Italian Scallion Wisdom

Blessings of this week in (R)October:
October rain on our roof (so soothing!)
Our roof (would be soggy without it!)
Eric's giggles
Eric recapping his day when he comes home
Gabe trying to tell daddy what happened in his day
Eric loving using his gifts at work (and getting paid doing it! gug)
Gabe!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (could write a book on that kid.....LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Listening to Christmas music in October (and July and August and september.....:)
Watching Gabe dance
Playing bingo with international friends (for work I add)
Playing tennis in October
My DNA group (ladies who keep me accountable to daily Bible study)
My feeling better brother after 2 weeks of flu :(
Sister visits (wouldn't be the same without them)
Eric being able to go to a Mustachio Bashio for a friend's bday party
Visiting with dear friends Julie and Becky who come to visit mid-week
Hairstylists that don't get annoyed with me for backing out of Gabe's first hair cut (couldn't do it)
Food drives
The immaculate color out there
Salty stuff ( I confess...I like salt)
I could keep going and going....and going.


But even though I could keep going....I completely forget all of God's promises, all of these blessings, all of the peace I know when under pressure and facing problems. As I was teaching our special needs the other night, the Italian Scallion blurted out (on Veggie Tales) that anyone can persevere when things are easy...this really isn't persevering in fact....but to persevere is to remember love and grace through hard times. Smart onion.

Gabe has been so healthy this week and I am on my knees in thanks. THe last month however wasn't like that. He was teething, drooling, not eating or sleeping, had sores inside and out of his mouth. So what did I do? Got mad at the nurses, Eric, and lots of other people. :) Even Gabe. Which I was so desperately afraid of. hmm.. I thank God for times to learn...times to be lifted when I sure don't know how to act. Crazy how I can be put up with. Thankful for another teething opportunity to show what I have learned...show how thankful I am.

Crackers

Gabe and I giggled a lot today. We were both almost in tears a couple times. I would hop around on one foot and say "crackers" and he would lose it everytime....then I would lose it. What a beautiful way to spend moments on a rainy day in October. Still have the fuzzy goosebumps. Time to snuggle on our eggplant couch with Eric. Grace upon grace.... Here are a few pics of my harvest hunks.

From an Egg to a Chicken

We can't pretend to do justice to explain the gift in our little boy Gabriel. God shouldn't have allowed us this gift. (If we were keeping tallies that is...thank God his grace doesn't work like human reason sees things.) But He did. And it was all apart of us since we were just a few cells. We met Gabe last November and haven't been the same since. And we never will be. His giggles could just about cure cancer. His growth makes us grow. His cries give us purpose. His fits highlight God's patience with us. His dependence teaches us responsibility. His trust teaches us trust. His love motivates. God's plan is remarkable, and grace sufficient.

Digging Potatoes

My Grandpa Joe has always been up there with Clark Kent in my eyes. He seems to transform to be the man for the job in most every situation. He is 87 now, and gets more done in a day then most. He has the wisdom of Solomon it seems. :) Yet gently voices it just at the right times and not for his recognition.

Gabe and I went to visit Grandma and Grandpa the other day along with my aunt Carolyn and cousin Tatum. The drive there brought Fall goose bumps offering more refreshment than a cold glass of lemonade in July. :) Yet the best part by far was being at the Floyd ranch on Mushroom road. Some would compare it to the Garden of Eden. (since their address really is Eden) We were welcomed by the fallen hickory nuts, the heavy laiden apple trees, Uncle Rich's 30 some cows, and the smell of late September. (Grandpa always says that the sun doesn't feel better than it does in late September. ) Grandma always greets us at the door with smiles, hugs, and kisses. Never once felt like I was taking up her time. Hospitality in the truest sense.

Grandpa was out in the garden with his pitchfork ish looking gizmo and his sturdy red walker. He makes due with the knees and hips that he has, shuffling along cautious he doesn't fall. I don't pretend to know the feeling of having a body that doesn't work like it used to. I look at Gabe and am thankful that he doesn't know the joys of being able to walk and run without falling. Because the frustration could be a bit overwhelming. But imagine our elderly who know exactly what once was and isn't anymore. God never designed our hearts and minds to struggle through such times. With what my grandparents and seen and done and still do today, I can't imagine what grandma and grandpa think when I complain of not having a washer or dryer or being stuck in traffic.

It turns out that grandpa was digging out his potatoes from his garden of Eden so that Carolyn and I could take some home. He spent practically all summer planting, weeding, watering, watching, waiting, and now harvesting....all so that he could dig up his and grandma's potatoes for someone who often times eats a chip without thinking twice about the work that went into it. I am sure that he set aside that whole morning so that he could get those potatoes out for us. Literally the whole morning. He disappeared just after lunch to go in the basement to get us some bags to put them in, put his shoes back on, shuffled back on out to the garden to pack up our potatoes.

If only I could always remember the thoughtfulness, selflessness, and love that went into digging those potatoes that morning...