Joy in the morning

Weeping may endure for the night; but joy comes in the morning.

~Psalm 30:5

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

~Psalm 30:11-12

There is so much truth I could quote from God's word, but I will share just these two verses for now.

As I've said before, Gina has taught me how to appreciate the simple things in life- simple moments like enjoying breakfast with my kids, helping them get dressed, cuddling in bed at night.

Most of life is made up of these ordinary moments, and if we don't choose to embrace them, they will simply fade away.

These last two months, I've set out to embrace them.  That means always having my camera ready.  And this particular morning was no different.  Madeline has been waking up waaaay early some mornings.  So I will put on her favorite show, Wild Krats, before her brother wakes up.

(By the way, I ADORE her little, wispy bedhead hair sticking straight up!)

She caught me off guard here.  I wasn't ready when she turned toward me and flashed me her big, beautiful smile.  So the focus was not on her face.  I still love it though.

I love seeing her precious, chubby face resting in her little, chubby hand.

This morning in particular, she passed the time by also playing with her lacing cards.  Sometimes she uses her toes (and yes, that's one of my lenses in the corner of the shot.)

She apparently needed a "splint" for her broken foot, or so she said.

Tomorrow I will be attending Gina's visitation, and Tuesday will be her funeral. No doubt, there are going to be a lot of people in attendance.  Gina, Will, and their three precious children are so deeply loved.  They have touched the lives of so many people- so many they have never even met. Gina fought so hard to live, even to the very end.  She had so much to live for.  Thank you, Gina, for all that you have taught us about living in the short time you had here on earth.  See you in heaven some day, my friend!  Love you!

For more Sunday Snapshots, stop by Stefanie's blog.