Mela Kamin – 4:10 Ministries

Adorable & gifted Gussy invited friends to see some of her “in-her-spare-time” projects & to link up our own Home Ec projects.
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I have to say, I started with REALLY great intentions of at least attempting all the projects and involving my daughter. We did work on a couple together, but we just sort of stopped, got busy, went on vacation …
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{end of disclaimer & my own guilt}
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Anyhoo – I’ve tackled a few, so here’s a quick look …
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Cloth Napkins & Gift Bags
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Reusable Grocery Bag
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Roll Up (chalkboard mats for kids to use on our trip to SD last week).
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1. Gus’s chalkmat 2. unrolled 3. His suprise (in a covered cookie dough container – wonder who ate all that? – mmm)
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1. Ace’s rollup with his soon-to-be covered Lemonade mix container (that’s recyling) 2. Intrigued
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1. Librarian’s chalkmat 2. First message was a sweet note to me!
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Confession: technically, this project was supposed to be a supplies roll-up for pencils, sewing or knitting supplies, or something like that, but I figured – it’s my project & I have creative license.
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Hey – wouldn’t it be cool to actually have a creative license … like an ID card? – hmmm – I might get on that.
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My next project will be might possibly be the round bunting done for some birthday parties we have coming up.
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Oh, I didn’t mention that my little Gus turns 6 on Friday? Then Ace turns 8 the next Friday? And Greg turns … a year older … 4 days after that? Yep.
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If you don’t hear from me, it’s because I’m baking and cleaning and running around wondering why I procrastinate on every big event! AAAAHHHHH!!!
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Excuse me. That’s better.
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Ok – where was I? Oh yea – freaking out. So, what am I doing here? I’ve got some serious work to procrastinate on.
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See ya later!

We were fortunate enough to have some time for a family vacation. We chose the Black Hills of South Dakota. Greg & I had both been there as kids. My parents had lived in Rapid City before moving to Wisconsin and having my brother & me. My Dad was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base before serving in Vietnam and we would visit an Air Force buddy and stay with his family. I have very fond memories of our trips out there.
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Here are a couple vintage photos from one of those trips:
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So, I was really looking forward to going back and seeing the area afresh. We had a wonderful time, saw a ton and wished we could have stayed longer. It was beautiful and just what we needed.
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On this trip, as with every day – God was with us, worked on us and sometimes through us. We didn’t have to look far to see the awesome wonder of His marvelous creation.
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I reminded myself and Greg that we weren’t setting out to MAKE good time, but to HAVE a good time. It’s an important distinction and I think we succeeded.
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Here are the Fruits of the Spirit on our Family Vacation, as seen through my Nikon and iPhone lenses.
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LOVE

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1. I love that Greg is always game when I hand him something for a photo – he didn’t even hesitate – he threw this on and did his best Davey Crockett.
2. My team – when we stop the action and busyness for a moment and come together, it’s awesome. I love getting Greg out from behind his camera.
3. I love that the first thing she wanted to write on her chalkboard mat was a note to me. That’s my girl!

JOY

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1. This is what joy looks like from an almost 6 year old who has just been on the biggest trampoline of his life. Thanks, Palmer Gulch KOA!
2. Our 11 year old found such joy in wandering & climbing the rock formations of the Badlands, that she happily posed for picture after picture.
3. Our almost 8 year old joyfully listened to Downhere on his mp3 player.
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PEACE

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1. Peace is sitting by the fire, drinking a Vanilla Oregon Chai Latte in Greg’s new studio mug he brought along so I’d have a little comfort of home.
2. Some peaceful time with CS Lewis, while the kids swam with Greg.
3. Peace is noticing the dragonfly on my chair and letting it sit there until it chose to fly away.
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PATIENCE

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1. Patience is knowing I’m not always the lead horse and I can’t make the journey happen any faster. Sometimes I have to just sit back and enjoy where I’m at.
2. The kids were serious troopers with the amount of shots both Greg & I took. They stood there and stood there AND STOOD THERE until it was just right.
3. Ok – this is the longsuffering part … everyone is zonked out in the van – check out the body position of our 7 year old … ouch! I snapped this while we were on our 10+ hour drive home. And, yes – we stopped & got him upright again.
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KINDNESS

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1. Kindness is a big sister letting her little brother sit really close, partially in her shadow to shield his sensitive eyes. And, it was 107 degrees.
2. Before we learned there was a microwave in one of the shops at KOA, Greg poured bottled water into a cleaned-out beer can & heated it up over the fire for my Chai. Actually, this could fall under Love or Joy, Peace or Goodness too.
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GOODNESS

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1. Goodness is the kids playing with low-tech toys on the trip out and not grumbling. I love her pipe cleaner girl.
2. It’s really good to run into a familiar face when away from home. We were surprised & delighted to see Kristen of High Heels and a Hammer & her sweet family at Wall Drug.
3. Goodness is unexpected gifts. We stopped for pizza in Hill City and saw a bunch of the same type of cars – apparently owners of the limited edition Prowler were having a get-together. As the cars passed us in a colorful parade, the boys waved and smiled. The next thing we knew, a driver threw out two toy Prowler cars. That was a huge hit … a souvenir and experience we couldn’t have planned for.
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FAITHFULNESS

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1. Festus, the Rope Maker was utterly delightful. His faithfulness to his craft and to sharing the Gospel while making ropes was remarkable. We hadn’t planned on buying a rope or staying for a demonstration, but the more we stayed, the more he shared. The kids were able to help him make a rope with a color for each of them twisted in. Festus is working on a DVD about his Christian teaching. He told us many missionaries are using ropes and his teaching to share more about Jesus in their travels. What an awesome way to use his gifts for God’s glory!
2. We enjoyed reading more of the Wall Drug story on the way out to S. Dakota. We didn’t know the history behind the free water and also that it was a 1 Peter 4:10 story about using your gifts! When we arrived, it was no surprise then that in one of the busy shop areas, there’s this beautiful stone church.
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GENTLENESS

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1. This is Miles. He was my gentle horse for our ride around Palmer Gulch.
2. I was a bit worried how the boys would behave around the big tortoises at Reptile Gardens, but they were super gentle to these magnificent creatures. We could no longer sit on the tortoises, as my Dad & I did back in the 80s, and the boys respected that rule.

SELF-CONTROL

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1. This is the bread pudding from Desperados in Hill City. It came to the table while everyone else was using the restroom. I didn’t take a bite until everyone returned. Enough said.

Monday night I had the pleasure to speak and sing at a friend’s book signing. I was honored he asked and I couldn’t wait to share in his celebratory evening.
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This isn’t your ordinary author – no, his name is Davis (DC) Smith and he’s nine – yes, NINE (as in years old)!
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Oh, and did I mention he has Asperger’s, which is on the autism spectrum?
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I met DC and his parents through church and school. It’s been so thrilling to see him blaze through life with a kind of boldness we either attain as we get older, or maybe outgrow as we get older.
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Either way, most of us don’t have it. DC does.
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Here’s what I said to him & the crowd. You might recognize yourself in here too.
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It says a lot about Suzi & Kent that we are here today. Not only have they been champions of their son, helping him grow & develop, to be kind and compassionate and love God – but, they’ve continuously shown him there are NO limits on what he can do.
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Davis – you exemplify courage – you are a risk taker … you are a generous, smart, funny and sweet. You’re a big-hearted kid who isn’t afraid to do BIG things, HARD things.
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Let’s see … you’ve written & recorded songs, written & now published a book and acted. That’s a pretty impressive list for a nine year old.
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I’ve heard it said that “fate favors the bold.” And, BOLD is a word I think of when I think of Davis.
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I’m not talking about the bold that is loud, barges into a room and says whatever he thinks. No, Bold as in having the faith to do great things. The kind of bold that we see over and over again in the Bible.
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The kind of bold that comes from hearing and believing that “with God, all things are possible.” Not SOME things, but ALL things.
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How many times have you wondered if you should do something? And, in the next breath, you’re asking, “What will people think?” “What if I fail?” “What if they laugh at me?” “Is it too big of a risk?”
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You know what’s too big of a risk? – living a life wishing you had done that thing you longed to do. Living a life never fully realizing what God gifted you with.
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I think of the Rev. Robert Schuller when he said: “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” It’s a great question to ask yourself.
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Well, Davis has been answering that question throughout his young life. I can only imagine what great things lie ahead for this amazing young man.
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Davis – I would like to sing your favorite song from my album – “You’re Beautiful.” So often our world, the media, a medical diagnosis, a harsh word tells us we’re not beautiful enough, not smart enough, not normal enough, not worthy enough, not talented enough … or just not enough period.
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That sure is a lot of noise, isn’t it?
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I hope you’ll remember to listen to what God has to say about you and let this be your new soundtrack.

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By the way, the book is fantastic – my 11-year old bookworm daughter read it that night. I could hear her giggling and a couple times even laughing out loud. She told me “Wow, that’s a REALLY good book!” That’s high praise from her, I assure you.
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DC was on our local news, in the local paper and sold out of his book Monday night! His cousin, Serena Lins illustrated the book (oh, and she’s eight).
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If you’d like to order a book, you may do so HERE. And, remember 10% will be donated to the MN Walk Now for Autism Speaks. You can check out his walk website HERE.
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What’s something you’ve been wanting to do?
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