Back to School Tradition

The start of school marks a tradition in our home that Stephen started years ago.

On the first day of school Stephen gives the kids two packages of Starbursts in their lunch box, one is for the first day of school and the other for the last day.

He does this because when he was in the Navy and would go out to sea on the submarine, he would buy two packages of Starbursts and eat one on the way out to sea and the other on the way home. He said it was always a reminder to begin with the end in mind.

Having that second package in their lunch box all year encourages our kids to do the same and teaches them patience, delayed gratification, to resist temptation and that there is always something to look forward to.

Have they always made it until the last day of school? Nope. A couple times the second pack was eaten around February. Yet the majority of the time they surprisingly have done it!

I share this with you today as I love this tradition Stephen started and figured if you too want to teach similar lessons to your kids it’s a fun way to do so!

With love,

Shawn

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride…”

- Ecclesiastes 7:8

Love grows

They keep growing and so does the love

Wishing everyone a blessed school year!

With love and hope,

Shawn

Live Close to God

Do you ever wrestle with having a joyful day when at the same time you know there is someone struggling?

While we were away this dichotomy was very present and on my heart. Here I was having a lovely time on vacation with my family, yet there were some tragic world events that were happening, and I was in touch with a couple of friends who are going through very hard times.

How does one live fully in their day when the heart is pulled in two different directions?

The one thing that helps me is praying for God’s truth to lead me. You see, if I let the emotions of either extreme lead me, I would most likely either have fun and forget reality or I’d be so weighed down by reality I wouldn’t be able to have fun with my family.

This is why knowing God’s word and letting His truth lead me is so important and helpful. By spending time with God in His word, I am able to see that joy is a gift God gives us to experience yet He is also real about in this world there will be trouble.

So how do we live well in the midst of these two extremes?

Let’s look at it in this picture. The light represents the joy and the dark the struggles. We often tend to be on one side of the other. Yet God dwells on the line where these two meet. And this is where God wants us to dwell, with Him in both.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

If we are experiencing joy, may we stay close enough to God to see the struggles in life and pray about what is ours to say and/or do to help others.

And if we are in a season of struggle, or know someone who is, may we not allow the struggle to rule our heart. Instead may we stay close enough to God so He will show us the joy that is still available to us, even in the times of struggle.

I know this practice is easier said than done. Yet I wouldn’t share it with you if I didn’t experience this truth myself and know it is possible for us to live in this space of grace beside God.

With love and hope,

Shawn

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

- John 8:31-32

Use the Available Supports

Use the available supports to help you

———

As we were walking down a rocky section of a mountain, Stephen said, “use the available supports to help you.”

I love these words, but truth be told, I am good about practicing them coming down the side of a mountain but not always great at practicing them in life. You?

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Whatever rockiness we are experiencing in life, may we be sure to use whatever supports are available to help us through. It may be humbling and hard to ask for the support yet it will be worth it.

And if we are the one who is able to provide support for someone else going through a hard time, may we be willing to lend a hand their way to help them through.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. - Matthew 7:7

Walk with Purpose

Walk with purpose with wisdom leading you.

———

On our family walks Kate and Gavin usually take the lead. Some of the hikes this week were new and I wasn’t sure what was ahead. I wanted to be in control and make sure everyone was safe along the way. I wanted to take the lead and make everyone follow me.

That is what I wanted. But what was needed?

Letting them explore and find their way, and ask questions when they needed more info.

I encouraged them walk with purpose and let wisdom lead them.

Why?

Because in the end, I want our kids to listen to God leading them, not me.

If you too at times find yourself having trouble taking a step back and letting your kids move ahead without you, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Rather than thinking we need to be in control, may we point them to God who is. May we do what is ours to do and encourage our kids to walk with purpose, with wisdom leading them.

May we pray they make wise choices in their best interest, and in the interest of others. Yet may we also know they may misstep. May we show up for them when they do and trust any misstep will be a stepping stone they will use back to the path God has for them.

This may be a more challenging path to take yet I have learned that at times experience is a better teacher for our kids than I ever will be.

With love and hope,

Shawn

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

- 2 Corinthians 5:7

With every step we are growing stronger

With every step we are growing stronger.

———

As I was watching Kate, Gavin and Matt hike, every so often I’d be the annoying Mom saying things like, “with every step we are growing stronger.” Yes, I was saying it to them but the reality is, I needed to hear it as well. Yes, on a hike with every step we are growing stronger in many ways but the same is true in life for them, and for me.

With Kate and Gavin both being in High School this year, I see how time with them at home is slowly decreasing. My prayer over our three kids is that by the time they leave, we will have done what is ours to do, to help strengthen them from the inside out, so they will be able to stand solid on their own as they enter the world. Every year we pray that they lean on us less and into who God more and more.

It’s a beautiful process to watch your kids grow stronger. Yet it is challenging too. I find that I grow stronger in this process by holding on to them less and letting go and trusting God with our kids more.

No matter your age, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember that every step on a mountain and in life is an opportunity for us to grow stronger, from the inside out. May our strength grow from our trust in God, that He made us, and our children, strong enough for each step we take along the way.

With love and hope,

Shawn

His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. - Psalm 119:105

Pause to appreciate who and what is around you

Pause to appreciate who

and what is around you.

———

On our family hikes Matt is usually at the back. It’s not that he can’t go faster, but Matt is the one who pauses to appreciate everything around us.

He pauses to stand on the rocks and look around.

He pauses to touch the water.

He pauses to say hi to the other hikers going the opposite way and lets them know of what they can expect ahead of them.

He pauses to pick me a flower.

He pauses often to appreciate who and what is around him.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we too pause to appreciate who and what is around us today. We may not get where we are going as fast, yet we will be more likely to see the gifts God has placed for us along the way.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above… - James 1:17

Settle In The Present

Don’t miss the present moment by dwelling on the past or having unrealistic expectations of yourself, or others. ———

Four years ago we went to Acadia two months after I finished treatment. Acadia holds a special place in my heart. Our time there four years ago hold some of my most precious memories with my family and a time when I was so close to God, nothing but peace ruled my heart and mind. When we arrived back in Acadia last week, I was so grateful and excited for the time with my family. Yet when I thought about our last trip there, I started judging myself for not being in the same space mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually as I had been four years ago. I started wishing I was who I was four years ago instead of accepting who I am today. It took me a day or so to let go of the past, giving thanks for what it was, and stop beating myself up for not being who I expected myself to be. Instead I prayed to be present, accept myself for who I am today, and enjoy my family and the new experiences we were having together. I share this with you in case you too can dwell on the past and/or have unrealistic expectations of yourself, or others. I invite you to join me to… pause. breathe. pray. May we give thanks for what was and let go of unrealistic expectations we are carrying. By doing this, may we settle in to the present moment, be with who we are with and give space for God to do something new in our lives, and in our hearts and minds

With love and hope, Shawn

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19

Look Back

Sometimes looking back helps us see how far we’ve come.

Help Others

I took this picture on a family hike this week because I appreciated how Gavin paused to help Matt.

Yet then I saw two other pictures this week that stopped me in my tracks.

In one picture I saw a boy, about Gavin’s age, on the phone while a boy, looking about Matt’s age, was next to him. Yet these boys weren’t in the woods hiking. They were on the tarmac at the airport in Afghanistan.

The other picture I saw was of a girl from Haiti who was around Kate’s age holding an IV drip of a child that looked to be Matt’s age.

These pictures captured my heart, seeing these teens, who are still kids themselves, take the role of caretaker for these younger children.

I couldn’t help but picture the children in those pictures being my own children.

Imagine if these were our kids having these experiences today?

Putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes will give us the lens to see through that will help our hearts understand deeper what others go through.

Yes, it’s easier to not think about it. Yet wouldn’t we want someone to think about it if we were the ones in need?

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes today to grow in empathy and compassion for their experience. May we ask God what is ours to do. It may not seem like we can do much sometimes, yet may we remember prayer is always helpful even when direct action may not be possible. Yet if there are ways to do more than pray, may we do what we are able to, just as we’d hope someone would do for us, if we were the ones in their shoes.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Two requests:

- Please pray for a friend who has family with four children ages 3,5,7 and 11 who are trying to leave Afghanistan. Please pray for their safety as they wait and for there to be a path out for them

- A friend, Mary Lou, has a nonprofit called Helping Haitian Children. I’ve worked with her for years and know she has contacts in Haiti. Any donations made will go to help a nonprofit she’s connected with in Jeremie. To donate visit: https://www.helpinghaitianchildren.com/donate

"Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ."

- Galatians 6:2