Four 11 and Shrinking

Yesterday I did a huge, much overdue shopping trip. I am not very good at rotating the stuff we store and so we had been trying to use up some of our food storage to make sure we wouldn't just waste it. Yesterday was the restocking day.

I'm thankful we have money for the things which we need. In our family I am the person responsible for our money though and so I feel a great deal of personal responsibility to make our money go as far as possible. With 6 kids, it just never seems to go as far as it should, especially when it comes to groceries. And teens. Seriously. How can a thin young man eat so much food in so little time and then still complain of being hungry????

Anyway...

While I was at the grocery store, there was the cutest toddler in a stroller. His mother was tickling him while waiting in line. He had an infectious laugh. Everyone around them was watching and smiling. She'd tickle him and he'd laugh. Over and over again. It was so cute!

But for a moment, I honestly felt a little sad watching the interaction. Ryan doesn't react that way to tickling most of the time. Then I remembered the sweetness and the pure joy I feel when he just laughs out of the blue. I don't know that I ever experienced any greater joy hearing any other child laugh. Another example of the tender mercies of the Lord.

And, I just have to share one other cute moment with you...

This morning while I was getting Ryan up for the day, Deborah came into his room. She climbed into his wheelchair, closed her eyes and said, "I'm blind. I can't see." I think she might have been trying to empathize with him. So I suggested one day we could put a blind fold on her and she could "see Ryan's toys with only her hands like Ryan does." She thought that would be a great idea. Then she promptly climbed out of his wheelchair and went about getting ready for church. I didn't realize she was even aware of him being blind. How naive of me. She's a very smart young lady.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you all enjoy a beautiful Sabbath day! I hear some of you are starting to enjoy the blessings of winter while we are still in the upper 70's for the next few days. Stay safe wherever you.