Top Ten of 2023

I enjoy looking over the year in photos and choosing my "top ten", which honestly might be a different ten on a different day. With 10,000+ photos in a year I could take forever deliberating, instead I just scroll through quickly and use my gut. It becomes more and more true to me that the sweetest, most important moments in life are usually not fancy. Instead, they are wrapped up in everyday, ordinary life.

In chronological order..

A boy still young enough to care about putting a lego set together, the living room where I spent many hours in a recliner, flowers from my recent surgery a symbol of so, so many people praying and sending meals and messages and just generally showing us love.

A particularly beautiful sunrise. I hope to never stop being absolutely delighted by this daily event and so much of nature.

Beauty is such a gentle grace. Like God, it rarely shouts, rarely intrudes. 

Rather it woos, soothes, invites; it romances and caresses. 

We often sigh in the presence of beauty as it begins to minister to us— 

a good, deep soul-sigh. -John Eldredge

My guy is by my side whenever possible. He is immeasurably patient and long-suffering. He steadfastly bears so many burdens and just keeps loving big.

We were together. I forget the rest. ~Walt Whitman

Amanda took the next step in her faith to be baptized and to become a member of our church. From the time all our kids were born we have taught them about God and they have witnessed us living out our faith, but at some point their faith needs to become their own. Its was special to get to witness her taking these steps.

I so enjoy being a part of Teen Bible Quiz! I don't feel especially qualified and being sick has been limiting, but it is a great joy to study the Bible alongside the team, to hear them quoting scripture that I know will still be with them 30 years from now, to watch them grow in relationship with each other.  

Florida is a very beloved family tradition. We get to spend time with Nana and it is a big, welcomed exhale after crossing the tax season finish line. 

Graduation! She made it! We made it! So very proud of all that she navigated to get to this point and so very grateful to be there to witness it and celebrate her.

Us, being very us on a most ordinary day.

This little boy brings so much joy but the relationship with his parents is complicated. This picture is an answer to many prayers. Its also representative of so many little miracles we experienced this year with former foster children. I had made peace with the fact that I wouldn't see the fruit of our love, sweat and tears in this lifetime, but we did get some glimpses this year.

It was a big soccer year. I still think its so gutsy that Aiden went back to soccer after being cut from the middle school team as a 6th grader. This year took a ton of bravery again. As an incoming freshman, he played in the summer league with the high school boys and did optional group conditioning on hot summer mornings. In the fall he made the team and earned the starting goalie spot on JV. And then he weathered the disappointment of being sidelined with his shoulder. He had lots of character-building opportunities and leaned into them. It was a wonder to witness. 

At the end of a playoff game, Amanda walked off the field one last time. A flood of memories and emotions came...we had so many fun years, particularly when Shaun was coaching her on the town comp team with some of her sweet, close friends. Good grief, that girl pushed against her dad's efforts and also, for all of us, they were some special times.