Living not striving…

Granted, I probably have a very, very minor readership.  And quite possibly most of you know my dear friend Cookie Cawthon.  But I just have a feeling that someone needs to read this.  Cookie is an amazing writer… but more than that an authentic, fiery, fun, sassy friend.  Truly her greatest passion besides her goofy hubby and absolutely precious mini-me girls… is her Savior.

She started a series about her journey to this passion for her Lord.  So good, so authentic.  Take some time and check it out.  It is currently a three part.  Here’s the link to the first one…

http://www.cookiecawthon.com/2008/07/from-there-to-here-part-i.html

Most of my day was spent scurrying around preparing as much as possible for our busy weekend.  You know the drill… pack for the beach, pack for the car trip, pack for snacks in the car, pack for snacks on the beach, pack for the hotel, pack for on the bus, pack extra clothes….  I did get a lot done but we did not end up leaving for the beach until after 2pm.

I had mentally prepared myself all day to not stress about time.  This is hard for me.  We did pretty well.  I tell you what … nothing quite fills me up like the beach.  The sound of the waves, the sand, the shells, the wind.  It just brings peace to my soul.  Somewhere deep inside.  I’m smiling thinking about it.

My favorite time on the beach is late afternoon between like 4 and 7pm.  It was so fun to share that with my boys today.  I love it when the waves rush back into the ocean and they leave a trail of all those little seashells… the ones that are alive and so many different colors.  And when they realize the water is leaving them they poke themselves up into the air like little flags and suck themselves back into the sand.  It was so fun to show the boys how to dig them up and then watch them scurry back into the sand.  We compared colors and sizes and talked about our amazing God who makes such incredible fun things for us to enjoy.

What a strange, sweet season this summer is in my life.  So much going on externally and internally but these beautifully, sweet moments and memories that keep me going… and help me to regain focus on what is true and important and lasting.

We try to have a devotion with the boys most days.  Some weeks are more consistent than others.  But this summer we have begun the habit of calling it our Focus time.  The time we take to remember where our eyes and hearts needs to be centered.  What our Focus is for that day, that week and for our lives.  The extraordinary gift of this afternoon with my three little joys on the beach helped me regain my Focus. 

Thank you Father:)