Show Jesus, Make Cookies

"....there’s something transformational about showing love to someone without all the glitter and spotlights. The people who understand this make joy their reward."

I read that last week in Live in Grace, Walk in Love by Bob Goff. The first person that popped in to my mind was my Gram. Honestly, she has been close to the front of my mind a lot recently. Today would have been her 89th birthday, and it is her first birthday she is celebrating in heaven. I miss her a lot. I thought you missed someone less with time. I miss her more with time.

She taught me so much about the best ways to live. The best ways to show Jesus. The simple ways to show Jesus. She loved simply. She loved, as most people remember her, with cookies. There isn't a lot of glitter in cookies, but they sure taste yummy, and yummy cookies make people smile. It was that simple.

And she had joy. I think of the song that goes "joy unspeakable and full of glory". That was Gram. She was always singing about joy. She knew the secret (that really shouldn't be a secret) that joy IS the reward. The more we love, the more joy we have. Talk about a gift with a high return on investment.

I want to show that kind of love. I want to help others see Jesus. I like the idea of a joyful reward. So, I have been baking a lot more cookies. It really is that simple.

Thanks for lesson, Gram. See you in heaven.

A Cold Tuesday

I know it is Thursday.

This is about Tuesday.

I have little kids, sometimes these things take a few days.

Tuesday I had a Thriving in the Middle Life Victory!

It was a COLD COLD COLD day (repeating words is allowed when the temperature is in the teens). I had a recently had a new idea for potty training I wanted to try with Isaac (for another post). I had a headache. Joel still has lots of snot. Basically, we were not going anywhere.

My plan for the day (as of Monday night) included cookie making and a roasted chicken dinner. Neither of those felt like they fit with potty training, snot, headaches, and being irritated with living somewhere we can't go outside on a sunny day in January.

So I thought about letting the boys watch TV all day and asking Mark to bring home dinner.

But, then I thought about it, and that wouldn't be Thriving. That would be barely existing in the Middle Life. That would be letting Satan win with depression. No, that would not do.

I took some medicine. I set butter out to soften. I prayed my headache would go away. I cleaned up pee.

And we read books, and we played, and pee made it to the potty! and we had lunch.

And we made cookies (well, Joel and I made cookies...one year olds are best at eating the cranberries, not actually helping...but he was there, and that was fun)

And I took a nap. Headache gone. Thank you, Jesus!

And I roasted a chicken.

Most importantly, I went to bed feeling like I had won.

For that day I had Thrived in the Middle Life!