A Life of Gratitude

Dylan's Diaper Doozie has been a huge success! He has exceeded his $500 goal! He couldn't be more excited!    When Dylan met his first goal of $100, Bryan and I were so proud of him! Then he raised the goal to $500 and we were ecstatic that he decided to keep raising money. We really wanted to reward him for all of his hard work and his selfless attitude. Dylan has been hoping to go to Tweetsie Railroad for awhile, so we decided that if he was able to reach the $500 goal, we would take him to Tweetsie Railroad. It became apparent about two days ago that Dylan would indeed met the $500 goal. There was one tiny problem with that. We don't really have the extra money to go to Tweetsie Railroad. We have been struggling with how we would afford it. Randomly, the next day, our friend Jordan called Bryan to ask if we would be interested in free Tweetsie Railroad tickets.  (WHAT!!???!! OF COURSE WE ARE!!) Jordan explained that he had been selected as t...

Yes, that does say "popcorn and shaving cream" and yes I am thankful for those two seemingly random items! Let me explain... Being a mommy can be hard. Some days its just rough. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being a mommy but it isn't always easy. Today was one of those days. For some reason I had 2 irritable children on my hands and I wasn't feeling well at all. My back has been giving me a fit lately and I was really tired. On top of that, I felt like all I did today was break up little arguments and clean up little messes. If you're a mom you know what I'm talking about.  I've also been trying to get ready for a yard sale we are having this Saturday. So I popped the boys some popcorn and tried to get some things done while they ate their snack. I'm not sure why but they ate in complete peace and they were also laughing hysterically together. It was such a precious break from the whining and screaming! While they were content I s...

I just had to give an update on Dylan's Diaper Doozie! He came up with the idea for raising money to buy diapers for the Pregnancy Care Center of High Point last Monday, July 1. Since then, he has far exceeded his goal of $100 and got to wear his diaper, as promised, on the 4th of July! He thought that was hysterical!  Since he met his first goal so quickly, he has decided to increase the goal to $500. Our friend Jordan has offered to wear an adult diaper for a day if he reaches the $500 goal. This gives Dylan a great incentive! He wants to see our grown friend in a diaper!  Dylan took his Diaper Doozie box with him this morning as he served with his Daddy in the furniture ministry. He was able to collect a few donations there. Tonight, our whole family went door to door as Dylan asked for donations. It was so sweet to hear him share how badly babies need diapers and explain that "every little bit helps." He raised another $21 tonight. He has raised $244 ...

Last night, on the fourth of July, we took our little guys to a parking lot near Oak Hollow Lake and to watch the fireworks. As we sat there watching the sky light up,   I was overcome with d éjà vu. I recalled a time when I was 15 years old, watching the fireworks with Bryan.  In our little town the fair was a pretty big deal. Every September the fair came to town and throughout the entire week, each night would end with beautiful fireworks. On school nights we weren't allowed to hang out that late but on the weekends, Bryan and I would often watch the fireworks from the "triangle" in our neighborhood. We lived in the same neighborhood and a big patch of grass in the shape of the triangle was the half way point between our houses. We often hung out together and with other neighborhood friends at the triangle. We often watched the fireworks from this place.  When I was 15 and Bryan was 17, he had a black mustang. This September night we drove up the road, pas...

For the  Lord   God is a sun   and shield;      the  Lord  bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold      from those whose walk is blameless.  Lord  Almighty, blessed  is  the one who trusts in you Psalm 84: 11-12 I've been pondering Psalm 84:11-12 for a couple of weeks now. It has become one of my favorite verses. After really digging into this verse on my own and in Bible study this morning, I feel like God speaks volumes through these 38 simple words.  God is a sun and a shield. Like the sun, God provides for us, nourishes us, and is always present. The sun provides hope with each new day, just as God gives hope in even the worst situation. Like a shield, God protects us and gives us security. We can hide behind Him and feel safe. But, a shield does no good just laying near by. It only protects when picked up and used appropriately. The same is true with God. If we...

The High Point Pregnancy Care Center is a nonprofit organization that serves women and families making decisions about their pregnancies. They also provide emotional and material support for new mothers. The best part is, they are able to share the love of Jesus with anyone who walks in the door! Our Sunday School class has done service projects for the Pregnancy Care Center in the past and Dylan loved helping us! So when we heard a few days ago that the High Point Pregnancy Care Center is in desperate need of diapers, we wanted to help!  This morning I asked Dylan if he would like come up with a plan to collect money and/or diaper donations for the Pregnancy Care Center. He could barely contain his excitement. Within minutes he had diapers, wagons, tape, markers, paper, and lots of ideas. Within ten minutes we were making the following video for "Dylan' Diaper Doozie!" This evening Dylan wanted to walk around the neighborhood with his little wagon and ask a...

Our church has a furniture ministry that provides donated furniture to people in our community that are in need. A couple of Saturdays a month volunteers gather to pick up furniture and deliver furniture. Bryan has helped with this ministry several times but this morning he took Dylan along. Dylan has been so excited about serving. When he woke up this morning he told Bryan, "I slept good and I just did 10 jumping jacks so I'm really strong and ready for the furniture ministry!" He couldn't wait to get out the door today. Bryan said that Dylan was a tremendous helper. He has always had a kind, helpful heart. When he was just a toddler he began helping me do the laundry and emptying the dishwasher because I couldn't bend over due to my back injury. He also loves to help with the trash and the yard work so I wasn't surprised that he was eager to do all he could to serve today! Evan and I stayed home since a 20 month old can't lift much and neither can I...