The girls were terrified of the goats, but warmed up to the idea (sort of) after a little while.  Do any of you have naturally anxious/shy/nervous kids?  Any tips?  I'm pretty much tip-less because I would've never dreamed in a million years that I would have a shy child.  Certainly don't favor their mother in that regard.




  We've had a lot of rain lately and I was afraid we'd totally missed our window for nice weather at the patch.  But Randy not having to work one afternoon (unheard of) and a simply beautiful day lined up for us gloriously in one, miraculous combo, and so we jumped on that bandwagon and RAN.




   Currently nearing picture overload status, but I mean.....how could you not??  After winding down our pumpkin festivities, we stuffed ourselves with burgers and fries and even squeezed in a quick trip to the Goodwill while Randy got a haircut, so we were pretty much all in Heaven a little bit that day.


  Jocelyn looks like she is literally trying to "wipe the smile off her face" and I look like I am...I have no idea, pushing her head closer to me?  Brushing a fly off of her?  We may never know.  But it was the most half-decent one we got, so there we have it.

   If you happened to post about the pumpkin patch too this year, leave a link in the comments!  I should do a link-up sometime, but we're just not feeling that fancy today.

   We've officially entered that time of the year where pictures of pumpkin patches periodically pop up all over Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and of course, blogs.  So, being the slave to trends that I am (not) I had to follow suit.

   The real story is, I invited sis-in-law Jessi to go with me because.... pumpkin patches are fun, our kids would love it, (not to mention the photo ops of adorable aforementioned littles) and it's always fun to catch up with her.  The end.  So, that's what we did yesterday.  And what a perfect day for it too!  Seriously, this weather is killing me.  In a good way.

   Moody, contemplative fog shrouding the ground in the morning, only to burn off later to clear, sunny, blue skies and warm afternoons.  Never stop! Winter, please take a seat until your number is called.  And let's hope it's the DMV doing the calling, because we all know how long that will take.

So without further ado, the pumpkin patch.  (And also some musings my brain has had lately.)


    I mentioned in a post some time ago that Jocelyn has taken to saying "a bit" after a lot of her questions/requests.

"Can I watch a show...a bit?"
"Can I play more....a bit?"
"Go to the car....in a bit?"

   I just thought this was pretty cute, and then I realized it's because I say it a lot more than I think I do.  And then I started to notice some other things.  Like the fact that even though we're married and Randy knows me better than anyone else, he had never noticed that about me before.  And another thing I realized is that obviously, Jocelyn didn't even notice she was picking something up from me.


Also, I didn't know I was teaching anything.  Because I wasn't teaching.  I was just BEING.

   But whatever the circumstances, I was just being me, and Jocelyn was just loving me and observing me, and Randy was a third-party to the whole thing, and it got me thinking.....

It's a lot like us, God, and the people around us.


  Bear with me here, it all makes sense in my head, but I have no clue if I'll be able to explain it or not.  Here goes.....

   If we could approach our relationship to God a little bit more like Jocelyn approaches her relationship to me, things would be a lot easier.  She doesn't have a list of expectations for what/who she wants me to be, she doesn't have a list of questions of why I do the things I do or say the things I say, she just soaks it all in like a dried up little sponge begging for a drop of water.  She just spends time with me.  Observes me.  Lives out her life in a close enough proximity to me that she starts replicating characteristics of me before she or I have any idea of what's going on.




   Likewise, the people around us (like Randy in my story) would be able to learn new things about the character of God, just by witnessing them in us.

Oh, THAT'S what it looks like to be a servant!
Oh, THAT'S how much He loves us!
Oh, THAT'S what it means to forgive!


 Even if they too had a close relationship with God already (like Randy has with me) it would still be possible to learn new things about Him, and realize new aspects to what makes Him uniquely God by the characteristics that would begin to manifest themselves in the lives of people who live SO CLOSELY in communion with Him, they begin to really, truly imitate Him.

  Did that make sense?  I certainly hope so, because it sure did in my head.  Anyway.  It is AMAZING how often the way our children imitate us makes me think of that.  That just like my girls watch my every move and already know how to put on makeup and unlock an iPhone just my observing and absorbing me...in the same way I should be so close to God that I begin to copy His characteristics without even really understanding what I am doing. 


  I think that's what it actually MEANS to be salt and light.  It's hard to try and "set out to be salt and light".  Just how do you DO that, exactly?  But if we ARE salt and light.....now that's completely different.  Suddenly it's not something we do, it's something we ARE.  And doesn't that feel completely different too?  Like a light is finally coming on (pun intended) and the cobwebs are cleared away and it all starts to make sense.



  Maybe that's why it's so hard in the first place.  Because all this time we've been focused on DOING instead of BEING.

Thanks, Jocelyn, for reminding me that you're not the only one learning around here.

   And thank-you Jesus for loving me enough to keep teaching me.  For not leaving me where I sit, but taking me further, deeper, closer to You.  

 P.S. The photo credit for the pic of me and the girls and a happy Madison goes to Jessi.  Photo credit for the scenic shot on an angle goes to Charlotte.  That's right, Charlotte.

Also, knowing that this post was only TWO FALLS ago, makes me feel a little bit panicky and weepy inside.