Just so merciful.

Today was one of those yucky nothing-went-the-way-it-was-supposed-to-and-I'm-pretty-sure-it-was-all-my-fault-days. Yes. Pretty bad. But you know what? Even though I'm dead tired and overwhelmed, it doesn't change the fact that

every one of these things is true:

Daniel will wake me up in the morning with a sweet and silly smile. *sigh* Always does.

We have yummy cinnamon rolls.

I'm pretty confident I did well on my finals, and I am officially on break until January 9th.

*EEP*

We're living in a house that doesn't need any renovations done to it. (And these people don't even know how much they're blessing us. It's unfathomable.)

I have friends who don't mind being spontaneous! Or sharing their M&M's and secrets...

Kyle is my official laugh-out-loud, love-him-so-much dance partner.

We have a dishwasher.

My jeans are the perfect length.

I still remember the songs Daddy used to sing me to sleep with.

In a couple of days, we'll be spreading the holiday cheer down in Alabama.

Mommy's made me into a crazy bargain hunting machine. Not ashamed!

Elise loves wrapping Christmas presents, even more than I do.

I laugh out of the blue, when I remember good memories.

-and-

God loves me enough to give me this list. And that's just so merciful, because I certainly don't deserve it. Thank you, Lord.

Goodbye, fall.

Thanks for the chilly, fresh mornings. Thanks for the crunchy leaves and the yummy smells. . .

Thank you for the smiles!

The sweet, little faces . . .

and the swings.

I'll see you next year. . .

Here's to hoping winter holds just as much fun.

It's ridiculous how late this is....

but at least try and forgive me.

Back in September, Daniel turned 5 and Daddy turned 50. (Kyle also turned 15, earlier in the year. See a slight pattern, hmm?)

{Look at that sweet, little face!}

It wouldn't be hard, at all, for me to let my heart ache at the fact that Daniel's not a baby, anymore. I can look through the pictures we have, and I can wish it hadn't have gone by so fast. But instead of having an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards God, in my heart, I'd just have yearning and sadness. And yearning and sadness leave me feeling pretty broken. So, instead, I'll treasure the memories of the past five wonderful years, and I'll "...thank God upon every remembrance..." of Daniel. (Phil. 1:3)

And one of the things I love, love, love about Daniel is his soft heart. He really is kind. Especially towards his momma and sisters. He's so willing and eager to help, whether it's with groceries, opening a door, or working with Daddy and Kyle. He's also very easily convicted. When he does something wrong, he really does feel bad. And I'm just so glad God blessed him with a repenting heart!

I pray your heart is always turned towards God, Daniel. I pray you become a man the Lord will call His good and faithful servant. I love you the world.

***

Daddy turned 50...!! I happen to think that's really cool. To be able to say that you've experienced God's goodness, life's trials, persecution, and blessings for fifty years? How anyone could look at that and think anything other than "How great is our God!" is beyond me.

Another thing that's beyond me is how Daddy can be so strong for all of us. He would tell you that any strength in him comes from God and His mercy alone. He would also tell you that he trusts the Lord. He believes in God's sovereignty. Whole-heartedly. Something I admire about Daddy is that, through this whole trial, he's never shown us that he's worried about whether or not God will provide. He's always been proactive, searching for what God would have for us, but he completely believes that we're in the Lord's hands. Our situation isn't unknown to God. We cry out to Him, He hears us, and He answers. In His mercy, He answers. And so often His answers are above and beyond what we had hoped for.

So, thank you, Daddy. Thank you for being the head of our home. Thank you for leading us. Thank you, thank you for trusting God. Thank you for raising us up in the way we should go. I pray that we'll never depart from it. (Prov. 22:6)

I love you oh-so much.