Let's Build Each Other Up

Welcome to Foundations of Sapphires. My mom, Lynda Brandly, and I decided to expand our blogging to 3 separate sites. Gates of Crystal will continue to give tips on beautiful decorating on a budget. My mom will be providing amazing Bible studies at Summits of Rubies, and I will be writing here about raising a young family to serve the Lord. My family moved a few months ago, and it has been a little bit of a crazy time for us, but it is settling down, and I am looking forward to writing a lot more.

My son is 3, and my daughter is almost 2. They are a lot of fun, and most the time I enjoy the challenge of keeping up with them, but leaving the house is not always easy, and I especially hate grocery shopping. I find meal planning and frugal shopping to be mentally taxing enough without the help of my talkative, busy, always-hungry children. I also understand that they are people, and they want to be involved and learn about their world. 

I keep thinking about this moment at the grocery store a few weeks ago. We had barely gotten started, and Levi was walking beside the cart, discussing the produce. He grabbed a container of tomatoes, and I told him that I wanted a different type. We chose the best-looking pack, and in a second, he had tried to slam dunk them into the cart.

He missed. The package hit the side of the card, exploded, and cherry tomatoes were spreading in every direction on the floor. I took a deep breath and knelt down to tell Levi that it was okay and let's pick them up. As we started re-filling the container, three other shoppers stopped to help us and laugh with us. One lady loudly joked that I can embarrass my children when they get older, as payback. But one older lady just smiled and said, "At least you know most of us have had children." 

It was a small gesture of kindness. We hadn't blocked her way to the avocados for more than a few seconds. But it meant a lot to me. I was tired and trying oh-so-hard to be patient, and I was a little embarrassed over the one small fruit that my son had squashed under his boot on the floor. And she wasn't annoyed, she helped, and she made a point to say, "We've been there." 

I think the reason I read so many blogs is to find encouragement. I have found it to be a terrific community and a resource for great ideas and support. But I have also been thinking a lot about ways to encourage people we actually see. I know I get so focused on my tasks during the day, I forget to really see the people I meet. And it's unfortunate, because sometimes the smallest kindness can mean the world to someone who needs it.

"...encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 

1 Thessalonians 5:11