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“We should take the kids for a walk on the beach,” my husband says. So, the announcement is made and the remanants of ice cream cones are downed in a hurry.
“I’m not wearing a shirt or sandals,” Jeremiah protests. “Why do you need them?” I ask. “No shirt, no shoes, no problem!” He grins in response.
Out the door and a few steps across the brick road that runs in front of the rental house is the boardwalk. Puzzle the Puppy is along too. We step onto the beach to find it empty. Far down on the right towards greater civilization are small figures moving in the sand, but only a few. This place is solitary, quiet…simpler. We laugh out loud with delight at our good fortune. The sun is just beginning to set and the evening is perfection.
We begin walking in the direction of the state park. There are only six houses, closely spaced, between us and its borders. After that, there is one small structure set far back, only the roof of which is visible from the sand.
At first, we look for shells. Claudine finds one as big as her hand but it has a hole in the top. We oooh, and aahhh anyway. Puzzle is full of the joy of life. She jumps high into the air beside Jeremiah as he frolicks in the sand. “See,” I say to my husband. “I told you she thinks he is another puppy!”
As the sun sets behind us, a full moon rises over the ocean before us. It is glorious. “Look at that,” My twelve year old says, his voice full of wonder, “It is so beautiful!” He walks beside my husband, tall and gangly holding a blue sand pail in his hand in which he is placing shells. In that moment, he is a perfect picture of the crossroads of adolescence, both man and boy.
Michael and I call all of the children to us and we come to a stop. He motions to the sky and says, “Look at that moon, kids.” For a rare moment, they are all five perfectly still, gazing at the sky and the water beneath that has been turned a shimmery, liquid silver by the glow of the moon. I tell them to remember the moment because it shows them how much God loves us that He would create something so beautiful.
We walk on. There is not a person, or building anywhere in sight. The openeness calls to Jeremiah and he begins to run, singing as he goes. “Such a manly man,” I comment to my husband. Moments later, Meghan joins him. “She runs like a marathoner,” my husband comments. Roseline is skipping happily along in front of us as I turn to Claudine and say, “Baby, show Daddy how you can run.”
And she launches into the twilight.
My husband gasps as the sight takes his breath. “She runs like lightning!” he says. Her legs fly, and her arms pump with perfect rythym. It is a skill that can’t be taught. She is a natural born sprinter. She turns and runs back to us, laughing and barely winded. We tell her about Wilma Rudolph and the Tiger Bells. I tell Claudine that Wilma overcame a lot in her life too.
“Someday you can be a Tiger Bell too,” her Daddy says.
She glows.
She runs again and soon three of the five are far in the distance. We feel like we should call them back, but from what? There is nothing there to fear. Christopher contemplatively walks beside us. Roseline skips on, just a few feet ahead and tears fill my eyes as I remember.
All those vacations….when two of our babies were so far away. The deep sadness of longing for them. The helplessness and frustration. The heartbreak and despair. I tell Michael about finding a picture of Claudine recently that was taken just before she came home and how when I found it, I realized how sick she was before she came to us. Her skin pale, dark circles under her eyes….
I remember how she needed assistance just to climb into our van in those first months with us, her new family . Images of baby Roseline’s weak, frail little body fill my mind’s eye as well. I turn to my husband and say, “Look at them. They are healthy, happy, and here.”
And with that, his eyes swim with tears as too as he says, “Thank you, God and forgive us for ever forgetting….”
Looking forward, looking back. Thankfulness and joy.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20&21
The Livesays are my kind of people. Tara has a great sense of humor. Troy takes beautiful photographs that inspire me. They feed the hungry. Love God. Share hope with the hopeless. Their family is bigger than mine! Most of all, they are real, non pretentious, honest.
If you have not visited their blog, do so today. I promise you will be blessed.
Here is why Tara is thankful…..
Tara L. | | livesayhaiti.blogspot.com |
Hi Sherri-
I have been missing reading your thoughts … but am up and reading tonight.
I am still processing these thoughts that I attempted to blog but cannot get it to say what I want …
I am thankful that I do not have to know it all — I do not have to understand what God is doing, I do not have to understand everything I see and encounter — I can just NOT KNOW — I can just let HIM KNOW — I am thankful that He still loves me even though I don’t get so many things and I don’t have so many answers.
I am also thankful that my husband will be with me in 6 more days. PRAISE THE LORD!
And Tara….I am thankful for you. ~ Blessings and Christ’s Peace, Sherri
Ann blessed me with a beautiful listing of things for which she was thankful in just one day. Enjoy….
For the last several months, I have been recording the Gift List, writing down a thousand things I have received as gifts from His hand. This week, I have been thinking this week on just this: When one is grateful for every little thing, one realizes that nothing is a little thing.
And so… things I was grateful for this week…
877. the roll of a ripe apple falling into an open hand
878. boys climbing high for the best ones
879. the tart sweet of still sun-warm apple
880. apples slices with raisins in morning oatmeal
881. the endless stream of jokes that boys’ punctuate our meals, our comings and our goings
882. little boys with endearing toothless smiles
883. little boys who smell like grease and their Dad
884. little boys who look high over their head to find the letters to spell “C-O-M-B-I-N-E”
885. “Can I pour a cup of flour, Mom?
886. slicing sun-warm tomatoes–ah, all the world can be experienced as still sun-warm!
887. evening walks in a ring of falling gold
888. boys’ throwing football down the road, one brother to another brother
889. large moon rising, a pearl
890. Levi dragging his feet on gravel to stop his bike..you gotta do what you gotta do
891. pungent, earthy aroma of the deep of the woods
892. pant of Boaz running near
893. Hope walking beside, my long-tanned girl, talking, holding my hand
Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.
~Estonian Proverb
Lord? I thank for the little…and realize that You only give grand and glorious gifts.
Thanking with you…
All’s grace,
Ann Voskamp holyexperience.blogspot.com
I promised to explain why I disappeared for a few days, so here it goes.
As you may remember, we rather suddenly found a home and decided to attempt to buy it. We looked at the home for the first time two weeks ago tomorrow, saw it again the following Wednesday, placed a contract Thursday, and came to an agreement to buy the home contingent on the sale of our current home Saturday.
The Realtor wanted to place ours on the market the following Friday before we left for Florida on the 22nd, so we hit the ground running. My husband’s job is demanding, so it was pretty much up to me to declutter our home, arrange and oversee any repairs or improvements prior to the listing, all while parenting our five kids and managing an active puppy.
A POD was delivered to our driveway Monday morning, which I immediately began to fill. I worked from 5:00am – 11:00pm every single day with the exception of the day I came down with a cold. That night, I went to bed at 10:00pm (slacker). I went through every closet, cabinet, nook and cranny. I took estimates for the refinishing of our hardwood floors and scheduled plumbers, painters and handymen. (Some of whom were gifts from God and some of whom left me struggling not to remember the profanity of my youth.)
Wednesday was a particularly difficult day. Michael was away on business and I was sick and exhausted. Once the children were in bed, I realized that if the office was going to be painted the next day I would need to remove all of the books and other items from the hutch and shelves which lined the wall and MOVE ALL OF THE FURNITURE TO THE CENTER OF THE ROOM!
Can I be honest? I cried.
As a matter of fact, I would work for awhile and then sit and cry and pray for awhile. I did not know for sure if I could even physically move the heavy pieces by myself once I unloaded them all.
But, by some miracle I did.
I continued at the same pace all the next day. Then, Friday came and it was do or die. Michael took one look around and said we would never make it. By the end of the day, the house would need to be ready to show and the entire family packed and ready to leave the next morning for a seven day trip.
Some friends showed up to assist around 7:00 pm and one dear friend (whom I know loves, loves, loves me…) stayed until midnight.
We made it.
Except there was a small disaster with the painter on Saturday and now the house won’t be ready to show until next Saturday after all.
Oh, well…….
Gotta run. I hear there are tons of shells at the beach right now so we are all out the door! I will post some of the Thankfulness Challenge comments later.
I know some of you have been wondering, “Where is Sherri?” and “Why is she not posting the comments for the Thankfulness Challenge?” Well, this last week was gruelling and I only had time for working, eating and a few hours sleep.
I hope to bring the blog up to speed later today, but for now….it is family time! We made it to St. George’s Island last night after a 10 hour drive with 5 kids and a puppy. It was too late to even go to the grocery, so Michael (God bless him) is at the store on the mainland right now. I am about to take the kids and Puzzle the Puppy to the beach for a very long walk.
Maybe, just maybe, they will all be so exhausted that they will take a long siesta this afternoon….
“My God,
Thank you so much for sustaining me this week. You were right beside me all the way and your joy was indeed my strength. How can I even even express my gratitude for the beauty and respite of this island? Oh, I needed to rest….
You are precious and sweet, my closest friend….
In Jesus Name,
Amen~”
It is late here, very late, but this day which began at 5:00am for me is not over yet. There is still so much work before me that I can’t see the end, only press on.
But….I am thankful.
Some of you may remember when I wrote about an old house with which we had all fallen in love. Well, I received the news about two weeks ago that God had closed that door for us. As a matter of fact, He did not just close it, He slammed it!
Oh, it hurt. I cried for awhile and prayed even longer but in the end, I released it into God’s hands and asked Him to help me let it go. The next morning as I was thinking about the situation, I just felt so loved. That might seem strange but you see, I knew God had kept that house from me for a reason. I was not sure exactly what it was at the moment, but I felt completely confident it was true. Audibly, I prayed “My God, I can trust you with this…” and my heart was at peace.
Our realtor is a friend of ours. He had been sending us daily automated updates on homes that fit our needs for a long time. Quite frankly, after the loss of our dream home I quit looking at them. Then, last Tuesday he sent me a personal e-mail with ten houses for consideration. Because I love him, I scrolled down through them. Nothing interested me in the least until the very last house appeared. “Hmmm,” I thought “I kind of like that one.”
I forwarded the link to my husband and completely forgot about it.
A couple of hours later, he excitedly phoned me. He said, “You found our house!”
I was knee deep in writing and had no idea what he was talking about. He explained he had gone by the house, which was vacant, on his lunch break and felt it was perfect for us. Later that afternoon, we walked through it quickly with the realtor and then saw it again the next day. We made an offer Thursday and settled on terms with the seller Saturday. Now, I am working harder than any human should work to get our house ready to go on the market this coming Friday.
Yes, I am thankful for the house but I am thankful even more that God told to me know when I begged him for the other one. This one is much better suited to our family. The other one was 100 years old and in a flood plain for crying out loud!
But oh, I wanted it…..
I am so thankful God told me “no”.
Other people are writing to me about why they are thankful as well and I want to share a couple of those with you too. Here is what Corey has to say…..
Sherri,
I am thankful for the example of Paul. No one
persecuted Christ more than Saul, and yet God still
loved him, pursued him, wanted a relationship with
him. When he accepted Christ, God didn’t hold over
him all the bad things he had done, or love him any
less because of his lifetime of denial. He embraced
Paul wholeheartedly, and allowed Paul to serve Him
fully for the rest of his days. As someone who also
denied Christ for the first half of my life, it gives
me hope that God truly does forgive me, and will allow
me to serve Him too.
Corey
www.watchingthewaters.blogspot.com From Wayne:I am thankful for being wonderfully made, along with the rest of creation. Psalm 139. and I am grateful to come to understand that wonderful does not mean perfect without flaws.I am grateful that every night I thank God for blessings and that for a few years I have never struggled to find them in my life. ~ WayneJayleigh wrote…
OOoh I just wrote a post about this last night!
I am thankful that God restored my marriage and my relationship with Him and pulled me from the pit just when I thought I was in so deep that I could never find my way out again.
I am thankful beyond words. Praise God!
Amen!
Why are you thankful? Let the world know. E-mail me sherri@sherrigragg.com or just post it in the comments and I will bump it up to the front. If you e-mail, make sure to indicate the message is for the Thankfulness Challenge in the subject line so I don’t throw it out with the trash.
Blessings, and stay thankful!
I was so blessed by Heather’s comment below. It was just what I needed for my own journey at the moment!
Sherri,
First, I’m so thankful that I stumbled on your blog – no, I didn’t
stumble on it, God led me to it at I time when I had lost hope in our
adoption process. God so spoke to me through your words.Next, I’m thankful for God’s constant provision. When He calls us to
step out in faith, he provides EVERY time. It may not be on my
schedule. It may not be early. But it’s never late.Blessings to you and your family!Heather And from Thelma…..
Sherri,
I am thankful for Mahnahmahnah… we’ve had a rough week, and a well placed Mahnahmahnah has diffused a number of potential spats.
Thelma
*Thankfulness leads to joy. Why are you thankful today? E-mail me at my business address sherri@sherrigragg.com or leave a comment for me to post. Join the Everyday Miracle Thankfulness Challenge!
The Thankfulness Challenge is up and running! Here are the first two submissions:
sherri,
i am grateful for your blog — i read it everyday during my lunch break.
i find it awe-inspiring — and thank God for your willingness to be so transparent. Continuing in the vein of Thankfulness, check out www.thethanksranks.com
traci
Heather says:
I am thankful that Christ submitted to the Father in all things, including death on the cross so that I may live a life of joy and have the assurance of going to a place I do not belong without His substitution, Heaven!
Luke 22:42
…saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done.”
*A thankful heart is joyful. Why are you thankful? Submit to the Everydaymiracle Thankfulness Challenge in the comments or e-mail me sherri@sherrigragg.com. If you e-mail, be sure to give me a hint in the subject line so I won’t delete you with the junk!
I’ve had it. It seems to me that every time I turn around I am inundated with all that is sad, weary, dark, and hopeless in the world. We should not be surprised that this is the case. Christ warned us it would be this way. He said we would have trouble in this place (John 16:33). He also said that things would keep getting more and more violent, and evil as the days draw near for His reappearing. (Revelation 12:12).
Scripture also tells us we can be filled with joy and peace because Jesus has overcome all.
Satan, however, is a thief and he is out to steal that joy by convincing us all is lost. Like deadly poison, he whispers his despair drop by drop until we have forgotten God’s deliverance and lost all hope. I for one am not going to stand by and let him get away with it.
I’m going to be thankful and I am going to shout it from the mountains.
Have you clicked on the map at the bottom of the Everyday Miracle home page lately? Those red dots represent people all over the world who are reading this little blog. How about if we use this as a forum for a few posts to proclaim God’s deliverance and blessing in our lives? After all, we have already established that thankfulness leads to joy!
I have already decided that even if none of you join me, I will go it alone. For several posts I will simply list something for which I am thankful. If you want to join me, you can either e-mail me at my business address sherri@sherrgragg.com or submit a comment that I very well may bump up to the front as a post. If you e-mail me, make sure you put something in the subject line to let me know it is about the Everyday Miracle Thankfulness Challenge so I don’t delete it. (I get a lot of junk mail.)
So here goes the first…..I’m starting small.
I am thankful every time I am able to run. There was a time not too long ago when the pain in my neck was so severe I had to stop running completely but for now, God has given it back to me. Running frees my mind, calms my spirit and gives me strength for the tasks before me.
Thank you God that I can run!
*Why are you thankful today?
I wrote this a couple of weeks ago but never got around to publishing it. Since then, we have been blessed with rain! Everyone here is abundantly thankful. Isn’t it interesting how the droughts in our lives inspire thankfulness? Just a thought….
It is hot here.
Don’t you hate it when people understate the blatantly obvious?
Okay….It has been so hot for so long that the grass crunches and turns to dust under our feet, the children have not been outside to play in weeks, and the air is heavy and foul. The drought is so severe that my little town has declared a stage 1 water emergency and has implemented water restrictions. The newspaper said we will go to a stage 2 water emergency any day in which all non-essential water usage will be prohibited. The river is frightening low and stagnant. It smells bad too. As a matter of fact, the water coming out of my tap smells “earthy” and is warm to the touch.
I tried to run this morning but I got a late start and the heat was already stifling, so I walked home. When, pouring sweat, I entered my air conditioned home I was quite thankful I made it back. I went upstairs, retrieved Puzzle from her crate and took her for a walk around the block.
She was not impressed.
My sweet puppy would begrudgingly take a few steps and then lie down in the crunchy grass, panting. I would then pick her up and she would give me grateful kisses before laying her head on my shoulder. Then, I would sing to her….
“Mahnahmahnah! Mahnahmahnah!…..”
My husband bought the DVDs of seasons 1 and 2 of The Muppet Show and it has had a couple of long term repercussions for our family. First of all, Ro keeps yelling “hyyyyyah!” like Miss Piggy. Secondly, I can’t get the Mahnahmahnah song out of my head.
Fortunately, my neighborhood is quite deserted during the day so there were not many people around to wonder about the woman walking (carrying) her puppy while serenading it with a song from The Muppet Show. Then, it hit me…I did not care who was looking. So, I took a deep breath and told God thank you for setting me free from the drive to be accepted by every human being in my path. What freedom there is in Jesus Christ!
As I rounded the corner, I waved at a man as he arrived to paint my neighbor’s house. Then, I went back to singing “Mahnahmahnah” to Puzzle. There has been a lot going on in my life lately that is just plain wearying and sometimes I feel like I am going to work (without being paid) until I die. So, I have been asking God to show me how to transcend. I have been seeking Him about what it means for the joy of the Lord to be my strength.
I realized in that moment that the key to joy is….thankfulness. It is living in the moment and choosing to savor the blessings in my life.
And this morning two of those blessings were a sweet little puppy and a silly song. I can’t share my puppy with you today but if you are willing for just a moment to allow yourself a simple joy of childhood, check out “Mahnahmahnah”.
