It's Just the Little Things

When you loose something precious to you it seems that little things become increasingly important. You find out just how important the little things are. They seems to stand out more.Like being home. I like it here. I love the little things about it. It is nothing fancy but I love it. I have always wanted my home to be a place my husband and children love to come in to and are a little sad to leave. Mostly because I want it to be a haven for them. A place where they are encouraged, listened to and know that they belong. I want our home to be a place of peace. Lately I have been thinking about how much I love to come in my home and am sad when I have to leave it. We also got a new roof this summer. I didn't want to spend the money but I love that we literally have put a roof over our families head....a basic need that I sometimes take for granted. My parents recently came to visit us for a week. I Sometimes can forget just how great they are. They love me. They simply want to be with me. We don't even have to talk. They serve people in their life with love. I am one of those people. They make me want to be a better parent when I am with them. I love them. They come every year at this time. They don't have to but they choose to. What a gift.
This is my Regan plant. It is huge. This entire plant came from one little seed. I planted 12 seeds in a variety of colors. Only one bloomed and it was in the same spot as the one Regan gave me last year for Mothers day. It made me happy all summer. It is just a plant but it reminds me of her. It died over night one day last week. I went from looking like this to completely brown. Amazing. I love it because it's beauty is shocking and unexpectedly breath taking. Any color could have shot up here in this spot and I would have been happy...but God gave me pink..the same color Regan gave me. God takes my breath away.Lastly, I love my tomato plants. I took them out while my mom was here but early in the fall I made this yummy Tomato Basil Soup from scratch. I grew the tomatoes and the basil. We all loved it. It makes me happy when I can grow things and then find yummy ways to eat them. It makes me feel like Ma (Laura's mom...from "Little House on the Prairie") My mom just told someone when she was here visiting that it is still sometimes funny to her that I am domestic. I am glad I can still make her proud. Lastly, I love these too. I love the way they challenge me. Rylee easily tells me what she wants. "I want you to tuck me in!" Okay...I will! I wish I could just say what I want. She also told me one night before bedtime prayers that she doesn't like to cry about Regan being dead because Jesus wants us to be glad for what we DO have and not sad or wanting what we don't. Lesson learned Rylee, Thanks! Ryder recently wrote another poem...it is simple but true.

There once was a beautiful little bird. But the bird couldn't fly. There was a boy who loved the bird. He took care of her and protected her. There was something he could do nothing against. It was called Time, and it got away from him. He thought the sickly baby bird would someday fly. And she did, one night when Time caught up with them. And the baby bird flew for the first time. But it few away from the boy and even though he tried to hold on , he knew she couldn't stay.

These simple children remind me that my faith must be simple too. Sometimes I make complex. Christ longs for me to keep it simple. They remind me to ask my self simple questions about my journey with God. Their belief in God impacts the way they live....yet it is simple. I see it in the little things like poems and confessions before bedtime prayers. All these things stir my heart to love God more......