can i just say how proud i am of you? it's one thing to live and work and go to school, buy groceries, pay bills, take care of the family, the pet, and the plants. it's a whole other thing to love others. 

you, friends continue to teach me and show me that when we give and share, God gives us more. our Compassion International son, Saddam, continues to teach us this each time we visit. we have an abundance because God intends for us to give it away to others. how does this pertain to our time? don't we all have the same amount? yes we do.

but i believe that how we spend our time determines how we see our time. 

do you know what two hours on a monday night, us keeping their baby so they can have a much-needed date night does to our time? we don't lose anything, they gain conversation and warm food! 

do you know that when our floors were flooded and family routine was unstable, the invitation to come over to their home, build a lego spaceship together and eat comfort food was just what we needed and we didn't even know what we needed! we got recharged because they gave us their time. 

i can tell you about far more days when i kept all my time to myself in scarcity, in selfishness. yet, i can remember and relish in the moments when i slowed down to give time. 

this might be one that starts with...

did anything ever happen impromptu during the summers when you were growing up? 

my parents would get a call from a farmer friend that they could come and pick corn from his field. my sisters and i knew what we were doing the next evening on the front porch. shuckin' corn! i was a pro with the husk, but those silks got me all frustrated! we'd eat a good bit that summer, freeze some and give some away. 

sunday nights after church we'd get crazy and go get ice cream at the dairy queen or meet up at the city sports field for a game of softball! word always got around.

impromptu is not my style, but i want it to be. okay. maybe impromptu with a wee bit of preparedness! 

you've been rocking intentionality all summer! here are a few impromptus:

i'd guess most days we are learning bucket loads from our peers and those in the same season of life as us.

but how would you evaluate how much you are learning from those ahead of you and behind you? we need to look up and look down. to watch and listen to those younger than us and to sit a while with those older than us. we've got much to learn and it's right in front of us. 

ask yourself: when you were little, and even now, are you more drawn to those older than you or younger than you? what do you see in your kids?

elijah is drawn to those older. sam is passionate about helping those younger than him. asher seems to observe both demographics. kavita balances this well as she is watching older role models closely, yet is naturally to young kids. mine has been the same since i was a little girl. 

someone different.

i've already pegged you as someone who enjoys hospitality, so having someone over seems like normalcy. 

but, who's someone you've thought about having over and pushed it to the back of your mind?

who's someone you know but has never come over to your home? 

who's someone you want to learn from?

what about someone who would love a home cooked meal?

is there a refugee family or someone new to town who could use a friend?

it still haunts me.

my free-spirited friends, you've waited for this post! and my type-As like me start twitching over an idea that has no boundaries!

i think what i offer you will help us all...

free space.

learn a bit of history. ask a few questions.

where i live is practically an infant compared to where you might live. ben and sam went to rome this june and sam uses the "mind blown" fingers over his forehead to show me just how old rome is in comparison to the united states, let alone, san francisco! 

but as long as we can explore yesterday, we can learn a bit of history!

you might have to venture out of your city limits to do some exploring, but don't forget about the cemetery, the library, the first church in town, the city hall or courthouse. and the best place to learn a bit of history is from your fellow citizens. 

june has come and gone and it's july! whether you are jumping from one activity and camp to another or if the summer is a continuation of the previous seasons, i hope that the summer series has ushered in some intentional fun. 

this activity is low-maintance, yet has high relational value - 

flowers!

put your green thumb to use. let the kids gather "flowers" from the yard. someone in town could use a burst of color in their day.

you'll need air in your tires and wind in your sails for this one. i believe that one of the best ways to learn your city is to go about it a different way. routine makes life predictable and helps us settle in to the places we call home, but it can put us in a rut. if you've just moved to town or a new part of the city, how will you get to where you need to go today?

for once this summer, try a different route, even if it's a few minutes longer. you just might discover something new. you will see new faces and new places that internally jolt your senses to refresh you. 

this is a fun way to mix it up a bit. if you typically drive to the store, consider walking. if you walk for exercise, consider biking. it’s convenient to take the car across the bridge, but we have taken the ferry before. 

some of you live in really hot climates and the thought of transporting yourself from point a to point b without a/c sounds like an absurd idea. others of you live miles from town. don't sweat it. do this activity at dusk - walk to a neighbor's house and say hello. (bring popsicles.)

every single time, without fail, as ben and i drive across the golden gate bridge with our kids, they don't even look up. we call their attention to this amazing architecture. they might glance, but return to their books and conversation. ben and I gasp every. single. time.

if we’re not careful, dare I say intentional, we won’t even look up and notice that where we live is a part of God’s design for us. it’s a gift. it’s a masterpiece to enjoy. it’s a discovery.

if you missed the 1 must-do can-do summer activity we're thrilled about, you can read it here.

let's take the TWELVE WAYS TO LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE and create some intentionality around the next few weeks when you're in town. i'll be writing stories and ideas on these weekly, but here's some things you can make sure you have on hand: