Micah's Thirteen

On this last day of July, I stumbled across this beautiful piece by Morgan Harper Nichols who nails it every time with her gift of art and words.  Think about where you were this time last year. What has changed? What has stayed the same? How did you grow? What are you most thankful for? What are you least grateful for?  Taking time to look back is so important every once in a while so that we can take the lessons we have learned to help guide our steps in the future.  

Micah- this is one of my favorite passages and I love this reflection about it.  May it be some good words for you on this day that the Lord has made..... and Happy Friday!  "When I wake up in the morning- regardless of the temperature, whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring- I go outside. I speak aloud to the predawn darkness or the tail end of the moon just kissing the edge of the horizon or the 9 a.m. bright sun of a sleep-in Saturday morning. I say, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I say it out loud because I’m groggy. I say it out loud because I’m speaking it and hearing it.  And I don’t just say it once.   As the cobwebs and sleepy confusion start lifting from my brain, I keep saying that phrase, accenting different syllables, placing varying degrees of importance on different words.  “ This  is the day that the Lord has made.”  This-  the one I’m in right now. Not yesterday. As much as I want...

Back in January , my friend Abby in North Carolina sent me   an article from the Washington Post  about a Little Free Art Gallery on Queen Anne. That week, I was meeting a couple of SPU freshmen from my fall class to connect, and I convinced them each to walk up the hill to check it out with me.  Upon finding it for the first time, my student and I happened upon the artist herself being interviewed for a local news show. They wanted to get our impression seeing it for the first time, and so we got to be part of the news clip! When I had my second meeting with another student just an hour later, we walked up the hill again as I was so entranced and wanted to share it with her.  When we got there, the art had changed inside the little art gallery and was totally different. See photo below from this January visit:  Apparently, the artist and curator who created the Little Free Art Gallery in front of her house said that she has seen more than 100 pieces of free art...

  The 28th (or as close as we can get some months to that date) is always a favorite for me as that means that I get to see you! I loved making the fancy Fruit Pizza Cookies, seeing more about your progress in Genshin, getting to listen to music from "In the Heights," witnessing your incredible ability to memorize lyrics, hearing about your performance in the play, tasting the cookie dough and the cookies together, and loving the time together!  Happy 28th, Micah! 

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary, and some of the sweetest things to come home to from our anniversary trip were the decorations Anna had put up around the house for us.  It made me smile as I have put banners up for years to celebrate Anna, and now she was doing it for us. What goes around comes around....  May the love you show to others come full circle and bless you, Micah.... ❤

I had some trouble going to sleep last night and then woke up early as I had some things I was worried about, so I hopped on my bike and went for a ride to try to clear my head this morning. This verse below came to mind when I was on my bike ride, and over the course of the hour, my legs carried me over 520, around the Medina neighborhood, and back again as my worries were shaped into prayers during the ride. I needed to move my body to release some of my stress and have some space to process, and it was really good to allow God to settle me down. 4-5  Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! 6-7  Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know i...

We had a special lunch with Fredrick and his girlfriend Taylor Emmaus and I brought out a few Christmas decorations for the table for Christmas in July. Because- why not?   Micah, may you have some good times this summer that may seem a little wacky to others but that do spark a little joy and make life more fun.  Because- why not? :) 

 We have had the best time here meeting my parents' new golden retriever puppy named Rafa. There is never a dull moment with this little guy around.  I found this below and thought there were some pretty fun lessons below.... While you are at it, make sure to give Sifa and extra hug today. :) 

This evening, my mom invited some family over for dinner, and I got a chance to talk to my cousin Carney who is 89 through most of the evening. She has just moved into an assisted living space after being on a farm most of her life, and it has been really disorienting for her.   We talked about some of her hopes and disappointments, and I told her the story that has been really meaningful to me that I came over to read to your dad and to Liam a night or so after they returned early from their bike trip. You were not there, so I wanted to share it with you here too.  ----------------------------------------------------------------- I have a friend who is a textile artist. Among other things, she sews nautical flags because, besides the fact that they’re gorgeous, there’s an accidental poetry to them. According to Merritt Tierce, “There are forty flags in a complete set of international maritime signal flags--- one for each letter of the English alphabet, one for each numbe...

  I have one more reflection to share about paddling the Nantahala Falls as I got to run them for the third time yesterday. Anna had tried it two times the day before, but Taylor had not tried it yet. They both wanted to do it, so I paddled down with my dad in his canoe, and then I walked back up to the top of the rapid, and I got in a kayak to lead Anna and Taylor down the river. I felt the weight of responsibility and wanted to make sure to lead them well and show them the best way to get down the rapid.  As we got in our boats, I was leading with Taylor behind me and with Anna in the back.  There is a small eddy right before the big falls that we planned to paddle into, and I pulled in first. Taylor tried to get in but was a bit too late so he just went on down the rapid. He made it through the big two waves at the beginning but flipped out of his boat at the last part. I paddled as fast as I could through and went to grab him only to look back and see that Anna came t...

Over the last couple of days, I got to paddle the Nantahala Falls with my dad. This is classified as a Class III rapid, and it's a good idea to scout the rapid before running it to make sure you know how you are going to chart your course.  As we were getting in the boat yesterday, I was a little nervous as we had not paddled yet together on this trip, and I really wanted to make sure I pulled my weight and did my part well as he is quite an experienced paddler.  I was in the bow (the front) and he was in the stern (the back) of the boat, and while the front paddler has an important role to play with solid forward strokes and some steering, the person in the stern has the most important part in determining the steering in the back.   Thankfully, we nailed it both days together (with a high five at the end after we paddled into an eddy), and let's just say that he made me look good!  I loved getting to experience the thrill of getting down the rapid safely and su...

Today, I got to paddle down the Natahala River with my parents and with Anna & Taylor, and we had such a fun time.  The best thing about paddling with my dad is that I don't get nervous when I paddle with him because I know he knows these rivers like the back of his hand, and I can trust him completely.  Anna and Taylor soon discovered this too, and they followed him on the river like glue too.  It's a pretty great way to think about following God. Just watch where He is leading you, and don't worry too much about what is around the bend. Using the river as a metaphor, all you have to do is take one stroke at a time and paddle the stretch of river that is in front of you trusting that God will show you the way.  here we are following my dad on the river

This morning, I planned to go for a swim, and Anna planned to do a trail run. My dad offered to drive both of us to a lake that had a great spot for an open water swim and also connected to some wonderful trails for running.  We dropped Anna off at her trail head and then he and I headed to the lake while she ran. He paddled his boat next to me for 40 minutes while I swam, and it was so peaceful to be the only people on the lake for as far as we could see. We only saw a boat in the last 10 minutes of my swim at which point, he paddled up closer to me and made sure that the boat saw me to keep me safe. I can't tell you how comforting it was to have him watching over me and giving me this gift of being with me while I swam. As I took stroke after stroke, I gave thanks for this gift and thought of you and the many people who come alongside you in your life and how God has you in the palm of His hand each and every day.  May you know the power of this gift of God watching over you...

According to Anne Lamott, there are only two prayers that you need: “Help” and “Thank you.”  Today, as we were going down the Tuckasegee River, I was praying these two prayers as Taylor has not kayaked much in the last few years. I did not want today to be a complete train wreck, and I was really hoping that everyone would end the river run on a good note. While we had a bit of a rocky start as we had to adjust Taylor’s boat early on in the trip as he is so tall that he didn’t fit perfectly in the boat (and while I know he would rather be on a mountain bike), he knew that this was something that his grandfather loves and he wanted it to be a good day for all around. I am happy to report that Taylor was able to shift his perspective and that it really was fun for the whole crew, and I do think that the prayers helped us get to that point. There are times when you might feel like you are at the end of your rope and all you can do is pray “Help,” and you trust that God will show up. A...

 Let me introduce you to my parents' new puppy named Rafa. He has completely stolen our hearts.  This picture is of their other golden retriever named Molly with Rafa crashed out together last night as we were doing dishes after dinner, and it is not only an adorable picture but it reminds me of how rest and trust are connected.  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28 As you get ready to mark this milestone birthday, may you find ways to trust and rest and keep company with God in the days ahead. 

  We are back in Nashville visiting my parents, and we are going to go to North Carolina with them this next week for time in the mountains. Jason and Anna went for a run this morning, and normally, I would have been right there with them, but since I have been staying off my feet with running, I waited to exercise until later this afternoon when we got to go to a friend's pool near my parents' house to jog in the pool. As you can see from the picture above with Anna and Taylor, it's not a bad spot to have to do a little recovery work. So, the next time life throws you some lemons, I pray that you can make some really good lemonade out of it. :) 

We are in Nashville and we got to meet the newest member of the family as my parents just got a new puppy last month. He is ADORABLE!  Rafa (3 months old)  so much fun to sit on the floor with these two (Molly and Rafa) and play with them this afternoon On the plane today, I read a chapter that was talking about the importance of play. Apparently, play for the sake of play is not only fun but it actually "shapes our brain, helps us foster empathy, helps us navigate complex social groups, and is at the core of creativity and innovation."  So- soak up the time to play this summer (whether that be working on your skit with Riley and Greta, playing with Sifa, swimming, singing, or dancing). Your creativity is such a gift! :) 

On my way to swim at Green Lake today, I pulled out on 15th Ave on my bike and did not see a car coming my way. The car slowed down and was kind when they passed me, but I realized it could have easily turned into an accident. With a sigh of relief, I made my way to the lake and found myself simply thinking about times I've been spared and protected from something that could have taken a turn for the worse.   As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, and friends, you have a whole group of us who want you to be safe and sound as you go through life, so just know that as I was making my way across Green Lake today that I was just praying for God to protect your life with the many adventures ahead of you.  And when you do notice that you were spared something that could have been really bad, may you have a spring in your step with a heart full of thanks. 

Today, Anna and I had a fun adventure in the Olympic National Park soaking up the beauty of Hurricane Ridge. When we were there, I spotted a lot of trees with signs of new growth. The light neon green alongside the dark green certainly stood out along the trail.  This little tree that I photographed above is a great visual of my prayer for you this year - that God would bring beautiful and life-giving new growth to you as you turn 13 and jump into this next year. 

Today, I swam across Green Lake from one swimming area to another, and in order to stay on track so that I did not end up at the wrong side of the lake, I looked up every once in a while to find the yellow door on the Bathhouse Theater and tried to swim towards that. By keeping this yellow door in view the whole time, I stayed the course and met my goal of getting to the right place for my swim.  This quote seems so obvious, but it's a good reminder to consider when setting goals. As I think about so many cool things that you can do, I wonder what it would look like to set some goals for things you are really excited about next year in 7th grade as you jump into a new year. What kinds of things do you want to focus on? What do you want to learn more about? What are you curious about? What do you want to be able to do better? Talk to your mom or dad about it and think about setting your sights on a couple of things for next year to be more intentional about. I can't wait to see ...

On Sundays for a lot of years, my routine has been that I get up early and go for a long run with your mom and other friends. Well, this summer, because of my injury, I am not allowed to run or walk too much to let my body rest. I have been trying to bike and swim, but I've been told that I might even need to cut back from the biking to really let my body heal. So, today, I did not run or bike or swim, and I went on a road trip to Oregon with Tamara to visit our friend Heidi. And, it was such a good, good day. We showed up to shower her with a few gifts and spend the day with her, and while I was tired coming home after a lot of driving, I was refreshed from time away with friends.  So, my prayer for you today, Micah, is that you will rest sometimes--- even from good things - so that you can have time for your heart, mind, and soul to rest and reset. 

When I came over today to bake with Liam, I got to see you pass through the kitchen when you came back from your time getting bubble tea with a friend. You told us that you had lost a $20 bill on the way as it must have fallen out of your pocket and you had not been able to find it as you retraced your steps. While you were disappointed, I noticed that you were not devastated, and you handled it really well. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but I just wanted to say that I was impressed to see how you rolled with it.  I ran across this today and it reminded me of you:  “See the way God does things and fall into line. Don't fight the facts of nature. Enjoy prosperity whenever you can, and when hard times strike, realize that God gives one as well as the other so that everyone will realize that nothing is certain in this life.” Ecclesiastes 7:13-14, The Living Bible  "This paraphrase clearly reflects on the subject of Ecclesiastes 3—“To everything there is a seaso...

I went to Green Lake to swim late this afternoon, and I swam from the swimming area near the boat rentals to the swimming area by the theater across the lake and back. The summer sun was shining bright, and it really was beautiful.  As I was making my way across the lake and letting my mind wander, I began focusing on my breath and remembered someone saying that three deep breaths can solve any problem.  Now, I admit that it is the worst when you are upset and someone tells you in the heat of the moment to take a deep breath because it's hard to have someone tell you what to do when you are mad. But when you are calm, it sure is a good idea to practice enough so that you do it on your own when things get tough. Swimming is a perfect chance to do this as you have to turn your head every few strokes to breathe to keep going while it's easier to take it for granted when you are not in the water since we breathe all the time without thinking anything about it.  I found this o...

I biked to campus for a meeting today, and on my way home I saw this on the Ave. During these 13 weeks leading up to your birthday, I am trying to pay attention to what God might be saying to me for you, and I loved that I got an actual, physical sign today. This is pretty simple message but so very rich when you really think about it.... May you know that you are loved today, Micah, all the way to the top of your head and to the tips of your toes.... 

On my bike ride today, I passed St. Patrick Catholic Church in Capital Hill that had a small labyrinth in the front lawn. I have run by this church many times, but I'd never noticed it before today.  I am not sure if you have walked one of these before, but you follow the path to get to the center of the labyrinth. The path does not lead right to the middle but it twists and turns around quite a bit before eventually finding its way to the center.  Here's a bit more about a labyrinth:  "We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.  A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.  A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk i...

  I decided to do some hill repeats on Ravenna Blvd today and I did five of them by biking up the alley behind Ravenna and then up the hill past the bridge over to Ravenna and then back down the boulevard to do it all over again. I'm not sure if you know the significance I attach to the number "5," but it's kind of a fun story. When my parents were dating, they would leave each other notes with five dots on it, meaning, "I love you very much" (each dot represented each word).  Jason and I took that on, and we use it in our family too. My wedding ring even has five little diamonds on each side of the main diamond as a nod to this.  Anyway, the reason I chose five today was a simple way to say, Most people don't show their love by biking up hills, but I hope it makes you smile knowing that I was thinking of you going up and down those hills today. :) 

Today, I went to Green Lake and met up with my friend Laura to swim together. We swam from the area by the boat dock to the swimming area by the theater across the lake, so it was about a mile. She had an inflatable bag that she attached to her waist that was trailing behind us as we swam which increased our visibility for safety. It was so nice to have a buddy today!  As I was giving thanks for this today, I then began to pray for you with your friendships. As you go back to school in this next year in person, my prayer is that you will be able to deepen old friendships and meet new people you can get to know and invest in. 

Today, it was fun to get to come over and see you on the 4th as we have celebrated many of those together over the years:  2014 2015 2015 2021 I was grateful for the chance to hear how you are doing processing the fact that your dad and Liam are coming home tonight since Liam got injured and the trip got cut short. As you all welcome them home and adjust to a different summer than you had imagined, I wanted to share this prayer has been really meaningful to me over the years...  A General Thanksgiving Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those ...