Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Our 2-Year-Old Esther

Our sweet and precious Esther is two years old today! Our little pandemic baby reminds us of God's grace and provision for His people to protect them and hold them fast. 


Esther has grown so much this year and is not a baby anymore. She's a little women, already learning how to care for babies, clean her floor, put things away and bake. Obviously, she is not grown and more observes these tasks but she is getting really good at cleaning her messes. She knows to get a towel or napkin and does decently at cleaning a spill. 

Esther loves to play with Abel as well as her baby dolls all of which she calls Abel. She carries her baby and dresses (or undresses) her doll. She puts her doll on Abel's playmat and turns on the music. It's fun to watch her learn. She also wants to help Abel with his pacifier and with eating. It's absolutely precious to see her being a little mama. 

Esther's other favorite item is "uh-oh" which is what she calls her blanket. She walks around like Linus dragging it behind her with her thumb in her mouth. So cute! (Though we'd like to break the thumb sucking...)

Recently, Esther has gotten into looking at books. She's' not quite ready for you to read them to her, but she does enjoy looking at pictures and talking about what she sees. She asks, "What's that?" to anything and everything, even if she knows what it is. It's a fun learning game for all of us. She's also learning all the names of her siblings and it's precious to hear her talk about them. They're not always clear but she will say she is thankful for them at different times.

That has been the most precious, hearing her share what she's thankful for at dinner and wanting to "pray". This is mama saying what she just said in prayer form but her eyes are wide and she listens as we teach her to pray. 

We are so thankful for Esther and the spunk she adds to our home. She's strong already and does not put up with anything from her brothers. She's a bit of a Mama's girl and loves to be with Lillian, but she loves on Daddy and her brothers too. 

Father, thank You for our precious Esther and the life she adds to our home. Thank You for this ray of life during a time that has seen so much death. We know that You are ultimate giver of life and we pray that You will give Esther life in You through Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for these past two years and we look forward to so many more years of life with her. We pray this in Jesus's Name! Amen!





Saturday, July 2, 2022

The Greatest Salesman in the World

The Greatest Salesman in the World has been recommended to me by my mentor and business coach, Katie Hornor, since the first time I heard her speak. I was gifted the book a little bit ago and finally took the plunge and read it.

I completely understand why this book, though a work of fiction, is recommended so highly in the business world. It is filled with sound advice and great things to think about. The mantle is passed to one who is generous instead of those who are good with money, time or other things that in a worldly sense seem wise. Half of the book is filled with sayings to think on to help you be a good business person and grow in what it means to be a person in business. 

The other half is the story of Hafid who wants to learn from the greatest salesman in the world so that he can become the greatest salesman in the world. The story is intriguing and absolutely draws you in. It is set in first century Israel and ties to Biblical stories. As one who appreciates creativity, I found this quite interesting. My only issue is with the end. I do not want to spoil the book for those that read it and I want others to learn from it, if they do not have similar issues with how the story spelled out. 

Remember: THIS BOOK IS FICTION!

For the advice given from a business perspective I would give it 4.5 stars. The story along side I'd give more like three stars because of how I read it. I'll meet in the middle and give it 3.5.


Reading Challenges:

Back to the Classics 2022: Wild Card Classic

2022 Reading Challenge with Tim Challies a book of your choice in the Light Reader section

2022 Intentional by Grace Reading Challenge: Set in or about a country that is not your own in Level 3