Sunday's Graces

Some of our family still at home met up with our family far away. Well, it's not too far, I suppose. But far enough away that we can't go for a walk at a whim, or drop off cookies, pie, or left-over soup, or get a cup of coffee at Verve, or venture to the Bargain Barn on a Saturday morning....

We met Our Girl's Love at the Zoo. How does one take cool pictures at the zoo? I was rather unsuccessful! It is not exactly beautiful, although it was fun to go anyways. My two youngest hadn't been, so this was it. The big trip to the SF Zoo. These are the most interesting of pictures I could get, and as usual, I find my family and their relationships with each other the more beautiful thing to be captured.

Here Brothers are looking at the graceful giraffes (my favorite) and crazy-striped zebras, but I find their taking in the sight together most beautiful.

This is the only one that would do this for me:

Then we met up with Our Girl at a park for a picnic lunch

good wine

and good conversation.

Then we got an ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

(I was too busy eating to snap a picture)

 then walked

and walked

and walked some more...

I always walk behind

snapping picures

and savoring the sites

of my Dear Ones

enjoying each other,

talking and laughing.

The site

of my daughter looking at her daddy

while holding her Love's hand

is priceless.

Then we return to their own grown-up, artistically decorated  homey home

before we head to our house far away,

 filled with memories of growing up,

memories of all my Dear Ones once young.

Sunday's Graces -

A continual numbering of things I am thankful for

to remind me of God's graces in my life

fifty. i am thankful that we live in big beautiful world with sooo many animals that I will never see. it reminds me how small and finite i am and how great and beautiful our created earth is.


fifty-one. brothers. some have known each other from birth. some are new. i am thankful that they have all of  life ahead to grow in their relationships. for we are complex creatures. it takes a long time to really know one another, then we change and continue to grow and therefore must necessarily grow in our understanding of who we all are, and how we can best encourage one another.


fifty-two. a father and daughter who share a love for each other.


fifty-three. a father who can be a great dad not having had much good dad-ness in his own childhood. some say that can ruin parent/child relationships. it has not. if anything it has made him appreciate his own relationships with his children in maybe an even stronger way. he is a good dad.


fifty-four. that i can be a pretty good mom without having much good mom-ness in my life. when my girl was born, i remember being overcome with emotion that God would give me a daughter. that He had confidence that i could have a good relationship with my daughter, without having had that experience myself. grace indeed. i have been imperfect. i continue to be imperfect, just in new ways. but God has made something impossible possible. a healthy treasured relationship with my girl. for that i am thankful.


fifty-five. the biggest dissappointment in my own life has been the many miscarriages we have had, and that we don't have a few more sets of  feet pitter-pattering around our home. i wrestle with it greatly. it doesn't go away. yet i am thankful for God's hand in the building of our family and trust in his purposes. i am sooo grateful for each and every day i do have with my four (plus one, so far) children. if you are reading this, i love you dearly. you are my delight. i am thankful you are here.