extreme thankfulness

as of late, i find myself with an overflowing of extreme thankfulness

sitting outside looking around our back yard last night, jack was swimming, I was sipping a half glass of white wine, an overflow of thank you came from my heart..

the landscaped yard given to us by my in-laws who funded the project
the pool--originally unwanted part of our house purchase, a pork barrel of sorts..if you will--now a huge blessing to our family and to many others who come and go from it daily
the house completely out of our reach in a climbing economy became possible because the Lord saw fit
and...the two sons..both in the house sleeping, both bring a joy to my heart that I never would have known and still find it hard to even express with written words

all of this for
two unlikely sinners who both struggle with ugly sin like same sex attraction, apathy, idolatry...
a man and woman who strive to fill ourselves with things that will never satisfy...

I am extremely thankful that Our Giving Father chooses to lavish blessing on
jack and heather, even as we struggle to be in relationship with Him.

He gave all of this to our family and even His life.

He gave it all to bring glory back to Himself.

for my own entertainment

ryan jefferson yesterday

can't figure out how to turn this..but this is me when i was a baby

ryan j and jackson

doesn't ryan j have a little resemblance to me?? please? i want to have a little to do with at least one of my boys :)

Thanks for entertaining the idea.. :)

a few pictures to catch up my non-facebook readers

Introducing Ryan Jefferson Morse...

smiles are hard to come by as of yet..but here is one

he doesn't look just like his brother when his brother was this age

jackson at similar age

i shouldn't forget to put in a picture of sweet jackson who still loves to be in the center of attention

big brother and little budda bean

whew i am back

want to share pictures
share an update on how life is with two boys
send praise to God on how great i am doing with all of the changes


but instead i just want to pick up where i am..like you do with a friend who has been by your side through everything.

watched little red riding hood last night and a part of the movie struck me.  (very great movie for that kind of thinking that you can't stop....)  (watch the movie..it is full of symbolism and as much depth as you have time to extract..)

i don't have time to give a review of the movie or even catch you up on the story line..but there was a line in the film..that I can't find online, so I will just ad-lib.

something like
The Others..they still live on in fear, for that is all they have ever known..how they have ever known how to live.  They stay far away from the darkness, but fear consumes them.  But I (valerie--red riding hood) live my life in the darkness because the darkness doesn't scare me.

It is a line at the conclusion of the movie..and it troubled me.  The point being we should just give into living in evil rather than living in fear of evil and what it will do to us.  But then the more I think about it today..the more I agree.

If the two options are
1. live in fear of evil, of evil people, of evil in the world, of evil within ourselves to the point of not being able to function or really enjoy life
or
2. live a life of enjoying evil

I choose number two..

But instead..I will choose option 3.

Living a full life of enjoying being a child of the King of life.  Rom 8:15 says "God's spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of Him.  Instead, we become his children and call Him Father." I choose freedom.  I choose fullness...the opposite of fear.  A knowledge that my Father is a Father who has it all taken care of..and loves me.

Being a daughter of the King of the universe who has power over evil and chooses me to be His..is a joy in which I want to bask.