the little gifts God gives

This past weekend, I went away with a couple of friends to Ft. Bragg to have uninterrupted time to think and pray over our upcoming homeschool year. The scenery couldn't have been better. Our house was 200 yards from the cliffs next to the ocean . . . which I could see from my bed when I awoke. We had no internet, no movies or laundry to fold . . . absolutely no distractions.

I got a good chunk of my semester roughly planned out, but the most important thing that I came away with is that God is in control of what he wants my children to learn this year. He will give me the tools to teach them. He will fill in the gaps that I do not cover in my lesson plans. He will give me the patience that I need each day to gently guide and direct my children. I learned this as I sat and watched the powerful waves crash into the rocks . . . they may appear of control (as I sometimes feel as a mom), but God has these waves completely under His control as well.

God gave us a special gift this weekend . . . we spotted a huge whale! I have never seen a whale in person before (not counting Marine World) and it was only 200 yards from us. We trailed him for over an hour while we ran up and down the coast taking pictures and shouting whenever we saw him blow water or show us his tail. After awhile we just sat and watched. If God can give me this little gift of showing me one of His most amazing creatures, can He not plan out my days for me and my family and give us His best?

Another highlight was going down to this beach . . .

Getting down to the beach was not a simple stroll, we had to go down a rope (I got a little rope burn from hanging on so tight!) to reach the bottom.

Once at the beach, this was the view . . .

It was a great weekend full of little blessings. Hope you enjoy your week!