Are you really in a position to throw stones?

^{John 8:6-8}Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.       

This past week the story of the adulterous woman that was brought before Jesus to be stoned has been heavy on my heart.  Specifically when He spoke and said "The one among you who is free from sin, cast the first stone."  What brought this to my mind has been the tragic events that have happened this past week.  The shooting in Colorado and a off duty officer who was killed on his motorcycle in a hit and run accident.  My heart of course goes out to the victims of these events and their families.  But it also cries out for the people responsible for these horrible events. 

When I saw the picture of the young man from Colorado what I saw was the shell of a man.  The difference when you look into his eyes from his college photo to the mug shot photo is so extreme.  Something else, something evil has obviously taken over his mind, body and soul.  And then when I saw people's reactions to him.  The hate and anger that lashed out at this young man broke this mother's heart.  I kept thinking, he's someone's baby.  He is someone's son.  He's someone's grandson.  He's someone's nephew, brother, best friend.  This family has lost their child as well.  While yes, he will be sitting in jail, possibly on death row, they have still lost their child.  The thought of someone saying the horrible things about my own child that are being said about him just made me so sad. 

And it was the same for the woman involved in the accident with the off-duty officer.  My question for others this week was this....have you never done something that ultimately hurt someone else in some capacity?  Have you never had 1 to many drinks and thinking "Oh I'm good" got in your car and drove home? 

Back when Joseph Duncan was arrested for kidnapping, torturing and murdering the Groene family, someone asked me.  "If he was your son, could you still love him?"  And my answer was absolutely.  Loving my child does in NO way mean that I condone their behavior.  It in no way means that I approve of what they have done.  But they are still my child and what kind of a mother stops loving their child because of what they have done.  Yes there are consequences for their actions and yes my heart would break to see that but I would still love them.  Can you imagine if Jesus stopped loving us because of our behaviors?  WOW what a thought that is.  What if Jesus said "yep I died for you but you know when you did _________ well that for me was just unforgivable I stopped loving you then and I don't even want a relationship with you."  Thankfully HE would never do that to us.  He shows us grace and mercy every day.  More grace and mercy then we deserve.   Shouldn't we show each other the same?  Yes these people made horrible choices that had deadly consequences for others.  And yes they are going to have to be held accountable for those choices.  But doesn't feeding into the hate and anger towards them only give evil more power? Shouldn't we be showing them love and forgiveness and while taking back the Kingdom and giving GOD the glory instead. 

I challenge each of us to choose love over anger.   To choose forgiveness over hate.  To choose mercy over judgement.  And to always remember that there are others who are hurting along side the victims of a tragedy. 

Summertime Fun

The school year ended the first week of June. We also moved to a new house that same week. And summer is in full swing. My girl was so excited to officially no longer be a 2nd grader.

Home from the last day of school and officially no longer a 2nd grader.

                                                 

Looking forward excitedly to being a 3rd grader. WOW! How did that happen? How did my sweet little baby become a 3rd grader? Time flies so fast for us these days. But then we are usually so busy that we don't seem to notice until we get to a point where it hits us that 2 months have just gone by and we didn't even notice.

We moved to a new house that is a much better fit for what we need. Better space, better lay out and a fenced yard. Settling in and getting our house back in order is still a work in progress but we are getting there. The fenced yard has been the best thing I think. The kids and the dog LOVE it.

Kids enjoying the yard and cooling off from the summer heat.

The summer heat finally arrived and we are fully enjoying it. Lots of time spent at the pool having fun and taking swimming lessons. Kimberly was very excited to pass the 3rd level and move on up to the advanced classes.

Lovin' the pool.

We are so thankful for our new home and the summer fun we get to have.  We've already had lots of fun and there is still plenty of summer and loads of fun to be had.

The Chicken Fat Lady

I am so blessed to have a wonderful job. I get to spend my day caring for some pretty incredible kids. As with any job, some days are certainly better then others. And there are some weeks that when Saturday gets here I am spent. I've given all that I can for the week and there is no more left. This past week was one of those weeks. And not even for any particular reason. My schedule was lighter then normal. The kids were all pretty well behaved. No major issues had come up but still I was just worn down. So to be honest and transparent my patience was a bit short yesterday. I don't like it when I feel that way and in the past I have even had the Holy Spirit nudge me and say "Is this really the atmosphere you want in your home?" Boy if that doesn't grab your attention to your attitude. So I really try to be more aware of how I respond to the kids. So yesterday I was tired. I had 3 kids on my schedule, my Kim wanted to go to the school carnival but I knew I couldn't do both. We are moving in the next few weeks so I was looking at my enormous list of things that I know I have to do. I was trying to find the answer to a question I had about the penny auction business that I am working for and couldn't seem to get it, atleast the answer I was getting was just making my head spin because it made no sense to me. Come to find out, the person I was asking the question to wasn't really understanding my question either. And I will admit I was counting down the time till the kids would all be picked up and I could just let it all go. Then it hit me........When their mom's get here to get them do I look like "the chicken fat lady" from the Erin Brockovich movie. If you've seen the movie you know who I'm talking about. The lady in the apartment building that when Erin goes to pick up her kids practically shoves that baby into Erin's arms and totally has this look of disgust on her face. Minus the moo-moo that she was wearing in that scene, do I look like her some days? The more I thought about this the more I realized that I have been giving so much of myself on my own and not relying on God's love, God's grace, God's strength, God's everything. I shouldn't even be giving of myself until I have no more and then asking for His help. I should be letting Him go first. I am so blessed to have this amazing job. I have the opportunity to pour into them all that God has for them. I have the opportunity to bless their mothers. And them all being in my life blesses me in so many ways. Don't let yourself become "the chicken fat lady" in the things that you have to do. Wither it be your job or any other responsibilty that you have. Let God go first in everything that you do and let everything you do bring Glory to Him. And if I am the care giver for your kids and I start to look like "the chicken fat lady" tell me ok. I won't be offended, but may need to be reminded every now and then.

Peace Within The Storm

I love thunderstorms! I've always loved them. I can remember as a kid camping out in front of the window watching them. And I even do the same with my little girl. We shut the everything off so the house is dark and sit and watch in awe. I have even been known to go out and lay in my yard just looking at the sky, watching the flashes and listening to the thunder roll. I know probably not the smartest option but it is the best view after all. So last night I got to bed late and wasn't really sleeping when we had the most amazing storm. It had to have been right above my house. I could see the flashes and hear the crack of the lightning. And then the thunder would boom and roll. My house shook as it rolled and rolled and rolled. I haven't heard thunder roll like that ever. It was totally wonderful. This morning a friend told me that her 4 year old woke up terrified. The poor thing. I've known people who were scared of storms but I've never really understood why. The power and the beauty of the storm totally brings peace and joy to my soul. So I was thinking on this fear of storms this morning and the Holy Spirit gave me the best revelation. We should be able to find peace and joy in EVERY storm in life. Yes they can be frightening and overwhelming but if we are totally putting our trust and faith in GOD then we should be able to rest in HIS peace and view the storm from HIS perspective. The storms we face in life are filled with beauty and power and just like with a good thunderstorm the air afterwards is fresh, new and clean. God sees what beauty is going to be in us as we come out of the storm. If we rest in HIM then we are cocooned in HIS protection. So the next time you are going through a storm and are afraid, go lay in the yard and rest in HIS peace and watch the power and beauty that is in the storm. Find joy and peace and know that in the end amazing things come out of the storm.

Resurrection Weekend

This being Easter weekend, I've been thinking about the amazing things that happened 2000 years ago. Our King, Our Savior, God's only son willingly allowed himself to be tortured, beaten and then murdered for us. Then to top it all off He defeated death as well. WOW!!! What amazing love that must take. He could have called upon 10,000 angels at any point that horrible day and put a stop to all that was being done to him. But he didn't. He took the pain, the beatings, the whippings, all that was put upon him, so that we may be free and live.

I have been thinking about how even after Jesus had told his disciples what was going to happen. That he was going to die and that he would live again, but yet when Mary Magdalene told them that she had seen him, that he was alive. They didn't believe her. I can totally understand their anguish as they watch him being tortured but knowing the promise that was coming shouldn't they have been rejoicing? Or at the very least excited when Mary told them the news? The more I thought about all this the realization that I found was that they allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the situation and forgot the promises. They forgot all the truth that Jesus had told them.

It is definitely a reminder for us when we are facing a trial in life. Hold onto the truths, to the promises, to the word God has given you and don't allow the circumstances to overwhelm us and steal our peace, our joy and most of all our hope. GOD IS GOOD ALWAYS!!!!! Even when it doesn't look that way.

Happy Easter!

It Breaks My Heart

It breaks my heart when I think about the people I love who have lost someone they love to suicide. A friend who lost her son, another lost her father, and to many others. The one on my heart tonight though is my sweet friend Lara. One year ago lost her beautiful Felicity.

To be honest I will admit that there was a time when I would hear about someone taking their own life and I would think "How selfish of them to do that to the people who love them". But of course with time and life we grow and come to new understanding. Not that there is ever really any understanding to these tragedies but I do know that it's not that the people we love are being selfish. It's that they aren't seeing any other way out of the lies that have been in their heads and they are believing. The biggest of those is that there is no hope and that there is no other way out of this "whatever it is".

I pray tonight that those who have lost someone they love will be covered by God's peace, comfort and love. I pray that those who are struggling will also feel God's love, hope and strength. You are never alone, His love never fails, and there is always hope. I pray that we all find compassion for others. That we all have eyes to see when someone is having a hard time and can be there for them. That we can all be the light at the end of the tunnel for someone who can't see it.

150 Days of Thankfulness

It's been 150 days since November 1st and I have found something in my life every day to be thankful for. WOW! Have you ever sat down at the end of each day and thought about what you had to be thankful for that day, for an extended period of time? I won't lie when I say that in the beginning I honestly thought, "that will be easy". There are definitely days when it is so easy. There have even been days when I have had so many things that I was covered for a couple of extra days. But there have also been days when I have sat here for a long time thinking about the day and really having to dig to find something that I was thankful for in it.

I recently had someone say that the things that I was thankful for were self-centered and that I should look at the world and find more important things to be thankful for. I suppose that we are all entitled to our own opinion and they can think that I'm being self-centered if they want to. The thing is, I suppose that's the point of my daily thankful post. I look at MY life so of course it's "self-centered". Yes, I'm thankful for the people who work in my community, for the grocery store checkers, the gas station attendents, the civil service people but the point of my daily thankfulness is for what I'm thankful for in my daily life.

I'm thankful that I have an amazing family, that my sweet girl is growing into her love for reading, that I have quiet time to myself in the evenings, that I have that priviledge of staying home and taking care of my family, that my husband works so hard to provide all he can for his girls, and so much more. Yes these are all self-centered thankful thoughts and yes I will continue to focus on my life in just this way. God has given me so much and why not take the time to focus on what He has done and thank Him for that.

Making a Room Full of 2nd Graders Smile

One of the things I'm thankful for in my life is that I have the priviledge of staying home to take care of my family. Because of this I have the joy of being able to take treats to my daughter's 2nd grade class last week for St. Patrick's Day. Of course it's not a holiday that is made a big deal at school and they never have a party for the day but it was a good excuse to make special treats and make 32 2nd graders smile.

So earlier this month I went on the hunt for an idea of something new and fun that I could make for the kids. My name is Leahann and I am addicted to Pinterest. There I said it, I know I'm not alone and I don't see it as a problem LOL. But in my search I found some really great ideas. Special gifts, great snacks and fun treats. I chose to make rainbow cupcakes and Leprachaun floats. Since my daughter's class is pretty small I made enough cupcakes to share with the other 2nd grade class as well.

I love that I can do special things for Kim's class and she gets so excited in the planning and putting together of whatever we decide to do. Now to be on the look out for the next special "just because we like you" treat.

Family Time

For being a stay-at-home mom I tend to have a very busy schedule that keeps me on the run a lot. One of my favorite things is being the worship leader at my church. I absolutely love getting into the presence of God and leading the congregation there and I rarely take a weekend off. But this was one of those weekends.

We had an extra busy weekend last weekend with special guests from Bethel Church, so my wonderful Pastor suggested that I take this weekend off. So I did, and what a great weekend it was.

We spent Friday evening with our nieces and nephews just hanging out, ordered pizza and enjoying some company.

Saturday it happened that BG went to see his mom for the weekend so we slept in, a very rare occurrence in our house. When we did get up and moving we got to enjoy some beautiful sunshine and warm weather. I spent part of my day getting started on cleaning up the winter mess in my yard. Kimberly and I even went for a bike ride. We rented movies and made dinner together. And like any good ICarly fan we made spaghetti tacos.

Sunday we went to breakfast with Grandma. Her birthday was earlier in week so we took the morning to spend some time with her. We then had plans to go to the water park. We have this wonderful friend Maureen, who works there and she blessed us with a pass for the day. We swam the lazy river and climbed the stairs to the top of the tunnel slides. My little dare devil girl loves the tube slide. Then spent some relaxing time in the hot tub.

All in all it was a wonderfully relaxing weekend spent with my family. We laughed and snuggled and had fun together with no schedule and no agenda. I'm so blessed to have such amazing people in my life and I'm very thankful for every one of them. And tomorrow I'll get back to the regular crazy busy schedule of cleaning house, doing laundry, running after kids, and preparing for Sunday morning. My life is really great and I am truly blessed in so many ways.

A simple cup of coffee

The past couple of months have been really stressful for my husband's employer, as well as so many other peopl in our community and us. With Hecla shut down for production and then the fire at the Sunshine. There are many people out of work right now and for my husband's employer they actually have 5 drills stuck underground that they can't go get right now. And they have had to shuffle many of their people, lay off a few and move others to another job site.

Yesterday was payday and when I went into the office I could see that JJ was having a really rough day, and it was only 10am. She gave me my husband's paycheck and I went about the rest of my day, all the while thinking about her and how stressed she obviously was. So this morning as I headed out to run my errends.

After our 14 days of random acts of kindness last month we committed to being purposeful and doing a random act of kindness for someone at least once a month. So today was a perfect day to do someone. So I made a quick stop through the coffee stand and pick myself up a tastey chai tea and then stopped at the office on my way back out of town and one for JJ as well. I took her in that sweet little treat and she was so surprised and I think a bit overwhelmed. I told her that I could tell she was having a rough day yesterday and I wanted her to know that we appreciate all she does for our family and that I hoped she had a better day. I left her office feeling great and my day was awesome as well.

I want to also take a moment to clarify that doing these acts of kindness and sharing what we are doing for others isn't about patting ourselves on the back. I do however hope that we inspire others to do the same. Knowing that you can do something as little as taking someone a cup of coffee and totally change how they are feeling about their day is so worth it.

Living in a small town

While there are benefits and added conveniences to living in the city, living in a small town has it's benefits as well. I love the quiet of my neighborhood. I love that my kids can play out in the yard and I don't really have to worry about them, of course they aren't totally unsupervised but I can go in and out and not worry. I love that I can go to the store to get a gallon of milk and it take an hour because I ran into someone that I hadn't seen in a while so we took the time to catch up. I love that when I go into my bank everyone that works there knows my name when I walk through the door and they are more then happy to take the time to help me with any thing I need. I love that as I drive down the main street in town I will inevitably pass at least 2 people that I know and we always wave at each other. I love that I can sit on a park bench on the corner and have a conversation with a total stranger, and them be shocked that I would actually sit and talk to them. I love that my daughter can walk down the street and people who pass her know who she belongs too. I love that I can see someone that I don't know and they will say "hey tell Larry I said hi" because they know my husband and who I am. I love that when I drive down my street I know who almost every one of my neighbors are. I love that our little town is only an hour's drive from the city when we feel the need to go there.

I know that there are many people who love city living and I will agree that there are great things about living in a bigger town. But I think I will happily take my little town of under 1000 people. Where I've know the Chief of Police since I was my daughter's age, our mayor since grade school. I also know that there are people who live in my own town who don't like all those things that I love because they feel like "everyone knows everything about everyone else's business", and while yes that sometimes is a downfall to living in a small town. I still will take that over the crazy, noisy, chaos of city life any day.

The ABC's of Happiness

Isaw this pin on pinterest a while back. The ABC's of Happiness and think it's a great list to share.

Accept you reality.
Be present. Be Bold.
Create something exciting.
Drink plenty of water. Dance.
Exercise daily. Eat fresh food.
Feel your emotions. Face fear.
Go outside and observe nature. Give.
Hug often. Help others.
Ignite your passions.
Jump through your comfort zone.
Kiss passionately. Keep looking forward.
Laugh. Love. Learn to let go.
Meditate daily. Make goals.
Never give up on what you want.
Own a pet. Observe beauty.
Pray. Paint. Play an instrument.
Quit a bad habit. Quiet your mind.
Read. Relax. Reinvent yourself.
Smile. Sleep. Simplify.
Take power naps. Talk wisely.
Unleash your strengths.
Vent. Visualize your dreams.
Walk. Write. Watch the sunset.
Xerox your smiling face.
Yell less. Yeild to your thoughts.
Zap negativity.

Because God made me.........

The other night during story time Kimberly and I were talking about Noah. God told him to build an ark because it was going to flood. In a time when it didn't rain and there was no water where he lived for an arc, can you imagine the ridicule that he had to have gotten. Surely if it was in this day and age they would have simply locked him in a nut house. But despite all of that he still did what he knew was right, what God told him to do.

Kimberly and I were talking about how sometimes other people make fun of us and don't like us because we stand up for what we know is right. She then told me how another little girl in her class told her that she was ugly. This just makes me sad. I know who this little girl is and she is always saying such hurtful things not just to my Kimberly but to others as well. Makes me think how sad she must be to be so mean to others. We talked a little more about this and I then just said to her....

You are....and waited for her to finish the sentence. This is what she said.

You are.....Beautiful
You are.....Amazing
You are.....Kind to others
You are.....Caring
You are.....Helpful
You are.....Lovable
You are.....Filled with Joy

Why are you all these things?

Because God created me this way and His loves fills my heart.

How much of His love fills your heart?

Tons and tons and tons of pounds, overflowing like the flood that Noah had to build his ark for.

So I put her to bed and we finished off the week. Then Friday afternoon she came home from school and had a little surprise for me.

She had received a Bullie Award at school. She stopped a bigger kid from picking on a littler kid on the playground and was rewarded for that with this sweet little stuffed bull. I was so excited and proud of her. To know that our talk about standing up for what is right even when someone else might not like you for it and then to be rewarded for it. I know that God is so excited and proud of us when we stand up for what is right too. And surely we are rewarded for it.

Mining and Technology

My husband is a driller, underground. His chosen career path takes him a mile underground. He drills holes in the rock, pulling out samples for the geologists to see where the ore is.
His job has taken us to many places and through those travels I have met many wives who have asked the question "how can you let your husband do that?" My answer is always "would you forbid your husband from doing something that he was really good at that also in turn provided for your family?" Yes I know there is risk involved with his job but then there is risk involved with any job. And I'm not one who lives in fear of the "what ifs" anyway.

He was recently transferred to the Sunshine Mine. This mine has definitely had it's ups and downs over the years but with new owners they are working to get things going there again. This same mine was hit with tragedy 40 years ago when a fire started underground. Unlike coal mining fire isn't normally something that is an issue with hard rock mining. Hard rock doesn't burn. However timbers, and other things that have been brought into the mine do. Our small valley was hit hard on May 2nd, 1972 when a fire broke out underground at the Sunshine Mine. 81 men were able to evacuate immediately, but there were still 93 unaccounted for. After 7 days of the parking lot being filled with families anxiously awaiting to hear the news of their men, 91 bodies were recovered and with what many call a miracle 2 were found still alive.



Well this past week another fire started in this same mine. It is rumored to have been sparked by a torch that some workers had been using, but it's still under investigation. We'll hopefully know soon enough though what exactly happened. In the mean time our men are off work until it's completely taken care of and the air is safe to breath again.

But even with my husband being off work again and all the effect that has on our family, I know it's only for a short time. I'm thankful for technology that has come along in the past 40 years. I'm thankful that the men who were working were made aware of the problem before anyone was hurt. I'm thankful that everyone was able to be evacuated from the mine safely. I'm thankful that all are accounted for. I'm thankful that there isn't a parking lot filled with families waiting to hear if their loved one is alive and safe. I can't imagine the torment that week in May, 40 years ago must have been like for so many in our small valley. The inconvenience of these men not being able to go to work for a week or so is nothing to them not coming home at all.

This past year has brought some heartbreak, worry and tragedy to our small valley. We've lost 2 men in another mine. We've had others injured. We've had many laid off and out of work. But even with all this, I'm still thankful for mining. Mining has provided us with a community that comes together and stands strong when one is in need. Mining has provided my family with a comfortable home to live is and food on the table. Yes there are risks, there are risks in everything we do. And even with all those risks I will still be thankful for mining and the technology that has made it a safer place for my husband and our friends to be.

I'm a work in progress.......

So this week I have been struggling a bit with my own attitude about a few things. I'm a stay at home mom and while I love every bit of that honor, there are a few things that at times get under my skin. I do see staying home as an honor and a priviledge because I know there are so many moms who would love to stay home with their kids but financially aren't able to. I am so blessed to stay home and have the little side jobs and my daycare kids that I have to help add to our household budget. And while I know that staying home also means that my job is to clean and maintain our household there are days when I feel like the maid. I could go on a pitty trip and rant about how if I didn't do everything nothing would get done around this house but I won't. My 7 year old even informed me this week that her job was to go to school and my job was to clean up after her. That didn't go over to well for her I can say.

But while I was talking to a friend today about my need for an attitude change, she reminded me of a testimony she once heard from an older woman. This woman said she would complain about her husband not picking up his socks and it was always a problem until the morning she woke up and the socks weren't there. He had passed on and then she realized how much she missed the socks being on the floor.

Yep that brings on a new perspective. Do I wish the people in my house would pick up after themselves, yes I do. But I will work on changing my attitude towards them about it. I'm not their maid but I did sign up for being the household care taker and I am thankful for that priviledge. I will be thankful for those things that irritate me because I know that there will come a day when the people who do them will be gone. The day will come when my daughter's bedroom will be empty and she will be on her own and the day will come when my husband will no longer be with me. I hope that day comes much later in my life and that I have many more years until then, but I know that the day will come at some point in my life. So for now I will work on my attitude and be thankful that I have them in my world. Not saying that it will be easy every day but I will work on it.

Wrapping up our 2 weeks of RAKing

Our last acts was to treat Kimberly's bus drivers. We wanted them to know that we appreciate them. So while we were putting together our Valentine's for her class we thought they would be perfect for the bus drivers as well. We took a package of rolos and wrapped them in Valentine paper. On the inside of the paper we wrote "I like the way you roll".

Her morning driver posted this pic and nice note on her facebook page. "I MAY NOT get flowers from a guy for Valentine's Day.....But I'll settle for chocolate from one of my students....Thank You Kimmie & Leahann" We are sure glad that we were able to start her day off a little sweeter.

We had started this two weeks off with a plan for 14 random acts of kindness, with our busy schedules we were only able to finish 12 of those. I have been so blessed myself watching Kimberly bless others. Seeing her excitement as we delivered special treats to others to let them know that they are loved and someone cares has been amazing. And while there are always opportunities to do acts of kindness for others as we go about our daily lives, however we will be making a conscience effort to to something atleast once a month from now on. And since we still have 2 things that were on our list that we didn't get to we've got a plan for next month. Thank you Tammy at Forever in First for the RAKing inspiration, our hearts are forever changed.

Candy and Flowers........

We started our 2nd week of RAK'ing with surprising Kim's dance teacher with a little box of Valentine's chocolates, almond rocas. They are one of our favorite treats and come to find out one of hers as well.

We had a couple of days run away from us but we didn't forget our goal. 14 RAKS for Valentines day. So we started our Sunday morning off with a stop to buy flowers at the store. Kimberly wanted to bless our teachers at church this morning. So she took flowers to Pastor Carey, Miss Lisa H and Miss Lisa C. She even specifically chose a pink rose for Miss Lisa H, because pink is her favorite color. Pastor Carey gave her a new book in return that she promptly went and sat down and started reading while the worship team was warming up.

Then after church was over we headed off to the hospital. Our goal was to take flowers and visit a little bit with someone who is there but doesn't get any visitors. How lonely it must feel to get old and not be well and not have anyone come to visit with you. We were greeted at the door by a nurse who asked us who we were coming to see. We told her that we really didn't know but we wanted to see someone who needed a visitor. She called another nurse up and they looked over the list and decided that the flowers should go to this sweet little lady. She's in her 90's and just an itty bitty thing, they said. Unfortunately she was asleep when we got there. So we decided not to disturb her but to leave our flowers and our card with the nurses. They said they would put them in a vase for her and they were sure they would brighten her day. I do really hope that she bring a smile to her face. Just to know that someone really does care and you aren't alone has to mean something.

Then it was off to take Grandma to dinner. Kim has been wanting to do this for a while and today was the perfect day. We had flowers for her as well. Kimberly decided to hide them in the car and then after we ordered she went out and got them for her. Grandma was very happy and we had a lovely girls time out with her. And you can never go wrong with Wah Hing's Chinese for dinner.

I didn't get any pictures of the last few RAK's but will try to get some of the last few days that we have to do.

Feet that can walk

I have to admit that I hate exercising, look at my behind and you can tell that. But at the same time I also love how I feel after a good walk. And I know that if I don't have someone waiting on me to go I will find something else to do instead. So I have a couple of friends that keep me moving and accountable.

Winter is always the worst for me because I need to get outside and I absolutely hate my "dreadmill". That's it's name. I always feel like I'm being tortured as I have to go to the basement and walk/run and never get anywhere. I hate being cooped up and I crave that fresh air. So after a couple of months of being indoors and doing everything I could to keep for going to the basement and walking on the dreadmill I sent out a distress signal to my friend. "Help I need to get out and walk, I'm dying here." And of course she came to my rescue. I can't speak for her entirely but I'm sure she is probably thinking the same thing.

So today she came over, we bundled the kids up, strapped them in the strollers and hit the road. Breathing in the fresh air felt so good and the weather was just about as perfect as a day in February can be. We got out and walked for an hour and I can't tell you how much better I feel now. It's amazing how a little fresh air and exercise can totally change your mood. I am definately looking forward to get out again tomorrow. And as long as the weather cooroporates I will be pushing her to go with me every day that we can.

Loving Kindness Continues......

This past week has been so much fun and what a blessing for us as well. I have to say that watching my child through this has been such a blessing to myself. We as mothers all tell our children that we should do and give to others when we can, but how often do we really put that into practice? How often do we really go out of our way to do something nice for a total stranger just for the sake of doing something nice? And how often do we do something for someone else with out expectation? Are we really aware of what we are teaching our children simply by leading by example?

So anyway, we were very excited to see what lay ahead for our second week of RAK'ing. On Sunday (day 5) we had plans to go to the pool. Last weekend they had had a community day at the waterpark and Kim was to sick so we were unable to go. She was very disappointed about missing it so I had promised her that we would go to the other pool this weekend and she could take a friend with her. So off we went. After church we stopped and picked up her friend and we headed to Mullan. We decided that since we were going there ourselves we would go ahead and pay for everyone else who was there to get in. We had planned on spending $16 at the waterpark the weekend before so why not spend that same amount at the pool that only costs 50cents to get into. Kim and her friend had a great time. The pool was really pretty empty, I suppose everyone stayed home to watch the Super Bowl instead of going swimming. But we left them with some credit that can be used for those who may want to go swimming later in the week.

Day 6 seemed to get away from us for some reason so we did 2 things on Day 7. First we got a box of Valentine candies that we decided to give to someone. I suggested a few places for us to find that special person to give the special treat too but Kim decided that she wanted to give them to who ever was working at the gas station. Then for our Day 7 RAK we decided to make dinner for someone in our neighborhood. Kim chose her favorite dish "Mom's Famous Enchiladas" (that's what she calls them. We made a small pan and included a box of chocolates and headed out. We had decided on a couple of people to try to take dinner to, depending upon who was home to receive it. We didn't want to just leave a yummy smelling pan of enchiladas on the step for the neighborhood cats and dogs to enjoy before they got home. The recipient was a sweet lady who lives down the street. She's a wonderful woman who volunteers at Kim's school and is always such a joy to just sit and chat with. We hope she enjoys them.

A Blessing We Will Go......

So this week has been amazing. We started on Wednesday with our first Random Act of Loving Kindness. We decided to bless the people who provide Kimberly's daddy with his paycheck. They have blessed us for so many years and we like to bless them in return every now and then. We normally bake something yummy, however I know that JJ is watching her sugars and KD is a single guy (and we all know how well they eat) so we took them a big bowl of fruit. Kimberly was so excited and JJ kept asking us why? Was it something our Sunday School kids were doing? We told her no that we were just doing nice things for people and she was first on our list.

Then Day 2 we decided to take cocoa to the teachers who were on recess duty. We got this wonderful idea from my friend Lisa. She and her girls did the same thing before Christmas for their school and what a great idea it was. We chose the morning recess and it was a perfectly cold day for cocoa as well. A warm treat was much appreciated by all.

On Day 3 we set our sights on the customers at our grocery store. I picked up 3 little heart shaped boxes of chocolates and we taped our little cards to each of them. Then we chose 3 cars that were sitting in the parking lot and placed them on their windshields. Then we parked back in the corner where we could sit and watch. Kim wanted to see the people get their gift. The first 2 almost didn't see them. They actually got in their cars and started to drive away and then had to stop and get out and grab their treat. The 3rd on though spotted it right away. He stopped and picked up the card and then looked our way. He said "thank you" and Kim opened the door of the car and told him that he was very welcome and Happy Valentine's day. He then asked "are you sure you got the right car?" I said "yes we are positive". It was nice to see the smile on his face. I thought it was great that we live in such a small town yet of the cars Kim chose we didn't know any of the people.

Day 4 we chose to bless the other members of worship team at church with dinner. Kim actually chose to stay home and not join me but it was still great time. We have worship practice and a time of Creative Worship on the 1st Saturday of the month so I invited the team to come an hour early for dinner. We had spaghetti, salad and garlic bread. The evening was filled with great fellowship, lots of laughs and loads of fun.

I can't wait to see what the next 10 days have in store for us.

RAKS

What are RAKS, you ask? Before Christmas I read a friend's blog and was inspired. A RAK is a Random Act of Kindness. We are always trying to teach our children to give to others when we have the opportunity but really how often to do put that into action. So after reading Tammy's blog post (you must read it yourself) I was inspired to put it into action. As usual I had these big plans of doing something every day for the month of december but of course the time got away from me and we weren't able to do them. However we did get our Sunday School kids together one day before Christmas. We met at the church and had a fun filled time of baking and decorating cookies to give to someone else. I told them that they were going to get to take atleast one plate of cookies home with them but the rule was that they couldn't keep them. I wanted them to take a moment and think of someone they could bless with the cookies. Did they know someone who was spending the holiday alone, or someone who had to work on Christmas.

My Kimberly had a hard time deciding who would be the best recipient of her cookies and then on Christmas Eve she made her choice. After we were finished with our family time for the day and she had placed her cookies out for Santa and the carrots out for the reindeer, we put on our coats and got in the car. She decided that she wanted to take a plate of cookies to the Sheriff's office and another to the gal who was working at the convenience store. I went in with her at the Sheriff's office but let her go into the convenience store by herself. Sitting in the car I watched her as she walked to the counter and waited patiently for the young lady who was working to finish what she was doing and come to her. Then she handed her the plate of cookies and said "I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas" and walked out. I have never seen my child so radiant before. She beemed at the opportunity to bless someone else. And I would swear she walked out of that store six inches taller.

So this leads me to our plan for Valentines Day. We are doing 14 days of Random Acts of Loving Kindness. We have our list together and are ready to get started. Kimberly is very excited at the prospects we have lined up. I will take pics and post them as I can and I challenge you to do something for someone else. It doesn't have to be anything big, what may be small to you might just be the biggest thing in the world to someone else. And it doesn't have to even cost you any money. Sometimes simply smiling and saying hello to someone will make all the difference in the world to them. Think about it, what can I do today to brighten someone else's day?

With thankfulness in my heart

How often when your world is falling down around you or even when everything is going well do we take the time to stop and think about what you have to be thankful for? Beginning the 1st of November I started posting what I had to be thankful for that day on my Facebook page. Of course it was November and many others were doing the same with Thanksgiving in mind, and most of those ended their postings at the end of the month. But I was compelled to continue. And now 91 days later, I continue to post what I have to be thankful for each day. And the plan is to continue through at least this year. I don't claim to be a writer at all, in fact most of the time I feel like I'm just rambling and when you get to the end of what I've written you will be wondering "what the heck did she mean by all that" but I hope to try and make some sense. I tried this idea of blogging once before and then life got so busy that I didn't get back to it. But now I'm feeling compelled to do this again.

During the beginning of my posting thankfulness for the day I lost a friend to a tragic accident. She was one of those rare souls who could always find something to laugh about no matter how bad things seemed. I want to be one of those people. Yes I cried and my heart was broken. I had spent a week praying and crying out to God to fix her. Her boys needed her, her family needed her and she was much to young to die. And yet the day after Thanksgiving the injuries to her brain were to much and she left us. I know that some people will say "if God is so good then why didn't He heal her" but I believe He has. She's whole again. She's laughing still and I am going to choose to be like her and be thankful for the time I had with her. To be thankful for the laughs we shared. And to be thankful that I was blessed to be able to call her my friend.

I always strive to teach my daughter that even when it seems we have nothing we are still richly blessed and there is always someone who is struggling worse then we are. I want to be one of those people who always finds the good. I know that my God is good always. Even when I don't understand and all seems dark, God is good.

One of my favorite verses is.....

Philippians 4:6 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

So I hope you will come along with me in search of what is good, what we have to be thankful for and focusing on what God is doing and not what we think He should have done.