Capture the little things.

Today is the first day of Spring (officially) and the last day of spring break at Shelterwood. Time has sprung forward and the sun has been shining. This week is spring break at CU so Justin is in town for a few days along with his sisters. Yesterday I took the cover off the grill for first time since last fall and enjoyed the 70-something degree weather with the kids. I have realized, more and more, it's the little things that matter. Life is spent in the mundane. It is so tempting to live for the next vacation, the next promotion or the next "rush" but that is just not how life is marked. When I think of the "little things" from yesterday that brought joy to my life, none of it was planned when I woke up in the morning. I will be off the next few days to spend time with the kids and I am certain that when I return on Wednesday, there will be plenty of drama and incident at Shelterwood. That's OK. Just remember to deal with life one issue at a time and don't forget to capture the little things.

Net Zero

In my last post, I mentioned some of the Beyond Week adventures. There are pictures available on the Shelterwood Facebook page if you're intersted: http://www.facebook.com/Shelterwood

Tomorrow we have a boy graduating at 8:30am. Later at 1:30pm a new family arrives. Net zero. 28 boys in the Guys House. An amazing family is graduating tomorrow. Another story of God's transforming work. I am humbled to be a part of God's handiwork. Every story of restoration and success is due, in part, to your partnership. Thank You.

Spring Break begins on Saturday. We do have 28 boys so breaks look a little different. In this case, we never drop below 12 boys during break, but for us, that's a huge reduction. Please pray for the families of our boys during this time of "practicum" as parents practice the tools they have learned over the past weeks and months. It's a process.

As of Monday, we have 10 big brothers in the Guys House. For those of you not familiar with Doulos, that is ridiculous. 10 Big brothers. When I started back in the fall of 2005, we had two. Josiah and Corey. A lot has changed. God has brought us not only 10 Bigs, but quality men full of integrity. 28 residents, 6 house directors, 10 big brothers, and 3 direct care staff all under my humble leadership. I am sure glad God knows what He's doing because I don't always.