The kitchen is a mess. I went to bed way too late and woke up tired. There are texts sitting on my phone that I need to respond to. My daughter is having a complete meltdown because she doesn’t have the shirt she wants to wear. My son won’t put his tennis shoes on like I asked him to because he wants to wear his boots. There are a million and one things to do before I need to leave for my meeting. The stress level is rising, I snapped at my daughter, and if I don’t leave now, I am going to be late!!

"I don’t want orange!” whined Caleb after drawing a card. We were in the middle of an intense game of Candyland. Caleb was ahead of me but also very determined to win. So, when he drew the orange card, Caleb was mad. That orange card was not going to get him to the winning spot.  Caleb wanted to skip ahead and win. He complained and tried to draw another card. I explained to him that you only get to draw one card and you need to do what it says even if you don’t like it. After a little pouting, Caleb finally conceded and went to the orange spot.

The other day my husband received something in the mail inside a long cardboard tube. Analiah, our 5-year-old, immediately claimed the cardboard tube as her own. I could see the wheels turning. In Analiah’s eyes, the possibilities were endless. Over the next few days, the cardboard tube was used for a spying scope. There was so much to explore. It was also used as a ramp. Analiah placed it at the top of the stairs and cars were pushed through. The cardboard tube was also used to roll marbles from one side to another with shouts of glee included. Who would have known a cardboard tube could bring so much fun?

Do you like to people watch? Do you ever try to guess what their life is like? You can learn a lot about a person by watching them. You can also learn a lot about yourself. The other day was one of those times that I learned a lot. I was enjoying my soft pretzel while watching people in line. One family, in particular, jumped out at me. It was a Mom and her two daughters. Their shoulders were slumped and they were anxious to eat. As they discussed what they were getting, the Mom growled: “We are only getting one strawberry shake and you will share it.” The girls didn’t accept the answer very well which only escalated the Mom’s anger. I looked down at my food and tried to block out their conversation.

I love how God works. He cares about all our needs. Every. Single. One. No matter how small or how silly the need may seem, God cares. The other day God blew me away with how much He cares. Here’s my story… I headed out to meet a friend for an early morning walk. We were meeting at a school that had a path behind it. After arriving, I parked my van and waited for my friend to come. I had my pouch with phone and a headlight to wear around my waist since the path wasn’t well lit. My friend arrived so I hopped out of my van and we started to walk.

Painting. When you hear that word, what do you think of? Does your blood pressure rise at the thought of painting? Or do you love to paint? For me, the butterflies are working overtime in my stomach at the thought of painting. The other day I was helping a friend paint a wall in her daughter’s room. I admit I was a little nervous painting because I didn’t want to mess it up. But, I pushed through anyway and actually had a lot of fun. After painting my section, I sat down while we waited for it to dry. And then I saw it. The lines. The lines that didn’t cover over the old paint. Yup, I know it was my doing. But instead of letting it get to me, I chose to focus on what I could learn.

Do you ever read something and stop in your tracks? And then, you go back and reread it because surely you read that wrong. The other day I was reading in the gospel of Matthew and I did that very thing. Jesus asked Peter a question and then he asked him to go fishing. I learned a lot about Jesus in this story.

Do you have a song that you listen to over and over? One of my current favorite songs has a line that goes something like this: The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us. Not beside us, not in front of us but INSIDE us. When I hear that, I get so pumped up. The same power lives in us!!

“I don’t want to!” whined our 3-year-old son. No amount of coaxing could get Caleb on the stone bridge. My husband was trying to get a picture of all four of our kids on this really cool stone bridge.

The story of Zacchaeus has always been one that intrigues me. It's only ten verses long but so much is packed into his story. I have lots to learn from this wee little man. He was determined, a good listener, repentant and one who acted on his word.