Christmas Letter 2017 - Take 3

Merry Christmas! This is draft 3 of our annual Christmas letter. I've been trying to decide what you all would like to hear...News of our year, news of our kids, what we've been thinking about lately, or a little of all of it! (Or none of it! Ha!) So in an effort to not make this letter too long & rambling, here's a snapshot of us.

News of our year...
The big kids have taken up rock climbing, we drove the RV out west for a 3-week adventure, K & I celebrated 16 years of marriage, L turned 8, H turned 6, and R turned 3! We enjoyed some amazing shows, including my very first U2 concert. We camped at Holiday World (in Santa Claus, Indiana). K went to Asia & South Africa. We celebrated at four weddings at four fun destinations this year: one cousin, two nephews, and one niece got married. (Starting to feel old over here...) Our time in Florida continues to be life-giving for us, and we are so thankful to spend time there in the winter. Our homeschool continues to evolve as we go, which keeps it interesting! We have been blessed by both of the Classical Conversations communities we are part of as well as the Wild & Free community.

L is an amazing 8-year-old. A sampling of his interests are reading, Lego (jumping into the programming/robotics side of that this winter), working with his hands, playing piano, rock climbing, shooting hoops, and adventuring at White Pine Wilderness Academy with his sister and buddies. He & I have enjoyed reading aloud the Lord of the Rings series this year.

H is a beautiful young lady who can certainly keep up with her brothers. She continues to love all things nature (even the dead things) and has also loved her time at White Pine Wilderness Academy. A sampling of her interests are rock climbing, playing dolls, zip lining, read-alouds, cooking with me, and playing with R.

R is full of joy & gusto. As a 3-year-old, he is verbose and happy and very physical. He learned to swim this fall as well as potty-training...a big September/October for him! He wants all things big-kid...no baby toys for him. He wants glasses like L when he gets big. He adores his big brother & big sister. He loves balls & zip-lining & tickling & books. He brings us all such joy with his easy laugh & personality. He is our one true extrovert.

Gus turned one this year and has proved to be a true wonder dog, made of the stuff Syd & Max were made of. He is sturdy & adventurous & loves to play and cuddle and just be with us. He hunts the squirrels...and the blowing leaves...wholeheartedly. We are in love with him.

The kinds of things we are thinking about these days...thin places, our rallying cry, how to live a gospel-centered life, (what is the gospel?), how to live out church...to name a few.

May your holidays be blessed & your new year be full of wonderful surprises. We love you all & hope our paths cross sooner than later along the journey.

Love,
K, MB, L, H, R and Gus the Wonderdog

Christmas letter 2017...sort of

Merry Christmas everyone! It seems our cards have beat us to the punch. I promise I will update this blog in the next few days with a proper Christmas letter and photos! Stay tuned....

Roses

This lady, this beautiful lady, is my grandmother. She went to heaven two years ago and I miss her so very much.

My aunt is here on a visit. As she walked up my back steps, she commented on my pretty planters, overflowing with an array of flowers. I told her thanks but that I couldn't take credit for them. We have a landscaper come plant the planters for us. I told her I'd love to do it, that my heart is willing but that I just can't pull it off these days. (Saying these words, I feel a tinge of shame as both my grandmother and my aunt standing before me were and are avid gardeners.) My aunt told me that when she was young, rose salesmen used to come to their door selling roses. And my grandmother would tell them no thank you, that she has all her roses already...her six children inside the house. Apparently, she didn't garden like I remember until her kids were bigger. I needed this reminder -- that my children are my garden.

Having this simple knowledge lifts my heart in relief and gladness, that my grandmother, who kept amazing gardens, put this on a shelf for a while during the busy child-rearing days. But it also makes my heart heavy as I wish I could pick up the phone and hear more of her thoughts on mothering...and gardening.

Then, as I was tucking my 2-year-old in for an afternoon, I remember that my grandmother is closer than I think. The very heartbeat of her days was fed by the scriptures, the same, unchanging scriptures that I have on my nightstand. Her heart is wrapped up in those words, those truths. Her mothering advice was rooted in the scriptures. Her love for her family, her friends, her flowers...her entire worldview came through the filter of those scriptures. Here's a picture I took of her Bible after her funeral. This was one of many Bibles she marked up and pondered and allowed to change her and challenge her every day. EVERY. DAY.

So while I no longer can pick up the phone and call her with the myriad of questions I have, I can pick up my Bible and steep myself in the truths that shaped her heart and life. And it's also pretty nice to have aunts and uncles and parents and brothers and cousins who can keep her legacy alive. Thanks Aunty LA.

Prayer Paws

Sanibel is known for its amazing shelling. People spend hours on the beaches in search of all sorts of shells, hoping maybe they might find something interesting. Fighting Conchs.Worm Shells. Turkey Wings. Alphabet Cones. Lightening Whelks. Lettered Olives. These are all beautiful, fun shells to find that may or may show up on the beach in a given week. If you're really lucky, you might find something rare, something precious. Angel Wings. Lion's Paw. Paper Nautilus. And of course the esteemed Junonia. You get your picture in the local paper if you find a Junonia.

But Cat's Paws. These are common. These are all over the beach. Everyday. They're cute and it's fun to pick them up. Plus they have a sweet name. We collected a bunch last year to use as math counters. Anyone can find these little shells. We walk over them everyday.

A friend of mine challenged me last night at dinner. She said these little shells became Prayer Paws for her. Every time she picked one up, she said a prayer for a sick friend. Then she put them in a pretty jar and sent them to her friend as a visual reminder of the prayers that have been lifted up on her behalf. I was moved by this gesture. I have a sick friend. I have a sick uncle. Both are doing battle with cancer.

So this morning, as we went for our morning beach walk, we all looked for Cat's Paws. These little, common shells that we normally pass by suddenly became very precious. My kids were picking them up by the handful. Prayers for my friend. Prayers for my uncle. And every time I bent down to pick one up and held it tight in my hand, my heart burst open. The little shells became a profound metaphor. It's so like God. Putting something so obvious in front of us, so little and yet so beautiful in its simplicity, to either take or not to take but there nonetheless. Like His love. Like His presence. His faithfulness. He's there. All the time. And it's so easy to look over this beautiful gift in pursuit of something bigger, more beautiful, rarer.

My son has expressed frustration at not being able to find the more precious shells. He just doesn't see them. But today as we were picking up Cat's Paws, he told me that he's really good at finding these! He sees them all over the beach. I told him that perhaps he's actually finding the most precious shells. What better gift could we have been given but life in Jesus. What better gift can we give to each other but our prayers.

If this wasn't beautiful enough, on our way home, both my kids were jibberjabbering about how they wanted to collect money to help my friend and my uncle. A penny per shell. And we'll send the money to help pay for medicine. My eyes are swelling with tears at this simple gesture. Wait, my daughter says. What if we put our chore money in a jar on our dresser and when it's full, we send that money to my friend, my uncle. What?! Your chore money?? Yes!

One of my biggest prayers is that our children would be people of gratitude. Because out of thankfulness comes so many other beautiful things like generosity. Hearing my children think about someone other than themselves this morning was the encouragement I needed today. And collecting/saying all of these prayers for these precious people we love who are sick makes my soul sing. Let us be people of prayer. For each other. For our leaders. May we keep the faith and remain people of hope.

Merry Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas, friends. It's that time of year again where we yet again reflect on the goodness of the year as well as the parts of the year that refine us through challenge. What a year it's been. Yet we are thankful. Here's a short list of our gratitude:

Family
Old friends
New friends
Our new neighbors (my parents!!)
Healthy bodies
Amazing kiddos
Homeschool
A new puppy
70th birthdays
80th birthdays
15-year anniversaries
Sanibel Island
The Rivi
White Pine Wilderness Academy
Classical Conversations
Trees ("they give us oxygen")
Camping
Leaf piles
A cozy house
Puzzles
Taco Tuesday
A great hairstylist
Good music by good people
Modern medicine
Hope in Jesus
Mr. Rogers
Good books
Lingering evenings
Arista wine
Super moons
Butler Bulldogs
Red shoes
Airplanes that keep us connected
Razor scooters
Helpers

We lost our beloved Maxine the Wonderdog suddenly this past February. Losing Maxine was hard for many reasons and without her, there was a gaping hole in our family, having spent all 15 years of our married life together with a dog. This November, we welcomed Gus the Wonderdog with much enthusiasm and ample cuddling.

With all that has transpired in the world around us, we look to the future with hope knowing that we are all connected and that we all have the ability to be helpers and to look for the helpers.

As we move forward with hope, we are challenged by the words of St. Francis of Assisi, that we may not seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. We pray we can always be instruments of peace, sowing love where there is hatred, sowing faith where there is doubt, sowing hope where there is despair, sowing light where there is darkness, and sowing joy where there is sadness. May we all be challenged to live a life worthy of this call.

Godspeed,
K & MB

And still I pray...

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh, divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it's in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

(The Prayer of St. Francis)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=agPnMxp5Occ

Election 2016 - I Am Disappointed

“What do you do with the mad that you feel

When you feel so mad you could bite?

When the whole wide world seems oh, so wrong...

And nothing you do seems very right?

“What do you do? Do you punch a bag?

Do you pound some clay or some dough?

Do you round up friends for a game of tag?

Or see how fast you go?

“It's great to be able to stop

When you've planned a thing that's wrong,

And be able to do something else instead

And think this song:

“I can stop when I want to

Can stop when I wish.

I can stop, stop, stop any time.

And what a good feeling to feel like this

And know that the feeling is really mine.

Know that there's something deep inside

That helps us become what we can.

For a girl can be someday a woman

And a boy can be someday a man.”

(www.pbskids.org/rogers/songLyricsWhatDoYouDo.html)

Today, as with many days, I find myself singing one of Mr. Fred Rogers’ timeless songs. “What Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel?” seems to be appropriate for today. Because I’m mad. And frustrated. And disappointed. I expected more. I feel all of these things and more. But my feelings are not directed at Washington, DC or towards Donald Trump or his team. My feelings are directed at you. My friends. My neighbors. My relatives. My people. You have disappointed me.

When I woke up to the news that Donald Trump would be our next President, I was shocked. But what has been more shocking is to see the commentary so many of you have blown out to the wind through social media. From feeling like you are living in the wrong state to “what do we tell our children” to “I thought we were more intelligent than this,” I am shocked & saddened.

I live with three small people in my house. Maybe your children are grown or you don’t have any children or simply have forgotten how children speak to and about one another. But my children often belittle each other, call each other bad names, think of only themselves, and can’t see a smidge outside of their own self-interest. And as I read these responses from intelligent adults whom I love & admire, and all I can say is…

Shame on you.  You are acting like children. Insulting others for how they might have voted. Insulting our country. You hide your own ignorance & selfishness in sarcasm & witty banter, and I am disappointed in you. No, today I am ashamed of you.

We try to teach our kids to show dignity & respect to all people, to show love in the face of evil, to care for the poor and brokenhearted and hurt. We teach our kids to show mercy & to forgive. And here you are dehumanizing others. Shame on you.

What do we say to our children on such a morning as this? Let me help you. You say, “Good morning. How did you sleep? I love you. We have a new president. And thank goodness there are a lot of helpers out there who are going to stand up and help him because he has a big job that no one can do alone.”

If you all haven’t noticed, this is a broken world. There are no perfect people. Shame on you for putting faith in man, who is flawed and broken and full of evils of all colors and shapes. Shame on you for scaring our children, this next generation of helpers & changemakers. Shame on you. I expected more from you.

Kingdoms rise & kingdoms fall. Want to move? Then move. I’ll buy your ticket. Otherwise, stop complaining & ridiculing & shaming & making everyone else who didn’t vote your way feel like imbeciles. As President Obama reminded us today, we are all Americans. We are on the same team. And we must move forward.

Remember that scene in the film “Miracle” when Kurt Russell is running his team hard, asking them, “Who do you play for?” and the guys kept saying where they’re from & their various universities and he kept running them harder and harder. And the guys are exhausted thinking their coach had lost it. He keeps running them, again and again and again. And finally one player shouts out, “Michael Eruzione, Winthrop, Massachusetts, and I play for the United States of America.” And it’s over. The coach lets them all go home. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEXS8TBd6ug) That is the scene playing out today, folks. Who do you play for? Because I thought we were all on the same team.

So today, instead of belittling our fellow Americans, focus on what you have the power within yourselves to do. As Mr. Rogers reminds us, “Look for the helpers” and be grateful for them. Teach our children to be helpers, without sarcasm or bitterness or disgust. Show them what love is with your actions, knowing & believing that we are all connected. Your words are like knives. When we hurt one, we hurt all. And when we help one, we help all.

So stop it with the biting remarks. And start being the helpers that I know you are.

mbj

Goodbye Sweet Maxine

Yesterday afternoon, we had to make the hard decision to put our sweet Maxine down. She became very sick very quickly. We're not sure what made her so sick but K suspects it was cancer based on some preliminary tests she had done several months ago. She was 10 years old and had a great life outside her very rough start. (She was a survivor of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005.)

When we first brought her into our home, I sort of thought of her as Syd's dog. Syd was aging and we wanted him to train our next dog. As a bonus, having a new girlfriend seemed to put the hop back in Syd's step. So they went together…like Paul Simon & Edie Brickell. When Syd died back in June of 2013, Maxine represented a part of him that remained. Now with Maxine gone, it feels like the end of an era.

Not to mention this is the first time in 15 years together that K & I have been without a dog. K looks empty-handed on our walks. There is a big void in our house…someone is missing. While I started out seeing her as Syd's dog, she quickly moved into the beloved family dog spot.

We will miss her crazy sounds, the way she let you, nay insist you pet her nonstop. If you dared to stop, she would nudge you, lick you, lean into you, whatever she needed to do to keep those hands of yours petting. She had the silkiest ears of any dog I've known. They always looked like pigtails to me. I will miss stroking those. We will miss her daintiness, how she'd lay elegantly with her front paws crossed, looking so regal. We will even miss how she'd wander into the baby's room when we'd leave the house and help herself to any number of stuffed animals, leaving a trail throughout the house. (Remarkably, she would rarely damage any of them.)

Our youngest child, R, loved her so much. "Dog," or "daw" as he says it, was one of his first words. He'd often wander over to her and gently lean into her, putting his head ever so carefully on her body. He loved giving her treats and holding her toys and giving her little pushes from behind. He'd crawl on her bed whenever he got the chance and just lay there.

We will miss you dearly, Maxine the Wonderdog. Thanks for being part of our family. Have fun with Sydney, romping in heaven. He was your best pal of all. Rest in peace.

Maxine The Wonderdog

(July 2005-February 10, 2016)

Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas!! Unbelievably we find ourselves at the end of yet another year, reflecting on all that has transpired in 2015. It has been a blessed year overall, joy mixed with some sorrow but filled with God's goodness & presence at every step.

We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the personality of our third kiddo emerge this year! He is such a good baby…toddler now! He is walking & running everywhere, has six teeth & enjoys wandering around, playing, reading books, and getting into the pots & tupperware whenever possible. He loves feeding Maxine the Wonderdog treats & has learned how to get into the room with all the Legos, much to his brother's chagrin.

Big brother, L, is in first grade & doing well. We are in our second year of homeschooling & are really enjoying it. Sweet girl, H, is looking forward to starting kindergarten at home with us next year. It will all get tricky once baby R loses that morning nap! Alas, we will adapt.

L played soccer for the first time this fall as well as started piano lessons. H started dance (tap & ballet). & R is learning to climb onto all the furniture.

This summer found us road tripping out to Colorado for time with friends at Young Life's Trail West Family Camp for a week. It was a blast, though the loud cheers & chants were a little much for the littlest ones (and, frankly, my husband…ha!). We are so grateful we got to have that experience together.

K traveled to Nepal (only days before the tragic earthquake), India, Malaysia, Singapore, Namibia & South Africa this year. & I am enjoying my new role as Chairman of the Board at The Viewfinder Project, having officially handed over the directorship to my friend & fellow board member.

We have enjoyed the many shows & culture that Indianapolis has offered this year!

We continue to learn how to live life more simply & intentionally, incorporating work & nature into our daily lives. Hopefully next year will report a successful integration of chickens & bees into our dailyness! I am reading The Chronicles of Narnia with L, which has been a balm to my heart in many ways. I have needed the gentle, constant reminder that while God is good, He is not safe.

We trust you are all well, learning how to live life more fully & richly every day. Our door is open to you anytime here in Indianapolis!

Blessings to you all this Christmas season & in the new year,
The Jacksons

Christmas Letter 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This year, we welcomed our third baby, a baby boy, into our family! He was born on October 7 and has been a total joy. We all are enamored with his sweet smiles, his huge brown eyes, and his mile-long eyelashes. We look forward to introducing him to many of you in the coming year!

Both L & H have been huge helps to us as we added a third sibling. They are in love with their little brother and want to do whatever they can to help and be with him! They both are waiting for him to do more, though, like play crawl-chase.

In addition to welcoming baby, L started kindergarten! As such, we began our homeschooling adventure. It has been a great fall semester as we learn what works and what does not, a process I know we will go through lots more in the years to come! It’s awesome being a witness to him as he learns to write and read, count and create! He is busy drawing pictures for his own stories and transcribing the words (that he tells me to write) into his books. He loves, loves, loves Lego and has quite the city built on our old train table. And the day before the baby was born, he got glasses! They are bright blue and look awesome on him.

H is back at our favorite preschool in the 3’s class. She is the only girl in her class of eight kids! At her parent-teacher conference, her teacher described her as a natural leader, fearless, a cuddler, and a good playmate, all of which isn’t surprising. Then she said, “H has the type of personality where all of a sudden, everyone is doing what H wants without H having to say a word!” So true!

K is busy dabbling in several different projects, The Ball Project, www.ballproject.com, being one of them! He’s also busy pursuing some fun investment opportunities with friends and family.

I took my first-ever maternity leave from The Viewfinder Project and hired a friend and colleague to run things. The Viewfinder Project, www.theviewfinderproject.com, celebrates 10 years in 2015 from when we had our first project in Raithby, South Africa! Hard to believe we’ve been at this for that long. I love being a mom of three (!!) and homeschooling and pursuing my non-profit work with TVP.

Life in Indianapolis continues to be great as we are surrounded by family and wonderful friends. We love living so close to Butler University (and great basketball!!) and to the canal trail and all the places it leads. We feel blessed and humbled by God’s goodness. We pray you all find blessing & adventure in the year to come!

Godspeed,
K, MB, L, H and baby R and of course Maxine the Wonderdog

 

Look at those eyelashes (7 weeks old)!!!

More photos!!