Love the Little Things

Well it's the middle of winter and winter has definitely hit.   It has been snowing all week and we have quite a bit of snow on the ground.   I'm starting to get a little cabin fever and have been feeling melancholy today being all couped up.   I'm ready for some change.   My husband says only good change of course.   Every once in a while I get restless.   Especially when life settles into some kind of routine.   It almost feels monotonous to me.   Don't get me wrong, we've been quite busy.   But it's the same kind of busyness we've had for a while now.  

January has brought a boat load of new activities.   We started basketball with the two older boys, gymnastics with my daughter and younger two, sign language classes for the 3 oldest and swimming lessons for all.    On top of speech appointments and story hour, we're running almost every day of the week.   I enjoy the running... for the most part.   It's an opportunity to get out of the house and DO something.  

I don't really have any big events to "look forward to" these days.   No vacations approaching, no big parties, nothing of too much interest lies ahead.   The biggest thing I look forward to on a daily basis is being able to snuggle up in my room after the kids have gone to bed and watch old episodes of Alias on Netflix.   I never watched the series when it was on television, but it has been so captivating!   It's awesome too because I don't have to wait a week to watch the next episode.  I'm also totally caught up in the Downton Abbey rave... but alas, I have to wait a week (sometimes 2) to see what happens next.  

So other things I've been keeping busy with.   We made another wood hanging.   It was for a friend of ours wedding.   The power had gone out the week of their wedding and we weren't able to finish their gift.  Then with the wedding being past, it had fallen down on our priority list.  We finished it a few weeks ago  and we were really happy with it.   I have a feeling we are a little partial being that it was our creation... but so it is.   Actually, I had originally envisioned it with little chain links between the pieces.  However, when my husband added the hooks, they were so large, the links made the pieces too far apart.   Next time I think I'll use smaller hooks and put the actual chain in between.      Here's a pic:

My other new found fad is Tiny Tower on my husbands iPod.  My sister introduced me to this simple, but addictive game.   I've commandeered my husband's iPod for the time being so I can play it even when he's not here.  

When these snow storms were hitting, the wind was blowing pretty fiercely over the roof of the house. The wind caused these huge drifts to be hanging from our back windows. When I started to try and clear them away through the windows, I realized, not only were they about 18" - 2 ft hanging down, they were about 18" wide as well!! It was a pretty cool sight.

I suppose it's the small insignificant things in life that are supposed to bring joy to our day.   So I hope that I can learn to treasure the little things and find contentment in all situations. 

I guess that's all for now.  I hope the winter blues aren't hitting you all too hard.   If you're looking to hang out, you know where to find me :)   Until I see you all... be blessed!!

A hospital for sinners

I read this quote on Facebook today.  

"Church is not a museum for saints, it is a hospital for sinners."

At first glance, I thought this was a cool quote and then went on my way.   Funny thing is I've been thinking on it ever since.   I don't think the church as a whole treats our buildings, ministry, vision like we are treating sick people.   I feel like, at least in my own eyes, that we try to keep things clean and orderly, similar to a brand new hospital opening up.   But guess what when the sick people come, things get messy, it may even get chaotic at times until the patient is stable and on the path to healing.   Sometimes we shelter ourselves, our kids, everything from "the world".   I liken that to a nurse who is afraid to go to work for fear that she will get sick.   Sometimes you just gotta do what the job calls for.  We took on this job when we became Christians.   Jesus gave us the great commission.   Yes, we will stumble and make mistakes.   We may even fall flat on our faces, but that is what God gave us grace for.   If we want this hospital to be successful we need to call in the sick from every corner and be willing to get messy!   I have been struck with renewed passion to find the sick.  

"The harvest is many, but the workers are few"  Matthew 9:37