Happy Spiritual Birthday!

Years ago, I read a blog post about spiritual birthdays. That's something I had never heard of before. The author was a delightful mom whose blog was recommended by a mutual friend. Her words inspired me, and one idea I kept tucked away was her celebration of the day each of her children accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

All three of my children came to the Lord at an early age. Admittedly, I was a little unsure that they were old enough to grasp salvation, but with each child, I received assurance from a church leader and a VBS teacher. I was told, and agreed that, they understood the truth in a way that a seven- or eight-year-old could.

Ida, our firstborn, was baptized as an infant. When she later professed her faith, we were at a church that didn't believe in baptizing a second time. So, we celebrated as a family and were joined by some church friends. That's when my blogger friend's idea popped into my mind. 

Why not celebrate such an amazing day every year! It gave us the opportunity to have a conversation about their faith and relationship with Jesus. Throw in a cupcake and a small gift, and it became a celebration.  Over the years, I gifted my children with devotionals, prayer cards, books, journals, Christian t-shirts, and anything else that reminded them of their relationship with Jesus. 

John was not baptized when he was a baby, so when he came to the Lord, he was baptized during a church service. I had never experienced a baptism in a baptismal pool with each person professing their faith beforehand. Hearing little John's sweet words and watching him come up out of the water to applause and shouts of joy was amazing. Our whole life group went out to lunch afterwards to celebrate. 

Then there was Asa's baptism, where it just so happened that Michael W. Smith was leading worship and singing one of my most favorite worship songs as my littlest was baptized. Being new to Nashville, we didn't have a life group, but our family-of-five lunch was special, nonetheless. 

Flash forward thirteen years and it got even better! In March of this year, Ida chose to be rebaptized when she recommitted her life to Christ. We didn't have a lot of notice, but you'd better believe we jumped in the car and made the three-hour drive so we could be there! Then in May, after a life-changing retreat, John also chose to be rebaptized, and my tears just flowed. 

Each of these days are second in my heart only to the day I gave birth each child. Having all three of them give their life to the Lord is an answered prayer and the most important thing they will ever do.  Because of that, we remember each year--it's that big of a deal! I pray their faith continues to grow and their relationship with God deepens as they go through life. Perhaps they will even celebrate spiritual birthdays with their children when then the time comes. And I'll cry all over again.

Fall Fun

As I anxiously await the departure of summer weather, I find myself thinking back to all the fall fun our family has had. I can't take credit for most of it, except perhaps for seeing an advertisement for some kind of fall fun.

When the children were little, we lived in an area where several farms were a short drive away. There was the traditional farm tour where we petted animals and fed calves. The festivals we went to were also held on farms and had all kinds of fun things to do. We rode a cow train, slid down huge slides, played in dried corn, shot pumpkins from a cannon, made our way through corn mazes, went on hayrides, and of course chose a pumpkin or two. 

As much fun as all that was, I loved apple picking. We would always go on a weekday, which all but ensured we would be one of only a few families there. After some child-lifting, tree-climbing, and limb-shaking, my favorite moment would happen as we headed home. I'd look back to see all three children holding their bags of apples while munching the one they had chosen as the best. 

In the days that followed, we'd make all kinds of apple recipes, and someone was always asking if they could have an apple at snack time. For some reason, fruit that they had picked themselves was much more appealing than what I brought home from the grocery store. 

As they got older and we moved to an area that didn't have many farms nearby, we started visiting farm stands and pumpkin patches, where we could choose pumpkins, gourds, and mums. For the past eight falls, I kept thinking it was the year that they would no longer be interested. I haven't brought it up yet, but as of last year, the boys were quick to say yes to the farm stand. Even at ages seventeen and twelve, they took choosing a pumpkin quite seriously. 

I am not sure if they did so because they truly wanted to find the perfect pumpkin, or if it was because they knew it made me happy. Either way, I'll take it! In a few weeks, I'll be asking them again. Considering my eighteen-year-old's new job, it might be down to just the youngest. But that's okay! The fall fun will continue, nonetheless. 

Sunday Supper

One of my favorite traditions began when my children were getting older, which goes to show that it's never too late to start a tradition!

One of the greatest joys about moving to Tennessee was getting to do life with my sister, brother-in-law, and five nieces and nephews. I realized quickly on that if I wanted to see all of them, I would need to be intentional--they were a busy crew! 

We somehow managed to all get together on Easter Sunday, and that's when the idea was born. Sunday Supper! The plan was simple--come when you can and under no circumstances should anyone feel obligated. I mean, how fun are obligatory gatherings?

Without knowing how many would be coming each Sunday, I decided the easiest meal would be soup. If everyone came, great, but if not, leftovers meant one less night of cooking for me. Before we even began, I gathered my soup recipes and started a Pinterest board for new ones. 

This idea took off! Not only did everyone come, but my two nieces brought their boyfriends. Thanks to one of them, there was a whole game thing happening with the under-thirty crowd. The cousin time was precious--and loud! Once, there were even a few rounds of musical chairs that included adults. It helps to have a piano-playing sister for moments such as that. And oh, the soups, if I do say so myself! 

On the first Sunday, my brother-in-law brought a bottle of champagne. Through that, he and my sister reminded me that there is always something to celebrate. And celebrate we did. Eight cousins, four adults, and two boyfriends equaled a lot of birthdays, which of course involved cake and balloons--there are always balloons at our house on a birthday. Planning those parties gave me so much joy!

We didn't miss too many Sundays those first few years, and I think that, in part, is one of the reasons relationships were deepened. Without those suppers, I wouldn't have gotten to know one of my most favorite people in the world--my niece's boyfriend, Jake. He wasn't even related, but he barely missed, even coming once without my niece! Sadly, they moved to Colorado, and I still miss them every time I make soup on a Sunday.

With them gone and my daughter moving as well, our Sunday Suppers became less frequent, but we still have them at least once a month. When my mom moved to Tennessee, Sunday Suppers became about giving her a chance to see some of her grandchildren, and now a fiancé (who wasn't on the original guest list but is a much-welcomed addition!).

Some of my favorite Nashville memories are from those first few years of Sunday Suppers. Although this tradition isn't the same as when it first began, it once again feels celebratory whenever we all gather at our house.

Family and celebration--the perfect tradition!