Mother's Day thanks...

I think they're adorable.

{But, they are horrified at the matching dresses and the fluffy late 80's hair-dos.}

These are my three beautiful daughters, now, all three, beautiful women of God.

What a privilege and blessing it was and is to be their mama.

How thankful I am to God for allowing me to have them

and for His grace that covered my fumbling, bumbling attempts to parent them well.

How thankful I am to now be Nana to four wonderful grandkids.

{I love being a nana, but you could probably guess that if you've been around my blog much!}

I think this is the highest privilege, the highest calling,

 to shape little lives, to be responsible to disciple eternal souls.

How any mama attempts to do it without God's help, I'll never know.

It was always a serious and fearful thing to me,

that I was responsible to parent one of God's precious children.

Oh, how I prayed to not mess it up too bad!

And when I did mess up, how I prayed for God to cover my mistakes with His grace!

And He did, and He does.

I'm so thankful for His help and His grace.

**************

In 2012 I followed the prompts in Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare in counting my thanks.

In 2013 I'm going back to the way I did it in the beginning,

just noticing and recording the many extraordinary blessings in my ordinary life.

And so I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of them via my camera or iPhone)

#3110-#3132

5-6-13-

-the backyard all abloom

-devotions at the park

-trusting God with some hard things

5-7-13-

-working in the yard

-a picnic supper with the hubs

-belly laughs

5-8-13-

-a healthy body

-a good run

-baby granddaughter better after a high fever

-the three oldest grands over for the evening

5-9-13-

-asking for and receiving forgiveness

-feeling friends praying for me as I study for the Mother's Day message at church

-God's provision-He never fails

5-10-13-

-the finish on my good dresser accidently damaged 

and God using it to remind me that it's just stuff and people/relationships are more important

-Friday date day dinner outdoors by the river

-the Hubs taking care of me when I didn't feel well

5-11-13-

-giving the message I'm preparing for Sunday to God-and Him helping me to know what to say

-getting my least favorite chore done first-cleaning the bathrooms!

-the Hubs vacuuming for me

5-12-13-

-the privilege of sharing God's Word at church today

-my grandson's 9th birthday

-our whole family together for the afternoon

-remembering and thanking God for my mama on this Mother's Day

Gratefully yours,