My Pleasure

If you've been to Chick-fil-A, you've heard it..."My pleasure." After hearing it so much, it kind of loses the polite factor and may edge on annoying. However, I talked with my daughter about bringing "My pleasure" home. You won't hear us say it (at least not often), but in attitude, we agreed to treat the members of our family like it's our pleasure to help, serve, love them. Some days it's not that we want to help, serve or love, but because we love Jesus who loved us first, we choose to do care about these people. It's not usually because of their goodness, but because of God's that we love Him by showing compassion, grace, or forgiveness to them. With His help, we can love even our closest neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:31).

Spring Activities

Opening week of baseball season! Whoo-hoo! Anybody else excited about that? I was not always that way. I wasn't really a sports girl. I didn't play sports in school, and we didn't watch a lot of sports. When I stayed at my grandparents house as a girl and Papaw turned on the baseball game, I thought it was so b.o.r.i.n.g. Then I met my SweetHeart who loves baseball. He took me to a Rangers game and I was hooked. He taught me how to score a game. That helped me learn the rules and understand what was happening. Now I really enjoy the slow pace as we enjoy the game together--especially when we can go to a live game. As our kids have reached the age to play little league, they can't wait to sign up! And it has been so much fun to watch them play.

Here is a question for you...I'm sure your springs are super busy too. How do you manage meals and practices and games and...?

Have your likes changed over the years too? What spring activities do you enjoy with your family?

posted by Shelly, Mom and Loving It Ministries Assistant

Summer Run-Away

Last week was a little piece of heaven. We ran-away from daily life. Thanks to my travel savvy husband we headed out of town for an inexpensive vacation. The kids were ours, and we were theirs. There was no opportunity to ask, "Can a friend come over?" because there were no friends around (not that we don't like our friends!!) We had no internet in our rooms, so daddy and I (and our bewildered teen) weren't clamoring for time on the web.


We needed it. Our family had been going in running 10 different directions as the school year ended. It was time that we ran away. Sometimes I feel like 9 of those different directions are mine! I say that "we" needed the time away, but I was desperate for it. I had to slow down and just be. And in stopping to enjoy my family, I realized that I like being with them! In fact, I loved it.


I also had a chance to spend quality time with God. I like Him, too. What a blessing to be loved by Him not because I'm so lovable, but because He is loving. (See The Love Dare - Day 8 or 9).


After coming back to the real world, I'm more aware of my family and of my relationship with God...and how precious both are.


Maybe you can't run away from home this summer, but, why not try a day or 2 of vacation at home? It takes some planning, but you can create a haven in the heat of summer to bring your hearts back home. Game night, movie night, a baking day, water sprinklers in the back yard...


My prayer for our time was, "Lord, please help us enjoy the time away as much as we'll enjoy the memories later." He certainly answered that prayer for us. I hope that as you take your moments and run with them this summer, He will do the same for you!