June 25th: "Three Gifts Today in Someone Older Than You"

Being that I spend all my time with people much younger than I, today's quest took my thoughts to my one surviving grandparent, Mamaw.  I don't get to see Mamaw very much.  She lives six hours away.  But this nearly 94-year-old has always been a gift to my family....

Aside from being a great cook and knowing how to laugh, Mamaw has also taught me some invaluable lessons....

#527  Love your family

#528  Work hard

#529  Tell stories

 If God grants me the grace to inch toward the century mark, may my mind be as quick, my biscuits be as fluffy, my laughter be as hearty,  and my spirit be as loving as my Mamaw.

June 24th: "A Gift in Water, in Words, in White"

#524  In Water:  Laughter and fun in the pool

#525  In Words:  Goals...

#526  In White:  Squares and Polka Dots in line at the movies....

June 23rd: "Three Gifts Found Around A Table"

#521  My family

#522  Smiles

#523  Stories

July 22nd: "Three Gifts That Are Difficult"

#518  Change....rarely easy, but often worth it

#519  Maintaining Balance...in a swirling world

#520  Intentional Fellowship...planning, execution, enjoying, connecting

June 21st: "Three Gifts Found in Light"

#515  Transparency...what you see is what you get--flaws and all....

#516  Value Relationships...different shades of the same color...

#517  Reflections...just the "getting to see" is a gift....

June 20th: "A Gift Bent, Beautiful, Loved"

#512  Bent:  Palm Trees in the Sanctuary

#513  Beautiful:  Rain

#514  Loved:  Little boys and games---especially with water and running

June 19th: "Three Gifts You Became Today In Serving"

#509  Absent.....Mother's Day Out does all of us good.

#510  Sweaty...but with a cleaned-up garage.

#511  Vulnerable...honesty fosters connection

June 18th: "Three Gifts From Your Heavenly Father"

#506  Seeing beauty

#507  The calling to seek Him

#508  Community

June 17th: "Three Gifts in Your Dad"

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

#503  Sense of humor and fun

#504  Love of music (and knowledge of classic cars)

#505  Appreciation of family 

June 16th: "Three Gifts Moving"

#500  "Herbie the Honda":  219,000 miles of moving.

#501  Volunteers building Galilee...

#502  "Mike the Mazda":  Here's to MORE moving!

June 15th: "Three Gifts In His Word"

#497  "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."   Psalm 150: 6

#498  "You make known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in your presence..."  Psalm 16:11

#499  "Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him in music and song."  Psalm 95:2

June 13th: "A Gift Unexpected, Unwanted, Unlikely"

#494:  Unexpected:  All five colors on Lucy's nails!

#495  Unwanted:  Running in church, but it's empty and look how happy she is.....

#496  Unlikely:  EVER having a dog, but for now, we have Angel Paws at the library.

June 13th: "Three Gifts Smelled"

#491  Rosemary & Sage with the butter churning demo at the museum

#492  Coffee Beans in the "Commissary" in the Historical Village

#493  Crop Duster (okay, the smell was not a gift, but the acrobatics were...)

June 12th: "Three Gifts Full"

Happy Birthday to my dear Eldest Child!  Seven years old....a lucky number.  What magic will you bring this year?  You are a gift.

#488  Four-plus hours of playing in a full cooler  (make for a peaceful, productive day for Momma)

#489  Full snack cups of chocolate ice cream (accompanied by squeals of delight)

#490  Containers on the patio getting full of rain in the afternoon  (oh, how I love rain)

June 11th: "Three Gifts Painted"

My 38th birthday.  It's funny...I've always felt about 27.  Now, I'm officially in the "late 30's"...let's see if that "young at heart" adage is true....  All considered, a really good birthday.  One to remember.

I digress.

#485  Ella's nails and my nails.  Painted the same color because she is with my folks for the week.  We'll think of each other when we see our painted nails.

#486  The painting of bread behind our table at Panera, my birthday lunch with folks and kids.

#487  The twins "painting" the patio with water balloons...kept them busy for a while.

June 10th: "A Gift at 8 , at 12, at 2"

 Happy 46th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!  What a joy and gift is the love you have for each other.  Love you.

#482  8:00 a.m.....Reading the paper with Mom and Dad, with coffee and cinnamon rolls....

#483  12:00 noon....Leftover parrot napkins from the birthday party...used at a delicious lunch of barbeque chicken and squash

#484  2:00 p.m....Lucy's recital  {sigh}

June 9th: "Three Gifts That Made You Really Smile"

On a day where we celebrated the Eldest's seventh birthday, with a parrot party and cake and friends and laughter, we had no shortage of smiles today, but I give you some highlights:

#479  Lucy's dance recital dress rehearsal...joy set to music.

#480  Joel, Jack, and "Angry Birds"...perfecting the party game.

#481  Ella, the "Princess Scientist"