Okay, this was not yesterday when I took this picture! We live in the midwest and are surviving through our first really cold day of the season! I thought I would bring back the memory of our nice warm summer. It seems like yesterday! It also seems like yesterday when I was planning for Thanksgiving! So as the seasons change, and the preparations are being made for the coming holidays, I have decided to savor all the beauty and make sure I don't just busy myself this year with all the extra's. I am going to take time to watch the smiles on my children's faces, take time to WRITE my name on my holiday cards myself and maybe even a letter, make sure my children know that things are not what make this a wonderful time of year, it is family and loved ones (I have even become thankful that I CAN"T afford to by many "things" this Christmas), I want to teach them things that are of value are eternal. I pray that unlike when this picture was taken, I appreciate the simpleness of the day and give my kids many hugs and look into their eyes and tell them Jesus loves them and so do I! As my kids get older, I realize these moments are like sand in an hour glass, but I have this moment and I chose today to cherish them before they are gone forever!