Younger siblings love to do the same things as their older siblings. There's this drive. Insatiable at times. But as exciting as it is that she can climb this tree, she is really struggling to get down...calling me to help her at least five times. I showed her again and again how to get down. We troubleshooted it together and then tried several ways, but none of them were actually sufficient for her to feel confident with unfortunately.

So often we find it way easier to get into a situation than out of the situation. And we don't realize how much things morph once we are in them. And that's life. Every day.
As I was putting the kids to sleep tonight, I was reminded of how tricky life is. It is beautiful (like Maggie's dogwood view), but also so, so very hard (like the countless attempts to get down). Life is hard. And messy. And it is vital to grab ahold of all the beautiful moments along the way as well. Psalm 46:1-3 reminds us that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." He provides the peace and grace for the day and is patient with us when we get ourselves in the same spot again and again and keep calling at the top of our lungs for help.
Thanks, God, for your continued grace.
