Sometimes it seems a little inadequate to say a simple “thank you” when someone has done something really lovely for me. But it is also the truest thing I can think to say in those cases because I am thankful. This week is no exception – I’d love to come up with more profound words than “thank you” and yet, those simple words carry the depth of my gratitude. 

My husband, Greg, and I were listening to a podcast the other day as we drove in the car for a bit. The podcast conversation was wide ranging and for part of the episode, one of the hosts was telling us that she had just delivered her third child recently. (I remembered when we had our third child, some fourteen years ago.) The host talked about the transition from two to three kids, and how that was unfolding in their lives. (I remember that transition being a harder one for us, since Greg and I suddenly became outnumbered by small people.) The host went on to say that while it was a tough change, she also thought it had been made easier by the community they had cultivated around their family.

At this point in the podcast, Greg turned to me and said, “Well, there’s your next View article: community!” And as it happens, he was right. 

This past Saturday, I had the good fun of leading a Vacation Bible School (or VBS) training for about 35 people. I’ve done these trainings all around southern California for the last 13 years and it’s one of the most fun things I get to do with my time. People from all over the surrounding areas give up three hours of their Saturday morning to go learn about this year’s VBS. And almost universally, these folks are excited to be there!

I do not really love the time change. The week after it goes into effect, everyone is groggy. Trying to get all of us up and out the door is very hard! At the morning’s rotating breakfast table, my four children offer me different attitudes.

Some of my children are very tired and grumpy and have no problem grumping in my direction. Others of them are just quiet because they haven’t fully awoken yet. All of us are tired and I will confess to you that I have had a little more caffeine than average this week. 

It’s my week to write the article here, but inspiration is slow to arrive. Some weeks the topic arrives quickly and obviously; other weeks there are several competing ideas, and I must choose among a handful of interesting ones. And then there are a few weeks, like this one, where my idea bin is empty, no matter how many times I peer into it. 

I often hop over to Pinterest to flip through some quotes to see if one of them strikes a chord with me, offering up a topic to write on. There are loads of good ones which often might inspire me, but none of them seemed quite right. 

When I opened the office door an hour ago at 7:45am, the office was dark, relatively quiet, and a little cold. I turned on the heat and lights (which, when I thought about it, is sort of a modern miracle). It’s pouring outside and there is a downspout near my office that makes it sound even more like a deluge than it is. 

Pastor Karl arrived around 8:15am and began to pack up his truck. He had a lot of nervous energy because there are 50+ people arriving soon to gather before they trundle off to Ensenada, this time in the rain.

I hate to admit it, but I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Since diving back under the covers wasn’t really an option for me today, I did some yoga, took a shower, got dressed, made another cup of coffee, and headed out. 

The parking lot was surprisingly full for a 9am on Thursday. I wasn’t expecting anyone and couldn’t recall that anything was going on. But then I remembered, the San Clemente Military Family Outreach (SCMFO) volunteers were assembling the layettes that they’ll give away on Saturday to military families who are expecting a baby soon. 

Yesterday, I was feeling particularly accomplished. I mean that most literally – I checked off almost all the things on my “List of Things To Do” – I was able to accomplish them! The feeling of satisfaction was a good one and I will not lie, I enjoy getting things done and crossing things off a list. 

My to-do list is likely similar to yours with some tasks that seem to pop up regularly while others only make an appearance once. Each thing listed out needs tending to either because they are important or necessary or sometimes urgent. And so, we attend to these things as we move about our days.