Laura is not here. You may have guessed that yesterday before I mentioned it. She had a consulting job in Jackson and has not been able to get home yet because of the ice and snow. I've been hanging out with the kids without Mommy being around. That's not a "first." I am not babysitting either. I don't babysit my own children; I parent them. Sorry; that's a little pet peeve of mine that sort of slipped out.
I thought about what we could do as a first for Laura while she was away. I came up with the idea that we would draw her a picture of the family with an "I love you" attached and send it by email. I've never sent a snow family portrait with an "I love you" attached to anyone before. That's my "first" for today. It's not a huge "first" but once again, I probably would not have thought of it if I was not doing a year of "firsts." I'm very glad I did it.
Not a very clear picture; they get better as you scroll down
If you look closely, you can see the dog and the turtle in this picture
A better picture of the dog: Mei Mei
We had fun making something for Laura. Hannah Grace and Joel insisted that the animals be included. The pictures do not show them very well, but we tried. It was fun to think of something to do to show Laura that we miss her and love her. She is a great wife and Mommy. Today reminded me that I need to tell her often (and I do; I make a lot of mistakes but not telling Laura that I love her very often is not one of them), but also to tell her in different ways. I also like trying to include the children in telling Laura that we love her. God has given us a very sweet, romantic, loving, and fun marriage. I want to keep it that way. Telling each other that we love each other often and in different and fun ways is enjoyable and helpful.
God tells us that He loves us. He has done that in various ways. The most significant way is when Jesus died on the cross and rose again for us. One of the truly outstanding attributes of the cross is that Jesus died for the ungodly. He loved us when we did not love Him back. That's true godly love. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When we do loving acts for people that can't repay us and don't want to we are acting more and more like Jesus. It's fun to love Laura. She loves me back. It's a lot harder to love someone that I don't receive love back from in return. Sometimes not even a thank you is given. In those times, I have opportunity to become like my Lord. That takes the power of the Holy Spirit for me. It's not in me to love that way.
Grateful for the love in the abundant life
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. God's love for me when I was His enemy
2. The ability to send love letters immediately over a great distance
3. Sleeping in a warm bed and not out in the snow
The snowman says hey; that's a carrot in Joel's mouth. If you look close, you can see his hair
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