That Look

Recently, we bought a new razor trike, a modern version of hot wheels, for Little Man to ride at our house. The back wheels pivot, which causes the whole trike to spin. When Little Man and our neighbor, also a classmate, race up and down our long driveway, it’s quite entertaining.



He wanted red like his buddy’s, but the stores around here only carried blue. At first, Little Man was disappointed, but that didn’t last long. Only until he discovered the joy of riding and spinning and tumbling onto the grass in make-believe crashes, giggling alongside his new friend.

And when I mentioned that Grandpa put the trike together?

Adoration blossomed on his cute face. “Grandpa, you built my bike?”

Not exactly, but…

That look.

As if his grandpa could do anything. As if building a bike was the coolest thing ever! Love and admiration and awe and delight all swirled together and swelled to shine from his face and lift his tiny shoulders.

And right then it hit me.

As a daughter of the Most High King and Creator of the universe, shouldn’t the world see that look on my face as I go through life?

The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. ~ Psalm 27:4 (NLT)

Simple PLEASURES

Can you believe that we're well into November already? Sheesh! Sneeze, and the holiday season will be upon us and we'll be staring at this. 

Our Christmas tree last year

Nice, huh? But do you notice the pressure beginning to mount right about now? A lump that slides down your throat? Or a slight catch in your breath?

Yeah, me, too. Writing deadlines. Thinking of perfect gift ideas. Venturing out among the swarm of holiday shoppers and fighting traffic (I don't do traffic well). Holiday parties. Baking. Cleaning the house...

You fill in the blank for your family. The never ending to-do list is enough to make a person want to crawl back under the covers and hide until the season's over. Right?

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, 
whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! Isaiah 26:3 TLB

I kind of lose my balance on those days that I miss my sweet communion with Him, don't you? I firmly believe that God knows how much I miss worshiping at His feet, and He gives me simple pleasures to dwell on His goodness throughout the day. Like these:

The soothing sound of a fountain or the peacefulness of a quick walk around the park

A comforting cup of hot chocolate

Warm, fuzzy slippers

A perfect, North Carolina blue sky

Crazy animal antics

A hug or smile from one of these sweeties

Simple pleasures that mean so much. Simple pleasures that take my mind off of insignificant details and the busyness of the season, and help me focus on Him and His love for us. 

What are the simple pleasures God plants in your path every day?

How do you destress during the holidays?

G is for GRAND...

This week's letter is G...for Grand!

As in...

Grandbabies

Our Little Man

that grow up to be grandsons

Playing ping-pong against Uncle Scott

Summer fun

Precious Granddaughters

Fun at the Latta Equestrian Center

Honor Roll Lunch

Grand times...

Our younger son's UNC graduation

Celebrating with our family

Great Grandparents ~ My hubby scared me when he mentioned that's a possibility for us in just a few years. Yikes! How can that be? Here we are discussing the joys of grand parenting with my parents. Love that we can still share this journey with them.

My parents and us

Grand trips

The Carnival Breeze, from our European tour in 2012

This year we're on the Carnival Legend

What about you? What "grands" can you share?

I've been participating in the AtoZ blog hop, but since I have limited Internet access over the next couple of weeks, I'm unable to link up. If you'd like to hop on, you can do so here.