 and 11 year old ran up the mountain,

while the 4 and 8 year old whined and complained the entire way to the top.

Life is like this.

Sometimes we climb up life at a fast steady pace,

sometimes we whine and complain the whole way.

Sometimes we are climbing fine ourselves, but we are surrounded by whiners.

The funny thing?

We are all climbing  a mountain.

We choose to laugh or whine each day don't we?

Sometimes life is so hard all we can feel  and see is the difficulty and strain of what is before us.

Other times, we simply sing and climb and enjoy the view.

We all wrestle giants, we all climb mountains, we all get tired, we all get cold...

I pray that today as I look to where I am being led that I laugh and sing and enjoy the journey.

Sometimes its easier said than done, don't you think?

 You know, when I reached the top of the mountain with my children, we were all cold and tired.

The humbling part of climbing and summiting a mountain is that there are books and books of signatures of people who have made the same climb before us.

Sometimes it seems like we are alone, that no one else understands how hard the climb is...

My message to myself is to remember, I am not alone. The Lord walks life with me.

Others have gone on the trails I have been called to walk...

We all have at least one mountain to climb.

Today, I purpose to enjoy the journey...

Flat Tire!

I have to laugh at myself... A lot!
I actually spend Many days believing that I am control,
that I get to choose where I go and what I do. Ha!
Then I march outside with my list if "must do's" and see my car...

Yes, a flat tire.

You know, it doesn't matter whether my list is typed in bold or written in crayon...
Every Important thing becomes second priority to having the flat repaired.

Life. How many times have I made my list and checked it twice only to have life dish me a flat?
Many...
I guess the real lesson is to realize that that verse about
"man makes plans but the Lord directs his steps," is true.

The Lord has a different list for me today...

My job is to surrender to it...

Pretty Weeds

My children picked me the prettiest bouquet of weeds the other day.

Forget long stem roses or stunning tulips,

I do not think I would ever prefer them over these yellow little weeds.

Each one was hand picked by a child who was rushing to be able to bless me.

I watched them run from plant to plant, hoping for the best few blossoms.

I love my display.

I heard a story of a little girl who picked dandelions just like these for her mother.

Her little brother said, "Why did you pick those, they are just weeds..."

She smiled, "To you they may be weeds, but to me they are flowers..."

When you look at these, what do you see?

I see flowers...

I see love...

You are not alone

So, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed this morning.
I cried out to the Lord,
"Is there a way I can talk to someone about all this?"

Then I heard the words to a song in my head...
"I will praise You in this storm Storm... I will lift my hands,
You are who You are
 no matter where I stand..."

I sighed and I continued my prayer.
I basically said I would trust the Lord whether I never talked to another soul what was going on... Who possible had time for this all today anyway?

He must have smiled on me as I was struggling...
He knew He was going to connect me with a woman who is on a very similar life path as I find myself on. Oh the details are different, but the reality and weight are the same.

We spoke for over an hour... sharing details, struggles and encouragement back and forth.
I could feel the stress being released from my heart...
We are never alone.

God is so amazingly faithful!
He is truly all we need and yet He loves us enough to touch our lives in ways we can see or feel.

I felt like Luke in the trash compactor this moring...
The walls were closing in as I was trapped in the filthy trash.
I grabbed my communicator and cried out to R2D2 in desperation to turn it off...
Just when I was sure I was about to die-
The walls stop, the liquid drained and I am released from my temporary death trap.

As of this morning in no particular order:
a child is facing a medical ordeal
another child seems to be carrying the weight of the world
a loved one fears loss of employment
a loved one is home in pain caused by a massive cyst with in their spinal column
a loved one is committed to a mental facility
and I still have kids to teach and laundry to complete...

I was driving home and I felt myself lift my hands and say "I trust You Lord"...
No matter what the storm... I trust You.

I parked my car and saw my favorite songbird. I sat for a few minutes listening to it sing...
"It's all good" I tell myself.
"All things work together for the good" I remind myself.
"Peace that passes understanding"... I thank Him that I do not need to understand...

The phone rang unexpectedly and an hour and some odd minutes later I feel renewed and ready to march on.

Now I am behind schedule. lol.
Laundry is waiting, kids are hungry, appointments are pending...
Yet my heart is quieted.
Thank you Lord for meeting me...
You knew just what I needed today and You did not hold back.

Peek through the Fence

I live in my kitchen and dining room.

I home school 4 of my boys at my kitchen table, often in jammies.

I cook and clean and even iron all my husbands clothes for work.

I am and have always been the girl with 1-3 friends, never the socialite.

My life is neat and tidy.

I live a life that is hedged in with the Lord Himself watching over me.

I am protected.

Safe.

Those who know me well know I think in pictures.

I am breaking out of my neat life by diving into this adventure of writing.

I am peeking out from the fence that protects me and hoping that as I do the world welcomes me.

I love the fence. Don't get me wrong. I have no intention of cutting it down, or to even leave its boundary.

I am simply poking through... looking around...

Do you see me?

We all have fences that surround us.

Our family, our job, our ministry.

The fence defines our life:

Who we are, who our lives touch.

My fence keeps me focused on my Lord, my husband, and my children.

The breaks in the boards remind me that there is a world beyond my borders.

I can see it clearly if I look closely.

The gate is there to remind me that people will come and go.

A "stranger" will knock, a friend will simply enter.

So here I am today...

poking through.

The majority of my life is behind the boards... loving and serving my family.

I am blessed and content.

I am growing where I am planted and my life flourishes.

What pokes out is an extension of my heart alone.

Looking for Miracles

Ladybug on the Mountain

So I was praying once again this past week... "Lord do you really want me to keep this writing business up?"

Does God speak to me? Yes.

For me, I hear His voice in many different ways but one of the the loudest, clearest is through looking, really looking at nature.

I read a quote on Saturday that said, "Those who look for small miracles find them." That's me.

I must drive people crazy, because everywhere I look I see Jesus.

I see flowers and butterflies.

I hear the song of the songbird and eagerly search him out.

It's no surprise to me that there is once again something incredible to share.

My family and I took our first hike toward our goal of summiting Tehachapi Mountain this weekend. It was so much fun! We were huffing and puffing (OK, the kids were running and laughing: I was huffing and puffing) and enjoying the view. This mountain is less than 10 minutes away and a relatively easy mountain climb.

By easy I mean if one slips, they are not likely to "Plummet to certain death." (As my 6 year old would say).

Phew.

Anyway, we were stopped at one of those, "let the older folks catch their breath spots" and I looked down. There in the dust and dirt was a little ladybug.

I loved it so much I took a picture to share with you.

Do you see the miracle?

Here on the mountain, where people stop and gasp for breath (By people I mean me) is a pretty little bug lallygagging around.

Not rushing.

Not panicking.

Just lallygagging.

There was nothing for this little bug to eat, and yet it was not frantic.

When I got close, it didn't run. When I almost stepped on it it didn't fly away.

I want to be like that little lady bug. Don't you?

Look around. People all around you and I are stopping and gasping for breath.

They are not sure how they can take another step.

When they look up from that place of anguish they will see us...

I want to be so at rest, so at peace that people stop and look at my life with amazement.

I want people to actually see God' light in me.

With all humility and honesty I admit that my life is not an easy life.

From the outside looking in it appears that I eat bon-bons all day and dance and sing with my children from "son up to son down".

Honestly, I should appear all out of breath and near death. Raising 5 boys is a daily battle.

I think the reason I am sane is because of the ladybug.

I see her and I remember: slow down. Breathe. Look for the Lord in the moment.

Life happens to all of us, but how we live life is a choice only we can make.

We share our lives with ladybugs: some real, some metaphorical... Yet they are there.

It's not Deja vu, I've said it before. "I want to live my life on purpose."

Today, I chose to not only see the ladybug, but to learn her from her as well....

A Word for today

Psalm 16:2

"I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing."

Help me remember this Lord

 

Clouds

There is an worship song that rejoices, "As the mountains are around Jerusalem,
The Lord is all around His people..."
I love that song.

We live in the mountains now.
Our home is at 4,000 ft.
When I look out my back windows I see mountains all around me. It is amazing.
I often stand and stare in dumbfounded amazement at the clouds blowing in between me and those mountains. The speed with which those giants can become hidden. impressive.

The funny thing is that no matter how thick the clouds becomes, nothing will move those mountains.
They are there today and will be there tomorrow...

The Lord is the same way. He stands near me and by me at all times.
When the skies are clear, I never doubt His presence.

I have had those moments where I am looking the Lord straight in the eyes and I feel
His strength and assurance that He is with me always...
             And then I see the cloud blowing in... 
                                            Life throws a curve ball that for the moment makes it impossible to see Him. "He is still there" I tell myself over and over. I remember... He said He would never leave me ...

I am surprised and even frustrated that I would ever doubt? I look at the cloud again. I strain to see Him.

The wind comes and blows away the cover and reveals the obvious truth. He never left. He wasn't even budged. He's right where He said He'd would be- Surrounding me.

I know I have struggled in long seasons of life where I can only see the clouds.
At the time it felt as though it was a dream where I could see Him so clearly...

I want to encourage you and I together today... He is still there...
No matter how thick the clouds... He is there.
When the sky clears, He'll be there still.

When I was first married, I had a 1 hour commute to the toy store where I worked.
We lived in Washington. It was a beautiful drive.

I had an experience with mountains and clouds back then that has remained with me,
forever etched into my heart.
God showed me one morning that even though I didn't know He was there, He was still in fact there...

I had driven this way for 3 weeks steady. I commuted between our town of Bremerton to my job in Tacoma. Both of these towns are at sea level. I say this because you can imagine my surprise when I drove to work on the first clear day. (Remember I said we lived in Washington? It has been overcast and rainy the first 3 weeks of my new job.
So here it was. A glorious day, the sky was crystal clear... and there it was.
There before me in full glory was Mt. Rainier! How could I have not known it was there?
Mt.Rainier is over 14, 000ft. tall.
Majestic would be the starting point of trying to describe it. But words fail me to paint it for you here.
 I had to lean completely over my steering wheel to see the peak!
I drove to work and remained speechless...
Clouds are amazing.
They are simply made of tiny water droplets and vapor and yet they were able to crowd out my knowledge of this beast of a mountain.

Life struggles are the same. It's amazing how little it takes to obscure my focus or blind me completely from the living God. If I look at the struggles for too long, I might even begin to doubt that He is there...

He is there... Oh, He is there!

Artwork by Sam

My Sam is a squishy love bug.

What Else Can I Say?

breathtaking...

Geek or Nerd?

So I over heard two of my boys, laughing and saying, "you are a geek, I am a nerd!"

Micah (11) proceeded to explain to Isaac (9) that a geek loves technology and is almost obsessed by it, where as a nerd is just different and weird, but doesn't really care that they are.

I was a little taken a-back by their conversation, but it intrigued me none the less.

Yes, Isaac is a geek by that definition. He LOVES taking things apart and seeing hoe they work.
For instance, we are learning about pulleys in science.
He had free time yesterday, so he thought it would be great fun to build a crane out of an erector set.
As he was building he discovered how to use a pulley to make it work better and is now in the process of trying to build an elevator... Yes, he's a geek.

Micah confessed, (with a HUGE grin and goofy laugh), that he is absolutely a nerd.
He loves being different and is unashamed.

It's not something you grow up hoping your children will be, but then I myself am a nerd...
I said he could borrow my theme song:

I began to sing it for him, "I'm not cool, that's OK. My God loves me anyway..."

He looked at me funny. He laughed.
I informed him the best of us have motto's... I informed him he could borrow mine, but that he should have a motto's.
He and then said , "My motto is to never judge a person by their appearance, but by their heart."

Most of you know me and know my family.
If you know my family, you KNOW Micah.
You know Micah has a heart of gold.
He is also blessed to have a benign tumor near his right eye that alters his face enough that almost everyday people ask him, "what happened to your eye there kiddo?"

Micah is full of life, compassion, mercy, and grace. He loves people and loves to make people laugh. Ironically, He is most comfortable in front of a crowd and is thrilled if he gets to perform in some way.
It never ceases to amaze me how gracefully he handles his "uniqueness".

For now, I am left with my heart in my lap. I am the nerdy blessed wife of a geek.
I have 5 children: 2 geeks, 2 nerds, and one daredevil.


I am NOT cool, and that's OK... my God loves me anyway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVpkPk883Q

A Cup of Coffee

Well, I am well into this journey of daily blogging.
I am taking pictures, enjoying life, capturing some of my thoughts, sharing them with others.

I have second guessed myself a gazillion times already. "Who really cares?"
Why should anyone take a moment to share a moment with me...

The truth is that I am going to keep writing whether I ever am blessed to hear that someone else likes what I share. But I have to thank the Lord publicly this morning for giving me a tear filled gift.

My mom sent me a note this morning that told me that she makes her cup of coffee and sits down each day to see what I've written. She said its like I am sitting right there visiting with her.

I had to put the email away quickly because my eyes filled with tears of joy.
My mom is about 2000 miles away from me and it has been nearly 4 years since I sat at her table.
How cool is it that by following my heart and doing what I love it brings me closer to her?

She's not the only one who has commented either... Just when I doubt whether I should continue, I get a quick "keep blogging email" from someone...

Thank you Lord! I do not deserve the outpouring of love You have given me...

Rose Colored Glasses

I believe I live my life looking through rose colored glasses.
I am often thinking about blessings and butterflies.
I used this picture on a blog to bless the moms who would read it, but most especially my mom. I love this picture. She is featured in the center with a loving look on her face as she snuggles and loves on two of my 5 boys. I was reflecting on this special today, the day after Mother's Day.
How blessed I am!
I love my mom.
I love my children.
How sweet my children are...

That's about when my rose colored lenses turned to clear:

All 5 of my children are in this photo.
Look closely and you'll see what my rose colored lens blocked out the first 50 times I looked at this...

Yes, that's correct.
My oldest is hanging one of his little brothers upside down while the other brother is getting ready to laugh at the upside down brothers plight...

My life is like this all the time.
I see what I want to see. I chose to delight in the blessing and I feel really good about what I am doing with my family. I feel like super wife, or super mom... And then I see my life as it truly is:
                  Blessed of course.
                                        Wonderful, absolutely.
                                                                  But controlled chaos might be a better description.

If I were choosing fonts for the title of the picture,
I would chose larger bold font for the word Chaos and lighter smaller font for the word "controlled".

I laughed when the picture came into view. I hope you will too...

"Now where are those rose colored glasses..."

Sights and Memories

I had to take a detour to capture this picture. Lilacs.
Oh, my goodness I haven't seen a lilac tree since I lived in Connecticut... That makes it about 31 years ago.

Lately I kept seeing a beautiful purple color begin to emerge as spring sprang here in the mountains.
I saw it as a blur for the first couple of days. I was conscious that there was something different and yet I didn't take the time to look at what I was seeing.

I really cannot tell you why I actually looked more closely.
Sometimes I never take the time to really "see" the world around me. I am so glad I didn't miss this one.

Lilacs.
I stopped the car to snap a few pictures and the smell hit me. Oh my goodness the smell!
I was transported back to being about 11 years old. I lived in Connecticut with my family on a 200 hundred year old farm.

The house was nestled in the country and there beautiful trees and flowers there. I think that small town of Middlebury is where I fell in love with nature. Birds and flowers, ladybugs and dragonflies, spittle bugs and spider webs, creeks and thick woods, I remembered it all with the first scent of the lilacs.
I only lived there about 4 years, from 4th-8th grade, but this is where the love story between me and my Lord began. If I were to write the story, I think I would start here... among the lilac trees.

Back to now... I am too busy! How many days had I driven by without seeing them? And what was I busy with? Grocery lists, bills to pay, kids to transport, work to do...

Slow down, Bekki. Life is but a vapor.
I know I've said this before, but I want to live life on purpose. I want each breath I breath to be a good thing.

If I speak, I want to speak words of encouragement and truth wrapped in love.

If I see, I want to see creation reaching toward the heavens- like those lilacs.

If I hear I want to hear the sound of the birds, the wind, and the voices of God's children.

If I touch, I want it to leave an aroma of love behind.

If I smell, I want to remember...

What do you see?

This morning I drove our oldest to school bright and early.
Today is the big day.

AP Test #1.

A years worth of effort to be tried and proved today in one long 4-5 hour test.
I did not want to be in his shoes at all. I was lazy in high school. I chose not to take the AP classes because I saw no value in them for my future. I have wanted to be a wife and a mom for as long as I can remember. I actually remember "husband shopping" in kindergarten... Goofy little girl.

I encouraged Thomas as we drove along, prayed for his mind to be anointed and that he would be able to remember all he had crammed in that brain of his: and then a sight in the distance caught our attention.

There in the mornings early light I saw the first hot-air balloon of spring here in Tehachapi... It was glorious! We loved the sight of it. OK maybe, I more than him, but we did enjoy it together. As I often do, I pondered what this balloon in the midst meant for my life today. I was reminded that it is the little things that rejuvenate our spirits. Quiet moments. Moments without phones and face book. Moments without smog and long to-do lists...

So I dropped Thomas off to school and took a detour home to try to capture the sight so I would remember it and share it with you. Of course I only had my iPhone with me and I couldn't capture the sight in its fullness. But isn't life like that?

The biggest most profound moments cannot be explained or captured on film. The fullness of the lesson was intended for my heart, I am well aware of that. The cool part is that my heart is left overflowing and frustrated in a good way. Its overflowing to the point that I cannot but help tell you about it, frustrated that you may be too busy. Hopeful that you'll stop long enough to become filled to overflowing and that the love and joy you are filled with today will spill on those around you...

Stuck in the sand

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you find your self waist deep in the sand.
"How the heck did this happen?" you might ask yourself.

Last thing you remember you were running along having a great 'ol time, now you find your self unable to move, held against your will by what ever is going on.
You're stuck and no seems to care.
No one stops and asks how you are doing with a sincere heart...
They want to hear, "I am doing fine, Gods in control."
The definitely do not want to hear all the details about why you are frustrated, angry, confused, and scared do they?

The good news is someone cares. Remember that famous poem about the footprints in the sand?
First, two sets of prints are seen in the sand.
Very quickly you realize one set belongs to you, the other to the Lord.
The footprints are left behind as you walk through life together.
Suddenly, at a time of trial and tragedy you look and see only one set of footprints.
You are angry and feel abandoned by God.
Then, with a loving voice, He shares that when life hit you hard you were not abandoned, but rather the He Himself scooped you up and carried you.

I have experienced this first hand.

I want to learn this lesson without having to walk it. Don't you?
I want to remember that I am never alone. I want to know beyond knowing that no matter what I am faced with each day, the Lord intends to use it for the good. I want to know He will carry me. I do not want the trial.
Funny life doesn't work that way.
Some of the best moments in my walk with God have been in times when I literally had no strength left to breath on my own. As He carried me He tenderly whispered to my heart how much He loves me. He was able to point to the things I had missed as I traveled along at warp speed.

I know I cannot dodge life. Life happens to the best and worst of us equally.
After being carried a few times already, I am left with a different perspective...
When I find myself stuck in sand up to my waist and cannot escape,  I want the ability to look around and see that I am still loved. Just because "life happened" to me doesn't mean that I am alone and forgotten.

I want to reach out and feel the sand. See all the shimmering colors and grains individually, feel its warmth. I do not want to fear tide.

Life is so fast and high tech. I want to enjoy the slow-motion and close up shots that I am given.

I am sure I will hope to be delivered quickly from the sand, and yet I hope as people rush past me in the sand, They see I am filled with joy. I hope my laughter and peace causes them to wonder... "how on earth can she be content while stuck in sand?"

Of course I will not ask to become buried by life, but should the Lord cause me to ""lie down by still waters" I will remember His heart is to "restore my soul". He is with me and will carry me through.

Lord, Help me love every moment of life You give me.

Today

About a week ago, I realized that my car had become a conversation death trap for me and my oldest son. I didn't see it happen, but over time it had become this machine that he would reluctantly crawl into that would suck the life out of him. How?

I am a busy, busy, busy mom. I am always surrounded by little ones and I had become accustomed to the fact that while riding shotgun I had him as my captive audience. Every day on the way to school and on the way home we would talk through all the important issues that I would "forget if not mentioned now". You know, grades, test results, things he had to get done. We'd inevitably get into a tift with him having what I had come to think of as an emotional teenage meltdown. I couldn't have anything to do with this poor communication right?

Ugh, wrong.
The Lord really ministered to my heart that the time in the car was not the best time for Thomas to receive important encouragement or rebukes. As I blew it again that afternoon by telling him I saw a missing assignment in his grade book I watched him go from being glad to see me to "let me out of the car".

It's been a week now. We listen to music, talk about movies, poke fun at each other, discuss food, and simply enjoy being on the 5 minute ride.

It happened this morning for the first time! As he left the car to enter his school day I saw him clearly...
Laughing out loud and looking at me with love and respect as I wished him a great day...

The door closed and the words of the song were now audible:

"Today I'm gonna try a little harder,

Gonna make every minute last longer

Gonna learn to forgive and forget

'Cause we don't have long, gonna make the most of it

Today I'm gonna love my enemies

Reach out to somebody who needs me

Make a change, make the world a better place

'Cause tomorrow could be one day too late"

(SKILLET, One Day Too Late)

As I drove home I was reminded of the little yellow flowers from yesterday and the image in my mind of the Lord standing along the path I chose to walk each day...
In my heart I heard the words over and over "TODAY, 'cause tomorrow could be one day too late..."

As I drove by the flower spot, this is what I saw

The flowers were gone... truly, today was one day too late for the flowers.

As I gasped I realized that I had not missed the flowers... I had stopped to enjoy them.

I had not missed my son either...
I had stopped to enjoy him as well.

The Yellow Weed

As I drove home this morning from driving our oldest son to school I found myself praying aloud...
"Thank you Lord for not moving when they nailed  MY NAILS into your hands. You are so merciful and kind, forever reminding me how much you love me... Thank you for dying for me... I pray You would give me eyes to see the world as you do."

There they were by the side of the road...

Beautiful little yellow wildflowers. I didn't remember seeing them the day before, and yet here they stood in glory.
The song "Awake and Alive" from Skillet started on the radio and I stopped the car backed up
and said, "I am awake and alive Lord."
I got out  of the car, snapped a photo (which I intend to send to my mom) and jumped back into the drivers seat... Jammie's and all.

I can't help but think about Jesus  as I remember this moment.

My amazing Lord Standing alongside the roads I travel everyday. Tall, strong, and yet beautifully meek.

 If I am not paying attention I'll miss Him altogether. If I am in too big of a hurry I will see Him, but wave or nod as I drive by... Heaven forbid!

I pray to have moments like this daily.

Moments where in the bustle and hum of daily life with a wonderful husband, 5 boys, and 1001 things to be done that I see the Lord as I saw the flowers and that I take the moment to stop and look and listen...