"Makes you wanna go out and buy a fixer-upper, huh?" my friend asks as we gaze out on her backyard. She bought the house a year ago, and I can't help notice the aggravation involved.

My life is a fixer-upper.

At least I've developed the habit of seeing it that way. My friendships, my career, my personal habits . . . each aspect of my existence is its own room—a lop-sided, half-done mess of new hardwood flooring and peeling avocado wallpaper. I imagine the potential and wonder if I'll ever get there.

I don't expect that to change anytime soon. I stand at the curb with a sense of gratitude and I can see that my fixer-upper is not just a series of incomplete rooms. It's a whole house. The rooms may be imperfect, but they're all there.

Renovations take time and perfection will take ages. I thank God for my physical life, family and community. For experiences I have and for knowing there is not one part of my world that goes untouched by God's blessings.

Abigail Wurdeman is a founding member of the Prayables Pray Maker Council, freelance writer and editor. Abi lives in Los Angeles and can be reached at .

Lessons from the Bird-Brained

Thank You for the opportunity to observe,
with wonder, every stage
of this feathered familyʼs
reproductive drama.

Thank You for teaching Your children,
through such tiny creatures,
the power of parental instinct.
May we be reminded
we are cared for with such devotion
by Your patience and protection.

Thank you for the wisdom taught
by feisty fledglings as they learn
about the dangers of this world.
Help us to prepare our own children
to leave the nest when the time
comes for them to test their wings.
Thank you for reminding us how
exciting it is to learn to fly!

"WHAT'S YOUR 'HOME' IMPROVEMENT PROJECT?"