Multitude Mondays

I know it's not a Monday and I know I've been quiet here lately.  Baseball, school, and just being a family have taken over.  Each day I think of things I want to blog/journal about, but it's a matter of finding the time.  It haunts me when I cannot find the time to post because this is one way I can give testimony to the work of God in my life.  Posting the multitude of things I'm thankful for just builds and builds, even if I don't have time to post it weekly.  So you'll have to bear thru this long gratitude list.  Edgar Guest explains it better than I in The Weaver.

The patter of rain on the roof, The glint of the sun on the rose;
Of life, these the warp and the woof, The weaving that everyone knows.
Now grief with its consequent tear, Now joy with its luminous smile;
The days are the threads of the year-- Is what I am weaving worth while?

What pattern have I on my loom? Shall my bit of tapestry please?
Am I working with gray threads of gloom? Is there faith in the figures I seize?
When my fingers are lifeless and cold, And the threads I no longer can weave
Shall there be there for men to behold One sign of the things I believe?

God sends me the gray days and rare, The threads from his bountiful skein,
And many, as sunshine, are fair. And some are as dark as the rain.
And I think as I toil to express My life through the days slipping by,
Shall my tapestry prove a success? What sort of weaver am I?

Am I making the most of the red And the bright strands of luminous gold?
Or blotting them out with the thread By which all men's failure is told?
Am I picturing life as despair, As a thing men shall shudder to see,
Or weaving a bit that is fair That shall stand as the record of me?

776.  celebrating 14 years spent with Jacob Meier (Dad taking day off from work so we can go out to eat for lunch, plan trip to Guitar Center, have cheesecake and cake batter icecream after baseball)....I am so proud of the young man he is growing into...he makes me laugh, he makes me cry, each day is a gift with him

777. iced coffees from Speedway
778. twizzlers and sunflower seeds at baseball games
779.  silly children who make me smile

780. the freeing feeling of loading up a trailer of stuff we don't need anymore and letting Grandma Sinnaeve work her sales "magic", so we don't have to bring anything back home

781.  Madeline's softball debut

782. boys who can mow the lawn and the smell of fresh cut grass
783. cool basement to retreat to on hot days and to sleep in on hot nights
784. witnessing the new birth of Denise & Jeff Weldon on May 30th - all I could think of was how the angels and God in heaven were rejoicing!

785.  summer hair cuts (Jake actually had a deadline of May 31st to have his hair cut shorter - this resulted in a late night haircut on Memorial Day, with an emergency trip to the barber in Mason for a cut-correction preceded by an argument from Jake that he wasn't going to go in a barber shop!) (Nate pictured on next line)

786. the pain and joy of loosing your two front teeth - the first front tooth was knocked out by Maddie in the pool, then the 2nd top tooth was knocked out by Maddie in a pillow fight...are we seeing a theme here?

787. listening to the lisping words of my youngest because he has no front teeth
788. beautiful performances by Jake & Madeline at their piano recital and the family who comes to support them...Jake's piece was How Great is Our God and during his playing, I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly and could feel God's pleasure as He listened to Jake

789. drum teacher who is so encouraging to Isaiah
790. friends and family who help us in getting 4 children where they need to go for games on one night
791. baseball....how can I not be thankful for it? Even though this season has been tougher than any and I recognize things I would change adamantly in future years, I love watching my boys and my girl play ball!
792. baseball caps with scripture written inside to remind and encourage the reader that God is the prize, not a hit, not an awesome pitching outing, not the end score.  Isaiah chose Deuteronomy 29:11, Ben chose Psalm 27:3, and Jake couldn't narrow his down so he squeezed in:  Hebrews 12:2, James 1:22, 1 Peter 1:15, James 3:5, Galations 2:20, Colossians 3:23, James 1:12, Proverbs 3:6, Psalm 37:5, Psalm 22:7, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 27:11, Philippians 3:8, Proverbs 8:9

793.  holding hands with Ben in the car

794.   trying to sneak downstairs and let Ted put kids to bed, but my middle child seeks me out and says, "You're not getting away!" as he approaches with arms outstretched for a goodnight hug....thank you Lord for his affection

795.  time with husband at home, unable to do much but just "be" with us, due to back pain flareup

796.  the hummingbird nest outside our bedroom window...sitting on the roof, trying to hold super-still with camera poised to get a shot of the mom on the nest.  It is so amazing!  It is so small that I never would have spied it.  I tell my kids they are witnessing something at their young age, that I haven't witnessed for 42 years!  God's creativity is humbling!

797.   watching a coyote cross in front of us on the way to baseball Wednesday night - amazing as well
798.   Godly friends and sister who encourage me, sit and chill with me