Sunrises and New Mercies

The Bible is full of verses pointing to the morning. That part of the day when the light begins to emerge, the colors brighten and the day begins to wake up. In the stillness of the morning, when I am quiet and, particularly here in Hawaii, when I look outside, there is a calmness and peace. But it takes awareness and intention. Intention to focus on the quiet, still sounds. For me, I’ve had to set my alarm to wake up before my kids do. To purposefully choose not to look at my phone. To not begin the tasks that beckon me until I have cared for my soul in the quiet. 

Let these verses encourage you:

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:3

Yesterday, as I watched the sun rise beyond the palm trees and the colors changing, a thought struck me. I have been sitting out on the balcony each morning for weeks, yet each morning looks a little bit different. Some mornings it is breezy, others still. Some mornings the sky is blue, others gray, others even rainy. But—the sun always rises. That is a fact. The place that I’m looking out at is always the same. Even though there are so many factors that can make it look different and can shape our view of the day, the truth of the matter is that it is a new day. Period. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not promised. But today, the day before us, when the sun is rising, is new and fresh and is a gift. The same sun always rises.

No matter what is going on in our lives, the truth that our souls need for nourishment is that we have a steadfast, loving God who is always present. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) And that is never going to change no matter what the day brings, what the day looks like when we wake up or what curveball might be thrown at us as the hours roll by.

Remain faithful, friends. To trust our ever-present, faithful God. And have faith to believe that just as the sun rises each morning, God is steadfast in his love for you. An undeniable, adoring love for you. No matter what. 

School Days, Mom Life

It’s really hard to believe that we are ending our 7th week here in Kailua. The pace is slower, the commitments are little, yet the days continue to fly by. With the amazing technology available to us, sometimes I have to literally look at the map and remember that we are on an island in the middle of the Pacific! It can feel like we aren’t that far away, truthfully, since we are able to stay in touch so quickly and easily. But in reality, we are thousands of miles away. On an island. Surrounded by a vast ocean. Wow.

The transition has been real. (see last post) But I am comforted in knowing that God is not surprised by any of the daily struggles we’ve had or will continue to have. He promises to use all things for good... and I trust that in the messiness of our sin, in the battles of wills, and in the intentional time we have together as a family, He is working. Working in our hearts, our souls, and our minds. We are open to His mercies and His ability to cultivate hearts that are more like Him in word and action.

So just as I found that awareness of my expectations were critical to recognizing the attitude of my heart.... openness is critical to change. Until we are open to learning and open to vulnerability, transformation cannot happen. Cabell and I desire change—in the little things that create the rhythms and routines of our family. From small, daily habits to bigger matters of the heart. The time and intention that we have here to invest in those is a blessing that we do not take lightly. This opportunity is a gift.

• • • • • • • • • • •

I get asked a lot, “So what do your days look like?”, so I figured I’d open a little window into that based on the time thus far.

The typical morning school routine happens and with the new “expectations” chart that each child has, they are a bit smoother than they used to be. I’m less inclined to shout out reminders and have to trust that they can have some ownership of their morning. As a bit of a control-freak-mom, this has not been super easy for me. What is easy for me? Just doing all.the.things for everyone because then I know that they have been done and have been done correctly. But who’s going to learn and grow like that?! The day that Lawson left his laptop at home and I didn’t bring it school was hard for me! Or the day that Lilly left her binder at home and I didn’t bail her out. Or the day that Luke left his entire backpack at home... But those forgetful mistakes haven’t happened since, so I have to trust that they are learning from those incidents.

When I or we get home from dropping them at school, I spend some time with Jesus, write in my journal, and enjoy the quiet with a cup of coffee. I'm getting ready to start a 30 day Bible challenge using Nicole Unice's newest book, Help! My Bible is Alive! (releasing in October) The rest of my day is spent between a handful of things. The bottom line---I am spending my time doing things that I enjoy. That I want to. That I previously felt guilty by doing during the day. Who understands me? But that's no way to live! We all have the same 24 hours in a day. I urge you to do something in those 24 hours that fills you up. Don't be ruled by the "shoulds" in your mind.

So my days include:

• chores--laundry, dishes, cleaning up (#momlife) But I am actually grateful that I get to do these things at a slower, unrushed pace. And I love to listen to podcasts during these responsibilities of mine. Favorites are Don’t Mom Alone, The Next Right Thing, Raising Boys & Girls, and The Brendon Show.
• cooking and/or meal prep—this really makes me feel good when I have options for our family and have a plan in place. Maybe it's part of my control thing, my 1 wing of my Enneagram 9, or the fact that I enjoy providing healthy foods and simple solutions to people! And it's been fun having the challenge of finding vegan (+fish) meals that the whole family will enjoy.
• connecting with my Juice Plus customers (because they are the best!) and my business partners as we try to inspire healthy living around the world. That is the mission statement of our Company and look! I’m in Hawaii and able to do that. I am thankful. I was even able to connect with some other JP+ folks at a local Hawaii event. The world is small when you are part of a big community. I just want more friends to join me!
• reading—in addition to my stack of devotionals (my friends know that I love them), I’ve read The Last Heir by Laurie Shoemaker (my aunt), Letters to Jonathan by David Beavers (my mentor), and The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. We just got a copy of Navigating the Needle's Eye by Buddy Childress (my father-in-law) in the mail and can't wait to read that! Cabell and I are beginning to listen to Wild Things by David Thomas on Audible. And I'm getting into a good beach novel, The Island, by Elin Hildebrand, too.
• spending time on the beach-- It’s odd, but some days, I have to make myself walk down to the beach—even though it’s just down the street, it’s easy to get caught up in the “housework” and things that call me here. But as my sister has reminded me, I am trying to take advantage of this opportunity. “You need to relish being able to go to the beach during the day....When you get back here (Richmond), you will remember that with fond memories, having that option.” Thanks, sis.
• exercising—it’s starting back up. We just joined a gym here so I’m getting back on the bandwagon. (that’s the hardest thing for me to stay consistent with) I'll be honest— Cabell is the reason for this. He set up the membership, etc and is encouraging me in this way. When I asked him "why?", his response was that I am happier and in a better mood when I'm exercising. Sounds like good motivation to me.
• so in a nutshell, that’s my day. I’m also thinking about and praying about some other dreams stirring around in my mind...
• when the kids come home, I really try not to have my phone on me. This continues to be a challenge. I desire to be present with them when they get home without that distraction. (Confession: social media is a real distraction for me.) We do homework, read, swim in the pool, go to the beach, and listen to music. Then we have dinner and on Tuesdays, we have been watching America’s Got Talent together. I'd love to hear other family TV series or movies that you'd recommend!

THE KIDS:
• Lawson has volleyball practice 3 days a week. He has a few more games left in the season and is really enjoying the team and the game. It’s been so fun to see him join a new school, new sport, new team with positivity and excitement. I’m proud of him. He’s made a handful of good friends and it’s fun to see them connect. One of which is a senior boy who took him "under his wing" from the first day of volleyball tryouts. They look like they could be brothers and he has been such a kind and inclusive friend to Lawson. And a great example of a leader. It's actually pretty cool that Lawson is on a team with 7-12 grade boys--he sits on the bench, is one of the smallest guys on the team, but he sees how older kids lead a team well and sees how working hard pays off. Oh, and how to handle losing in the most gracious way.
• Lawson also loves surfing and has really taken to the sport. When he doesn't have volleyball, he and Cabell like to go surf together.
• Lilly and Luke love their little friend down the street and would play with her everyday if we’d allow it. She's a sweet gal and we love having her around.
• Lilly’s been working on learning to play her ukulele and is doing a great job! Thanks, YouTube!
• Lilly had her 11th birthday on September 2 and had the most fun pool party here at the house! What a memory for her!
• Luke got a principal’s award at school for his “positive attitude”—she pointed out that he always has a cheerful attitude, is ready to help and speaks kindly to his classmates. Wow! Proud parents! It’s always nice to see that your kids behave a little (better) differently when they aren’t at home!
• Luke lost his first tooth! Lawson pulled it out. And the Tooth Fairy brought him a $2 bill!
• The kids love swim day at school--they each have a swim class one day a week as part of the PE curriculum. Such a cool part of living in Hawaii!
• They also love "lunch day"--three days a week when they buy lunch. A local gal prepares meals in the kitchen at school. They are made fresh each day and have allowed the kids to enjoy some local dishes. And it sure is nice for me!
• They have all adjusted well to school, the academics and the social aspect. I couldn't be more grateful for how the transition to a new school has gone for all of them.

RANDOM NOTABLES:
• We have not had anymore "encounters" with the neighbors but we know they are always watching...
• I officially am disgusted by all the roaches. The family knows this and has decided to step in and rescue me from the job of cleaning them up or (gasp!) killing them. I think it stems from my years living in Jacksonville, FL and having so many encounters with roaches...they are just so awful.
• You pay for bags at the grocery store. So everyone brings their own bags to go grocery shopping. I've had to get into the habit of putting them in my trunk. But it's pretty cool how that is just the norm here.
• I still believe that I overpacked.
• There are phone booths everywhere.
• The Hawaii law forbids holding a cell phone while driving--yes, I said holding. You can ask Cabell for more details on how we know that.... :)
• Giving a shaka is completely normal here and waving actually feels weird.

All in all, the vibe here is laid back and slower paced. People are generally happy and there is so much time outdoors. We continue to be amazed at God's creation every time we step out on the beach or get a view of the Ko'olau Mountains.

Thanks for following along with us!

XOXO Molly