Hope in God

Often when the day has been rough and discouragement sets in I will remember these wonderful truths from Scripture:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~ Lamentations 3:22-23

To rest in that assurance that God's love never ceases, His mercy is endless, His faithfulness to us is great...it is an awesome thing. It brings hope for a fresh beginning tomorrow. It brings hope for another opportunity to grow in His grace, to learn from Him, to know Him more deeply.

To hope in Him.

Not in myself. Not in my circumstances. Not in my husband. Not in my friends.

To hope in the LORD.

I will fail, I will wander aimlessly through life at times, I will be afflicted. And I will beat myself up over it. But because of God's love, mercy, and faithfulness I can hope in Him.

Reading the above verses in their context adds to the richness.

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." (Lamentations 3:19-24)

Hope in God alone. He is so good!

Well, Hello There

It's been a while.

School is in full swing so things are busy, busy. Honestly, I don't think I have ever been this busy. Seriously...ever. Between school for Micah and Abigail twice a week, homeschool, scouts, Awana, tennis, swimming, and my attempts at keeping this home running semi-efficiently, I am a busy gal. But the kids are having great fun and I am thankful for these opportunites they have.

In case you're wondering, Fun Week was great! We were able to get out of town for a couple days and have some fun before the busyness of fall kicked in.

I've been reading quite a bit lately which has been a treat. Reading is something I thoroughly enjoy, but rarely make the time for. But with all we are busy with I am finding it is especially important to carve out some down time to relax and refresh.

There are several things on my mind that I hope to share soon. You would never know it, but I truly do enjoy blogging. It's just difficult to find the time. As I continue to refine my new schedule hopefully I can squeeze in some more frequent blogging time.

Hope you are all well and that your fall is off to a fabulous start. I just love this time of year!

The kiddos at the zoo during Fun Week!

I Give You...Fun Week!

This photo has nothing to do with this post...I just thought it was cute!

December 2005

In my last update on our summer happenings I mentioned we had six weeks left before school began. It's hard to believe but we are down to one more week! Tomorrow Micah and Abigail will meet their teachers and then will begin school next Tuesday. For the most part we are ready to roll. I took the kids out, one at a time, to do their school shopping a couple weeks ago. The supplies are ready, and the backpacks and lunch boxes are waiting to be filled! I love the beginning of a new school year!

My mom reminded me the other day about how every year, the night before the first day of school, I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling so nauseated. It was a result of both nervousness and excitement. While other kids were eating their frosted flakes for breakfast, I was taking spoonfuls of Pepto Bismol. Oh, good times!

The original plan for these last six weeks of summer was to continue on with some school work, particularly math, handwriting (for Micah), and phonics (for Abigail). Doesn't that sound like a fun way to end the summer? Last week it dawned on me how much of a bummer that was, working right up until the start of school. So I decided to take pity on my children and we dropped the rest of our school plans. I figured if they haven't learned it by now, what is another week really going to do? So one night at dinner last week I informed them of this decision and was rewarded with smiles and cheers! They quickly dubbed this week...

FUN WEEK!

I'm hoping the week will be as fun as the kiddos are hoping for. I think they have some big ideas of how they hope the week will go. The pressure's on!

We've got swimming lessons to finish up, some shoe shopping to do, friends to play with, a trip to the country for a couple days, and a visit to the zoo.

Sounds pretty fun to me!

Living Words From the Prophets: Isaiah

Currently I am reading through the Old Testament prophets. Even though at times I feel like I am just plowing my way through (I really don't like admitting that!), there have been multiple verses that have spoke to my soul. Some I was familiar with, some were new to me. Here are some of my favorites from Isaiah...

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock." ~ Isaiah 26:3-4

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." ~ Isaiah 40:8

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." ~ Isaiah 40:28-31

"I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior." ~ Isaiah 43:11

"For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): 'I am the LORD, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, "Seek me in vain." I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.'" ~ Isaiah 45:18-19

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

Amen and amen!!

How Do You Furnish Your Home?

When we were at the library on Saturday I happened upon a book filled with some writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Ozarks, edited by Stephen W. Hines. The book is a compilation of rediscovered writings she wrote from 1911 to 1925 as a journalist. Did you even know she was a journalist? Well I didn't, but this was something she did many years before she wrote the Little House books.

The other evening I was skimming through the various articles and was amazed at how relevent many of the topics still are today. The one that jumped out at me was titled "How to Furnish a Home" and it was written in November 1917.

She was discussing the spirit of the home, which she described as "...a sort of composite spirit composed of the thoughts and feelings of the members of the family.... This spirit meets us at the door as we enter the home. Sometimes it is a friendly, hospitable spirit, and sometimes it is cold and forbidding."

Can you guess what I hope the spirit of my home is? :)

Further on in the article she states: "Each individual has a share in making this atmosphere of the home what it is, but the mother can mold it more to her wishes."

That reminds me of that quirky little saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" We mamas set the pace for how the day is going go, whether we like it or not. Obviously we don't have complete control over how everyone is going to react, think, or feel, but if we are happy and content it makes a world of difference in the feeling of our home.

The article ends with this exhortation:

"Let's be cheerful! We have no more right to steal the brightness out of the day for our own family than we have to steal the purse of a stranger. Let us be as careful that our homes are furnished with pleasant and happy thoughts as we are that the rugs are the right color and texture and the furniture comfortable and beautiful!"

What a wonderful reminder! It helps to put some things in better perspective.

May my home be furnished with love, joy, kindness, and contentment. May it be overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." ~ Galatians 5:22-23a

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." ~ Proverbs 17:22

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" ~ Micah 6:8

Bitterness vs. Sweetness: The Battle Continues

Those who know me know that I enjoy coffee. A lot. Generally I'm a take-it-black kind of gal, but I also enjoy visiting my local coffeeshop for something special once in a while.

The trouble is I'm becoming increasingly more picky and the drinks are becoming more complex. Gone are the days of the tall non-fat mocha. Easy peasy. Kinda hard to mess that up. But now I order things like this:

Grande, one-third decaf, doubleshot on ice with one pump classic and soy milk.

Huh?

And it's a struggle every time to get that all spit out so that the one taking the order can translate it so the one making the drink can actually get it right.

But when it's right it tastes soooo good! :)

It has always been my practice to be patient and polite when dealing with people in restaurants, grocery stores, and other shops. I've been on the other side and I know how rude people can be. It is very rare that I will send something back or even complain unless it is really bad. So with things like ordering coffee I attempt to be as clear as possible without being annoying. And if I have to repeat myself I usually do so with a smile. Emphasis on the word usually.

This afternoon I drove up to the drive-thru to order my coffee (which was my first mistake...going inside is almost always a better choice) and I had barely started ordering when the gal on the other end told me she couldn't do that. I won't go into all the ordering details, but by the time I finished ordering I knew that I had blown it. Not the best example for my children sitting there witnessing the whole thing.

Oftentimes my mouth gets the better of me. This has been a struggle my entire life. Lately I have been seeking Scripture in regard to this area of my life. There are many places throughout the Bible that speak about the tongue and how our speech ought to be (and ought NOT to be). Here are just a few:

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ~ Proverbs 12:18

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ~ James 3:5

...but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ~James 3: 8

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. ~ Proverbs 13:3

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. ~ Proverbs 16:24

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. ~ Colossians 4:5-6

Today my speech was anything but gracious. It was seasoned with bitterness, when it should have been filled with sweetness. It wasn't what I said, but how I said it. I was simply annoyed because I wanted my drink, my way without any hassle. It was shameful.

When I pulled up to the window to get my coffee I sat there thinking about how I had reacted. I wanted to make excuses for my behavior. I was tired. It's been "one of those days." But what does that have to do with this girl simply trying to do her job? Why should my frustrations be pinned on her? So when she opened the window I apologized. No excuses, just a simple apology for snapping at her and telling her that I was out of line. Of course she said it wasn't a big deal. But to me it was and I'm so thankful I heeded the Spirit's prompting to deal with the situation.

It was just another reminder of how far I have to go at reigning in that tongue of mine. I know I can't tame it on my own. I need the Holy Spirit's help to bring that part of myself into submission so that I might speak words that are gracious and "sweetness to the soul."

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14

Midsummer Update

Technically I guess it's not midsummer yet, but it sure seems like it, doesn't it? July is just about to the half-way point and my kids start school in just six weeks. It's all flying by so fast! The past couple months have been a whirlwind for us with many changes and the anticipation of some new things on the horizon. So before things get even nuttier, I thought I would share some of the highlights of our spring and summer so far.

In May we moved out of our spacious 635 sq ft duplex into a brand new 1150 sq ft apartment (almost double the size)! We managed to apply, sign the lease, move our things, and clean up the duplex in a matter of about two weeks. It has been so nice to have the extra space...two bathrooms (our master bath is about twice the size of the ONE bathroom in our duplex, I kid you not), three bedrooms (Micah is thrilled to have his own room again), and a dining area. This is probably the biggest blessing for me. While in the other place we had no room for our table so had to eat at a card table squished into our kitchen. It worked, but I am so thankful to have our dining table back. We can actually have guests over now! :)

The beginning of June we took a quick camping trip, which I'm sure no one has forgotten about since that is the only thing y'all have been able to read about for the past month on this blog! We have yet to make another camping trip this summer, but may head out for a couple days before school starts. That is if we are brave enough to tent camp in the scorching summer heat!

The following week my sweet sister, Heidi, came for a short visit. Unfortunately it was shorter than we anticipated. Weather in Dallas messed up her flights and she didn't make it here until 20 hours after her original scheduled arrival time! Despite the delay, I was so happy to have her here. We always have such a lovely time together. And we were actually able to offer her a real bed in her own room (we tossed Micah into the girls' room). This was a big upgrade from what would have awaited her if she would have visited us while we were still in the duplex. Abigail told her once that she would have to sleep in the bathtub because we didn't have any extra room! I was sad to see her go, but thankful for the time we had. (Love and miss ya, sis!)

Over the past five weeks we have had busy, busy mornings. No lazy, sleep-in-late summer days for us! The week Heidi came the kids were in VBS all morning. They had a blast and I did my best to make the most of the time alone at home. During the past four weeks the kids have been in swimming lessons. They all have done so well and I am amazed at how quickly they are picking up some of the things they are learning. Isabel is a self-proclaimed "little fish" and it's true! She is a natural in the water! We decided to take a break for a couple weeks and plan to put them in for one more two-week session before the summer ends. In the fall we will decide how to proceed with their lessons. I would love to see them continue and eventually be on the swim team, but we'll see. Abigail has expressed interest in diving, so we may look into that. There is an impressive diving center at the facility they are taking lessons at and Abigail is enthralled by watching the kids jump and dive off the boards and platforms. Personally I think I'm about to have a heart attack every time I see those kids up there. Not quite sure how I'd respond to my own child standing on a 10 meter platform preparing to jump! Yikes!

So I guess that brings us to today. Over the next six weeks before school begins I plan on working with Micah and Abigail on some math, reading, and a few other things to make sure they are ready to head to the classroom. They are both excited to be in school and I am excited for them. They will only be in class two and a half days a week so I will still have them home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday afternoons. Isabel will stay home full-time this year for Kindergarten. It's going to be a big change for everyone, but I think this school will be a great fit for our family.

I wanted to share some recent pics, but the monitor on our desktop computer died a few weeks ago, so I can't access any of them. That's what I get for not backing up my photos! Sorry I didn't have any photos to break up this rather long post. ;)

It's been a busy summer, but a good one so far.

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer, too!