Middle Child

Caleb, middle child, who will you be when you grow up? Today you are a happy helper. It's so sweet to watch you share a toy with Eliana in order to make her stop crying. Or volunteer to help Ethan find the latest thing he has lost. I can always count on you to help me put the dishes away and "deliver" everyone's food at mealtimes. Today you are my cuddlebug. Always curling up in mommy and daddy's laps. Giving out hugs and kisses to your brother and sister. It melts my heart when you say, "Mommy I love you 100!" There is so much love in your little four year old self. Today your faith could move mountains. When someone is sick or something goes wrong, your first response is always to pray. And such fervent prayers! "God. Please help all the bad guys to start loving you. Please. Please. Amen." (This was prayer was offered up after we drove past a jail in town.) And you never doubt that after your prayer, it is done. I love (and am a bit envious of) your depth of pure, innocent, faith. I pray that is something you never lose.

Caleb, my sweet, loving, faith-filled, joyful little boy...I love you 100 too!

Inspiration

New year's resolution: Let my creative self out to play more often. Write. Photograph. Sing. Be inspired. Here are a few things that have been inspiring me lately:

1. My children. They live in a world where magic is unquestioned, dreams are limitless, and everyday holds the possibility of a grand and glorious adventure!

2. Christmas. A twinkling, glittery, fire-lit, ribbon wrapped, shaken up snow globe of happiness.

3. Old things. Old things are fascinating. Peeling paint, yellowed pages, twisted metal, abandoned and decrepit buildings. What stories lie dormant within them?

4. My brother-in-law. He is an expert on the world of imaginings. He also has the enviable talent of taking the everyday mundane and writing about it in a way that captures you and makes you wish you were there.

5. The sky. Always constant, yet ever changing. Beautiful in all it's fluffy cloud, blue, sunniness. Stunning in it's velvety blackness punctuated by shimmering stars. Devastatingly lovely in the midst of a storm with angry slashes of lightning and water color clouds.

So please tell me, where do you find inspiration?