Major Award....

As we were getting ready to head out for the day today, the door bell rang. The dogs went crazy barking, as they think the doorbell is their signal to seek and destroy. So after we get them corralled into their room, Chad opens the front door to find a guy about our age, wearing casual clothes and a ball cap. I'm not really listening to the conversation- I hear the word "yard" and assume that it's a guy trying to solicit his lawn business. If you could see our yard you would know why I instantly thought that was the guy's purpose. I hate yard work. I find NOTHING enjoyable about mowing/weeding/mulching or so on....The only part of yard work I like is buying the flowers at Lowe's or Gunther's Garden down the street. I love choosing the colors (usually in either yellow or red) and picking out hardy varieties that come back year after year. (Annuals? Perennials? I don't even know which is which, I just know I am so happy if the things do happen to come back post freeze) But that's as far as the enjoyment goes. I hate putting them in the ground and eventually they die when I neglect to water them.
So the lawn guy.....he's talking to Chad and I hear Chad crack up laughing. He keeps saying "are you serious?" He hands Chad something and walks away.
I say "what was that all about?" Chad just looks at me in disbelief. We've been named the "Yard of the Month" in our subdivision. We both just sit there and laugh for a minute. We won a $25 gift card to Lowe's. We laugh some more. Chad says "I asked the guy if he was paying attention as he walked to the front door" Now, I must tell you that they judged the yards on May 13th, a day after Chad's step-dad mowed the grass for us. Obviously though, they must have done a "drive by judging" and neglected to look at the flower beds very closely. So here is the best part- they put a giant sign in the yard that says "YARD OF THE MONTH" RIGHT IN A GIANT PATCH OF WEEDS. Now I am embarrassed and feel like I need to go pull weeds and plant some more flowers immediately! Chad says- "Well I guess I better mow the grass tomorrow". With great power, comes great responsibility. We are going to be the laughing stock of the cul-de-sac. Our neighbors know the truth. Our Great Dane's potty area makes our yard smell like a barn. We mow our grass a week after our neighbors do because the stark contrast of grass lengths is ridiculous. We let things grow in the flower beds if they remotely look like flowers (ie: dandelions, clovers, ragweed).
Have you ever gotten something you didn't deserve? I feel that way every single day. I have a good job. I have a nice house (even if the yard is full of weeds). I have the sweetest husband. Our life's work in the ministry gives us purpose. My parents are still together and I love them every day more and more. My in-laws are terrific people (that even mow my grass). I ate way too much at dinner tonight. I have food in my fridge. I drive a nice car. My sister is my best friend. I have more clothes/shoes/and purses than one person should. I have good friends. I am going to be a mom soon. I know that God loves me, so much that he sent his son to die for me so that I can truly live. The gifts I've been given so freely are more than I even could have asked for, and certainly more than I deserve.
The only thing I wish is that I didn't win the yard of the month. Now I'm going to have to do yard work this month. Maybe I'll just move that darn sign to our neighbor's yard in the middle of the night tonight......