My sister Coralie said to me yesterday, ‘We don’t need big faith – there’s no such thing as big faith – faith is faith. We need simple faith in a big God.’ This year’s thanksgiving journey has kind of been about living that simple faith – letting all of life fall on a mirror to reflect the tender mercies of the Giver. It’s not trivial or trite to bow low in gratitude for every sunrise, every gap in the traffic, every smile at the school gate. Flinging them up and out in eucharisteo reminds me that I am not the centre of the story.

This week’s 39 things:

1132 First jasmine – winter’s imminent morphing into spring

1133 Letting go and letting the boys create a paint-and-glue disaster on the patio

1134 Scraggly nests in bare winter branches

1135 Lying with Cam in the dark on the top bunk and unpacking the day

1136 Namaqualand daisies lining the pavement of the indigenous nursery down the road

1137 Remembering that stuff is just stuff because Scott dropped my iPad and cracked the screen

1138 Topdeck chocolate cake with Jo

1139 Some parenting perspective

1140 Super chuffed to be the mom of two potty-trained children

1141 Leaving the house with a handbag instead of a nappy bag and feeling all grownup –

1142 And then humbled by Scott having an accident in his undies

1143 Cam building a box car all on his own (almost)

1144 Samantha’s new occupational therapy practice at HCS – what a blessing

1145 Marmite and Milo thick and sticky around small happy mouths

1146 Boys braaiing marshmallows with cousins on a Friday afternoon, just sommer

1147 Lachlan and Analia staying over for a night en route to their African honeymoon destinations

1148 Cam’s swimming lessons cancelled until August – an extra afternoon in our week

1149 Milktart straight out of the oven with Elnette and Kona

1150 Dave Crewe-Brown – diagnosed two years ago with cancer and living the miracle today

1151 Cape Cottage laminate flooring in our new house (so pretty I want to write poetry about it)

1152 Lovely long chat to my Dad-in-law on the phone while I washed dishes on a Sunday afternoon

1153 Lawn dressing

1154 Cam – able to verbalise clearly his fear over an upcoming eye operation and examination under anaesthetic –

1155 And his calm, brave realism (He said yesterday, ‘They are going to do an operation on my eye muscles to help me see better. But I still won’t see very well. Even if I eat a LOT of carrots to get a LOT of carotene I won’t see VERY well.’)

1156 Throwing out junk so none goes with us in the move

1157 Learning to say no to opportunities that distract

1158 Scott, of his Teacher Liesel: ‘She a beautiful lady!’

1159 Scott, of me: ‘Mom, you a beautiful lady!’

1160 Numbered days

1161 Washing powder

1162 The resurrection

1163 Remembering how well God knows me and everyone

1164 Remembering that most of the things that overwhelm me are first world problems

1165 Preparing for the ECC Ladies Conference this weekend

1166 Billy Joel goodness

1167 Sundried tomatoes, feta, bacon and mushrooms fried in garlic olive oil

1168 Doors that close – showers that are hot

1169 Boxes of hair colour

1170 Hearts that stay soft when they have every reason to choose hard

 

Photo credit