Category: grace

7,670 Days Later

Diana B.7 Comments

Dear Mama,

Oh, how I miss you. It’s been 21 years today since we said goodbye. Exactly 7,670 days. A small part of me feels like that tragic day was a hundred years ago and happened to someone else entirely, and another small part of me feels like that tragic day was not long ago at all, and I am still a grief-struck teenager wondering how I’ll ever carry on without you to guide me.

I remember a bedtime story you used to tell about a lost traveler. Actually, I don’t remember any details about the main character. Maybe it was a donkey? But I remember the moral of the story was to always know who you are and where you are going.

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Becoming a motherless daughter as a teen made me question who I was and wonder where I was going. God, in His faithfulness, drew me in close to Him and taught me that life’s really more about knowing Who you belong to and where you are going. I am so thankful that I belong to Him and am on my way to heaven. What peace, joy and hope I have in knowing this truth.

Yet the grief of mother-loss still comes in waves. Usually they are small, gentle waves, but even now sometimes the waves of grief can be surprisingly overwhelming. I long ago realized the grief won’t end this side of heaven. But by the grace of God, I am carrying on. Or actually, He is carrying me as I trust in Him to guide my steps.

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Being the mother of two little girls requires lots of guidance and wisdom, and so often I hear the lie that being a motherless daughter somehow makes me unqualified to be a mother. My new verse for fighting that lie is 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

I already have all I need to do this job! And being a wife and mothering these girls is a lot of work. It’s good work, but work indeed. I cannot imagine anyone else I’d rather spend my days with.

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And I am thankful that you met and loved Michael, even if you didn’t know back then that he would become my husband. He still re-tells the blonde jokes and OSU jokes you told him, and he laughingly recounts the time you told him sailboats only move by continental drift. He’s a wonderful husband and a great daddy.

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One of my deepest longings is for you to come to our house and meet our sweet little girls. These two lovely granddaughters of yours, each is her own dear and special person.

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But oh, how they both remind me so very much of you with their piano-playing, book-consuming, chocolate-loving passions.

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The oldest daughter is almost 11. I remember you always said that was the perfect age, and now I understand why. She’s so helpful and sweet. She has your big, dancing-blue eyes, beautiful, mile-long smile and slender little legs. She looks so much like the pictures we have of you as a little girl, and she fills our house with the snip-snip of scissors and the low steady hum of the sewing machine. I remember those sounds filling up your bedroom when you were sewing me a new dress or teaching me how to make a pillow. How I wish you could spend a day sewing doll clothes with this daughter. For the longest time it was too painful for me to sew with her because that was something you and I did together and I just didn’t feel confident without you. But this girl, she is a fearless seamstress with such nimble little fingers. Just a few weeks ago, she encouraged me to help her make her little sister a doll for her birthday.

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What fun we had picking fabric, stitching things together and being sneaky about the entire project so her sister wouldn’t find out.

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The youngest daughter just turned 8 and she has your big, dancing-blue eyes, too. Her hair is the same beautiful caramel-strawberry blonde as yours, and you’d be delighted to know that hers is naturally curly, as you always so desperately wished yours was. Like you, this girl is quick with numbers – and she especially likes double-checking her math worksheets on her new adding machine. Give her a little more time with that thing, and I can just imagine the rolls of adding machine paper cascading like a waterfall across our schoolroom table, just like the rolls of paper flooded the floor of your office on busy days. This daughter’s sense of humor reminds me of yours; she loves telling jokes and has a quick wit that catches me and her daddy off guard sometimes. At church the other day, when our pastor was talking about us becoming more like Jesus spiritually but not physically, she grinned and quipped, “That means we don’t have to grow beards.”

I guess that’s the sum of what all these 21 years of motherless days adds up to – your own little girl growing up to be a wife and mother and, by the grace of God, becoming confident that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

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I love you, Mama, and I can’t wait to see you on that glorious day.

Hugs and kisses,

Diana

Letting Your Light Shine

Diana B.1 Comment

When my daughters were about 3 and 6, “light” was a big topic we closely studied in our home school. We studied the sun, moon, stars and outer space; they even built a rocket ship.

We sang “This little light of mine,” and I read aloud Matthew 5:16 to them. In that verse Jesus says: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Our Kindergarten-level discussion quickly led to the question: “What are good works, Mommy?” I don’t recall exactly how I answered that — probably something vague like “actions that show love for others.”

A few days later, our family was driving about a mile from home when we came upon a car with a flat tire. My husband pulled over to help, and as soon as he left the van, our youngest started the endless interrogation for which most 3 and 4 year-olds are famous.

“What are we doing? Why are we here? Why are we stopped? Who is that? What is Daddy doing? Do we know that lady?”

After I explained that he was helping the lady replace the flat tire, something clicked and she excitedly exclaimed, “Oh! Daddy’s letting his light shine!”

Since then, anything that might be considered good works in our family has been known as “letting your light shine.”

As followers of Jesus, we are called to let our lights shine, to be doers of good works. Of course doing good doesn’t save us; we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. But without good works, our faith is dead. James 2:14-17 explains how inseparable faith and works are.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

I love the word picture Rich Mullins painted on this truth: “Faith without works is like a song you can’t sing; it’s about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.”

The Bible is full of characters known for their faith and good works. The “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11 offers a nice overview of many. One lesser known doer with great faith, though, is Gaius. Some of his story is found in the book of 3 John, and I find it inspiring.

The Apostle John, in this letter, calls Gaius “beloved” four times. And we don’t have to read past verse 2 to know that — in John’s assessment — Gaius was in good spiritual shape. That’s a pretty powerful compliment coming from the one who refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23)

In his commentary on this passage, John MacArthur describes Gaius as loving and gentle, readily showing hospitality. He treated people as God would treat them, which is exactly how hospitality should be practiced, MacArthur says.

In short, Gaius knew the truth and faithfully practiced it. His faith had works. He was a doer. He let his light shine.

And in 3 John, Gaius is encouraged to keep on doing good works, even and especially when others questioned whether certain works of hospitality ought to be done.

Martin Luther concurs: “Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are.”

That’s a powerful statement — genuine believers cannot help being busy doing good works constantly — long before anyone comes along and asks if they should be done.

What’s more, James 1:25 says doers will be blessed in their doing. Clearly Gaius was blessed in his good works. He was blessed with the love, kind words and prayers of the Apostle John. He was blessed by the kind words and good report of those strangers he welcomed faithfully. And he was blessed to be a child of God walking in the truth.

How about you — how are you blessed in the doing of good works?

Our Friend Spring

Diana B.1 Comment

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land…”

 

Song of Solomon 2:11-13

We rushed over to visit a dear old friend yesterday.

Spring! And, oh, she does look so lovely!

So captivating — wearing all those blossoms.

We breathed in her fragrant, flowering magnolia trees.

Her little blue scillas, so dainty and sweet, reminded me of someone else I know.

Her helleborous (Lenten rose) bloomed bravely, though nearly hidden behind a bench and surrounded by crunchy brown leaves.

She introduced us to a host of white daffodils.

Tiny raindrops pearled up on her sunny yellow daffodils.

Her dwarf Dutch irises truly delighted us.

Her apricot trees cheered us.

And her lilacs — oh, they hold great promise for April!

Look at the Birds!

Diana B.Leave a comment

— another favorite from the archives —

 

“Look!” my big girl gasps, running toward the window. “Robins! In our yard!”

Quickly the little one and I join her at the window, and together we welcome the feathered strangers. The freshly falling snow of late March does not deter the playful robins as they flutter about happily in the backyard.  An especially plump robin perches high in the branches, a patch of snow still clinging to his red breast and his feet.

“Cheer up, cheer up,” the first robins sing.

Cheer up, indeed! Even as the snow blankets us again, their songs give us hope for spring as the end of a long, harsh winter draws nearer. Soon will come nests and eggs. Soon will come worms for the chirping baby birds. Soon will come little birds testing their wings, learning to fly.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” -Matthew 6:26

March melts into April, and the birds return to this Frozen Tundra in great numbers. Red-winged black birds, robins, sparrows, Canadian geese and — my favorite — swans.

As I’m out and about all week long, I see swans everywhere — dozens of them. On the way to church, on a walk in the neighborhood, on the way to and from dinner Thursday night, on the way to pick up a friend’s little boy, and on the way to and from a birthday party — swans, swans, swans! Soon to pair off and settle in ponds and lakes, the swans migrate together, and oh! What joy as they surround us — these amazing creatures, full of grace!

I look at the birds, and God reminds me of His faithfulness.

Without my camera along on any of these trips, my inner shutterbug longs to capture the swans, to store up the grace moment and treasure it.

The week draws to its end; Saturday evening before sunset our family loads up in the minivan and heads back to the one spots where, earlier in the day, nearly a hundred swans gathered in a low, flooded area in a corn field. Leaving my family in the van, watching closely, I head eagerly into the muddy field. My newest tennis shoes greet the muddy field and I manuever carefully, happy to find a narrow path of dry weeds between two sections of the field. I nearly sink into the mud as I approach the water.

Swans! Hundreds of gloriously graceful swans — and several ducks, too. The honking and quacking mingles into noisy bird music. Most of the swans glide gently across the water, but some fish for food underwater.

Suddenly a few swans soar up into the sky. Their black bills confirm they are Trumpeters. Their necks stretch long and wings mount high toward the clouds —  right over my head! I pull the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, just in case.

A glorious swan moment. Finally captured! I stand in the muddy field, thankful I migrated to the right place at exactly the right moment.

Looking down, white feathers float, scattered across the water.

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” -Psalm 91:4

I look at the birds, and God reminds me of His faithfulness.

God keeps showing me how faithful He is. May I also suggest this post from last spring: Orchestrating the Swans?

Re-Membering with Thanks This Christmas

Diana B.Leave a comment

Broken.

One adjective describes so much in this fallen world we all live in. A broken prong on the dishwasher. Broken springs on the garage door. A broken air conditioner in the heat of July. A broken vacuum cleaner. A broken pie plate. Two broken drinking glasses. A broken faucet handle. A broken lid on the trash can. A friend’s broken tap shoes, spilling tiny screws across the dance floor. A broken chair. Our neighbors’ broken mailbox. And, most memorable of all, our oldest daughter’s broken arm.

Yes, we live in a fallen world, teeming with brokenness. It can leave us broken down, broken-hearted or just flat broke.

Yet through the cracks of all our broken pieces, the Light shines.

“Here are the broken spots,” the tall doctor proclaims as he points to X-rays of my firstborn’s forearm, six weeks after her infamous fall on the playground.

And then he quickly corrects himself. “Actually, what I should say is: Here are the healing spots.”

Healing spots.

Yes, broken spots can become healing spots when exposed to the Light. A perfect spot at which to pause and thank God. He is the One who can not only heal us physically but also restore our broken relationship with Him when we believe in His Son, Jesus. And isn’t that relationship what needs fixed most of all?

Remembering to pause and give thanks to God has become a priority this year. From January to October, I counted up more than one thousand gifts – memorable moments of grace captured in words and photographs. In thanking Him regularly this way and watching closely for His goodness toward me and my family, I’ve learned so much about His unchanging character. God is who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do.

Even when little upside-down legs let go and bones crack and the whole world seems to come crashing down in a helpless heap near the monkey bars. Even then God never lets go. He never lets go. And even then, in those terrifying moments of brokenness, we can thank God for holding us together.

Author Ann Voskamp says it best: “Because when we remember how He blesses and loves us, when we recollect His goodnesses to us — our broken places re-collect. We re-member. We heal. In the remembering to give thanks, our broken places are re-membered — made whole.”

This Christmas we celebrate God’s greatest gift to us – His Son Jesus, the One holds us and all of creation together. Jesus is very familiar with brokenness. Isaiah 53 says Jesus was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins; He was beaten so we could be whole, and by His wounds we are healed.

And so we commune with God when we remember this truth, when we stop complaining, when we accept every moment with gratitude. In the Last Supper, Jesus himself exemplifies this. 1 Corinthians 11:24 says, “…when He had given thanks, He broke {the bread} and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ”

Our joy this Christmas is not in perfect appliances or perfect dishes or perfect shoes or perfectly healed bodies. Our joy is the best gift, Jesus, the perfect Savior, the perfect Lamb of God, the One whose bones were never broken.

We also have joy in watching for the thousands of ways God loves us in every moment.

Won’t you take the dare, too? Won’t you count the ways He loves you? Count the ordinary, the amazing, the grace-filled moments of 2012 and see for yourself just how much He loves you, too. •

Diana has been happily married to a guitar and sailing fanatic for 15 years. She is a homeschool mother of two who regularly shares stories and photos here at starlightwriter.wordpress.com.

In Everything Give Thanks

Diana B.Leave a comment

“In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

{1 Thes. 5:18}

***

1,001. Jessica’s words that encourage me to keep counting {A Diamond in the Rough}

1,002. surprisingly lovable llamas

1,003. trail hikes with Carmella and Chocolate Chip

1,004. a fantastic field trip with dear friends

1,005. a special visit by Great Grandma

1,006. hot tea with breakfast

1,007. introducing Great Grandma to our favorite red wagon, Lacie, at the apple orchard

1,008. slices of Sweet 16, Honeycrisp and SweetTango apples

1,009. sips of hot apple cider

1,010. fruit-seekers crunching through the fallen leaves

1,011. tree branches sagging heavy with ripe apples

1,012. little girls happily snatching apples

1,013. chasing butterflies wildly through the vineyard and orchard

1,014. the monarch that finally lets me capture it on camera

1,015. the brilliant display of fall colors in the trees

1,016. rains that rush in just before we leave the apple orchard

1,017. big hats and a fancy tea luncheon with Great Grandma

1,018. the cheery, busy squeak of our apple peeler

1,019. Great Grandma’s help with our pie baking tradition

1,020. the smell of cinnamon lofting throughout the house

1,021. Piper’s free seminar on Let the Nations Be Glad

1,022. God’s promises in the Psalms and in Isaiah

1,023. prayers and praises in the Psalms

1,024. character lessons in compassion, kindness, creativity and courage from Betsy-Tacy

1,025. little girls bubbling with excitement as they share thoughts about the book

1,026. our own little “Sand Store” of bottles full of colorful sand

1,027. a sunny autumn morning at the park with friends

1,028. another hard eucharisteo: the fall that fractures both bones in her delicate little forearm

1,029. the kind, dear friend eagerly helping so many ways — the help that comes from the Maker of Heaven and Earth

1,030. strength and peace that gets us through a traumatic Friday

1,031. words, freshly memorized in Isaiah 53, that help calm her sobs

1,031. medicine that helps manage her pain and the pastor who speaks healing Words to us

1,032. quiet moments in the hospital room, just before her surgery, watching the sun rise and the birds fly in formation and then later reading Malachi 4:2 – “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”

1,033. the skilled hands of both surgeons and the kind, familiar face in the pre-op/recovery room

1,034. a real plaster cast for her Girls-n-Grace doll, too

1,035. Debra, Kathy and Stacey, three exceptional nurses on the pediatrics floor

1,036. peace that passes understanding while she undergoes surgery

1,037. the prayers of countless friends and family as we wait

1,038. bendable nails that help keep her bones in place

1,039. her groggy, sleepy smile after surgery

1,040. friends cheering at the curbside as she leaves the hospital — and the sweet little boy who does a “happy jog” of joy

1,041. the soft gray shawl that is just her size and keeps her arms and shoulders warm

1,042. cards and gifts and balloons and callers for the injured one

1,043. homemade soup and bread

1,044. her fearless ambition to become ambidextrous

“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,  from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”

{1 Chronicles 16:36}

You’re invited! Check out other bloggers’ posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below. Or click here  to check out all previous posts in my “Counting to 1,000” series.

Counting to 1,000 (980-1,000)

Diana B.2 Comments

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

{2 Corinthians 2:14-15}

I started my One Thousand Gifts list back in January with “the aroma of fresh bread baking” as the very first item. Is there a more delicious, comforting smell on a cold winter day?

I pray that my list has also been an aroma of the Bread of Life, a pleasant fragrance of thanks to God.

Second Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

While regularly counting the ways God loves me and thanking Him for each, I have seen God’s character. Time and again, I have seen that God is who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do. I can trust Him.

Daniel 11:32 says, “…but the people who know their God shall be strong.”

Dear readers, I pray that you also know the one true God and find your strength in Him. You can trust Him, too. Just count the ways He loves you. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

This week my own list reaches 1,000. I realize how the list doesn’t end there. Once you start, you can’t stop! Endless gifts, indeed, because His love stretches from everlasting to everlasting.

“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,  from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”

{1 Chronicles 16:36}

***

980. trees ablaze with a brilliant display of color

981. the smell and crunch of dry leaves

982. the neighbor kids raking leaves into pile

983. the linden tree that’s grown strong enough for her to climb

984. her first and last carmel apple for a while

985. her big, beautiful smile that’s a little more shiny

986. the sweet family that hosts our church’s Fall Festival

987. an afternoon hayride pulled by their Allis Chalmers

988. how they love to wear boots and hats when they visit the farm

989. fellowship around the bonfire

990. finding hay in her boots

991. the silver-sliver moon that reminds me of the night my youngest was born

992. their open Bibles at the breakfast table

993. learning about El Elyon, God Most High

994. reminders about quietness and trust (Isaiah 30:15)

995. Isaac’s baptism

996. her birthday countdown and uncontainable anticipation, and all her six years

997. the movie that encourages men to be Courageous

998. true friends who share life with us, feed us pizza and cookies, know our imperfections and love us anyway

999. jars of her apple pie filling, apple sauce, tomatoes and hot pepper jelly

1,000. the boldness to fiercely trust God

You’re invited! Check out other bloggers’ posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below. Or click here  to check out all previous posts in my “Counting to 1,000” series.

Counting to 1,000 (960-979)

Diana B.Leave a comment

“Giver of every breath I breathe
Author of all eternity
Giver of every perfect thing
To You be the glory”

{lyrics from “All Because of Jesus” by Steve Fee}

Over the weekend, I was among a crowd of 370 women singing “All Because of Jesus” during chapel at a women’s retreat. What a memorable way to praise the Giver of every perfect thing! That retreat was indeed the perfect gift given at the perfect time. To God be the glory! I so needed that time of refreshment with ladies from church!

I am still adding gifts — from the Giver of every perfect thing — to my One Thousand Gifts list, which continues this week with items 960 through 979:

960. little boys in sweatshirts and vests, all eager to play outside

961. the itsy-bitsy Keen boots and the ticklish little feet that wear them

962. a tall, tall tree to climb and hug

963. more lessons in wisdom from Proverbs and from this sermon in James 1

964. six great ladies rooming with me in “Cinnamon Bear” — a cabin full of bunk beds and smiles

965. a dear friend who encourages and inspires me

966. brightly colored leaves on the birch trees

967. the refreshment gained through retreating with 20 wonderful women from church

968. forgiveness (Psalm 103:11-12)

969. lessons in faith, hope and love

970. brightly colored fingernails painted by Ivy

971. wind rushing through the tops of the birch trees

972. the smell of horses and leather as I take the reins, riding tall on a trusty but slow little horse named Sultan

973. mingling on horseback with seven deer as they slowly cross and re-cross our path through the woods

974. singing joyful praises to God in the chapel with 370 women

975. the clash of the symbols — praising Him

976. quiet moments resting in the top bunk

977. lessons in true friendship and stories that evoke riotous laughter

978. being welcomed home Sunday afternoon with tight hugs and blazing new maple trees just planted in the backyard

979. the kind crew that will carry our care-package for Dawit to another hemisphere

You’re invited! Check out other bloggers’ posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below. Or click here  to check out all previous posts in my “Counting to 1,000” series.

Counting to 1,000 (935-959)

Diana B.1 Comment

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

-Revelation 7:12 

My One Thousand Gifts list continues this week with items 935 through 959:

935. how the autumn sun casts shadows of dancing leaves on the kitchen wall

936. sailing wing-on-wing across the lake on a gusty Sunday afternoon

937. sharing life with new friends

938. the quiet pitter-patter of ballet shoes slipping across the wood floor

939. how passionately she participates in her first ballet lessons

940. the helpful pharmacist

941. piles of piano books

942. the tap dancers’ uncontainable energy

943. holding sweet little Dorothy during the entire lesson

944. family devotions on Elohim (with Sally Michael’s fabulous new book: God’s Names)

945. how the horse eagerly eats an apple from my hand

946. rides on Chevy the Horse on a crisp, autumn morning

947. little girls in boots, all smiley on the platform of stairs

948. how they all line up to feed Nana the younger horse

949. Chevy’s clever tricks and kisses

950. new space for art class and the amazing teacher who likes it despite the dead frog that somehow landed on her head

951. the orange sherbet moon melting into the cloudy night sky

952. six sweet girls who listen and read and play together

953. how the young artist takes her lines for a walk and then colors a rainbow of chalk

954. lessons in longitude and latitude and all things geography

955. small group Bible studies overflowing with participants

956. how colorfully she wears her passion for the backyard swings

957. how she blushes when I catch her belting out tunes into her jump rope “microphone”

958. homemade chicken and dumplings, Gramma-style

959. the little ears and hands that somehow find the notes on the violin

You’re invited! Check out other bloggers’ posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below. Or click here  to check out all previous posts in my “Counting to 1,000” series.

Counting to 1,000 (905-934)

Diana B.Leave a comment

“Sing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.” -Psalm 147:7 

My One Thousand Gifts list continues this week with items 905 through 933:

905. how she clamours with excitement anticipating the first day of Kindergarten

906. lessons in wisdom from Proverbs

907. big smiles and nifty new lunchboxes

908. snack time

909. snuggling up on the couch with books that take us around the world

910. their prayers for the homeless

911. 11 girls and 4 boys in our new Sunday School class

912. how quietly they sit and how closely they pay attention

913. the faithful teachers who serve

914. Psalm 96 and Psalm 47 — Let the nations be glad!

915. how she signs to me from the other room and blows kisses

916. two students so eager to learn

917. mountains of laundry overflowing the basket

918. the freedom to homeschool

919. City Square Park for recess

920. the neighbor friend who wants to play, too

921. her passion for swinging

922. new jump ropes — just like I had in P.E.

923. freezer meals

924. smoking BBQ in the backyard with new friends

925. a gusty afternoon of sailing and conversing with new friends

926. her generous offer for free babysitting

927. Spanish lessons

928. their kind thank-yous

929. live jousting, crazy log wars, elephant rides, glittery fairies, daring flame jugglers and kind harpist who lets them strum the instrument

930. exploring a fascinating festival with very dear friends

931. happy, dirty feet because we walked far with friends beside us

932. a gift of fresh cucumbers from the garden of a new friend

933. friendships characterized like Proverbs 27:17

934. lessons in contentment and friendship

You’re invited! Check out other bloggers’ posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below. Or click here  to check out all previous posts in my “Counting to 1,000” series.