Counting the Days

Sarah is such an amazing photographer; her instructor in Photography I says she has a great eye and great composition. I really love this leaf and the green around it.

And here's the photographer herself, fresh from an overnight event last weekend. The youth leaders from church invited the kids to a 'retreat' that turned out to be an adventure in homelessness; they had to scrounge and beg for bedding, go through trash bags for food (placed there by their leaders, albeit half-eaten or opened) and appeal for special treats like water and snacks with signs and pleas for aid. They slept outside. It was a great experience for them; it was a challenge for me. I worried in a new and different way. They returned fresh and focused and blessed.

Shannon went on the retreat, too. She made the best sign; stuffed her shirt with rags and held up a poster that said, "I've got ten kids and four on the way; give me some food and you'll make my day". She won. Food, that is.

I'm not exactly sure what was happening here, but this is David and Syd...

We got a trampoline a few weeks ago. It's been a huge hit for the entire neighborhood. Here, you see Elijah (Sarah's boyfriend), Austin (neighbor from up the street) and Lonnie (the kids' dad) jumping. Note the happy onlookers. They've made up some crazy game called "Jump King" that seems to have something to do with throwing an oversized football at people while they are jumping in an attempt to make them fall down...

David has always been a climber. Here he is, in his "climbing tree". Pretty cool.

And here's my boy, Daniel, after his first band concert. He's in the percussion line, which is the only part of band that requires an audition. When the select 12 get revved up playing, they have an attitude. He's getting there, with the attitude, and he's having fun. He played well and was extremely happy to be performing. He looks happy here, and it warms my heart; lately he's been moody. Part of approaching puberty, I think.

Happy, smiling children. It's not all roses - today was really, really stressful, just because everybody had to be somewhere, mostly at the same time. I arrived home around 3:00 and spent the next five hours just driving kids from place to place. Exhausting.

It's nice to look back and review the smiles.

Teach us to count the days

Teach us to make the days count

Lead us in better ways

That somehow our souls forgot

Life means so much

Life means so much

-Chris Rice