Stop & Smell the Mountain Laurel

First crochet project is complete! 
And on top of that, one very happy birthday girl. :)

Seeing the joy on a girl's face as she unwrapped her blue & purplified gift was absolutely priceless; but I couldn't stop there. Inside the woven satchel, she found a lock-and-key diary along with some gel pens (seriously, what little girl wouldn't love gel pens? I know I did around her age). Her smile just got bigger & I was quite blessed knowing that she would enjoy the gift (after the time I put into it).

Or, maybe it's stopping to smell the grape-like fragrance & beautiful purple blooms of Mountain Laurel as you pass by. One of my favorite smells this time of year by the way. 

 "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ." - Ephesians 1:3

Just like the little girl pulling another gift out of the purse, we discover these little blessings & smile with joy knowing how much our Father loves us. We are chosen by God to receive salvation - every one of us. We are adopted by God to be his children. We are forgiven by God - and are commanded to forgive others ("Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." - Colossians 3:13b, NLT). We have the power to do God's will. We have the hope of living forever with Christ.