Jalama Beach

Last week I had the joy of spending a night alone in a beautiful spot. Jalama Beach is a place I've been curious about so I reserved a tiny cabin perched out on the ocean and my parents graciously kept Wyatt for a sleepover. It's only an hour and a half drive and even that was peaceful just getting to be alone in the car. Jalama is, indeed, a special place, very remote and relatively untouched. The wind was intense but that did not prevent a very long walk on the beach.

This is content, relaxed me. I am noticing more and more how I need this time. It's time to be with God freely without a schedule and time to only care for myself. In these settings, I am more open with God and able to listen more intently. It reminds me how much I need Him and fuels a desire deep in my soul to know Him more. Proverbs 31:25 pressed into my heart deeper than before:

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;

She can laugh at the days to come."

I desire to laugh at the days to come rather than be driven by fear. I don't mean this in a head-in-the-sand kind of way. I am thinking about this as a lightness through life and a hope to live day by day and not borrow worry from tomorrow, next month or next year.

Cul-de-sac

We celebrated Halloween for a full week and the candy has proven handy for bringing about good behavior through bribery. Wyatt was a "dangerous velociraptor" and tried to only use his hands for kindness while wearing his costume. We carved pumpkins and Garett took Wyatt around the neighborhood while I taught my class.

We've been having a lot of fun in the front yard lately. It's nice for Wyatt and Ruby to run wild and everything is better once Garett is home from work. Wyatt is on the back end of three and it is starting to show. He's more boy than before and I see more of Garett in him each day.

And then he reminds me that he is, indeed, three.