Learning to Smile

Well, Eli's figured out how to smile for the camera:

I love how his nose wrinkles in that last one; he's trying so hard. I also love how he's in an orange t-shirt here. Eli's almost always in orange these days. It's his favorite color, but since both of his orange shirts happened to be short-sleeved and we've yet to hit "spring" around here, I find the need to do some creative layering while he's getting dressed.

I am so ready for spring. It seems like the daffodils in my yard have been about to bloom for weeks. The sun was peeking through the clouds this morning and I thought, "Finally! Today is the day!" But, the temperature has yet to get anywhere close to the predicted 60 degrees and the windy gusts have blown the gloomy clouds in once again. And it's not just the weather. There seems have been a lot of opportunities to get a little bit "down" over the last couple of weeks. Ugh. I'm just so ready for spring: a new season and some sunshine.

I've been challenged by the words throughout the Psalms during the last couple of weeks. Like these from Psalm 62:

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Where is my rest? In God alone. Not the sunshine or warm weather. Where is my rescue? My salvation comes from him. Not in blooming daffodils or budding trees. God alone is my rock, my salvation, my fortress.

Perhaps, every so often, we need to relearn how to smile, or at least be reminded there may be another reason to. Eli first smiled when he passed gas 2 1/2 years ago, but now he's learning how to smile because someone expects it. I pray that I'm learning how to smile because it reflects the true joy within my heart.

Some "spring break" images: (I hope they make you smile!)

Sandcastles at the beach.

Spring hockey season.