Grateful

Good morning! Where does this day find you? Where are you as you read these words? Obviously it is late October in this Carolina heart-- I continue to share images from last Autumn-- a quiet defiance to a predicted 93 degrees today.

I am feeling grateful. Just that, really. A glance back over my shoulder to say that good things are happening, that some worries and anxieties have been smoothed and soothed by grace and provision.

--Joshua is loving first grade. Bounds out the door to school, leaps off the bus daily full of news and excitement. "Mommy, Mrs. R is the coolest teacher EVER!" He is at ease and confident, and his teacher uses a project-based learning approach to weave the disciplines they are studying together, an atmosphere in which he is thriving. We are working with him an a "Who am I?" project, making a time line of his life and sharing pictures and stories. I was so anxious about this year, and every new day God is assuring me that He knows Joshua and cares for his heart, even more than this mommy.

--Sam did not have the adjustment period I feared, with brother away at school all day. As we get into fall, he and I are going to do a little more structured learning, but for now we are just enjoying reading and playing and reuniting with his brother at the bus stop.

--I'm feeling thankful for our church's Wednesday night time-- with fellowship, learning and Scripture memory for the kids, and an adult Bible study for us on the Gospel of Matthew. Last night, as Pastor Mark thanked God that He "redeemed us by His Providence," that one phrase fed my spirit so much. God does redeem by His Providence-- us, our plans, our worries-- He holds and transforms-- not always into what we desire or imagine, but always something better, more whole, more true.

--I am always cared for so tenderly by my sweet husband. John reminds me everyday that this mom gig is challenging, and that he respects both that I do it, and how I do it. He is my very tall cheering section.

--I have lots of creative goodies here to play with when I have bits of time to do so. After letting pictures to order pile up for an embarrassing amount of time, (do as I say, not as I do: order pictures regularly), I got a box full of prints from MPIX last week. Pages and pages for scrapbooks are filling my imagination. And I have a couple of other projects in mind as well. I want to try my hand at these . And I have the materials to make two of these, from my father's old pocket watches.

--Carrie Newcomer's music, rediscovered this summer, has become an almost daily soundtrack.

--I'm happy about the meals I put away in the freezer, that give me the gift of time during these busy, start up days. It is good to learn again that organization can actually create flexibility and graciousness later, by anticipating future needs and schedules.

-- All the really wonderful people who write for children, both the ones who write "literature" and those who pen the fun, laugh-out-loud books, give a gift to us parents. A balanced reading diet of both is producing in Joshua, and planting in Sam, both an appreciation for and delight in books. Seeing this in action has given me the grace to intersperse my own more serious, focused reading with lighter fare. Takes me right back to childhood days, legs flung over the arm of an old green chair, chapters and hours flying.

-- My fellow bloggers, who write,quote, share, and photograph-- I am indebted to their daily inspiration.

What's on your list?