Little Reminders

The picture below is from the corner of my grandparent's porch.

For many years my grandmother would walk out there and a dove would be sitting in one of her hanging ferns. The dove would lay her eggs and would sit there for hours.

My grandmother slowly gained her trust and was soon able to pet her.

I can remember standing in a chair at this very spot to see her.

I can remember the awe in the fact that she would always keep her eggs there

and that she always came back.

It was a fond memory of my childhood and of my grandmother.

This morning I walked on my back porch and saw this.

I was in shock but so happy.

She just sat there and I stared at her for what seemed like forever...

then I realized I needed to grab my camera.

I opened the door and just gazed at her.

I was immediately reminded of my grandmother and our fond memories.

It also reminded me of the peace I have that surpasses all understanding.

I just soaked in her beauty and the fact that she was two feet away from me.

And she sat there and just stared back.

Love little memories and grateful for reminders.

Good Afternoon

 On Sunday afternoon my aunt asked if I could help paint some things for the women's ministry. I agreed and headed over, excited to dig into some art, but surprisingly found my cousin, Garrett, upset. I've written here about how sweet and dear of a child he is. He is sensitive and meek and loves everyone. He always wants a kiss and a hug. He is a sweetheart.

I tried to comfort him and got him to work on a masterpiece while I was working. He told me he was going to paint something from the west.

I was beginning the process of making wooden magnets, that also make great coasters. First step is to give them a basic coat of your base color. I painted both sides and the edge and gave them two coats.

He began working on the blue sky. According to him, this was the perfect shade of blue.

 My circles then got a perfectly pink flower and while still wet, I dabbed my finger in red and worked it in to the edges of each pedal for a color-blending effect.

Garrett began working on a boot. He is quite artistic and was very focused on the painting.

Once dry, the next step was giving the flowers a center. I like to add more than just a plain circle to give dimension and more real life effects. 

Garrett decided he was finally finished and as I taught him how to apply sealer, he also learned the best purpose for a hairdryer.

And... ta-da!!! The finished product titled: The West. He was so proud and seeing him enjoy something I love dearly made my day.

The circles got the final step of the word 'forgive' and a nice coat of sealer and were left to dry. I think the women at the luncheon loved these. They would brighten up any refrigerator. 

Pie in the face.

I have taught the fourth grade girls small group for two years now. Recently, I was brainstorming ideas to get them more interested and excited about learning memory verses. Last month, our virtue was humility. In Philippians, there are nine verses on humility. While in class, I asked the girls what they would memorize the nine verses for. One girl said, "I'll memorize them if I can put a pie in your face!" Everyone laughed and agreed so I did, too. Why not, right?

Well, the girls had a whole month to memorize all nine verses and recite them to me. It came to the last Sunday and I had thought I was home-free...until my girls got to church. Sydney came up to me, very flustered and almost in a panic said, "Ms. Abbey, I can say ALL NINE VERSES!" I was happy for her but realized I was about to hear something that confirmed a pie in my face. Next thing I know, all nine verses had been said, word for word. I told Sydney that next Sunday would be the day. You could see the joy of accomplishment in her face. It made me happy to see her so excited. 

So Sunday came...and you can only imagine how I felt...unless you've had a pie in the face, of course.

Whipped cream up my nose, almost touching my brain.

Sticky curls of hair that had to last 4 more hours.

Eyes burning as it melted down my face.

But more than anything, I created a moment of happiness, ultimately in Christ, for a girl who is dear to my heart. She may look at throwing a pie in my face as a fun, silly moment because she memorized a verse, but my prayer for her and every girl in my group is that they look to me and see Jesus. I pray that every word, study, action and day reflects back to Him and as they grow older, trust in Him completely and see why I love them so much.

And pretty sure my grey shirt is stained from whipped cream.

Who knew?

Day #5.

Day #5: A picture of your favorite memory.

This one is hard. There are so many dear memories that come to mind and I have way too many pictures to choose from....so I am going to make an executive decision and change it to 'a picture of my favorite memory in the last year.

Okay, I think this may be doable.

Almost this time last year was my 23rd birthday and it was one of my favorite days: Sunday.

Every Sunday morning for the last two and a half years has been spent with an amazing group of girls that have been the biggest blessing in my life. So like any other Sunday, the day began with spending some time with them in the Word. And of course, a birthday breakfast. 

After worship and connection classes, I headed out to the parking lot and to my surprise, I came upon this:

 

Needless to say, I was shocked.

But it was a wonderful surprise.

I have amazing friends.

My 23rd was difficult, but oh so wonderful.

It's awesome how happiness works. 

It's totally a thing from God.

And my God is good.

And so was my birthday.

One awesome memory.

 I bet anything there's still tape in my windows.

Memories.

Today I was at work and got a hectic phone call from my aunt. "Help...help...help!" I replied, "what is the matter?", thinking something was actually wrong. "I just got my iPhone and I need help working this thing." With a sigh of relief I laughed and told her I'd be over after work to help.

Soon after that phone call I got to her house to be greeted by my cousins, Garret and Grace. They were playing and watching television, but put them on hold to hug and kiss "Abb." I then spent the next hour and a half or so setting up my aunt's phone. Who would have thought I'd be doing that?!

Once her Gmail was working and all iCal calendars were synced, we settled down to have dinner. I sat and talked with my uncle and cousins, and helped Garrett with some homework. I said good night to Grace and helped her get her pajamas on and cuddled into a perfectly pink room. I went to say good night to Jackson and instead I got a quick hug and kiss and was hurried into iPhone, iPod, Apple conversation and what I thought about him saving to get a new one. Once we discussed his awesome plan I went to say good night to Garrett. He asked about an app on my phone and we began testing it. I turned around, looking for something unique for him to photograph, and found this:

Meet Sergio. He has been in my family since before I came into the world. He belonged to my grandparents and was given to Garrett once they passed away. He sat in the corner and took up the entire rocking chair. I saw him and was instantly flooded with memory...Memory of being a small child and cuddling up to Sergio. I was reminded of his soft arms and how they used to wrap all they way around me. I remembered feeling so small when I saw him, but after twenty three years, that feeling is no longer tangible.

In that moment I was thankful. I was thankful for wonderful memories of my childhood and my grandparents. I was thankful for remembering what it feels like to be a kid. I was thankful that Sergio is still the comfort and joy of the five year old me.

Garrett and I sat down on his bed as he flipped through edits on Sergio. It's moments like that I pray he'll remember and that I will never forget.