freckles, waves, and yellow shorts.

Dear Mack,

Thank you for loving sunshine about as much as I do and for choosing to wear your yellow shorts day after day after day.  Sunshine + Yellow Shorts = Happiness for you &  for me!

I loved this day with you at the beach this year.  You were excited to challenge the waves, and the smile on your face was contagious.  In fact, I think everyone that walked by us that afternoon couldn't help but smile.  I wonder why?

Your freckles multiplied by about 50 over the 6 days we were there - adding bits of character and color to your sweet little self.  I think 38 of them {sprouted}while you were chasing waves.

Thank you for loving Cheetos, ice water, bubble gum, and fruit snacks.

Life would be boring without them - for you & me.

May you always find 'joy' in the simple things like laying in the sand and running from waves.

I love you & your silly grin ... and all those freckles too ~

Mommy

secretly incredible.

Dear Amazon Shopper,

Have you seen this book?  Do you know its message?

Have you wanted to live & love a little bit better than you ever have before?

Did you know you that extraordinary is within your reach?

That secretly incredible life that you read and see everyone else enjoying & living can be yours.

In fact, I think it probably already is.

The life where you sit on top of a saucer - holding your breath ... hoping you can make it to the bottom without crashing, but not being afraid to try anyway.

The life where you have races against your very best friend - secretly hoping that you will win, but being ok with coming in {second}.

The life where you strap your feet in tight and stretch your arms out wide.

It's a secretly incredible life because it requires you to see your life as anything but ordinary. 

You may do ordinary stuff, say ordinary things, have ordinary thoughts, and even have an ordinary look, but as soon as you let go of worrying what 'normal' looks like or even sounds like, you realize you're anything but ordinary.

You're a conqueror of hills that have found their way into your world.

You're a builder of roads that make the trek smooth.

You're a dreamer, not afraid to dream ... and you're not afraid to let others dream with you.

You're a pusher of that which may stand in your way.

You're a leader ... and a  good follower too.

You're alive.

You're a sun-soaked soul that has chosen to live out-loud.

Out-loud for others to see the good, and the bad - not worrying about what others think.

Out-loud for strangers to catch glimpses of joy, and friends to want to come along.

Out-loud knowing that life is not all about living perfectly, but about perfectly living.

You're smiling, and laughing, and maybe even telling jokes.

You're totally and completely looking life right in the face.

And you're no longer a secret.

Extraordinary uncovered for the world to see.

......................................

I can't tell you what book to put in your cart next, but I can tell you that if this one pops up on your screen, go ahead  - add it to your cart, and then purchase 5.

Because after about the 3rd chapter, you're going to find yourself wanting to live differently -  and you're going to want the 5 most important people in your life to live differently too.

A fan of making ordinary life extraordinary,

Lindsay

cloudy.

Dear July the 26th, 

We basked in the cloudiness of you today for hours.  It's not often we bask in the cloudiness of anything, but today, we did.  And I can honestly say we enjoyed every minute of it.

No sprinklers to move.

No bills in the mail.

No appointments to make.

No itinerary to follow.

No machinery to fix.

No bills in the mail.

No flowers to water.

No phone calls to make ... well, maybe just a few.

No reason not to smile.

No office desk to sit at.

No laundry to fold.

No reason not to bask in the cloudiness of a day made just for us.  

With appreciation for cloudy days ~

the Murdocks

pelicans & seals.

Dear Pacific Ocean Wildlife,

Your beauty and dedication to 'stick' together amazes me.

I watch in awe of your splendor.

You were knit together in your mother's womb just as I was.

Your life has been planned carefully & you have been perfectly made.

Some of you rise with wings ... and soar.

It's breathtaking to watch.

I stop what I'm  doing and stand facing the west.  Facing you.

You swoop and dive and fly with grace.

Staying close to the surf, you seem to be on a mission.

Maybe you're even headed to a family reunion on the rock.  Who knows.

It's not always about the destination.

Sometimes it's just about the flight.

Go figure.

.................................................

Some of you bask in the cloud cover - dreaming of your next meal while soaking in the warmth of the day.

You protect each other - hemmed in - from the front, and from behind.

As I inch my way closer, you seemed to trust me - lifting your heads and watching each of my steps.

Thank you for letting me in to your 'circle'.

I didn't read the warning about staying away from you until after I'd returned back home.

That was probably a good thing, because those 2 hours I spent walking and watching you, were 2 hours I'll treasure forever.

and I think my mother-in-law will too.

With appreciation for all you are & the beauty that is you,

Lindsay

Psalm 139

bits of yellow.

Dear Dandelions,

The first day of our beach trip this year was spent under a gray sky.

It was comfortable.

Gray is one of my favorite colors at the moment & so I didn't mind it at all.

In case you didn't know, some of the best things happen when you mix a few colors together.

Yellow, gray & bits of green & brown are especially comforting to my soul right now.

They're warm, but cool at the same time.  Is that even possible?

I found that 'mixture' on the hillside scattered in with the dune grass & was captivated.

I think the beach suits you.

You don't stick out like a sore thumb in a beautiful manicured lawn.

In fact, I bet you aren't really even seen as a weed.

You're just a bit of yellow scattered here & there ... like sunshine on a cloudy day.


Thank you for smiling for my camera ~

Lindsay

I sit and look out at the thousands of acres before me. I hear the train whistle blow. Once, twice, and then once again. The sprinklers are on in the yard below and the birds are singing their mighty chorus. A horse neighs, and the train goes by. Five shades of blue. Not a cloud in the sky.

This is my view. The view I love most.

 Not the mountain peaks of the high desert. Not the endless ocean or sandy dune. Not the classroom whispering - 'welcome back!'

 Here.

 Here, is where I belong.

...........................................................

Today I'm joining  Lisa-Jo Baker & several others ...

Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on:::

Here…