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Yesterday it was 51 degrees outside. Sam and I were running around town without jackets on, and we were perfectly comfortable.

24 hours later…..

 

And it’s still coming down. Do you think the kids will have school tomorrow?

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Tuesday right after lunch, Sam came up to me and matter-of-factly told me that he wanted two wheels on his bike (as opposed to four). Now, up until Tuesday, Sam has not been the best bike rider. He tends to ride tilted to one side. But he insisted that the training wheels come off his bike, so reluctantly I took them off. A few hours later, this was the result.

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I apologize for the formatting of this post.  For some reason my theme isn’t liking so many pictures in one post.  I am finally going to admit I can’t make it look perfect.  Perhaps there’s a theme here…

This week’s project at Wrapped Emotions was all about perspective. We were to go to a public place and look at things from a vantage point that we don’t usually use. We were told to take at least one picture while lying flat on our backs and looking straight up.

I must admit. I felt really self conscious this morning. I took my son to the park adjacent to our library, and I cringed when I saw another mom there with her child. How was I going to look, laying on the ground snapping pictures? What was she going to think of me?

I didn’t have a lot of time, so waiting for this woman and her child to leave was not an option. I swallowed my pride, took out my camera, lay on the ground, and started snapping away. I began to realize some important things as I continued taking pictures.

First I took pictures of the library. Our new library was finished early this year. It’s big, ornate, and shiny. The outside is polished and clean. Our library is also devoid of people. The county libraries closed this spring because of budget cuts. So our big, new, ornate library stands empty, except for the books it holds. There is lots of knowledge in the library, but it isn’t being used.As I was taking these first pictures, I was uncomfortable. I was worried about the way I looked. I wanted to look polished and put together, and there I was, laying on the sidewalk with my camera.

As I got more comfortable, I began snapping pictures of the playground.

The equipment is old and faded. The plastic is scratched. Yet it is full of life. Kids feel free to climb the equipment, to enjoy themselves. They run, jump, laugh and play. Kids are completely at ease playing here.I began to compare my life to these two places, the library and the playground. Which one am I like? Am I like the library, looking good on the outside, yet full of knowledge that isn’t used on the inside? Do I have an air about me that says I am closed? Do I share myself with other people, or do I shut myself off from the world and keep my feelings to myself?

Or am I like the playground, worn and faded on the outside, yet able to fully put people at ease? Do I make people comfortable?

As a Christian, I need to show God’s love to those around me. Looks don’t matter. It’s what’s inside that counts. I can know the facts of the Bible and salvation, yet they are worthless if I’m not sharing God’s love with others.

Too often I get caught up with my outside appearance. I’m self-conscious about how I look and what I say. I long to be like the playground. Not worried about the dings and scratches in my life, but focused on letting those around me know that they are loved, appreciated, and most of all wanted in my life.

You can see all of the photos for this project on my Flickr page.

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I came across this concept at Coming to a Nursery Near You. I love to see old pictures of people, and since I missed Wordless Wednesday this week, I thought I’d participate in Throwback Thursday!

So here it is. Me at age 3. You have to love the 70’s dress and flipped up hair!

For more Throwback Thursday, be sure to visit Pinks & Blues Girls Blog!

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Sam at our church’s annual Chinese Dinner.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom and the official Wordless Wednesday Site.

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I don’t think he liked it very much.

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here and here.

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For more great pictures, visit 5 minutes for mom.

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For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 minutes for mom.

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This is how I found Sam one night.  He sure loves his cars!

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We’ve started a new tradition this summer:  Sports Saturday.  In an attempt to promote activity and family togetherness, we’ve been trying new sports every Saturday.  Last week we went miniature golfing.  This week it was bowling.  Everyone had a great time, and we had lots of laughs.  Here are a few pictures from our outing.

Sam rolling the ball

Liz celebrating after a strike

Liz and Shannon posing for the camera.

All in all it was a fun afternoon.  Now we have to decide what to try next week!

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