Simplicity...

Jesus could have come to us in many ways. The simplicity of His birth is extraordinary and sometimes hard to grasp. Jesus could have been born in a mansion. He was, after all, a King. Instead, He came to a dirty smelly manger and His birth was announced by common shepherds instead of Kings - the greatest of all miracles in the midst of total simplicity. Today, Jesus still wants to meet us in the midst of our simple daily lives. It seems too easy and too good to be true, doesn't it?  --Mary Southerland

Mary inspires me today to think of the simple ways I see Jesus around me...

In my children's smiles
In my husband's kindness
In my mother's gentleness in holding her grandchildren for snuggles
In my father's strong arms holding his grandson's close to his heart
In my sister's face as she smiles at her son

In my brother in law's surprise as he sleepily tries to figure out where to lay his head after an all night drive from AL to FL

In Bryan's determination to find the perfect bite of breakfast in his mix of a cereal bowl
In Addison's sweet voice asking for a hug this morning when he first greeted me
In the quiet of the morning
In the smiles of photos on the walls


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Dear Heavenly Father-
I'm thankful for all these glimmers of grace that surround me today.  I pray that we have safe travels back to Kansas City via airports in Orlando and Atlanta today.  I'm thankful that my husband took time off work to travel and be with our family.  May his end of the week return to work go peacefully, and our transition back into our home in Olathe go well.  Help me as we bury our kitten Twinkletoes (she died while we were here in FL unexplicably), and she's awaiting our farewell.  We are thankful for our trip to Florida, and we are glad to be coming home as well.  May we see your face every day.   Amen