New Every Morning...

I've really been thinking on this lately...the fact that God's mercies are new EVERY morning.  We can have a really bad day (or week, or month...) and be convinced that nothing will ever get better.  And yet, God is full of love and faithfulness that He gives us freely EACH day.  You never know when a new, fresh breath of God's love is waiting for you.  It is encouraging in the hard times and refreshing in the good times.  I am so thankful. And I am definitely feeling it right now as I think I am finally rid of whatever bug was making me so, so sick.  It was much more than morning sickness and am so glad it is gone.  I love feeling the renewed strength (and appetite!) and knowing that He strengthens the weak.

In school Alaina and I are studying the sun (and the letter S).  We have talked about the things that the sun does for us -- it gives us light so that we can see the way to go. We have done fun activities like have Alaina walk around with a blindfold to understand how hard it is to walk in the dark. I give her instructions on where to walk and although she is convinced she has it right, she finds herself in a totally different room than she thought.  It has been fun to parallel these lessons with the Bible teaching that Jesus is the light of the world and just like light (or the sun) He shows us which way to go.  Without Him, it is hard to walk.  We THINK we know where we are going but when the light finally shines we realized we are NOT where we meant to be.  Such good lessons -- for her AND for me :)

This morning we decided to have a sunrise breakfast so she can see the world slowly come to life. It was beautiful and quiet.  I forget what it is like to see the first rays peek through, the hear the birds singing their song, to see the slow ripples on the water.  So serene!

And here is a little something for you, if you want to snag it.  Sometimes a visual reminder is important!

You can download a full-size jpeg file HERE.  Enjoy.

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So, since I was feeling better and because the forecast is calling for rain all weekend, we thought we would head out to Disney yesterday as a family. We normally just spend a few hours there but I was feeling so good that we stayed all the way until we HAD to leave to be back to work at 4. It was great!  We went back to Animal Kingdom and saw a lot more of the park.  I really love it there.  The people who did the design definitely did their research.  The Asia section is SO well done.  The little details are amazing.  If you haven't been to Asia (or India in particular) you might miss a lot of the little subtleties...the Bollywood video posters peeling away off the concrete walls...the way the cement walls and barriers are built...the beautiful Indian wood carvings...the tea shops.  So fun!  And yet, my desire to be back in Asia is so very strong these days that in some ways it just makes my heart ache to even see a reenactment of Asia!  Nonetheless, we all had fun and rode some fun rides! The first ride was Everest -- a really fun roller coaster ride.

Next we headed to the Kali River Rapids.  I didn't want to go since I despise getting wet, but after the kids rode with Jason they wanted to go again.  Thankfully, I didn't get TOO wet and they ran off the ride again yelling, "One more time!" So Jason went with them again and after Caleb came back soaked, he declared, "I ALL DONE!" 

Poor Levi is too small to ride so he just watched with this envious eye on the water!

Today is a TO-DO day at home.  The boys don't have school tomorrow or Friday so today is the last day for us to get a bunch of stuff done.

Have a great day!

Comments

[Hollie]

Glad you are feeling better Janet! Yay! Love the beautiful photo gift! Thanks!!

[MandaKay]

THANK YOU for the beautiful picture and song!!! Very comforting as my grandmother passed away last night. Ironically before passing she had a conversation with my mom and her sister about seasons - very fitting with second verse.

Hope you accomplish all you want to today!

[JanMary, N Ireland]

Just found your wonderful blog. Love the AK pics - we were there last year, and it brought back some great memories. The attention to detail is amazing. TFS

[sarah vrolyk]

Decided to come out of lurkdom today and actually post. I have been reading your blog for months!

I love your digital designs ... but even more, I love reading about your love for the Lord and your family. I wish more bloggers would profess their faith!

Great Is Thy Faithfulness ... one of my favorite hymns. I, too, am thankful that God's mercies are new each morning.

We are a homeschooling family as well! So fun to read about your homeschooling adventures.

Glad to hear you are feeling better as well. Have a wonderful day, Janet! :)

[Margie]

Oh I love that hymn Janet!! Thanks for the picture too. What a beautiful reminder :) It's moments like you had with Alaina that you need to hold onto when the homeschooling days get tough! What a wonderful way to learn :) Glad you are feeling better.

[Rona]

WOW! Gorgeous photos, Janet! Glad to read that you're up and about!

[Iara]

Love all the pictures you posted! the kids painting, the Everest, the poor little Levi :) and you look great too! the hymm is very beautiful, thanks for sharing it and the wonderful picture. have a great day!