Simple Thoughts

There’s a tropical storm coming for Florida. It’s a few days before hurricane season, but here it comes anyways. On our to-do list before all the heavy rain comes was to pick all the ripe blueberries off our bushes. 10-12 bushes out in our backyard that Adam had planted over the years. I’ve always enjoyed going out, fighting off the mosquitoes and getting a small bowl of blueberries to eat that afternoon with the kids. I took a big bowl out this time though since I was going to check all the plants in the garden to harvest anything before the storm. I picked some cherry tomatoes and a couple stray green beans. I found a handful of blackberries. Then I made my way to the blueberry bushes.  I started picking. It was barely drizzling rain. Then I kept picking. Wow. I thought to myself that the bushes were way more loaded than I thought. The rain picked up a little. The breeze was getting a little more than a light breeze. But what a refreshing, steady rain. I kept picking. J...

I’ve hiked a little ways on a mountain in Colorado before. I don’t remember getting winded or having a hard time. Last week, I did more than hike. I stayed on a mountain. For six days. My usual 250 feet above sea level went to 9,000 feet above sea level. I realized something. It was something I had read about, and people had told me, and I knew might actually happen. But it’s different when it actually happens to you. Truth is, I think most of us tend to think we will be able to handle it. We think there’s no way it would happen to us. But y’all. My body didn’t know what to do with itself. The air was dry to my skin, but that was the least of my problem. My heart would be pounding in my chest even while sleeping. My body was having to work so hard for things that should be commonplace like walking or going up steps. After five days, I finally felt normal. I had finally acclimated.... just in time for me to leave a day later.  It was a great example of a lesson God ha...

A couple months in to starting CrossFit, my gym did an in-house version of the Open (which they do every fall).   We did workouts that counted towards the competition on a weekly basis for a handful of weeks.   My only goal for those weeks was to not be last on the final rankings. I actually figured I would be last since I had just started, but I figured shooting for “not last” was a good goal.   When the final rankings came out, I was second to the last and I was ecstatic.   Following that Open, the gym had a one-day competition to mirror the “Regionals” level for the top athletes from the Open.   I knew there was no way I would get to compete in that unless a ton of people wouldn’t be able to make it that day, but I was just excited I would get to cheer for Adam, so I was happy.   But then I got an e-mail.   Four months in to CrossFit.   *Gulp* I was terrified, but I figured it would be fun.   So Adam and I both signed up to comp...

  I have never been one to make yearly goals or resolutions in January to conquer in a year.   I changed that in 2017 though.   I made some goals.   I made CrossFit goals and also made a goal in my Christian walk. For my CrossFit goals, I picked 10 (which turned into 11) things that seemed like fun things to shoot for.   A few goals seemed pretty close to attain, a lot seemed distant, and a couple seemed crazy, but I picked them and wrote them down nonetheless. It's the end of December a year later.   I conquered 2 out of 11. Some of those remaining 9, I have tried and failed. Some of the remaining 9, I know I'm not strong enough to do yet. Some of those remaining 9, I simply do not have the mental fortitude to attempt (cough cough, like my running mile time, cough cough). I am proud of those two though that I could cross off my list. I worked hard for them. Am I disappointed that I didn't even finish half of my goals? Sure, ...

I sat in the rocking chair, trying to rock her to sleep. My three year old was beyond grumpy and belligerent (as much as the family angel can be), and she was in desperate need of a nap. I was holding her in my lap, and as I rocked her, she decided she didn’t want me to touch her. She didn’t want my arms around her like I normally hold her, so I moved my arms, trying hard to balance her on my lap but still give her the freedom to refuse my embrace. I waited a minute and then tried to put my arms around her again. She pushed me away again. I was smiling just because I knew it was evident of how grumpy she was being. I knew she wanted me to hold her and I knew as soon as she got tired enough, I would be able to put my arms around her. Another minute passed and she didn’t care anymore. She let me hold her and wrap my arms around her.  As I kept rocking her, I realized we do that to God a lot. He’s holding us and loving us and then one moment, we decide we want to be independent a...

There is a great book called “Love and Respect” by Dr.Emerson Eggerichs. It talks about the need that people have for love and respect. The book specifically deals with men’s need for respect and women’s need for love.   It’s a great book if you want to check it out, but that’s not why I’m writing this. I want to discuss something he mentions though, called the “Crazy Cycle.” You see, I’m pretty sure all of humanity, especially in this country, are all stuck in a crazy cycle with each other. In the Crazy Cycle, someone reacts without love (or respect) and then the other person feels unloved (or disrespected) so they react without respect (or love) and then the cycle continues on and on and on.   Lack of love breeds disrespect which breeds lack of love and so on. The ONLY way to stop the Crazy Cycle is to actually have someone make the conscious decision to react in love or respect even when they feel like their needs of love or respect are not being met.   What a ...

This evening, the kids helped Adam work outside. They were moving rocks from a pile into a wheelbarrow and then spreading the rocks out in the driveway. Most of the time, Adam was doing the wheelbarrow.  Then Samuel wanted to do it. Adam let him and Samuel did pretty well. Adam had to help him push just a little going up the hill but for the most part, he could do it.  The whole time Samuel was pushing it though, Danielle was right at his heels yelling, "I want to push it, Daddy! Let me push it! I want to push it!" I knew there was no way she would be strong enough, but Adam told her she could do it further up the road.  She kept asking to do it like any three year old would and finally we got to the point in the road where Adam let her try.  She tried. And pushed. And tried some more. That wheelbarrow wouldn't move.  She didn't know how to lift up while pushing and I doubt she was strong enough even if she knew how. She was determined ...