The Saturday Six

One.

I happened upon this blog through Pinterest this week, and of course I had to take the home tour. Such a cute house! If your heart needs a good home tour this week, look at this one! (The deck!!!! Be still, my heart!)

Two.

If you're a figure skating junkie, this link reportedly has the list to allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the figure skating events in the upcoming Olympics. (Including things I didn't even know they televised!) I'm hoping for a good showing this time. Just like with gymnastics, I stick with it until ugly drama starts showing its face, and then I'm out. I can see ugly drama on Facebook. I want to see skating!

Three.

Still looking for recipes for any parties tomorrow? Need some healthier options? The Dashing Dish roundup. (Yes, I am still working on my menu. Yes, I will be cooking from this.

Four.

Do you guys put Valentine's wreaths on your door? I am not a good wreath maker (I should learn from Heather...she rocks at it!) but THIS is super cute! I love, love, love a good seasonal wreath!

Five.

Some great ideas for instilling gratitude in your kids, if this is an area you're working on (or need to work on!) right now. It's kind of becoming a lost art, so I love these ideas of being intentional. Not gonna lie: might be good for some grown ups too!

Six.

I'm only about eight years late in getting to this book, but I'm glad I finally arrived! Ten years ago this coming May, Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, lost their youngest daughter Maria in a tragic accident. A couple of years later, Mary Beth wrote Choosing to See, which tells not just an overview of the Chapman family story, but also that very difficult time and how the Lord carried them through that unspeakable loss. I happened upon the book a few months ago and picked it up. Just now got around to reading it! 

I remember reading the news of Maria's death back when it happened, and I remember the grief I felt as a mere hearer of the news; I don't even know the family personally, but the story ripped at my heart. Maria and her sisters were playing in the backyard of the Chapman home, and Maria wanted to play on the monkey bars. Right then, her older brother arrived home, and she ran down the driveway toward him to ask if he would help her get up onto the monkey bars. She was so little, he didn't see her in the driveway, and he hit her with the car. 

Not only did the Chapmans have to absorb the news of Maria's death, but they had to walk with Will Franklin through the grief of being the driver of the car. Such a heavy burden for anyone to bear - especially a teenager!

Choosing to See begins with Steven and Mary Beth's own love story and their journey toward adoption (they adopted a total of three girls from China, with Maria being the youngest) before telling the story of their grief and God's grace. I have always enjoyed SCC's music, so getting to peek into their love story and the early years of their family was fun. (Ahhh! The chapter where the dog ate the birth control...that totally sounds like something that would happen to us!) 

As Mary Beth transitioned into the story of Maria's death and the months that followed, her writing took on a raw and vulnerable tone. She talked openly about how each member of the family grappled with grief differently, how they wrestled with their faith, and how they celebrated Maria's exuberance for life. Most of all, she focused on the hope they all have for eternity with Maria, who made her own profession of faith just three months before she died. 

If you're dealing with grief and loss - whether that loss comes from an accident or anything else, I think Mary Beth's journey can provide camaraderie and hope. She doesn't sugar-coat the hurt, but her words provide such hope and healing. She writes not as a perfect woman who traveled the road flawlessly, but as a grieving, loving mother who made a choice to see hope and find faith after feeling such loss.

(Also - the story of how they managed to bring home their second adopted daughter ahead of the SARS outbreak in China was amazing.)

So glad I picked up this book and made time to read it. (Now I want to read Steven's book, which came out just last year!)