A Week in the Life: Sunday Photos

Last day. I’m feeling relieved!

But I also feel glad that I did it. I took pictures of many things I might not have thought of, and I know that a few years from now, these pictures will give us a really good taste of what life was like for us right now.

Here’s our Sunday:

Waking up.

Breakfast.

Church.

Lunch.

Playing.

Reading.

Tickling.

Working in the kitchen, making a dish to take to a potluck.

Getting home (after forgetting to take a picture of the potluck!) and working on pictures for the day.

If you’ve been following along this last week, you’ve probably seen a lot more of my family than you’ve ever wished to see! There are a few thoughts that have been in my mind as I’ve gone along with this project:

1) Everybody has their own “normal”.

I post photos of our little life, and our “normal” way of doing things, but it could be completely different from what other people think of as “normal”. I think it’s awesome that we get to choose our own version of “normal”. We do family and home the way we feel best about it, and it’s going to look different for everybody. Thank goodness!

2) Things are not always the way they seem.

My friend said to me the other day, “Your kitchen always looks so sparkling in the morning!”

Two confessions: Sometimes I move a little junk out of the way to make a prettier picture. Sometimes I just leave it.

And…a good camera can blur the mess in the background right out so that no one can notice.

She said, “Oh good, can  you take a picture of me with that fancy camera of yours, and blur out the stuff that isn’t perfect?!”

And I thought of how perfect she is to me, no fancy camera or blurring necessary.

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I love my life, I love my family, I love that I get to spend every day with these sweet girls of ours. It is not perfect. Sometimes the background needs to be blurred a bit.

But all of this, the messy parts, and the shiny parts, the joyful parts and the whiny parts…all of it make up my life right now and I’m so very, very thankful for it!

I hope you’re seeing all of it, in your own life. I hope you see the steam coming off the pancakes, and the sun streaming in the window.

A few years ago, I was walking outside with a friend on an evening when the moon was so full and bright, it was absolutely breathtaking. All I could do was gaze at that moon, not even watching where I was going. Finally I said to my friend, “That is just incredibly beautiful.”

And she said, “What?”

Oh, that I would always have eyes to see the moon, and the little hands leaving little toys in funny places, and the mess that’s made because my family is here in this home with me. My floor is always dirty, and the dishes and the laundry never stay clean for long, but there is so much beauty in our mess.

That is what I’m thankful for this week. That is what I want to remember. That is what I always want to see.

And so, as you start this new week, I wish you many moments of truly seeing all of the little joys before you. May this week in your life be a good one!

How to Have More Fun Reading a Blog

I know, it’s hard to believe that it could possibly be more fun. But it’s true. I’ve experienced it all over again this last week.

Here’s the secret:

Leave comments.

I don’t write that because I’m begging for comments. Seriously. You don’t have to comment on this blog. Just go comment on any blog. More than once.

The reason? Because then we start experiencing community. Once you join in the discussion, it becomes yours. You care far more about that blog, and the people who write it or read it along with you. You become connected. You get to know what kind of people enjoy reading the same blog that you enjoy reading. So much fun to be had by all.

I also read on this blog that if you want to show appreciation to someone for the time and effort they put into writing a good blog post, the best way to show it is by commenting. I read a lot of blogs, and ever since I came across that thought, I’ve felt like I need to comment more, just like I say “thank you” when someone does something for me.

But guess what? Commenting the first couple of times scared me – very much. I got extremely nervous and worked up over the whole thing, which was extremely silly, because it’s not like it’s a big deal, but it was really out of my comfort zone. I was very self-conscious about writing something that would sound dumb.

And then I made a mistake while I was trying to post my comment, and accidentally posted it twice, which felt like it was announcing to the world that I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. And I didn’t, but I didn’t want anyone to actually know that I didn’t. I am not what you would call computer-savvy.

So of course I had to call Ben and tell him all about how I made a complete fool of myself in blog world, and I was so embarrassed, and then I told him that I would never post anything on a blog again. And my darling husband responded with, “That’s exactly why you SHOULD keep posting. No one is going to remember or care. It’s good for you – it will stretch you.”

And then I had to get over myself, and work up my courage, and start posting comments regularly.

Funny how that was such a big deal, when I write on my own blog all the time.

So I get it. It’s kind of intimidating. And yet you might be the person who will gain the most from it. You will transform from a lurker to a member. You will feel a sense of ownership. Other people might be blessed or inspired from the things that you have to say. And it might even be fun!

You should at least give it a try. Somewhere. Anywhere. I know you can do it!