Saturday, November 20, 2010

Friday, November 19, 2010

Stretching

Earlier this week I got to bed late, only to have Young T wake up in pain maybe an hour later. After an hour I finally clued in that he wasn't going back to sleep without some out of the ordinary help. I fought him to get the magic Tylenol down. He started settling within maybe ten minutes. And after another hour, he could finally relax enough to sleep. Three and a half hours later, the medicine wore off, but I slept for those three and a half hours.

Every time I think I'm getting things under control and can finally start to dig out of the exhaustion, another bad night comes or a new crisis, and, again, I am running on sheer willpower mixed with a dose of grace from above. I am again stretched past my own abilities to the point where help from above is vital to getting through the next five minutes. The Lord is determined to help me grow. I just wish it was more comfortable.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Miss E: Lawyer or mathematician?

I was on the phone today when Miss E was telling me she and Young M wanted to play the Wii. She said:

A. We will turn it off when you ask us to.
B. We will play Lego Star Wars.
C. We will play together.

I was left thinking, "Where in the world did that come from?!"

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

For future reference

Do not sword fight with gogurts. If one of them surreptitiously opens, the mess will be spectacular and your mother will be underwhelmed.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Pin curls

This last weekend we experimented. Both girls got pin curls after their baths. It turned out really well and neither one complained about sleeping on them. We'll do it again, I'm sure. (Of course, the camera went missing until after they were mostly fallen out. Maybe next time I can get pictures.)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

From the mouths of babes

This week at church the children put on their presentation. I honestly didn't think that many children could sit that well for that long. All of the children remembered their parts. Young A has learned to slow down since last year when he stole the show with his speed talking. Miss M loves to be mature and do everything just right. She was quite obviously aware that she was on stage. She did well. And Miss E did her best to steal the show this year. She was right in the front and kept finagling her way right in front of a microphone. Her little staccato voice could be heard just enough to tell it was her. Later reports were that my children entertained more than one teenager in the audience.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Faith

There seems to be a theme of faith running through my life right now. I am being reminded on all sides how much difference it makes to move forward with the Lord.

One dear friend prepared for a sudden, surprising, yet exciting move without realizing that was what she was doing. Because she followed the gentle guidance of the Lord, when an opportunity arose, she and her family could accept it quickly.

Another dear friend (here) has recently been given much more opportunity and responsibility at work. And as she looks back at her past, she finds the Lord's hand preparing her for this. As she looks forward at the near future, she feels his assurance that he will be with her in the details that are coming.

Yet another dear friend has been telling her story (here) of creation this past week. She had a great opportunity to paint pictures for a beautiful book by another friend. As the project progressed she experienced both impossible roadblocks and improbable miracles. The end result is a gorgeous, spirit infused Christmas book (here). But more than that, it is a changed heart, a consecrated gift, and an experience of walking with the Lord.

Lately I have felt the Lord guiding and preparing me. There are minutes I wish I didn't. While the experiences that require such close contact with the divine are full of joy and peace, they often also bring pain, grief, and agony. My little faith trembles and shrinks as I consider the possibilities. But then I think of a loving Father, of my friends and of their faith. Their ends are better than their beginnings and better than they could have created alone. They were never left alone. When things seemed impossible, the Lord had already prepared their way. I remember how much better off they and those around them are because they had the faith to walk with the Lord. My faith burns brighter and the Lord's will is not as terrifying. It becomes easier to believe that he won't leave me without the help I so desperately need. I find the faith to take his hand and move forward without answers hoping the Lord is creating something of beauty.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Before the storm..


We spent a wonderful day in the late summer teaching the children the joys of water. It was a great way to celebrate all they had learned in swimming lessons. The storm was kind enough to wait until we were done.