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The Twilight of Childhood

4 Jun Twilight of Childhood

She wakes with an infectious smile that seems to chase away any lingering gloominess from my soul.  She rests her head with ease  in that little crook of my shoulder that always seems to fit no matter how she grows.  She reminds me what goodness, and loveliness, and kindness feels like and she freely shares it with anyone fortunate enough to cross her path.  She dreams of filling shelves at the book store with her writings and filling the stage with songs about her greatest love….Jesus.

Even though the twilight of her childhood is setting in she still clings to girlhood fiercely. She isn’t quite ready to let it go and I’m not quite ready to let her go. So for a moment I will relish in my little girl and all her little girl ways and I will keep loving her well. For these last few moments, I will be near, holding her hand as she dips her toes into adolescence, so when the sun sets for the last time on her childhood she will be ready to let go of me and pursue her own life with confidence. grace, tenderness, and passion. I pray that these gifts will be accepted well and would bring healing to a wounded world and hope to wounded souls.

But for now, I will enjoy her sleepy head on my shoulder with messy curls tickling my cheek. In a moment it will be over. Tonight she will say goodbye to ten and welcome eleven with great expectation…..just as she should.

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

You can find me on Pinterest and YouTube!

Copyright © 2015 · All Rights Reserved · www.andasprinkleoflove.com

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Happy Veteran’s Day

11 Nov

God Bless our Veteran’s!

.....and a sprinkle of love

Freedom isn’t free. Thank you to all the brave men and women past and present. May we live in such a way that it honors your great sacrifice. A special Veteran’s Day thank you to my dad, a career Navy man who did two tours of Vietnam. What a great privilege it is to wake up everyday and praise the Lord without fear of persecution. My freedom is such a precious gift and I thank you and honor you, everyday!   God Bless you and God Bless the USA.

veterans day

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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A Letter to my Daughter…

13 Oct

The world will tell you that beauty can be found in a certain bra size or certain jean size but the truth is is that beauty is found in your heart size.  Let me be honest, you will be judged on these and so much more and it will sting.  The enemy uses those weak spots, those areas we are most conscious about to wiggle his way in and whisper destruction to your soul. Don’t be fooled or transformed by the vainness of the world but rather inspire true beauty even when it is hard or ignored or mocked.

Women, in particular, are digging themselves into pits so vast that they can’t find their way out. Their struggle to conform is killing them.  Maybe not always physically but emotionally. Searching for that one magic thing that will all of a sudden transform their lives from mediocre to magnificent.

It’s amazing the depths we will go for vanity or pleasure and how shallow our efforts are toward the Lord.  Proverbs 31:30 reminds women that our physical beauty will fail us all eventually.

We are so busy chasing someone else’s best 10 seconds that we lose sight on how terrific our life can be. Until we center our focus on the Creator and let Him lead us through the beautiful mess of life we will never find the magnificent we are looking for-it doesn’t exist apart from the Lord!

When you start to see yourself and your life through the eyes of our Creator you will be transformed by the marvelous creation you are.  It is then that you will truly see and understand your gifts, talents, and the greater purpose of your life.  Matthew 10:39  reminds us that if we are only concerned about finding ourselves first you will never will but if you pursue the Lord first you will find both Him and you.  So pursue the Lord with eagerness and expectation!

Fill those cracks and gaps in your armor with the life giving words of God and focus your efforts on becoming who He says you are!  Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and hold you accountable.  God never intended us to make this journey alone.  Female friendships in the media are always portrayed as conniving, selfish and, jealous.  Women using and abusing each other in hopes of gaining power and popularity.  Don’t buy into the lie.  Sisterhood, when Christ centered, can be one of the biggest blessings of life.

It’s not always easy but with that foundation of Christ in place whatever the stumble, you have that compass always pointing you back to the arms of the one who makes everything beautiful….even the broken and messy.

 

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

 

You can find me on Pinterest

 

“Image courtesy of [Stuart Miles] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

Copyright © 2014 · All Rights Reserved · www.andasprinkleoflove.com

We Will Never Forget

10 Sep

We saw the very worst and the very best of humanity that day! The impact is still felt 13 years later. Where were you?

.....and a sprinkle of love

We all have our stories. Stories, that with time, our children will ask about.  Where we were, who we were with, and how we heard about it.  Stories that regardless of how much time passes will remain freshly etched in our minds and freshly felt in our hearts.

We all saw the horrific images and stayed glued to our TV’s for days.  We remember how eerily quiet the skies were and how we let our differences go to become united as a country.  In one day we saw the very worst and the very best of humanity.  We saw what one human being was willing to give up to save another human being, we saw heroism and bravery on a scale we might never actually get to witness again, and we were brought together as a country, even for just a moment, like we may never experience again.
For the brave men and…

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Summer Vacation is Over…..

4 Aug

One of the reasons I love homeschooling is that it offers us limitless flexibility in our schedule.  I noticed a few weeks ago that my kids were starting to get restless-which means that they stop finding productive or fun things to do and instead come up with new and creative ways to annoy one another (anyone relate, lol?).  It was time.  Starting now also gives us an opportunity to get a head start and take some time off in the Fall and do some fun field trips with less of a crowd.

I am not one to prepare and plan ahead of time (you can read about that here), I am forever in a last minute hustle, I am getting better, but still. 

So after a week of preparations here we are at yet another first day of school! 

Introducing the 5th Grader!  She hopes to be an actress and singer one day.

Introducing the 5th Grader! She hopes to be an actress and singer one day.

 

Introducing the 2nd Grader, Jacob! He wants to be a Doctor when he grows up.

Introducing the 2nd Grader! He wants to be a Doctor when he grows up.

 

Hard at work! I love their eagerness and enthusiasm to learn!

Hard at work! I love their eagerness and enthusiasm to learn!

Who says you need to sit at a desk to learn?  The couch is perfect place to snuggle and read.

Who says you need to sit at a desk to learn? The couch is a perfect place to snuggle and read.

So, how do they REALLY feel about the first day of school?  Giddy with goofiness ;)  It's going to be a great year!

So, how do they REALLY feel about the first day of school? Giddy with goofiness 😉 It’s going to be a great year!

Three hours and then we were free to enjoy the beautiful summer day. We rounded off the day with breakfast for dinner and a trip through the sprinklers. A wonderful day indeed!

When does school start for you?  Any tips or tricks in making your day run smoother? I would love to hear from home and public school families….because both are awesome!  

Thanks for sharing in our day!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

I would love to see what you’re Pinning!  

 

“Image courtesy of [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2014 · All Rights Reserved · www.andasprinkleoflove.com

For the Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Such as These

22 Jun

Tomorrow will mark my third year as a teacher for first and second graders at my church’s vacation Bible school.  We see many faces walking through our doors, many familiar , and because we offer a free program, many new faces. For some, this will mark their first time in a church and others will learn that Jesus is more than just a derogatory expression.  What an awesome responsibility this is. This week, 15 hours to be precise, to plant these precious life giving seeds in these precious little ones.

What I really love about this week is that while we are planting seeds in these little ones, the children are going home and sharing the stories, singing the songs, and sharing and practicing their memory verses.  They are planting seeds in their own family, even if they don’t know it.

This marks the biggest and most important outreach event in our church every year.  According to the current Barna study (2004) ” indicates that nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%), and that two out of three born again Christians (64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday.”  In order to pull off such a big feat we need the whole village to participate.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (Matthew 19:14).”  Evangelizing to these little ones is imperative, not just for the children but for generations to come.

Would you please lift our churches up in prayer during the busy Vacation Bible School season?!  Pray for leaders to have pure hearts and intentions as we disciple and lead little hearts to Jesus and pray for families to have tender receptive hearts as their children share with them scriptures and stories, and pray that many lives will be led to Christ.

 

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

Come see what I am Pinning!

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of [ digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2014 · All Rights Reserved · www.andasprinkleoflove.com

As we Remember…..

26 May

I live with a constant reminder of how blessed I am to of been born and raised in a free country. It is am awesome responsibility to live in such a way that it is never in vain. I am so grateful for the brave men and women who headed the call and left what was familiar and comfortable for a life of upheaval and uncertainty.  Today I pause with reflective prayer to honor those who gave their all…the fallen brave who courageously breathed their last breath defending the country and the people they so loved.

The families who gather around a grave rather than a grill-my prayer is that our Heavenly Father will fill them with grace, peace, and healing.  That they would find comfort in each other and that the sweet memories of their loved ones will sustain them until they are reunited in Heaven. Thank you, for your great sacrifice also!

Regardless of your feelings of the military, president, or war we are one family bonded by the American Flag and we should support our soldiers and let them know we appreciate them. A simple “Thank you for your service”, will really show that you stand united with them. Continue to pray for them, for their safety, for our safety, and for their families.

Pray for our wounded country. Pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will help us to turn our faces to Him once again and that He will Bless and unite us.

Thank you to our fallen, to our veterans, and to those serving……..it’s not in vain!

I will leave you with a quote I found.

“Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you….Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.”

~Author Unknown~

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

Copyright © 2014 · All Rights Reserved · www.andasprinkleoflove.com

Stay Tuned…….

21 May

I have some fun changes coming soon….so stay tuned!

 

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

 

Come see what I am Pinning.

 

 

“Image courtesy of [ Keattikorn] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

Talking to our kids about Boston

14 Dec

In light of yet another school shooting I wanted to share something I wrote a while back. May God’s love abide within each of you.

.....and a sprinkle of love

This was something I wrote and shared on our MOPS blog right after the Boston bombing. My thoughts on talking to our children about such things

It seems more and more we are having to be so deliberate to shield our children from never ending bad news. Shooting, war and now a bombing.

I still remember the morning more than a dozen years ago when I turned on the TV just in time to watch live as a plane took out the second tower. It was the first time I knew that I couldn’t hide the bad news from my then five year old, Alison. Minutes later my nightgown wearing barefoot daughter made her way sleepily to the living room. As she snuggled down deep next to me she knew that this morning was different. You don’t necessarily think when you are cradling your baby in your arms that one day you would…

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Teaching our Children to Have a Servant’s Heart

12 Oct

In such a “me first” society, I am trying to raise servant minded children. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

.....and a sprinkle of love

More than anything else I want my children to have a servant’s heart and to have empathy for those who are lost and hurting. I want their eyes to be open to see that life doesn’t revolve around them but life could be better for someone because of them. To serve in the name and love of God and not in the name of their ego and pride. To serve knowing their eternal reward is far better than any worldly award or recognition (Knowing it is by grace they are saved not works-Ephesians 2:8). To put all selfish desires aside, religious beliefs, social class, racial class, and any other worldly obstacle aside and love because He loved us first ( 1 John 4:19). To teach them to be ready to give their coat, to bandage a wound, to give a hug, to offer encouragement, to offer a prayer, a listening ear…

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