The stains that decorate our "new" carpet.
The smudges that cover the windows... ALL the windows.
The sound of tears falling from cheeks, dancing throughout these hours with that deep belly laughter that rises up often within these here walls.
Candles burn reminding us that He is the light of the world, and we too, are called to that high place of flickering flame.
There's paint on the old hard wood floors, dripped down from creative toddlers who turn the stacks of white paper in the school room into masterpieces.
Trinkets smother the farmhouse floors, hidden treasure for a ten month old learning to crawl... if there's a microscopic Lego in the carpet, littlest one WILL find it.
There's muddy footprints on the tiles in the one shower that the six of us share in this simple, dream farmhouse.
The toilet still smells like throw up from a tummy-sick six year old who was kind enough to run to the bathroom this morning before his insides all came falling out... there's not enough Lysol in this place to mask the scent in the air.
I found Cherrios crushed in the cabinet under the sink this morning... No idea how they got there, who put them there, or how they got crushed... but when I saw them, I just smiled.
A moist-gooey chocolate cake is sitting in the slow-cooker on the counter, a large silver spoon lays next to it covered in crumbs... each time I've entered the kitchen today I've slipped a spoonful of chocolate joy into my mouth.
There's dirt in this place and there's cake-joy in the kitchen. There's always a scent of sickness lurking, but the light of the candle covers up the stench of the sin that lives life together in these walls.
Daily we love, we break, we forgive, we restore... We're family and that's what families do.
There's lots of life going on around here, and the evidence is everywhere.
Life signs... It's all quite the gift! All of it. :)
#'s 401-410 of 1000 gifts
