It’s a fine Monday afternoon where I am and hopefully where you are, too.   I was thinking about this and thought I’d put it in a blog post, not to brag but to simply remember.

Today I’m thankful to God…

1) For my wife Emily.  She’s leading worship with the kids at Vacation Bible School this week, and I get to play keyboard in her band.  I get a front row seat to her worship leading, which I can say is spot-on.   Oh, she’s also running all the other stuff she normally runs (finances, children mgmt, supply chain, garment process,  dean of summer school, functional domestic sanitation, etc.)

2) For our daughter Lexi.  If you’ve been around me or this blog (or both), then you know that Lexi has Down Syndrome as well as being on the Autism spectrum, which radically changes both our expectations and our celebrations.  She has started choosing her own outfits, showing us that she wants to wear that dress and not this ridiculous sweatshirt you’ve put on me.  It’s pretty cool.

3) For our son Mac.  Mac suddenly started riding a two-wheeler like he’s been practicing nightly in our basement.  Now he wants to ride everywhere, like a bird whose wings finally started working.  Just yesterday I had to talk to him about the dangers of riding in the street, which ended with me saying you’ve got to be careful.  This pushes his independence up a notch and pushes me a little beyond my comfort zone.

4) For our son Zac.  Zac is doing Martial Arts at VBS this week.  After only one day, he already knows stances, moves, blocks, etc.  He’s into it.  I don’t know if he’s up to any kind of belt level yet, but I can see it coming down the road.  He’s more at a twine level right now, but doing great.  Will these skills transfer to his dealings with older siblings?  Only time will tell.  I simply ask that he doesn’t sweep the leg of one of our other children.  Crane Technique.. maybe.

“First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine” – Mr. Miyagi