Stopping to See and Enjoy the Moments

I have been inspired by my lovely sister to come back here and just write. She occassionally asks if I will blog again and I just felt too overwhelmed to write. However, as I read her blog and see that as she tells her stories she is living more fully. Often in life we are just going through the motions and we don't stop to enjoy what we have be blessed with. I think as I look for things to share and as I write it will cause me to enjoy the moments more fully. I don't really have much to offer, just my story. If it will bless even one other person that will be wonderful, but even if it just helps me to slow down to live my life more abundantly then it is worthwhile.

So I will take the challenge . . .

And pop back in here . . .





Try to get comfortable . . .



Take a deep breath . . .



Face those paralysing fears . . .



And enjoy the moments . . .

Grace

After a week of seemingly barely keeping my head above the water,
and fumbling,
and falling,
and failing,
Tearing down instead of
Building up,

I am reminded . . .

I am forgiven.

I am His child.

I am loved.

Not becasue I deserve it,
nor by any merit of my own . . .

It is His grace.


But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(2Co 12:9)

In Everything Give Thanks

Yes, I know it. The stink of perfectionism. Doubt is lingering, circumstances are paining, sticky messes are bothering. How can I get it all done? Why can't I get my act together and do everything I want to do perfectly. It's defeating, so I will sit and turn away from all that I still haven't got done on my list and, turn it to praise, to thanksgiving.

(It has been a long time since I posted my thanksgiving and I have kept a list on paper, but I will continue here from where I left off on paper)

245. Silence in the house on a Monday afternoon - one baby now sleeping and two other children at swimming lessons with husband.

246. a healthy 'new' (2 months new) baby girl sleeping


247. baby smiles and sounds

248. safe delivery and fairly decent recovery

249. help during the tough first weeks

250. hot meals and frozen meals prepared for us

251. gift bags overflowing and cluttering up my living room floor from a church baby shower held for us yesterday with new church friends


252. big sister loving little sister


253. big brother loving little sister


254. seeing husband delight in his little girl

255. the servant heart so evident in my husband

256. piano festival - two golds and a silver for big sister

257. fun evening at talent night with old church friends

258. coloured egg shells that will now become little pots to plant seeds for garden


259. books lying around

260. answering machine to take messages when busy

261. children's artwork submitted to artshow

262. dishes in soapy water dirtied from simple meals today

263. food to prepare simple meals

264. laundry in washer and dryer and folded on chair

265. baby baths

266. little boy knees dirty from helping Daddy

267. little boy humour that keeps us laughing

268. tender girl heart - oh so tender

269. four year old on two wheeler


270. help from my mom

271. brown battered dirty mixer ~ birthday cake for our almost 9 year old

272. noises on a Monday afternoon - baby now awake and children and husband home from swimming.

273. phone calls in the evening

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

When I am Weak

A call, from my sister in tears, came today and I think once again on these thoughts, at the blog Holy Experience. These words really spoke to me and made me realize too that I am not the only one wrestling. Of course, I knew it to be true, but again the lies tell me I am alone.

I have been silent here as I have been wrestling. I fear to write things down when I am at this place. I wrote the author of this blog, just wanting to thank her for her encouragement and trying to ease out some of what I wrestle with. Immediately after the email had been sent I recalled these well known words :

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

It is o.k. that I do not have all the answers, that I do wrestle, that I find discouragement on this journey. It is not about me at all. It is about HIM.

I mentioned this quiet place to my sister, telling her that the thoughts and words shared here direct us to a better place - to HIM.

Let all our employment be to know GOD: the more one knows Him,

the more one desires to know Him.

And as knowledge is commonly the measure of love, the deeper and more extensive our knowledge shall be, the greater will be our love:

and if our love of GOD were great we should love Him equally in pains and pleasures.

Let us seek Him often by faith: He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere.

The Practice of the Presence of God ~ Brother Lawrence

The Power of God

It is something we really do not do enough. Sharing slips of paper; sharing the gospel for which we should not be ashamed.

It was a little gospel tract that my husband was given early in the day as he entered the auditorium of our small Chapel building as the Church meeting had begun. He tucked it in his pocket intending to pass it along to someone in his travels.

Later that day, on a very wet drive home from the evening service, it was evident that we needed to make a routine stop at the gas station. As he looked in to the service centre, he felt he should pass the tract along to the blonde, middle aged lady attending the gas bar. A little inward struggle took place as to whether he really should just walk in there and give it to her. He decided to fill up and pay as he normally does right at the pump, without the help of the gas attendant. As he held on to the nozzle, filling the tank as the rain pelted down around him, the struggle continued. But, as he put up the nozzle, replaced the gas cap, and proceeded to complete the transaction the machine posted a note:

Receipt failed to print. Please see attendant inside.



Now confident that he was to pass on the Good News he went in to get his receipt and see the attendant. He said to her, "Here is a little something you can read when you have a few spare minutes."

She took the slips of paper with gratitude and he sauntered out back to his waiting family. As he opened the vehicle door, the attendant called out on the loud speaker, "I guess there was a reason the receipt did not print and that you had to come in here tonight. Thank you very much." and gave him the thumbs up.

We thank God for this opportunity. So often we fail to share what is so precious to us.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

In Everything Give Thanks

In some ways it has been a tough summer and yet the Lord's goodness and mercy shine through. With death, heart abnormalities, hospitalization for an in-law family member, and other medical issues the simple day to day stuff seemed insignificant. And yet the toilet training, the school planning, cleaning, making meals and such had to continue.

It is great to be able to get away from the mundane and take a breather.

We still had much to be thankful for . . .

106. with much thanksgiving I held my little nephew the day after he had his angiography . . . he is doing very well!!

107. a Saturday to enjoy a beach and a museum on an island


108. we have been thankful for how our gardens turned out this year


tomatoes

lettuce

beets . . . so far two jars of pickled beets

cucumbers . . . some to eat and some to pickle


and some sweet peppers . . . as well as peas, beans, spinach, dill, celery, carrots, and a few strawberries



109. time away at the cottage . . . resting, reading


110. enjoying the outdoors with our children . . . walking, rowing,


111. beautiful colours


112. campfires at night with sticky treats


113. a walk on a beautiful summer day not far from home


114. a place for little legs to rest


115. a wonderful day at the African Lion Safari . . .








116. daughter cutting off more than 10 inches of blonde locks to donate

In HIS Hands

When my sister called me on Wednesday within the hour of hearing that Grandpa had passed away I was not prepared for the words she managed to speak.

Mixed in with tears and much emotion were the words, "It is not a heart murmur, it is a narrow heart valve." Those words meant that my little four week old nephew had some sort of heart abnormality, but there was so much uncertainty and fear and pain ahead.

It was a difficult day for my sister and brother in law. Now they knew something was wrong, but the doctors knew further investigation would be required.

It was a hard day for Mom as she had flown out to see her Dad and yet by the time she arrived she found out that her Dad had passed away and now her Grandson needed medical attention.

Dad had almost arrived home from driving seven hours to get Mom to the airport when he heard about his Grandson and so he had more driving ahead in order to go help his daughter.

It was a hard day.

Yet, through it all I knew they were trusting. She felt numb, and confused, and scared, worried, but she knew that the Lord God of all creation had formed her little son just the way He intended. He would be glorified through it all.

We talked together how even though we don't understand it, God is good.

She talked about what his name means and how she is sure God has special plan for him.

The following day they met with the Doctor and were told that their son is doing well despite having Pulmonary Stenosis and that he was going to be put on a waiting list so he could have a catheter put in place to widen the valve that regulates the blood flow into the lungs from the right ventricle. They were told they would probably hear something next week.

But not 12 hours later they were back in emergency as they were called back in to get more required tests completed. Then sent off this morning to the Children's Hospital to see the specialist. After more hours of testing it was determined that the catheter would need to be put in to place tomorrow morning.

"The Strong Boy" as he is being called by the nurses and doctors has many praying on his behalf. He has a very capable Doctor performing the procedure and the Great Physician watching over him.

We continue to pray.

Know that the LORD Himself is God;
it is He who made us, and not we ourselves . . .
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His loving kindness is everlasting
and
His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:3,4,5