9 Wonderful Years

Nine years ago today I was giddy.  I was so excited to get married that I actually tried to leave for the church without my dress!  I couldn't wait to run down the aisle and say "I DO!"  As my husband observed, we've had some wonderful, trying, loving times together but they've all been worth it and great because we're in it with each other.  We're going to go away some time next month when we have the means, but tonight we'll go grab a taco and a $1 movie or bowl.  

I've learned over the last nine years that it doesn't matter how elaborate the plans, but it does matter how determined the love.  Our determination to love one another through thick and thin, good and bad, healthy or sick ... that is what has made these 9 years so blessed.  And I'm going to share a secret with you:

I'm more excited about the years to come than I am about celebrating the 9 years that have passed.  We have so much left to do, so much left to enjoy, and so many days to continue to grow and nurture and share this love we've chosen to unite ourselves with.

Love is a choice.  It's a determination.  It is so much more than a feeling.

Feelings pass.  They change.  They even disappear.

Love never fails.

How can love just be a feeling then?

Just some of the thoughts I've had today as I've thought about all we've been through and overcome as well as enjoyed and laughed about.  Things I'm still learning as I grow.  What have you learned about love?

The Fruits of Fear

We've got our "Polished Cornerstones" copy and I am working through it a little bit first.  Not sure about any other mommas out there, but I got convicted that I had to spend a few weeks being more of an example before I tried to teach some specifics to my little homemaker in training.  Kind of embarrassing to admit, but there you have it.

So this week I am focusing on being a godly woman ... beginning at the beginning, so to speak.  We've all heard the verse: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."  My goal this week is to focus on the fruits of fear.

First, though, we need to understand what that fear is and is not supposed to be.
Fear of God is a respect for who God is.  It is not being overly comfortable with Him, to the point of acting familiar and entitled.
Fear of God is a love and awe for God.  It is not a flippant attitude of "Hey, God, what's up?"
Fear of God is a glimpse of His greatness, might, and power.  It is not hiding from His awesomeness.
Fear of God is gratefulness for His truly amazing sacrifice of Love on a cross.  It is not overlooking or casually accepting the magnitude of that Gift.

So what then does the fruit of this fear look like in my life as a woman, as a wife, as a mother training her children in godliness?
It is found in the time I spend in the Word, in prayer, and in sharing both of those with our children.
It is found in a heart of thankfulness for our lot in life, knowing that all we have is only ours by grace.
It is understanding that godliness with contentment is great gain.
It is revealed in my priorities, my speech, my heart attitude, and my loving care for my family.
It is manifested in my focus; I will act with the understanding that time is temporal and I am living with eternal purposes.

How do you walk in fear?  I am still learning, but I felt like it was essential that my precious little girl and darling little man see the fruits of this in my life before I opened my mouth to share about it with them.

Making Him the Priority

This week's Completing Him Challenge is all about making the hubby feel like a priority by cooking his favorite foods.  I posted my planned menu for the week yesterday, although these things are always subject to change.  He had a few other favorites I could not hunt down the ingredients for, so I am still looking and if I find them I'll be mixing it up just a little bit.

But my mind has been turning and I've been trying to think of other ways to make him a priority.  One of them is to return to my list from last week ... and to reset my priorities by his ordering of them.  I liked that assignment because I was so blessed by his thoughtfulness and I enjoyed the opportunity to honor him by following it, but yesterday I had completely forgotten about it.  So I'm going back to it.  I am going to intentionally honor his list of priorities again this week.

In addition to that, I am going to work on me ... from the inside out.  My goal is to show my husband how thankful I am that he works so hard for us by not sharing my trials when he gets home.  I want him to walk into a home that resonates peace, joy, and comfort after a very stressful day away from us.  I also want to have a few special touches ... Elizabeth George (author of A Woman After God's Own Heart) suggests touching up your appearance and having the table set when he gets home.  I find that touching up helps me more than him; it puts me in a mind frame that is much less frazzled that normal because as I tame the wild hair I am also taming the wild emotions.  And I like the idea of having a pretty table set, even if it's not dinner time yet, because it gives anticipation to an intentionally planned meal instead of us all chaotically gathering to chow down when mom gives the sound.

I'd love to know ... what things do you do to show him he's loved?

A Mundane Move in a Miraculous Marriage

This week's Completing Him challenge is such an easy, simple, mundane task: Cook what he likes.  In one night, serve his favorite side dish, entrée, and dessert.  If you can, cook his faves all week long.  Easy ... simple ... mundane ... and sadly overlooked on a regular basis.

Elementary, right?  Actually, it's not.  As Courtney {originator of the challenge} points out, we often to cater to our children's tastes more so than our husband's.  I have to add that I also cater to time.  As it happens, this is one of my busiest weeks of the entire month, making this one of the hardest weeks to have this challenge and I was tempted not to take it on for the week, but just one night.  But I'm going to!

Last night we went to a friend's for a party and the food was amazing!  It was such a treat; we were very blessed to be there and to enjoy such a relaxing, delicious dinner at the start of a busy week.  Tonight I have a meeting, tomorrow I am speaking at a women's chapel, Thursday night I have a photo session, Friday we are actually home, and Saturday my hubby won't be here.  So ... yes, Friday is the obvious choice.  But I want to do something intentionally special every night!

So here's the game plan:

• Monday:  At a friend's
• Tuesday:  3-envelope chicken (crock pot) with mashed potatoes topped with creamed corn ...Hot brownie sundaes
• Wednesday:  Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta, tossed salad, garlic bread ... Ice Cream
• Thursday:  Chicken (yes, leftovers from Tuesday), french fries with gravy
• Friday:  Steak, baked potato, chef salad ... Ice Cream

My 30th Birthday

Today is my 30th birthday.  Somewhere, echoing in the back of my mind, I can hear Tim McGraw: "I'll do it better, in my next 30 years..."  And I agree.  I've learned an awful lot through my childhood, my tumultuous teen years, and my twenties.  I've made some pretty big, un-repeatable mistakes ... and learned some monumental lessons.  But I've also been blessed with some beautiful treasures: a wonderful marriage, two great kids, and a home that I enjoy loving my husband and kids in.

Some things I will do better, though.

As a teen I didn't appreciate my family; in the latter part of my twenties I've realized just how much I love having them in my life and in my thirties I hope to spend even more time with them even thought the miles separate us.

I've learned that technology is great for keeping in touch, but I want to get back to weekly letters and even phone calls ... text messages are no sub for a voice, and you just can't pull out an email and smile over it the way you can a hand written card.

I'm figuring out that my grandmother's values and standards for living and etiquette and her home weren't actually outdated; I was just too young to appreciate the timeless values she exemplified.

I'm finally getting a handle on the truth that people can influence us, but we can't let them define us; I'm finally figuring out whose opinions should matter and which ones to brush to the wayside.

I'm also learning to do friendship better.  Your friends don't have to agree with you and they shouldn't try to make you into a different person, but they do need to challenge you to grow and to be a better version of yourself.  It's okay to love people you wouldn't have in high school, to goof off with college buddies, and to make new friends.  It's not about replacing the old, but about making room for the new.

And I'm learning to enjoy HOME more.  In my thirties, I hope that my life reflects positive changes and inspires my children to live to their best and fullest.  I want to be a better wife, a better mom, a better daughter, a better friend ... "I'll do it better in my next 30 years!"

Polished Cornerstones

I am jumping onto the Raising Godly Homemakers bandwagon ... and am so excited to have found it.  If you are a mom of daughters, a woman who mentors young women, or even a woman who might not have been raised to be a godly homemaker or virtuous woman, there is much to be learned from the book "Polished Cornerstones."  My copy arrived this week, and it is going to be the foundation for our homeschooling year.  Yesterday I touched on this, sharing that God had shown me to make this a year of discipleship with the Princess who is now 6 1/2 and entering 1st grade.

As I've started to make our rough lesson plans (always up to adaptation because we want to allow the kids to help lead our course of study), I realized something.  I have much to learn as well, and I'm going to join my daughter on this journey not just by teaching her but by learning alongside of her.  My spiritual daughter is a young single woman and she has decided to join us as well.  Because of the way the lessons are set up, we adults can do the advanced studies while working through the beginner studies with the Princess.  I am very excited to grow myself as a Godly Homemaker!

We won't "kick off" the year for another month, but I hope you'll check back and even share your own journey with us.  This week we talked a little bit about the differences between boys and girls.  I had the Lil Man and Princess give me a list of the things they want to learn (shared last week) and one wanted to learn about cooking, cleaning, child care, and crafting while the other wanted to learn about being a fireman and fixing things.  Even at this young age, they have an awareness or at least an inkling of the roles God has laid out for them.  I talked with the Princess about being excited that God has given her a desire to be a virtuous woman and have made a covenant with God, her, and myself to help her explore that and develop her unique giftings.

Our New Adventure

As I prayed about this coming school year, I just didn't feel a peace about my plans.  I was going to buy a first grade curriculum for the Princess and use her Kindergarten program for the Lil Man.  Makes sense, right?  But then I began to notice that while she does fabulously well with a structured curriculum, she seems to actually retain much more when she discovers an interest in a certain topic and we research it.  Technically, that is called "delight directed" learning.  We also seem to be falling into the niche of unschoolers, which is a thought that instilled terror in me a mere year ago.

In the car on the way to a trip to the Botanical Gardens the other morning, we learned all about syllables and have been counting them out for random words ever since.  On Sunday we saw a rainbow cast by a prism and used our Charlie Brown Encyclopedias to read about light and our World Book Encyclopedias to look up light and prisms.  We learned all about the visible spectrum, refraction, and the colors of light.  We still work on handwriting, math, etc. ... it is just more fun this way :)  We are also beginning to learn all about Egypt.  Both kids love the story of Moses and are fascinated with Egypt, so we are learning about it.  I think it might turn into a "unit study" ... there is sooooo much to learn about.  We are even going to attempt to start lapbooking this coming year.

Lastly, I am most excited about a new blog I've found thanks to several other women who have told me about it: Raising Homemakers.  Take a peek.  I've ordered their book Polished Cornerstones and the Princess, my best friend, and myself are going to be using the 50 lessons in it over the next year (plus!) to learn together.  It focuses on discipleship between a mother and daughter, which is perfect.  It studies character, as well as homemaking.  It contains ideas for teaching her how to be a beautiful woman and how to do the things she will need to do as an adult.  And the really neat part is in contains lessons broken up into 3 categories: beginner (ages 4-9), intermediate (10-15), and advanced (15+) so it's good for the rest of school!  The lesson ideas overlap all of our subjects: art, writing, literature, even history and science.  This, with our delight directed unit studies, is going to make for a beautiful school year!  (Now I can't wait to order the book for young men!)

Priorities

By its definition, a PRIORITY is:

1. the right to precede others in order, rank, privilege, etc.
2. something given special attention
3. having precedence over another in the exercise of rights in the same subject matter

and to prioritize means to arrange or deal with in order of importance.


This week's "Completing Him Challenge" is to make a list of 5 things that I do currently and ask my husband to prioritize them.  


Um ... really?  Do I have to?  Could the dog maybe eat my homework this week?  I mean, what if HE does not have the same priorities that I have?  I'm the one who is at home all day, I'm the one who is working on the list, I'm the one who has to organize the kids, the groceries, the cleaning, etc.  He's not even here during the day; what does he care how I do things?  Why would a MAN get to prioritize a WOMAN's list?  Why would a DAD get to tell MOM how to do things and in what order?  There is a reason I am the one at home, and the ship hasn't sunk yet.  Obviously I'm doing okay here, you know?  


Wow.  What a selfish, rebellious, entitled, proud response.  And yet, it's the one most of us probably had - if not now, sometime in our past.  It's what I've heard from some friends and whispered in the back of my mind in unguarded moments as I've dreaded this particular week's challenge.  
       Why was that a selfish response?  Because it means that my priorities are more important than my husband's.  
       Why was that a rebellious response?  Because it means that I assume authority and a right to determine how things need to be run, usurping my husband's place as the head of our home.  Another woman who once did that was Jezebel... *OUCH*
    Why was that an entitled response?  Because I felt as though I had the right to do what I want - that my husband owes me the privilege of determining how I spend my days, in spite of the fact that he is responsible to God for all that goes on in our home and for providing for everything in it.
       Why was it a proud response?  Because it means that I esteem myself over him.  It insinuates that what I want is far superior to what he thinks and therefore I am superior to him.


Getting real now -no facetiousness intended- what if he doesn't like my list of priorities and asks me to change them?  Then I need to change them.  That is the beautiful, submissive, gentle, loving response that God requires and that will bring blessing down on our home.  It is what makes me the wife in the marriage covenant and is fruit of a godly-aligned covenant.


So this afternoon, when my husband and I sit down and enjoy each other's company, I'm going to give him my list.  I'm going to ask him what his priorities are for my time, without my list first, actually.  Then I am going to show him the items on my weekly list and ask him to help me put them in order.


As we order this list, something else is going to change.  The spiritual and emotional climate of our home will also shift into order, as it will further establish my husband as the covering/priest/head of our home and allow me to walk in the freedom and safety of being his helpmeet more completely than I have before today.

Spontaneous Beauty

Last night when our kids were just about to go to bed, they asked me to come into their room.  Daddy always does bedtime because he works a lot to provide for us and that's their special time with him.  This time, however, I was issued an invitation to join them ... I love it when that happens!  I prayed over each one of our Blessings and then for our family.  Then my husband did.  And then our Princess and Lil Man suggested we let Jesus pray last for our family, because He is the head of our home.  WOW.

Right around that time, the CD in their room started playing the worship song "Shout to the Lord".  The Princess got up and began to dance to it while the rest of us sang and even raised our hands.  She laid hands on her little brother and prayed for Lil Man to feel better.  She began to intercede in her 6-year old innocence for our family and for God's will.  When it was over, she said: "Jesus must be so happy right now.  Brother, we can go to sleep now because Jesus is in heaven smiling about us and praying for us."

That was spontaneous and unexpected ... I can't wait to see what God does as we become more intentional on this journey!

Fabulously Friday

This morning I woke up next to my husband and was able to enjoy the sun, the chirping birds, and then a "morning hug" from my hubby.  After that, I was able to spend some quiet time with God.  As I settled into the living room, I heard our wonderful children playing quietly in their bedroom because they didn't realize I was already up and about and thought it was super early.  I was so blessed to hear them getting along and listen to them play the thankful game with each other.

Today is going to be a fabulous Friday!  And you know what ... if I had woken up to a thunderstorm, missed saying good-bye to my husband, and my kids had spent the morning bickering ... it still would be.  Why?  Because I'm learning about perspectives.  And if everything possible had gone 'wrong', God would still be God.  Jesus would still have died to forgive me of my sins and I would still be the recipient of abundant grace.  I would still be the wife of an amazing man of God, the mother of precious children, have beautiful and encouraging friends, and be stuck in the middle of this crazy, beautiful life God has blessed me with.  

Sweet Summer Fun

Summer Time Fun ... I hope you are all enjoying your summer.  It's hard to believe it's about half over now and I don't even think I've totally finished unwinding from the school year!  But it's so important to capture some precious summer memories, cherish each day, and enjoy the long days of summer.  Enjoy a giggle ... snag a hug ... eat an ice cream ... stay up late and hold hands on the front porch ... take an evening off to be with your family ... turn on the radio and dance with your husband on the patio ... wake up early and listen to the crickets and watch the sun rise ...

Whatever else you have to do today and the rest of the days in the summer, snag a few Moments from each day; wring all you can out of this summer.  Be INTENTIONAL about your family!

Convicted ... or Condemned?

We know that God tells us that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).  However, He also bids us to "be holy, therefore, as I [God] am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).  God has not abolished the Law, but rather raised up a higher standard (Matthew 5:17) through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.  At one point it was only enough for a person not to have sex outside of marriage, but Jesus strengthened that standard and declared that lust itself was a sin.  Likewise, under the Law man was not allowed to murder someone, but Jesus raised up a high standard that demanded love over hate (refer to Matthew 5).  Christ took an imperfect Law dictating actions and set a standard to guide people's hearts.

Many verses in the Bible make it clear that we are not citizens of this world, but rather visitors.  We are not to adopt to the cultures around us, nor are we to adjust our standards because of those who do not love God and they way they live.  Standards are different than laws.  Christ took the Law, looked at it, and deemed it imperfect.  He completed it by raising up a standard that had less to do with what men did and made it about who men were.  Someone could uphold every letter of the Law and still never see God because He did not love God in His heart.  Likewise, someone could declare their love for God and yet be content to live life in a way that was self-gratifying, hiding behind the ideas of grace and forgiveness.  Neither extreme is pleasing to the Father.

We are called to love God, and the result of the deep and passionate and intimate love that He longs to share with us is LOVE for PEOPLE.  Love God and Love People ... that is the sum total of the Gospel.  When we do this, God is pleased.  So why all the debating?  Because people are people.  However, it is important not to focus on people, but on God.  God will use people to help us grow, and what people share should impact our lives - but it should not define them.  God's standards alone should define how we live.  What are those standards?

I believe that there are some undebatable, unqualified, indisputable truths in the Bible.  Salvation is not of works, but comes only through the grace and shed blood of Jesus.  There is only One True God.  The Bible is His authoritative Word.  Everyone will die and face judgment, and only salvation will lead to Eternal Life.  However, when it comes to more personal standards, sometimes God is not as detailed as we would appreciate.  How far is too far?  What exactly is modesty?  What kind of music is okay?  Is this movie a good one or a bad one?  Does God have one spouse picked out for me?  In 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, Paul writes that while ALL THINGS ARE PERMISSIBLE, BUT NOT ALL THINGS ARE BENEFICIAL.  It is understood that sometimes choices are good ones, but there are better ones.

So what is the point of all this?  Sometimes, you've got to pray.  You need to read the Word for yourself.  The closer you get to God, the higher He will raise the standard.  After all, He is coming back for a Bride without spot or blemish and only the one with clean hands and a pure heart can enter His presence (Ephesians 5:27; Psalm 24:4).  It's not legalism to raise the standard.  The outward life reflects the condition of the heart.  If your personal, inward life is in order and ready for the Beloved to return for you, your outward life will be proof of that.  However, if someone is not in the same place you are, it's important not to judge them.  Pray for them, but understand that they may not receive the same revelation with joy as you have.  The way a person receives a challenge to grow and to become will reveal to you more about what is in them than anything else. The way YOU respond to a challenge for growth should reveal to you much about your own character! 

So live in such a way that you are holy, set apart for the King.  Encourage and love those around you.  Don't walk in condemnation when you fail, but rather accept the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the discipline of the Father, and the grace paid for by the Son.  It is not easy, it is often lonely, it may seem radical ... but it IS worth it!

One of My Favorite Blessings...

My husband is one of my very favorite blessings from God.  There are so many things I admire about my husband and that make me love him a little more each day.  Here's a partial snap-shot of those things:

1. He is such a compassionate man.  He sees what people needs and strives to meet those needs.  He sees the effects of words and actions beneath the surface and tries to make everyone around feel special.
2. He is insightful.  He will see things others miss and in his own special way he will fill in any holes left by those around him.
3. He is a strong leader.  He has lead our family into the unknown many times and always stayed steady and strong.  He doesn't talk a lot, but he DOES a lot; he is too busy walking his life to talk all about it.
4. He provides.  My husband works 2 jobs, sometimes even 7 days a week, to provide for all of our needs and to ensure that I am able to stay home with our kids and homeschool them.
5. He is supportive of dreams and gifts.  Not just mine, but those of our children.  He will do everything he can to open doors and provide opportunities.
6. He is an encourager.  He notices the "little things" as well as the obvious, big things and mentions them.  No matter how rough his day at work, he will take the time to let me know he appreciates me and will listen to the kids and encourage them, as well.
7. He is an amazing dad.  He plays with our kids, he initiates time with them, he takes them on dates, he tucks them in at night and reads them stories, he prays over them, he reads the Bible to them, and he LOVES them!  He has been there, actively involved since they were in my womb, loving them, talking to them, and praying for them.  What an awesome man!
8. He has a vision.  He understands that life is bigger than our home and that our family has a purpose that has been God-ordained.  He is always ready to serve in any way God leads us to and to give -even sacrificially- if he knows God has prompted him to.
9. He is thoughtful.  He will send random text messages, make phone calls, do little things around the house, help out wherever it is needed, and just be there next to me or the kids.  Sometimes he surprises me with flowers and a lovely note.  Sometimes he walks up and hugs me, telling me I'm beautiful when I feel anything but.  Sometimes he will shower words of purpose over our kids lives, just because.  Sometimes he will do something for a friend just to do it.  He's that kind of a guy.

I could go on and on, but for now ... you get the point.  I AM BLESSED: my husband is wonderful!

I love you, Handsome.  Big much!

My Momma's Heart is So Blessed

This morning my kids woke up nice and early.  They clambered up onto my bed and we began talking about God because we wanted to do something special to worship Him as a family.  I pulled out my guitar and we {attempted to} played and sang to His glory!  It was a lot of fun.  Then Mommy had her quiet time while the kiddos colored pictures.  After that, we came to the couch for some together time in the Word.  As I read John 1 aloud, my 6 year old princess began to question how God could be with Himself and we discussed the mystery of the Trinity.  Her simplistic faith allowed her heart to embrace it and she began to share with me what she knew of Creation and of how the Father, Son, and Spirit were all present and active.  It was awesome!


After that, we got out our handy pen and notebook to list what we want to study/learn for the rest of the summer.  I want to share their lists with you:

• My 6 year old Princess wants to learn:
• how to cook dinner
• how to clean well
• how to wash and fold laundry
• how to take care to people (from babies to old folks, she said!)
• to read
• about how God is our protector
• My Handsome Lil Man wants to learn:
• about animals
• how to use paint
• how to play tennis with daddy
• how to fix things
• how to help mommy around the house
• to play velcro math darts
• about how big God is

How can I be anything other than blessed???  My daughter is naturally desiring to learn about being a homemaker and a woman after God's own heart.  She expressed, "I want to be a good mommy one day."  My son is taking delight in the things around him and taking strides to build relationships and learn to lead.  Just the other day he said, "how can I help you today since I'm the man in the house" (Daddy was at work)?

My Fairy Tale Romance

The last few weeks of the challenge has had to do with reflecting over the past.  Duane and I had a less than traditional courtship period and a whirl-wind wedding at the close of it.  We had been the closest of friends in college and then when I moved to Rhode Island to live, we became even closer.  Everyone paired us up -- except for us.  I just pulled out my scrapbook from back then to remember, and WOW!  I have a note from him just as a friend thanking me for being his close friend.  God truly gave us a strong foundation for our love!

On February 13, 2001 he took me on our first date.  I still have the card he gave me that evening.  We went to a beautiful restaurant in downtown Providence, RI called Amica's.  I spilled water and he squirted a cherry tomato at me.  He also gave me a beautiful classic Pooh stuffed animal that I still have today.  Two months later, on Good Friday, he proposed.  No one was as shocked as I was that Duane and I were going to get married.  We picked a date in the fall, but ended up having to move it forward to the summer so everyone we loved could be there.  On July 27, 2001 I became Mrs. Duane Tucker.  What a GLORIOUSLY wonderful day!  I remember that everyone was worried I would freak out or something, and I did.  But not in the way they expected ... I was so excited that I tried to leave for the church without my dress on!  I had the hardest time waiting ALL DAY LONG for our evening wedding.  It was one of the most memorable, amazing, joy-filled days of my life.  I still feel like that bride, too ~ and he is still my Prince!

I'm Jumping In!

A new blog (to me) is by a woman named Courtney and she has entitled it Women Living Well.  Courtney has even been spotlighted on the Rachel Ray show for her homemaking focus.  She posted a challenge last month, and even though I am just now discovering it, I'M JUMPING IN! Click on the button to the top to jump over to her challenge and the dates for each stage of it.  I am going to go back to the beginning and catch up, as I can see the value in building a proper foundation.  The first step was to announce to you, my readers, that I am participating.  Look for my post on the days of our dating and our wedding day!  I am also beginning to ask my husband each day how I can pray for him, and working my way through Stormie Omartian's The Power of a Praying Wife.  And this week I will also share with you why he is such a wonderful husband, although that theme has been scattered throughout my posts ...because he is!  I'd love to know who else is on this journey, or if any of my other readers would love to jump in and join me ... so share with us :) 

Delightfully My Life!

Today, for me, is Thankful Friday.  I want to share with you a few of the things that bring me joy.  First, I have a God who loves me.  It's pretty remarkable when I really sit down and think about it.  He's God, so He doesn't have to.  But He's God, so it's His nature to do it.  And He knows more about me than I even admit to myself, I'm sure.  Every hidden motive, every past compromise, every huge mistake, every thought (even the ones I don't say out loud)...He knows them all.  And He loves me.

Then, there's my husband.  We've been married nearly 9 years.  I laugh all the time when women ask me if I miss those first couple of years - the "honeymoon period."  Not at all.  This past year has been my favorite.  And I'm sure that next year will be even better.  Don't get me wrong; every year is precious.  But we know each other now in a way we couldn't back then.  We are more secure in ourselves and in our relationship than we were as young adults.  And we been through things together that have forged a bond over the years that is unbreakable.  We made a covenant on the day we were married, and every single day my husband honors me by loving me, cherishing me, and being beside me - through the good and the bad, the richer and the poorer, the healthy days and the sick ones.  I'm so blessed!  He is an amazing man.

And next is our kids.  We have two beautiful, amazing children that are the apples of our eyes.  We have a little Princess who has a tremendous heart for worship, an abundance of compassion, and a sparkle in her eyes that can light up the darkest room.  When she dances, she radiates joy.  When she giggles, everyone around her has to smile.  And she loves to snuggle more than just about anything else.  Our Lil Man has a propensity for kindness that is rare in such a young child.  He seems to know just what someone needs to brighten their day - and then he does it.  His hugs and spontaneous words of affection are astoundingly powerful; they shift atmospheres.  And his little boy ways just make you want to giggle right along with him.

Every morning in our home we play the Thankful Game.  We each share a few things that we are choosing to be thankful for on that day, and then we tell each member of our family a few things about them that we are thankful for.  It's an awesome 'game' and I challenge you to do it.  I'd love to hear how it goes.  I know that it has challenged me to be a better person, because my family has been thankful for me in ways I did not know I affected them.  It's also impossible to head into your day with a bad attitude after gratitude has been poured out of you and heaped on top of you.  Will you join me?  What are you thankful for today?  And what can you be thankful for about the lives of those around you?