Gratitude Friday...

I met a cartoon character this morning.

Charming from Shrek.

No lie. Hair and all. He was on an elliptical machine with his nose in the air and I swear, the most erect posture I have ever seen gym or otherwise. The man was wearing a skin tight Under Armor shirt to match his perfectly quaffed hair. Way too metro for me at 5:00 am.

But totally made me laugh because hello, how often do you meet a cartoon character in real life.

I checked but I didn’t see Donkey anywhere around. Shame. I heart Donkey.

My list this week is all about Pumpkin with a Fanny thrown in for the fun of it. Seems like I’m getting a little repetitive with all my Pumpkin lovin’ these days but heaven help me this girl is so fabulous.

1. 4:00 am – So we seem to go through these phases. She’ll sleep from 10:00 pm when Chris feeds her until 6:00 am when it’s time to start the day for a week or so at a time. Then she’ll go back to waking up at 4:00 am wanting to play. Honestly, I like the 4:00 am thing. This morning she woke up and was just in the crib talking away. I changed her and fed her and then we chatted for a while. Made me horribly late for my morning run and I 118% totally don’t care.

2. Chicken Box – I buy all-natural, no hormones, all vegetarian fed free range chicken breasts. They’re not organic but it’s the closest I can get. They come individually wrapped in their own little plastic sleeves and then are all put into a cardboard box. The box is recyclable. We are so green. Anyway, several weeks ago, Pumpkin discovered the box while we were washing dishes. It is now her favorite toy. I put her in the boppy, place the box in front of her and watch her little face light up while she grabs, turns, opens and closes it. I sit back and fall in love a little more each day.

3. And we’re walking – Pumpkin is now strong enough and big enough to sit in the stroller. She hates the carrier. We went on our first walk last Sunday and then two other nights this week. She loves to look around at the world. Unless she’s tired. And then she loves to sleep all snuggled up in the stroller. Bless me. The cuteness is overwhelming.

4. Yes, still grateful for the sitting up – I know. You’re over it. But baby girl is getting stronger by the day. And she has now discovered the flowers on the rug. She keeps reaching down and touching them. We talk about the colors but I feel certain she could care less what I’m saying. Mom, there’s stuff to feel here.



5. Analysis – during a thirty minute conversation with Fanny yesterday, she used the terms “relativism”, “culturalism” and “priesthood of the believer” numerous times. Now most people would shy away from those topics in general and certainly most people would talk weather and kids and work before they’d dive into all that. Not Fanny. We talked rescued dogs for about 4 seconds and then went right into the meat of the matter. I did a whole lot of listening. One because the situation is just mind-bogglingly crazy and two because honestly, my brain and heart have been on “All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40) and reconciling my little world with the fact that “working mom” for the majority of the earth’s population means carrying water from the river to your hut every day and less about balancing what to cook for dinner from my overflowing pantry, finding time to clean my large air-conditioned/heated house and spending time watching my husband and daughter play together without worrying about diseases or violent attacks. So as we were ending our ridiculously short conversation, I said Oh, I miss you. Because seriously. I adore the fact that we can dive right in. We analyze. Sure we may talk platform heels in there somewhere but bottom-line, she is a thinker like me and I love that.

I hope you all have friends who get you. Friends who, no matter how long you are apart, can pick up right where you left off. Friends who love you and aren’t afraid to be themselves. Safe friends. Challenging friends who don’t let you stay in your own head but force you to think about what’s in their head too.

I hope you will give your family a hug. Take a moment to look at them. Watch them as they play, as they learn and encourage them to grow stronger each day. Babies aren’t the only ones who need our love and support.

And I hope you sit on your couch or your porch or at your desk and look around you at how the Lord has provided. I don’t understand why He chose for me to live here, now. Or why He chose for another woman to live in that hut. But I know He loves us both and it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with who He is. My prayer is that He will teach me how to love her and the rest of His children like He does.

Well, the ending was a little heavy so if you need something lighter, go back up to the part about Charming. I so wish I'd had a camera. Because somehow the words are not fully encompassing this character. Maybe he'll be back next week. In another skin tight shirt. Or better, with Donkey.