Things to Smile About + Great Article

Light. Always light...

 Light while jogging this morning.

The sunrise and the church steeple and the smell of wood from a tree just cut down - pleasures on the run (things that kind of help downplay presence of the mega-traffic that's part of everyday life now). 

 H visiting daddy on a work-from-home day

 EG having quality time with Baby brother

 Ditto MK

 Our rosebushes have not been well-cared-for, but they're still present and producing. Loved happening upon this beauty at our mailbox this morning.

 Ever so ladylike, with the legs all crossed, CA recently oversaw big sister LC as she made yellow jello for their science lesson...

They both learned about cells and cell structure and built their own "cell" with the yellow jello and candies to represent the different cell organelles and such. I learned a lot teaching it to CA and the two of them had fun constructing the cell. They were not so wowed by the taste of their finished product. Too bad.

My mind and heart are full, usually in a scrambly kind of way, trying to focus on too many things.

I'm thinking about what it means to really love my neighbors, with Jesus-love - my literal neighbors on this new street of ours. Then my brain turns to wondering if I'm loving those in these four walls as I ought. It's actually relatively easy to do my work around here: the cleaning and ferrying and organizing and cooking and giving-of-marching-orders and all that. Those are things I can check off, you know? The harder thing is the relating, loving, serving, humbling myself, working to learn to think of others first (as opposed to thinking of me first, of course, or of those things on my to-do list).

There's honoring others above myself; showing respect to all the ages and developmental levels in this house, as well as that fabulous man I married. There's the switching gears element that's a challenge - ages 2, 4, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14. That's not as hard as it used to be, but it'll keep one's brain awhirl on some days, trying not to relate to 10 year old like she's 2 or the 2 year old like he's 12.

And what about being careful to just know people? To know my kids as people, working to listen to their words and their hearts, not to mention the intentional and subconscious life-observing that mamas are always doing...you know, "hmm, I see that so-and-so did those morning responsibilities quickly and quietly and without complaint....I need to call that out and encourage that kid!" And then following through and doing just that! Kinda important, right?

One day at a time. One responsibility and situation at a time....there is time for what God has in mind for each day. And there's this, which encouraged me early today (and all day, of course, if I return to it...):

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man (or woman!) is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

And, for an interesting balance to all that talk of relating and connecting, here's an excellent article I found on introversion. It's always helpful to understand oneself better, and I know I'm a solid introvert. Gerth articulates some of the finer points of introversion clearly in ways I found helpful.

Have a great day, friends!