212/365

Reeves was also know for his honesty, dogged persistence, and unswerving devotion to duty and the law. He always got his man; having arrested 3,000 criminals, he only oncefailed to nab the man he was after. He never shot a man when it wasn’t necessary and they hadn’t aimed to kill him first. And he never changed his policies or treatment of folks on the basis of race, ethnicity, or even familial ties; all were equal under the law. Not only did Reeves arrest the minister who baptized him, he also arrested his own son after the young man murdered his wife in a fit of jealously. None of the other marshals wanted the latter assignment, but Reeves simply strode into the Chief Deputy Marshal’s office and said, “Give me the writ.” Two weeks later, he brought in his son to be booked.

Oh, and he had an awesome mustache.

- "Bass Reeves: Best Lawman of the West," from The Art of Manliness

The things you learn visiting new places...

211/365

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

210/365

Play. Love. Laugh.
Not a bad summer theme...

209/365

"I worked on my weaknesses and made them my strengths." 
—Sydney Leroux

208/365

"Is there a single person on whom I can press belief?

No sir.

All I can do is say, Here’s how it went. Here’s what I saw.

I’ve been there and am going back.

Make of it what you will."

- from Peace Like a River by Leif Enger via "Editing Suburbia" by Jenni Simmons on the Curator blog

207/365

Everyone around the table can create quite a hullabaloo. (and we thought that 5 toddlers were loud!)

205/365

It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."
- Romans 1:16-17 (The Message)

204/365

The ladies in the kitchen transcend culture and place, and I smile thinking about those far away but always dear.

203/365

So I begin by acknowledging, yet again, that you are God, and I am not. I don’t want my main goal, these next few days, just to be getting a bunch of stuff done. I want my faith in Jesus to express itself in love, to everybody involved. I’ve asked it before, and I’ll ask again, Father, keep my to-love list more important to me than my to-do list. You, who will be honored by every nation and throughout the world, be honored in my heart, home, and responsibilities.

- "A Prayer for Getting Still before God and Living That Way," Heavenward blog by Scotty Smith

202/365

The days are long and our joy is full.

201/365

Listos para la escuelita biblica!

200/365

window shopping

199/365

Leaving is the hardest part.
This time, it REALLY was the hardest part!

198/365

Quinceañera musical chairs madness! 

197/365

and then we sat for a bit.

196/365

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
- Isaiah 40:28-29 (ESV)

thankful for early morning quiet, breakfast tacos, "the closer you get...," ordinary grace, homemade flautas and salsa, surprise calls and text, laughing at dinner, "the beauty of the Gospel," prayer, sweet endings to full days.

195/365

peach cobbler.
just because.

194/365

Help is on the way.

193/365

Canta alegrias al Señor!

192/365

6 years and going strong! Thanks you BFF girls. It is our joy to see you love one another and love on us with hospitality. Will you still bring your old folks the Rainbow Cafe when we're in the retirement home?
:-)

190/365

Life. You just can't make these stories up.

We sat around the dining room table, eating and reading and tapping notes on the computer and doing other ordinary everyday things on an ordinary Thursday afternoon. The birdcage hangs in the corner of the room. The birds are nearly always making noise of some sort- chattering at themselves and  prattling at us, rustling around, squeaking the cage. But this flutter sounded a bit different. If we didn't know better, you might think that little WALL-E was making a suicidal plunge from the nest. He hung by the green string upside down, flapping about. His faithful caretaker jumped to the cage and nestled him and removed him from his plight. But a piece of yard remained, tightly entangled around his foot.

Oh, motherhood! The surprises you offer! Today it was to play surgeon to a little finch. While Sarah firmly but gently cuddled our annoyed bird friend, pecking at her the entire time, I used tiny sewing scissors to remove the string from his tarsometatarsus (yes, I looked that up). And then we set him back in his home. The normally feisty and bit cantankerous Taeniopygia guttata (yes, I looked that up, too) remained on his perch the rest of the day, obviously a bit stunned by the events of the afternoon. But, we believe he'll be fine. And with a story to share with EVE and M-O. 

Life. You just can't make these stories up.

(photo note: yes, I had to take a picture before the procedure began. See the string on his foot?)

189/365

RaspaWednesday:
this week, assorted combinations of Tigers Blood, Limón Natural, and Mango Natural from El Gallito Feliz.
And these chicks were pretty happy, indeed.

188/365

I didn't come to play. I figured I would watch and cheer. And I got away with that for a little while. Until the ladies showed up and it was everyone unto the diamond. I shuffled my flip-flops down the dusty baseline over to right field and hoped the ball wouldn't come my way. I took three turns at bat- and amazingly, I didn't strike out, though I only made it to base once and that was only because of an overthrown ball. So really, I didn't come to play. But I did watch and cheer.

Next time, sneakers.

187/365

Father, these cherished friendships turn my heart heavenward. They simply remind me that the foundation and fountain of all good friendship is found in you. I praise you for befriending us in the gospel. It is overwhelming, settling, and centering to hear Jesus say to us, “I no longer call you servants. . . . I call you friends” (John 15:15).
- from "A Prayer of Thanks for Long-Standing Friends," Everyday Prayers by Scotty Smith

186/365

2 of the 22.86 million viewers of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup USA victory!

(alert readers: please do not fail to note the pink pre-wrap; although also remember that our player has been in pink since birth and pre-wrap since 2008...)

185/365

"The day will be the most memorable in America.  I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival...it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade...bonfires and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other, from this day forward, forevermore."
- John Adams, in a letter to his wife after the Continental Congress decided to proclaim the American colonies independent from Britain.

Thankful that this is the only rocket's red glare I know.

184/365

Randol Schoenberg: It's hard to believe Hitler once applied to be an art student here. 

Maria Altmann: I wish they'd have accepted him.

- from Woman in Gold

183/365

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
- Daniel 3:24-25 (ESV)

pretty awesome VBS illustration, Ryan.

182/365

RaspaWednesday. It's become a thing.

(this week: Ice Ice Baby. We tried the Kids Creepy Crawler, Mango Lemon Lime and Strawberry Delight. One word- YUM!)

181/365

Vacation Bible School at Instituto Isaias 55- the school for the deaf in Reynosa.
And I can't help but smile.