Hopefully you slept more than my daughter did last night. As I was going to bed before midnight, Mabel had set an alarm to wake up at 12am. She’s not a nurse working third shift, and she wasn’t trying to pull an all-nighter to study for an exam. She was waking up in the middle of the night to dive into the new Taylor Swift album, The Tortured Poets Department, as soon as it dropped. And she wasn’t alone.
Her alarm buzzed, she grabbed her iPad, turned on her fancy headphones (thanks Santa!), hopped on a call with her friends, and pressed play. She’d been counting down this release all week, constantly giving us to-the-minute updates on how far away the release was. I think this is the most excited I’ve ever seen her about something happening on a specific date/time (aside from Christmas each year). While we’re not normally in the habit of waking our kids up in the middle of the night, this meant the world to her, so we made it happen. Her anticipation cost her some sleep, but spending that late night listening and talking with her friends will be a memory she’ll have forever.
As parents, we’ve got plenty to anticipate as well. It could be something as small as a simple date night, a chance to get away from the chaos of a messy house, crazy kids, and your to-do list for a few hours to reconnect and enjoy each other’s smiles, laughs, and stories over dinner. Perhaps it’s a vacation or home project you’ve been pinching pennies for. Or maybe you’re counting the days that huge promotion or new job you’ve been grinding toward the last several years. Whatever it is, we’ve all had things that we’ve set our eyes and affections on. We hope that this next thing will be what fills our hearts to the brim, culminating in us feeling complete - full of gratitude and joy.
That’s seldom how it works out for me. Instead, I have the great experience, and try my best to savor every moment of it. But usually, before the taste of dessert fades or my feet touch the ground after the plane ride home, I’m already thinking about what’s next. It’s never enough. There’s always something new to anticipate - a new adventure to go on, something shiny to chase, deeper and richer flavors to pursue.
To be clear, this isn’t a knock on Taylor (I’m a fan of her and her music), vacations (you’ve seen how many newsletters get cancelled when I travel, haha!), career success, or nice things in general. It’s more an observation about my own heart, and the hearts of my three kids who are pretty consistently chasing down the latest and greatest of whatever their wildly varying tastes long for (fortnite skins, Taylor music and swag, nerf guns, etc.). How can I stop my constant longing for more from spreading like a disease and infecting their young hearts like it has my own?
I’m not sure I’ve got all the answers, but here’s my best shot. First, remembering that good gifts come from God. He delights in us delighting in him - his generosity, goodness, grace, and mercy. He offered his Son, Jesus, so that we might have abundant life. What’s the gift of a sunset or a steak dinner if you’ve already given your one and only Son?
Second, I want to practice gratitude. I want to be thankful before the Lord as I pray, recounting the ways he’s cared for me, protected me, and lavished his kindness upon me. Obviously, this includes the new life I have in Christ, but I also want to thank him specifically for chimichurri tacos, mountains to hike, our green backyard, and my body that still functions post-forty (or whatever else comes to mind day-to day as I pray). I also want to be thankful before my kids, inviting them to see where God is blessing them too. My hope as we share the simple question, “what are you thankful for today?” each night over dinner, is that the practice of reflecting and finding parts of life to be thankful for gets etched into their brains.
I’m not writing a book, and I don’t want to overspiritualize this, so we’ll leave it at those two pieces. What are you anticipating this week, this summer, this year? What’s on the other side of that anticipation being realized?
The Sign
“Instead, Bluey became our sourdough starter. And we clearly weren’t the only ones who found comfort in deeply uncomfortable times from this cartoon, aimed at preschoolers, about a family of anthropomorphized dogs.” Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve heard about the newest episode of Bluey that dropped surprisingly this week. The great Alan Sepinwall, writing for The Rolling Stone, outlines the explosion of Bluey as a cultural phenomenon and breaks down the latest giant-sized episode (nearly thirty minutes!). This show remains one of the best shows on television with zero caveats, and is one billion percent worth your time. I’m not sure if this is the end for the Heeler family, but if it is, I’m thankful for all the laughs, tears, and joy it brought to our living room.
Looking Heavenward
“However, after my son’s death, the Lord created a change in my mind, heart, and life that I would describe as a “heavenward shift.” God effectuated this turning both through the tragic circumstances of my son’s death but also through a critical new “friendship” that I made in the pages of Scripture.” Heaven has been on my mind this week as both sides of my family have felt the sting of losing loved ones. Cameron Cole writes about losing his oldest son, and how that devastating loss shifted his perspective in ways big and small.
Radical Interview
“Champ Thornton has written two books for children that capture the feeling of opening up the knowledge and wonder of an encyclopedia—except with jokes, recipes, secret codes, and a lot of grace and inspiration as well.” Ginger Blomberg interviews our friend Champ Thornton about both of his Radical books, why he wanted to write them, what Costco samples have to do with them, and why he chose to sprinkle biographies through each book. I’m a big fan of Champ and his work. You can find my review of The Really Radical Book for Kids here.
Dessert Stomach
This is the most consistent fight we have with our boys these days. Everyone’s full before they’re anywhere near being finished with dinner, only to be starving (their words, not mine) for a treat 7 seconds after the table’s clean and the dishes are put away. Make it make sense!