My Happy Place

Today was a good day. Like, a really good day. The big kids weren't even with me very much...what made it good was what they were doing while out of my house.

Maddux is in the summer of transitions. She's about to start middle school which means new opportunities with church and sports and youth group... so much at once! Regarding church, she gets to attend FUEL (the youth group for 6-12th graders), but she is also without a 'class' during the actual church service each week. When Eli is not playing in the band for the elementary kids' service, he sits with friends (or us, if we're lucky) in the big service. Maddux has already found a home, serving in the preschool area any time they will let her. Since we are always short on volunteers, they let her every week! She has such a heart for kids, especially the little ones, so she loves doing this. I asked her last week if she would ever come sit with me in the big service and she kind of wrinkled her nose and said, "Maybe one week, but only if we were here for both services so I could still work with the kids." Not at all a shock since anytime I try to find her at church, she is under a pile of kids on her lap, reading books and engaging them in songs.

Today my girl served with some littles (maybe 2-3 year olds?) alongside a family friend. I didn't know the friend was in there with Maddux until she ran up to me after the service. She could not stop raving about Maddux and how great she is with all of the kids, not getting frazzled when they are upset, but instead calmly meeting them where they are. She reminded me of all of the amazing ways God has blessed Maddux with the gift of serving others. "It was an honor to work with her today." There are so many times I see her with Ruby and think the same thing...

Maddux does not get this from me: our social IQ's could not be further from one another. I honestly feel it is an absolute God-given gift, the way she is able to connect with people and make them feel at ease. I saw it last week also when I drove her and a friend to camp each day. Maddux and her friend hadn't had many opportunities to hang out in many months, so I wasn't sure if the conversation would flow on the first day. But Maddux never missed a beat, sitting in the middle seat with her friend instead of the front (as she would prefer), asking her friend all kinds of great, specific and intentional questions about her summer, helping her to feel comfortable. I seriously drove the whole way with my jaw on the ground, in absolute awe at her social ease and intelligence.

On to the boy... It's no secret that music is something Eli loves. He's been playing drums since age two, and he's picked up the trumpet and guitar in the last two years. Even though he only started with the electric guitar just over a year ago, it's where he spends most all of his free time these days. This week he was listed as the lead guitar for the Sunday morning kids' services for the first time. He was SO excited. And when he went to rehearsal on Thursday night, Lehr said he was shocked at how well he had prepared himself and how well he played.

So this morning, Eli was at church by 7AM, rehearsing and then playing guitar in two services. Then he returned to the church about an hour later to set up and rehearse for the next week's camp. (At this camp, he'll be playing drums with another worship band.) In total, he was at church for about nine hours, worshiping with two different instruments and two different bands. His passion for those instruments right now is impressive. And in a house where music is king, it warms my soul to see him working so hard on it and holding his own so well.