I am grateful to have seen a mallard duck flying beside our window as we drove to South Dakota on Saturday afternoon. I’d never had that experience before, and it was a treat.

 

I am grateful for time to laugh with Karissa on the phone on Sunday afternoon.

I am grateful that my daughter is such a wonderful Mommy and takes four children under 5 swimming on a Sunday afternoon.

I am grateful for the simple curved loveliness of a soft serve ice cream cone.

I am grateful for the ability to see the deep green in corn plants growing in the fields of Missouri and Nebraska.

 

I am grateful for manicured lawns in a small town – it was so enjoyable to drive through Adrian, Minnesota and see how the residents of this beautiful town take care of their homes and yards.

I am grateful for the surprise of talking to Delores on Saturday when my Dad called me back.

I am grateful for strangers who want to share their new corvette with us in the parking lot of a McDonalds.

I am grateful to have seen the serenity of a hawk sitting in a tree.

I am grateful for the grandeur of a stately old ash tree.

I am grateful to watch charter buses pass by and not be in one.

I am grateful for the privilege of watching a little sister eagerly wait outside the bus for her big sister to disembark, and then seeing the burst of excitement when she finally sees Kyra, culminating in a huge hug.

I am grateful for the awesomeness of cathedrals. This happens to be St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Sioux Falls on Saturday night.

 

I am grateful for Sam and having my hand held by him in the silence as the miles go by.

I am grateful for the memories that a musty smell of a basement brings to mind – Wellsford Church and Grandpa Johnson’s cellar.

I am grateful for clean public restrooms.

Whimsy needs to be fully experienced to be fully known. Whimsy doesn’t care if you are the driver or the passenger; all that matters is that you are on your way. – Bob Goff

I am grateful for a children’s message that involved streamers and party hats and party horns and balloons, for hearing little ones happily squeal when invited to blow bubbles in church.

I am grateful for the delight of hearing Norwegian accents and being the oddball who doesn’t have one.

I am grateful to have seen the bluffs in Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa.

I am grateful that my brother took my Dad to a shooting range – what an experience for him!

I am grateful for the lesson on “whimsy” from Bob Goff and his book, “Love Does.”

 

I am grateful for Kristi’ s message yesterday about Pentecost and embracing chaos and mess and noise and LIFE in the church.

I am grateful for the brutal honesty of little ones and their inability to keep a happy secret.

I am grateful for car squeegees with a good sponge and a stiff but not too stiff rubber blade. Oh, and clean, soapy water in buckets attached to the gas pumps.

 

 

I am grateful for the sweetness of Max.

I am grateful to be home. There’s no place like home.

I am grateful for the relief and peace I feel when I talk to Geri. I love having that kind of friend…even though we hadn’t spoken for 2+ years, it was like it was yesterday and time had not passed.

I am grateful for my book, “One Thousand Gifts,” by Ann Voskamp.  I love books that make me “happy cry.”

 

And finally, I am so very grateful for the opportunity to go to Minnesota on a random, whimsical, spontaneous trip on Saturday to meet one of “our pastors” from Adam’s challenge: to pray for her and her congregations for 30 days. Her name is Kristi, and she is the minister for two United Methodist congregations in rural southwest Minnesota. She sent Sam and I an email on Friday while we sat on the bus slowly making our way home from the choir trip. She shared with us how excited she was for Sunday’s message on the Pentecost and the birth of the church. A seed was planted, and at about 1 pm on Saturday afternoon, we decided to hop in the truck and take another road trip to attend her church on Sunday morning. What a wonderful blessing it was for us to see firsthand her work, her congregation in Adrian, and hear her speak with an excitement and a passion for revival of the church. We both feel like this just might be our “niche” and a way we can serve the Lord and serve our church’s mission, too. There’s absolutely nothing like the feeling of wanting to bless someone else and ending up receiving more blessings than we could have given…thank you, Kristi, for being such a beautiful example to us this weekend. This quote makes me think of you:

 You are where you are, for such a time as this – not to make an impression, but to make a difference. – Ann Voskamp