Nesting...

How can I make my house a HOME today?

Will I use words of encouragement and affirmation?

Will I shower those around me with gentle physical affection?

Will I do menial tasks for others - even when the chores get boring - so that our home is a wonderful environment to be in?

Will I seek to spend time with those who are sharing this life journey with me?

Will I be generous in my gifts of appreciation to others?

When I can't - HE CAN

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young - 

a place near your alter,

O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

Selah

Psalm 84.1-4

ahhhh coffee

these two little peanuts make me laugh right out loud :)....

however, because of them I go through a lot of this :)!!

wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!!

Psalm 121

Why worry :)?

Because it is the easiest thing to do in all the world!

I can so quickly worry about all sorts of things - present things, future things, past things. My God-given imagination runs wild as my human nature wrestles with the realities of this world. What if what if what if.

Sigh.

The events of our summer have reminded me - uncomfortably - how things happen very differently than you expect sometimes. That is something I struggle to reconcile. I want things to be safe, secure, free of pain and harm.

And sometimes the LORD permits a reminder that He is in charge and I am not.

And then I ask - Dear LORD, how should I pray in all of this? Where are you in all this worry :)?

And slowly, carefully, surely the answer comes...

I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forever more.

Psalm 121

Oh LORD. Forgive my worrying heart.

Back in blogger world

Somewhere between the end of April and the end of summer, life jumped into fast forward mode. And here we are. Shorter days, cooler nights and school just around the bend. Autumn is my favorite time of the year. Right next to winter and spring. Summer, I admit, with its looser structure and shifting routine sends me into a bit of a tailspin. What can I say :)? I love the color of autumn, the cozyness of a great cup of coffee, my favorite old sweater and my brand new slippers :). As for winter? Well, with snow flakes falling, and Boney-M christmas carols in the background - who can argue with that :)?

Life is good. Full, but good.

And tonight I am counting my blessings and naming them one by one.

At the end of June, we had a baby girl. She was born on our bathroom floor. That is a very long story (well, actually a very QUICK story since her delivery took less than an hour from start to finish!!) - I can assure you that was not in the birth plan - but all in all it is a dramatic story with a happy ending :).

Then we had some very serious health concerns with baby Kezia. The drama continued, and life started tumbling and bumbling about. While only time will tell all the details, as it is with most worries in our lives, our little girl is healthy, happy and a snuggly little bundle. We love her dearly!

I continue to be amazed at the little personality that is just bursting out of our Mikayla. At 20 months, she is a live wire, a fire cracker her daddy calls her, and it is true true true. Life is never dull when she's around.

My hubby, my own mommy :), and many dear friends who journeyed with us as we waited in doctors offices, waited for phone calls, waited for test results. God's waiting room, my mom calls this, this place where the answer is not yet "yes" or "no" but "my grace is sufficient for thee".

My LORD. The One who stands before me, behind me and beside me as I grasp and grapple with the issues of this life. He meets me where I am, messiness and all, and loves me enough to lead me on.

Then there are the simple pleasures of life that truly make each day special...
...that familiar old song on the radio that takes you back a million memories
...a great cup of something hot and tasty (coffee is best, but anything warm and soothing will do in a pinch!)
...dancing around the kitchen with my gals (every so often their daddy joins in too!)
...snuggling with my wild animal of a pooch (he's the only puppy I've truly ever loved, and he's mighty lucky about that because I am the one who gives him his hair cuts!!)
...dear friends who keep me laughing and sane and looking for all the good this world has to offer
...sun-ripened tomatoes from my garden, freshly picked for tasty tomato sandwhiches
...a few precious moments to myself to gather my thoughts, offer my worship and to stretch and dream just a little :)

Life is good. Full, but good.

And tonight I am counting my blessings and naming them one by one.