The McCarty Family

I just finished the journey of ONE THOUSAND GIFTS - A Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.  Farmer's wife and mother of six - she earns a voice in my mind.

She has gracefully and poetically invited me in and spoken to my soul about thankfulness, grace and being met by God in any moment life offers.  I love how this book met me so perfectly in this season of life.  A season, at home with life full of children and the mundane.  God enters in and the ordinary becomes a reason to rejoice and moments with children become opportunities to love.  Definitely have been in need of more of that in my life.

I just wanted to share a couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

"I may have always known that change takes real intentionality, like a woman bent over her garden beds every day with a spade and the determined will to grow up something good to strengthen the heart." (43)

But she didn't know how to begin and with that came the birth of one thousand gifts.  Writing one thousand things to be thankful for.

"God is not in need of magnifying by us so small, but the reverse.  It's our lives that are little and we have falsely inflated self, and in thanks we decrease and the world returns right.  I say thanks and I swell with Him and I swell the world and He stirs me, joy all afoot." (59)

2 moments that struck me had to do with my parenting and I know that God is speaking to me, asking me to let Him enter in to these moments.

HURRY


"Being in a hurry.  Getting to the next things without fully entering the thing in front of me.  I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry.  But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing... Through all that haste I thought I was making up time.  It turns out I was throwing it away."                                           Mark Buchanan

"I have lived the runner, panting ahead in worry, pounding back in regrets, terrified to live in the present, because here-time asks me to do the hardest of all: just open wide and receive." (69)

CHILDREN

Stay tuned...

What a gem to have this four generation picture with me, my mom, her mom and my grandpa's mom. My mom's dress on the other hand... ;) love you mom!


My neighbor (who has watched me grow up as well) came over a couple of days ago. I had my baby book out as we were comparing my pictures with Everly. She took a look and said, "That is how I think of your Grandma." I said, "to me she will always have white hair (because she did by the time I was old enough to really remember)."

As the day went on I thought about my response and how I think of my grandma and she has white hair. But what really struck me was how beautiful she is to me. And honestly I think that she could have green hair or no hair and she would be just as beautiful. In fact, I hardly notice what she looks like because when I see her I just see Grandma and all that represents.

Beauty. My kids don't care what I look like, do they? They will know me as mom and what that will represent. I hope that they see beautiful. And I know that my hair, make-up or clothes will not define that for them. My heart and actions will.