What does Love look like?

Think about it.
What does love look like in your life?
Anything you wish it was that it isn't currently?

Love.

Sharing is caring, I know it might be cheesy but that has always stuck with me. Sharing my life with other people shows that I have a deep seeded care for them because they are valuable, divine image bearers.
The way we love people should remind them that they are beautiful, valuable, worthy of love, & also posses the ability to love others well.

This has been a common thread among all the things we have been doing in the house. How do we love people well to the point where their lives are transformed in a way that makes them able to love others well?
Just some thoughts to meditate & prayer on this next week in reference to your own community/life.

Here are some updates from the past few days.
Monday was my last day off before I started a new job! Since you know we did the food redistribution on Sunday we still had overflow from that so my Monday morning started out with making breakfast then prepping to make homemade salsa with the abundance of tomatoes, onions, garlic,& jalopenos from the donation that LWA has kindly partnered us with. (Thanks for all the food, such a blessing!)

Done! Two jars of regulaur & two of hot: yum!

I love to repurpose things, especially food. I really cant stand to waste anything so this was the perfect little project & now we have fresh salsa in our fridge! While I finished cleaning & gathering other overflow donation items Lauren worked in the backyard with the boys from upstairs JeShaun & Eugene. They love doing projects with us!

Lauren & I continued are lovely day off by going for a walk up to the Carroll St. Garden to check on things and see what is growing.
Turns out the pumpkins, zucchinis, squashes, & cantaloupes are taking over! The tomatoes are starting to flower as well. In a few weeks we are probably going to have more than we can give away. Luckily after the garden when I went to the new library branch in the neighborhood to get my first library card the women who helped me, Andrea, was so excited about my garden so I promised to bring a basket of veggies in for her once they grew. I love building relationships especially over common interests with people in the neighborhood.

Cantaloupes in front, pumpkins in back. Look how much they have grown!! (Refer to older post to see the change in just a week/two!)

Cucumbers

(Fast forward to Tuesday) Josh, Lauren, & I walked over to the garden after dinner to water and the first three tomatoes were ready so we ate them! So delicious. Can't wait for more.

Library- so happy to finally have my very own Chicago Public Library card! Checked out a few books for the kids, including on of my favorites. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny.

Last night I asked Jonathan (going into 8th grade, lives upstairs) if he wanted to read to me. He excitedly said Yes! So of course I get out Benjamin Bunny. I talked a lot about gardening so its a fun book to read with the kids. As he was reading out loud there were many words he struggled with, I was so joyful that he felt safe enough in our living room w/ us to be reading out loud to practice. I'm not a teacher or anything but from my own general guess he is probably at more of a 4th grade reading level & comprehension. Even though he thinks he has to act tough on the streets he knows our house is a safe, loving place where he can come and be a kid. I loved having a bed time story read to me as well :) Many more nights like this to come. Hopefully soon we can take them to the library and sign them up so they can bring home their own books.

Hannah also read Curious George to JeShaun

The other event of yesterday evening was preparation for Sierra's babyshower which is on Saturday! Lauren was heading up decorations so her & the kids were working hard on making homemade flowers, blowing up ballons, & getting table settings together.

Lauren w/ her homemade flowers:

Finished flowers

Aries working hard! (So sweet. She lives in Champagne & is going back Sunday, we will miss her a lot)

Me & Kamora (Janice, Sierra's cousin, litte girl) I held her while the girls were working on baby shower decorations. She is the cutest.

Ballons.

Other than those decorations Hannah has been putting stuff together for the games & I will be making cupcakes for the shower. Pink & purple of course since thats what Sierra requested.

At the very end of the night we did happy/sad with everyone in living room,
Sierra sad her happy was being upstairs with us & her sad was having to leave since the night was over. That warmed my heart and also gave me hope that she sees another way. We are trying to get in the routine of having the kids share with us / each other the good and bad things about our days. Then pray a blessing over them so they know that we love them & so does Jesus :)

After the kids left we, the laides & I, ate the treats I brought home from Sweet Mandy B's (my new job) We then proceeded to bless each room of the house using the book of common prayer and oil that a friend made & gave us. It was a really special evening to pray over the physical space of our home & ask the Lord to protect and allow it to be a space for love & safety. Then we prayed for Gayle since her surgery was in the morning.
Hannah & I are actually at the hospital right now with her, she just went in and it shouldn't be more than a few hours. This afternoon once she is ok'd to leave I will drive her down to Indiana to her mom's house to stay for a week where she can recover. The kids were really sweet last night when we told them this & Jonathan told Gayle he would pray for her.

So much love. Make sure to count your blessings & tell those who you care about that you love them. It matters.

Thanks for reading.
Go in peace.