short and sweet, simply black and white

• tierah + waffles + silly pictures + laughing
• listening to nick laugh about camp joy memories
• coke from melissa
• "never one did we ever walk alone" (matt redman song)
• that moment on friday afternoon when we finally make it out of the port on the way to frisbee
• being ok with the fact that sometimes my role is making coffee (and sometimes it is not)
• jalapeno poppers (and silly jalapeno jokes)
• running with zodie at running club
• "a grateful attitude becomes a grid through which you perceive life." - jesus calling
• "blessed by the Lord - day after day he carries us along." - psalm 68:19
• the way the hallways smell in the mornings when people are taking showers/fresh out of the shower
• timely words: 

From the love of my own comfort

From the fear of having nothing

From a life of worldly passions

Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood

From the need to be accepted

From the fear of being lonely

Deliver me O God

From the fear of serving others

From the fear of death or trial

From the fear of humility

Deliver me O God

treasures.

• walking slowly through a wide open field listening to an incredible choir in the distance sing "How Great Thou Art" in some language other than english 
• gathering cones on the ultimate field...so familiar. so different.
• molly's perseverance in trying to call us
• dinner filled with lanterns and laughter

• lime powder. oh.wow.
• glasses/contacts (what did people do before those were invented?!)
• charissa's kindness to my girls
• sharing life
• mrs. agnes' fried plantain chips (i think they should be called "mercy chips")

• swapping coke zeros for the good stuff
• the "detour" way out of the port
• kind words
• cash cabin mondays without homework
• time with jasmine (best hair washing/head massage ever) (x2)
• fun reddish streaks in my hair

• a day away.
• emma & fulbert coloring together
• labels....and how they keep me organized
• conversations with catherine murphy.  what a gal.
• scott & natalie's willingness to volunteer in the library (and kat's ongoing faithfulness on friday nights)
• nick's words of affirmation
• bottled starbucks' frappuccino (it's empty because i drank it IMMEDIATELY after it was given to me)

• conference call pre-marital counseling sessions with nick and suzanne...thankful that it works...thankful for those 2...thankful for the conversations
• the way nick thinks and plans ahead
• finally seeing some improvement in my ability to hold "the wheel"
• anne's kind compliment about eli
• listening to caroline's hex bugs play by play

the gifts just keep on coming

• quick fire drills (2 in a row!)
• the chance to help
• the gift of sheet washing
• people who are willing to tell you you have something in your teeth
• the quick response of IS to tickets ("tickets" sort of equal maintenance requests/requests for help)
• giddy laughter
• chocolate from sweden
  
• the delightful couple who brought the previously mentioned swedish chocolate
• bare feet on the clean rug
• 3 hours in deck 6 conference room answering questions from delightful young ladies
• happy birthdays sung
• super special friends
• eli's e-mail ("Mom, here is the document you requested. - eli")
• limes
  
• God's provision in tiny significant ways
• erin to cook brownies
• 8x8 pan to cook them in
• in the cabin for just the right 20 seconds 
• moments where you can't help but sing
• caroline getting to observe her teacher worshipping (perk of community life!)
• KJ's willingness to help pull off a birthday surprise for nick

treasure in zechariah

it's not everyday that God has me reading in Zechariah...came across these Truths and Treasures...wanted to share them...

Zechariah 10:3-5

God of the Angel-Armies will step in and take care of his flock, the people of Judah.  He'll revive their spirits, make them proud to be on God's side.  God will use them in his work of rebuilding, use them as foundations and pillars, use them as tools and instruments, use them to oversee his work.  They'll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one, their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud, courageous and vigorous because God is with them, undeterred by the world's thugs.  

so many promises...
the ones that mean the most to me today:

• He'll take care of us...
• He'll revive our spirits...
• He will use us....
• We can be courageous and vigorous because HE IS WITH US.  

i kind of really like that The Message version uses the word "thugs."

ps - happy birthday to my 2 favorite fellas on the face of the earth.

seeking to savor every happy moment

• hearing a superchick song in a stuart little movie
• BACON!!!
• using a Christ Community ink pen

• shooting hoops with miss shea
• hearing kids saying nice things about their teachers when they don't think any adults are listening
• the chance to fill out a recommendation form for someone i love and appreciate
• emails from molly (always thankful)
• time with amy jones
• watching emma's pom pom moves
• the way nick faithfully teaches our children about money and being good stewards of it

• march 4th
• looking back at the same date last year and seeing the same item on the list
• blessings on deck 8 sunday night
• package & letters from the Vignery family!
• moments of recalling God's faithfulness and generosity
• amazon order from the white family
• the chance to spend an afternoon at a home with a backyard (and a pool and tether tennis and ping pong and badminton and waffles for snack)
• seeing eli and caroline playing together - they had a dozen other children to choose from and they chose each other as playmates.  does this mama's heart good.

• flashing sign language "i love you's" to various members of the cash crew as we pass in the hallway
• the more i speak with Ans the more i realize we're on the same page
• courage