Project 365, Week 41

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. ~Anne of Green Gables

Its actually so beautiful and amazing right now in Connecticut. Shaun and I love watching our kids play soccer and we're in a good routine with school and sports and work. Ordinary, precious life, waking up day after day with breath in our lungs.

October 5

My workout partner. She sticks close because I'm the one who feeds her in the morning. :)

This was the final day of middle school tryouts and decision day. We watched the last bit of it from a distance and saw the coach pull each boy aside to privately tell them the outcome. I could hardly watch. When I saw Aiden finally walking towards us, I could tell he'd gotten cut from the team. Tough stuff.

Immediately, he had to jump into his sisters game as ball boy.

After the game, we went to Aiden's favorite place (Dominos! :) Everyone knows pizza has the power to make things better. ;) We got take out to celebrate being brave enough to try out for the team, to celebrate doing things afraid, to celebrate risking and having guts and punching fear in the face. 

October 6

Pretty morning.

The next day, Aiden was at cross country practice. I was impressed that he licked his wounds and got back up. We found out that only two 6th graders made the team. Because of Covid there is no JV team. 

Neighbor time around the fire...I really enjoy getting time with these ladies.

October 7

Our morning walks are breathtaking.

October 8

Sparkly lake as I drove by (and then stopped :) first thing in the morning.

Aiden's first cross country meet! I was beyond happy to see one of my kids running! It was "away", which meant I wasn't supposed to be there, but, how could I stay away? And why? It was completely outside, everyone was wearing a mask and, with my zoom lens I was able to at least 30 feet away from the closest person. I stood in the parking lot! And I sent pictures to the moms from our team who weren't there.

But days later, God used the verses from 1 Peter we are currently working on in Bible Quiz to convict me. 

Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.

Another translation says 

In order to honor the Lord, you must respect and defer to the authority of every human institution.

(The kicker is, this letter was written to Christians during the reign of Nero, a crazy lunatic who, for example, tared and then burned Christians on a stake to provide lighting for his games. We have super nutty leaders now, but nothing like that) 

I later apologized to Aiden. And, even though I wasn't proud of me, I was SO proud of him!!

October 9

Do you ever wonder what its like to have a 13-year old? Well, here it is. The night before, I had questioned Amanda's snack choices when she got home from soccer practice and was ravenous. She pushed back and declared me to be THE most annoying for suggesting she make a few more healthy choices. Fourteen hours and one health class later, this text message. Oh man...I can't explain how much I love this girl.

Speaking of having teens, this scene is pretty much a dream come true for me. Kids hanging out in my bedroom after youth group, talking about all the things (and leaving their dirty soccer socks). Truly, what an honor to hear their hearts and their funny stories. 

October 10

Early morning, home JV game! So incredible to see both of our girls on the field together. And they got to play the entire game (and Avery scored the only and winning goal!).

October 11

I spent part of the night sleeping on the floor next to his crib, telling him every once in a while, no...all the kids are still sleeping. No, Aiden's in bed sleeping. Its time to go. to. sleep! Finally, it was close enough to morning that we got up. And, like a new mom, I stood in the driveway in my bathrobe gripping my coffee, a little bleary-eyed from a spotty sleep night. But oh, such a beautiful morning!

Shaun took the kids to the field for an hour of soccer practice and Dakota and the dog and I hung out.
 

I took pictures during three services...it was my first time being in the sanctuary since March. In the midst of everything going on, I took time to really notice and appreciate all the beautiful colors of people who sit in these seats. A dude with braids and a sweet old lady, both worshipping the same good God. And that was all around. And people just like them support each other, hang out together, get their children together for play dates and there is love and unity.

And then later we go to a soccer game where Shaun and the kids play with others who are different shades and whose first language is not English. And they run and laugh and joke and agree to play again next week as they have for months. 

In the next field over a different game has wrapped up and white and brown men linger over beers, communicating with an entertaining mixture of English and Spanish, talking about work and women and sports.

At the play scape a white lady who is around the top percent of wealthiest in the world plays silly games with a toddler from the other side of the tracks. 

On an ordinary Sunday we didn't change the world, but this we know....Love wins.