1st Wednesday in Advent: Be Nice to Someone You Don't Like

Give a compliment was pretty easy and felt nice to do throughout the day. Sarah Bess and Davis both gave the compliment to their friends "I like your shoes." This is the example that I had given them of a compliment, so they may need to practice this one some more.

 "Be nice to someone you don't like" feels much tougher. The kids think so also! Luckily, there are very few people that fall in the 'don't like' category for me and in my daily life rarely do I encounter anyone I don't like. Sarah Bess said, "But mom you like everyone- how will you do this?". Well, that's not quite true- something to strive towards, loving all.

But I told her that if I didn't see anyone I didn't like tomorrow, the best thing for me to do was pray for anyone that had hurt me in the past and pray for my heart to love everyone. So that's my prayer for tomorrow...and just because I'm nice to you tomorrow don't think it means I don't like you :o )

1st Tuesday in Advent: Give a Compliment

Today was awesome. I am so blessed with so many fabulous friends and loved being able to tell them thank you.
Celebrating Gabre's birthday made it even more special- telling friends thanks for their support over the past year. (I'll get a first birthday post up soon as soon as I can get around to downloading some pictures-she had a great birthday!). We also got our tree up and started some decorating.

I also got to spend the day with my best friend. I am so blessed to have Jimmy Eskridge in my life and on this day of thankfulness of friends- I am so thankful for him.

The kids didn't have too much to say about today. They both told a friend thank you for being their friend, but neither wanted to share too much about it.

Tomorrow- give a compliment (or Many!)... and make it sincere!

1st Monday in Advent: Tell a Friend Thank You for their Friendship

Today we set out to "Smile at everyone", going in it seemed like an easy task and mostly it was. Often it is easier to smile at perfect strangers than our own families. There were a few times in driving home from Thanksgiving vacation with a screaming baby that we were challenged and Jimmy and I found ourselves giving forced smiles. Sarah Bess and Davis were quick to remind us to smile at others. Gabre tends to get smiles wherever we go so makes it so easy for us to smile back!

Tomorrow we will tell a friend thank you for their friendship. Sarah Bess had an interesting take on this and felt like it was something she doesn't need to say. "They already know that". I think it may be her avoiding feelings as she likes to do...so we'll see how it goes. She has her friend picked out. She wants to thank them for a specific action (inviting her to a birthday party).

I can't wait to thank dear friends for the blessings they have been in our lives this year!

Advent 2011: Smile at all you see today

Here we are two days post Thanksgiving and one day before Advent. We have had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the beach with Sudie, Papa Rob, Uncle Art, Aunt Georganna, Chris, Kelly, Drew, Nat, Uncle Ralph, and Kerry. We all have much to be thankful for this year.

As we gear up for Advent and what sometimes becomes the very busy Christmas season, I wanted to think of a way to keep in perspective for the kids what Advent is about. As we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus, that we focus on more than just presents, parties and food.

So I have stolen an idea I saw someone doing during advent last year. We are going to do an Act of Kindness Calendar for Advent. 

Want to join along with us? We'd love to hear how your family celebrates advent or if you participate in something like this. I plan to use the blog to share our experience and post what we are doing for each day.

Sunday November 27th, the first day of Advent: Smile at all you see today.

Luke 8.16: No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

Hoping to shine the light of Christ this holiday season.

Home for Two Months!!

Gabre is doing great. She is really such an amazing blessing. Sarah Bess and Davis continue to love having a little sister and especially enjoy how she has livened up our dinner times (I didn't know that was possible!). Davis still calls her Meti about 95% of the time and she now responds to both names. The rest of us generally call her Gabre or Gabre Meti. Sarah Bess still likes to carry her all around the house (the desire to feed and change her has gone away).
Gabre is ON the move. She can crawl everywhere. Pull herself to stand, stand for a couple of seconds by herself and climb up the stairs. She is cruising some on furniture. Sarah Bess taught her how to 'do the bump bumps' down the stairs and she could spend hours doing that. She gets so proud of herself each time she is successful.
She has 6 teeth now! (in comparison to 0 teeth when we picked her up in September).
She still loves to dance and to clap. When anyone else is clapping, she claps along. She was so mesmerized last week when the national anthem was being sung before the UNC basketball game on the aircraft carrier. As soon as the guy stopped singing, she began to clap and smile.
She loves to do things that make us laugh and then keep doing them. There are so many of these and I keep trying to get some on video, but never do so successfully. I seem to always be too late with that! Her current one is doing this thing with her face that send Sarah Bess and Davis into hysterics which sends her into hysterics and then she does it again and again (this is a favorite at dinner time!).
I have gone back to work, which is harder some days than others. I miss her greatly. Jimmy is able to stay home with her most days which is an incredible blessing and our dear friend keeps her when Jimmy is cooking.

3 things that we have taught Gabre about being an Eskridge:
1. We love to dance around the house and spontaneous dance parties are the best.
2. We are always on the Go! She has had to adjust to her dislike of the carseat and to a regular nap time!
3. We LOVE to snuggle, and especially enjoy family time on the couch in a pile after dinner.

3 Things Gabre is teaching us:
1. Don't let a baby hang out too long without a diaper on- this can lead to trouble! (right, Jimmy!)
2. You don't really need that much sleep when you have such a sweet girl to snuggle with.
3. God is SO good!

                                                   First Boat Ride- at Smith Mountain Lake in October

                                                 Taken by my photographer sister, Sarah Bess

                                                          Gabre's Baptism, October 30, 2011

My thoughts: Mercy

 I have been wanting to start writing/blogging about things that aren't just the latest family update. I don't know why. I just keep getting this urge to write. Some people seem to blog and have mutiple topics/columns on the same blog and keep them seperate...but I don't know how to do that. So for now, I will start these posts with 'My Thoughts'.  That way- all of you just wanting to see pictures or a quick update of my cute children can skip reading.

Now that I have that out of the way....

MercyOver the past couple of weeks, the concept of Mercy has been frequently on my mind. It seems as though I am to be learning something about mercy. The topic keeps coming up.  I read an email devotional- the topic is mercy. A sermon- on grace and mercy. A reading from a daily scripture plan- on mercy. OK God, what are you wanting me to learn about Mercy?  So I started to pray and trying to read more.

I have learned, Mercy is hard. I FAIL daily at giving mercy to those I love most. God gives me mercy in every moment of my day. If I am to follow HARD after Him, I need to pray for the ability to freely give grace and mercy in my life.

Grace and Mercy- often said together, but not quite the same thing. I am sure many of you have heard as I have: "Grace is being given something you don't deserve. Mercy is witholding something you do deserve". Said differently: "Mercy is witholding justice, Grace is giving that same person freedom from judgement."

When I goolged the word "Mercy", the first hits are a TV show and a hospital, but the Bible tells me of a different Mercy.

If I say my  foot slips, your mercy will hold me up. Psalm 94:18

...But you don't obey the really important things: justice, mercy and faithfulness. Matthew 23:23

The more I think about mercy, the more I am amazed at God's love. He not only gives us grace and forgives us of our sins, he doesn't punish us for those sins.

He is teaching me there are so many little ways I neglect to show mercy.
   - when the dishes aren't put away after a long day
   - when a piece of furniture is drawn on by a 5 year old
   - when someone is too caught up in their daily struggle to show me compassion.

And sure, I might grant grace but only after punishment has been given. Yell at my children after they have disobeyed, and then forgive. Stomp around the kitchen cleaning up, and then forgive. Talk about how someone has wronged me to someone else, and then forgive. These are not acts of mercy. I am sure to give a punishment prior to forgiveness.

I also know that when I am not shown mercy...it hurts. I generally tend to respond to a lack of mercy with anger. Then a return of no mercy.  We can so hurt each other- a mean glance, a silent treatment, snapping at our children. Yes- we all mess up. But boy do we let each other have it when we do.

 And there are the bigger things. The things that can enslave our heads and hearts. The things that if we could give grace and mercy we would be libertated. I want to grant that mercy. I want to give grace when mercy isn't given to me. It is hard. I can not do it alone.

And so I pray,

Come into my darkness God. Heal me. Empower me. Transform me. Liberate me so I can help others seek God and be liberated.

God, help me grant mercy. Oh how hard it is to not only forgive, but to not 'punish' those that wrong us. Help me seek You when others are unable to grant mercy to me.

Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me.

Has it been a Month??!

I can hardly believe it has been over a month since we have been home from Ethiopia. It has been such a wonderful time. Gabre continues to do really well and is such a delight in our life. I have enjoyed this time with her and our family so much. What a blessing in our lives!!! Here are photos from the pumpkin patch.