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Create an intentional summer the easy way – some of my favorite summer posts on life, memories, traditions, and experiences

Summer time is my favorite time. Summer is easy if we let it be easy. Spend much time on Pinterest and you will feel like you must create amazing systems, schedules, and creative experiences. But just let all that roll by you and embrace the beauty of a simple summer.

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite summer posts over the last several years. Here’s links for a few of them.

We Only Have 18 Summers

“I’ve said it before – Lord willing, we only get 18 summers with our children. That’s it. 18 summers.

I do believe that living intentionally allows us to move from stage to stage with a deeper sense of satisfaction. There is a sense of fulfillment that comes from knowing we chose to live fully in the moments. Doesn’t mean it won’t be hard, but we can at least look back with fewer regrets over how we spent our time.”

Summer is for simple moments

Summer doesn’t have to be complicated with filled with expensive bucket list items.

Summer is for taking back time.
Summer is for championing for our families and friends. For cheering and celebrating life.
Summer is for friends. Summer is for simply investing in life-giving relationships.
Summer is for simple moments.
Summer is for slowing down and simply being.
Like all of life, summer is a gift.

Mission Mondays – A Summer Tradition

Sometimes summer can turn into a time of “all about us”. We become so focused on creating a summer to remember for our kids, we fail to remember one of the greatest things we can do for our kids is create hearts of compassion that care more about others than themselves.

Blackberry Moments (P.S. This was one of my very first blog posts when my blog turned from simply a family yearbook to an intentional ministry. While the writing has changed over time, the heart of this post remains one of my all time favorites.)

“To grab the moments, we must be available. Life needs to be a little less complicated, a little less distracted, a little less busy. Buffers of time must exist in order to capture the moments that sometimes crop up unexpectedly, without warning.

We have one chance to paint a beautiful life. Lord willing, the day will come when we have more time on our hands than we know how to fill. Our houses will be quieted. Our homes will look the same way at 7 am, 12 pm, 5 pm, and 8 pm. Because there will be no block towers built, no army scenes created, no pillow forts constructed, and no sword fights fought.”

Don’t Blink, Then I Blinked

#dontblink – a common hashtag when celebrating graduations, birthdays, a new school year, or a life change.

#theniblinked -it’s like a sudden realization that time actually does move at a pace that is frighteningly slow in real time yet megafast in the replay.

One day we are wiping smashed peas off chubby cheeks, then we seem to blink as we watch that same child wiping milk from our new grandbaby’s mouth.

Each blink is a gift full of opportunity. How do we blink through life without missing a moment?

What if we never stopped playing?

I have to work to play. Work comes easy. Play – not so much.

My kids want me in the pool with them. On the basketball court. Not on the sidelines.

I’ve come to a new conclusion on play. Play is important no matter our age. In fact, maybe play is even more important for grown ups than it is for kids.

Maybe if we played more, we’d snap less.

Maybe if we played more, we’d grumble less.

Maybe if we played more, we’d let the little things go with ease.

Maybe if we played more, we’d sleep sounder.

Maybe if we played more, we’d laugh harder and linger longer.

Maybe if we played more, we’d listen closer.

Maybe if we played more, we’d love more intensely.

Maybe if we played more, we’d rekindle what’s dwindled.

How Not To Waste A Life

I’m living my life fully spent. I’m not saving an ounce for the future because I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Each day I’m falling into bed exhausted with nothing left to give, yet sleeping with complete peace knowing I’m exerting every ounce exactly where He has me right now.

It’s a different kind of exhaustion, the kind that comes not from overcommitting or trying to do everything placed before me. It’s the kind of exhaustion from living fully right here.

I’m trading in being a saver of life so I can savor life.

 

Ok- so creating this post for you today was more for me than I realized. That is typically how God works in me through my writing. I sit down wanting to minister to you and serve you. But when I’m done, I feel God has given me an incredible gift. I stopped after 7 posts.

I don’t intend you to sit and read them all in one sitting. Save today’s post and read one or two a day. Let the Lord move you in the direction of intentional simplicity. Living life to the fullest. Life is a beautiful journey. Each moment is unique and will never exist again in the same exact way. Embrace and live.

In case you’ve missed it, I’ve created a tool to help you simply sit with Jesus. There’s a sweet joy in letting go of the frantic pace of life for 10 sweet minutes to sit at His feet. I tend to be more like Martha than Mary, working more than sitting. Jesus loved Mary’s offering.God is inviting you to simply sit at His feet. You don’t need a book, or a group, or an extra night carved out of your schedule. You simply need an email address.

When you order Illuminate, it will arrive quietly into your inbox. It will patiently wait on you. And when you listen, God will speak to you. I’ve prayed for your time with Him as you allow Illuminate to help you to focus your heart and mind simply on God, the lover of your soul.

It’s $10. It’s yours forever. It would make a sweet gift to someone the Lord brings to your mind who could use some encouragement and reminders of who loves them with a reckless love. Click the picture for more information.

audio devotional

 

 

 

 

When the Ride Is Slow

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As a celebration to the end of a great school year and the kick off to summer, we bought a groupon for an electric boat rental.  The morning was gray and misty with a slight chill in the air, very uncommon for that time of year.  The weather didn’t dampen our spirits though. We piled into our little boat with our snacks packed and coffee mugs filled to the top.

The guy at the dock gave Steve the instructions and sent us on our way to explore the beautiful Lake Norman.  Well clear of the marina, our speed didn’t change.  Zachary was the first to speak up.  “Dad, let’s go fast now.”

With his feet propped up on the seat, coffee in hand, he smiled back to Zachary.  “Buddy, we are going as fast as this boat will go.”

Three little heads whipped their way to face him with pure astonishment.  “What?!”

“Yep, so sit back and enjoy the slow ride.”

M-girl is here with us.  The sweet girl we are hosting through New Horizons for Children from Eastern Europe.

It’s been the fastest week of my life.  And I want it to slow down.  I want our time with M-girl to be on the electric boat, not the speed boat.

She is pure joy.  Her smile melts me.  Her patience teaches me.  Her kindness inspires me.

We only have 5 weeks, we are down to 4 left.  My blogging will be limited for the next 4 weeks.  Maybe just one post a week rather than 4.  I don’t want to miss a second with her.

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Mission Mondays: A Summer Tradition

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Summer is in full swing and so begins one of my favorite summer traditions.  Mission Mondays.  Summer is for memory-making.  We have so many opportunities to create meaningful memories.  While we are creating memories, we can do something for others in need while sewing seeds of compassion into our children’s hearts.

2 years ago we labeled Mondays as Mission Mondays.  These were dedicated days of service projects.  Looking back over the years, these projects have become some of our favorite memories.  As my boys get older, I’m realizing how important continuing this tradition actually is.

This year we invited friends to join us.  For our first mission project of the summer, we filled blessing bags. These are bags that you fill to keep in your car so when you pass a homeless person in need you have something to offer them.  We fill the bags with personal hygiene items, small non-perishable food items, a Bible, a handmade card, some hard candy, etc.

Once our bags were filled and cards made, we moved to our 2nd project.  Making a welcome sign for a 12-year-old we are hosting through New Horizons for Children this summer.  If you have been a reader here for awhile, you will remember when we hosted Viktors, an orphan from Latvia, during Christmas 2012. This summer we will host again, this time a girl. We know her well since she has been hosted by my sister’s family 2 times.  We are so excited to shower her with love this summer.  And have some girl flair in this male-dominated home for a few weeks.

This summer we have selected 4 Mondays to serve others.  I find that my children tend to learn through action rather than just my words and these projects allow them to become involved and take ownership.  Summer is a time of fun and relaxation, but I want them to see beyond themselves.  To see that summer isn’t about only themselves and having fun.  I want them to use their time and their talents to serve others.

Our first Mission Monday last week had the girls all over it.  Marina has a beautiful sign that will greet her in 9 days!

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Here are some Mission Monday posts from the past:

Homeless Blessing Bags

Mission Monday Ideas

Lemon-Aide Stand

What are some ways your family serves others during summer break?  I have shared a few ideas in the links above and would love to hear your ideas!

 

 

7 Ways to Celebrate the End of Summer

Summer is coming to a close and a new chapter is waiting to begin.  For some, summer is not over until the calendar says so, which is around September 21st.  For others, the end of summer is made official Labor Day weekend.  And for others the end of summer is when the kids go back to school.  Even if you’ve already moved into a new fall schedule, it’s not too late to celebrate the end of summer with your family.  Here are a few ideas that are simple to put together, yet are very effective in creating lifelong memories and traditions with your loved ones.

  1. Backyard campout–  Camping is a great family activity.  It forces to you unplug, be in nature, and be together.  For kids, camping is all about the tent and the marshmallows.  So why not celebrate the end of summer with a backyard campout.  Pitch a tent in the backyard, or if that isn’t an option, set up an indoor campout!  We’ve even set up a tent on our screened in porch when we didn’t have a backyard.  Sit around the fire sharing favorite memories from the summer, retelling funny stories, and simply enjoying the time together before the hustle of the fall begins.
  2. Bucket List Ceremony–  If your family created a Summer Bucket List, pull it out and spend an evening celebrating and reflecting on the memories created.   Facilitate the conversation by going around the circle giving each person a turn to share their favorite memory from each bucket list item that was checked off.
  3. Ice Cream Party or Treat Buffet–  Summertime equals massive consumption of ice cream.  It’s even acceptable to have popsicles for a morning snack in the summertime.   Have an ice cream party with the family to say good-bye to summer, hello to school year.  If ice cream doesn’t do it for you, set up a “treat buffet”.  My son planned one of these for my husband and some friends of ours last year, and it was a huge hit.  Set up a table full of sugar in different varieties: candy, cookies, and plenty of ice cream topping choices!
  4. Date –  Have a date with each of your children before school starts.  Before my oldest started kindergarten, I took each boy on a 1/2 day date alone as a celebration to a fun summer and a toast to the new adventures ahead.  I had each of them give me a list of what they wanted to do.  We played tennis, went to lunch, and out to ice cream.  Even though we have had many special dates since then, they still talk about that one.  If school has already started, it’s not too late.  Celebrate the end of summer and a great beginning to the new season!
  5. Special night-before-school dinner–  This is a great tradition to start.  Celebrate the night before school starts with a family favorite meal.  For our boys, we did comfort food, which is agreeable to all around our table.  Meatballs, gravy, biscuits, spinach salad, and apple pie.  While we ate dinner, my husband used our bucket list to spark conversation so we all had turns at sharing our favorite moments from the summer. 
  6. Fireworks– Why not close out the season with a bang?  Have any leftover fireworks or sparklers?  If so, use them up for a summer send off explosion.
    7.  Create a summer time capsule.  Fill a bottle with pictures, mementoes, and written experiences from the summer.

What are some ways your family celebrates the end of summer?  We’d love you to share your ideas with us!

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Would a $50 gift card kickstart summer for you?

As a grand opening of sorts for Barefoot Walks, I will be giving away a $50 American Express gift card to a lucky commenter.  Use it to bless someone in your life, use it for a family vacation or outing, use it however you desire.

What is Barefoot Walks you ask?  Step on over to the menu pages at the top of the page to read About Me, Why Barefoot Walks, and Traditions.

Barefoot Walks is all about the journey to create moments, memories, experiences, and traditions with your family.  It’s about recognizing the moments that are right before our eyes.  It’s reaching out and grabbing them before they slip away.  It is a journey, a walk, we can take together to inspire and encourage one another.  It’s a step at a time.

This walk is not just for those of us in the child rearing stage of life or just those of us with children.  Grandparents, aunts and uncles, empty nesters, we want you to take this walk with us.  This stroll is for anyone who desires to create moments, create memories, capture hearts, and invest in the lives of the ones they love.  When you invest this time, you are providing security, stability, acceptance, and strength to the individual, which they will carry on to their own families one day.

Barefoot Walks is an attempt to help you (and me) focus on the joy in the moments we are given.  Focusing on the simple things, the beautiful things this life has to offer.  Joy is all around us.  Joy is a choice.  Even when life looks messy, beauty is there, waiting to be discovered beneath the mess, dusted off, and beheld.  You will be my accountability partner.  I promise to be genuine, truthful, and authentic with you.  I can’t write from the heart if I’m not living it out.  I fail time after time.  I mess up constantly.  Thankfully, there is grace and mercy from our Heavenly Father.  And though I feel unworthy and ill-equipped to write or to inspire, the Lord has laid it on my heart.

Through Barefoot Walks I hope to encourage you in your quest to spend time with your loved ones.  Therefore, I vow not to post something that will take you 30 minutes to read.  I will not fill your inbox with more resources than you have time to muddle through.  I want you living, experiencing, creating, loving, and making the most of every single moment our Lord gives us.  I will try not to post more than twice a week, unless you beg for more of  course 🙂

My prayer is that my blog will not become a distraction to your moments.

So, let’s take a little barefoot walk together, shall we?  Each step along  our walk leaves a footprint.  Our footprints create a path to a legacy.  When we reach our destination, we can look back on the richness of the moments in our past with a sense of peace and satisfaction rather than regrets and sadness.

It’s never too late to start your barefoot walk.  Let me repeat:  It is never too late.  Even if you have adult children.  Even if you have grandkids.  It doesn’t matter.  We all have moments in our life to behold.  We all have people who love us and we love back.

Ok, so let’s kick it off.  Here is the nitty-gritty:

In order to qualify you must :  leave a comment AND include which of the following you participated in with link backs.  If you do all, you increase your chances!

  • Post on your Facebook page and become a friend
  • Tweet this and follow me on Twitter
  • Pin this on Pinterest
  • Subscribe to BW via email subscription
  • Post on your own blog with a link back to Barefoot Walks
  • Send an email to your friends sharing Barefoot Walks
  • Be the second to comment and you are entered for 2 chances (my comment doesn’t count 🙂
  • Be the last to comment and you are entered for 2 chances

You can leave your comment on any post I’ve posted or any page (About Me, Why, etc).  You can leave any comment you like or you can comment on your favorite summer memory or tradition to this post.  Don’t forget to include which of the above you participated in with the links.

How many chances in all could you potentially have? 8!!  Comments must be submitted by 11:59pm Thursday night.  Winner announced on Friday.