Filled To The Brim

                                                             

Sometimes I wonder what I do. Okay don't get me wrong...I have lots to do...every day I seem to have things that I didn't get to that day... Duties or details that somehow went unnoticed...

                                                                  

It really seems that life would be empty were it not for the details that stitch it together...

The details sew the tapestry into days...days become weeks..than years...

There is the details in a day that demand attention. Such as meals, laundry, phone calls....


                                                                           

                                                          bedrooms...

                                                    homemade pizza...

than there is the more subdued side of details that I can; or can not give thought to, 
such as the birds outside my window...the song on the radio,
 or the way the scarf you wear brings out your eyes....

                                                                                                                                 

So I have decided I won't let the details daunt or overwhelm me....

                    blanket fort in our rec room..constructed by two ambitious girls who come here after school....

                                                     

                                             flowers from a thoughtful hubby

I'll remember that God designed each detail; they make my life mine....each a gem of grace from the Giver of life.



                                                                      

                     my two youngest girls enjoying the spotlight on our back yard ice rink...

    I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 
                                        John 10:10

Waste Not A Good Example

        a few treasures from my Mother's Day...hope you have some too...                         

                                  

I had a very frugal mother, or should I say resourceful. She knew how to turn a few, bland leftovers, into a delicious meal.
She could take a piece of fabric and sew a dress, that could be adjusted for five girls.
She mended and patched clothing others would have replaced.
I try to emulate this trait in my own way. it might be a slightly different format, but I could never discard the principle of her example.
My mother was an excellent example of knowing how to serve others with joy and unselfishness.
Yesterday at our Mother's Day service at church our speaker encouraged us to never undermine the power of small but mighty deeds and a good example.
He used the story of Timothy and how through the example of his mother and grandmother he went on to be a disciple of Jesus.


Sometimes it is easy to walk the path of regret or feel like effort is a waste of time....and we have nothing that can be used or valued....
  
 this song  talks about the broken and so called wasted parts of life and how Jesus can take it all and make it beautiful.

                                     


The perfect mother is an illusion. It does not exist. I am thankful that in God's eyes  accomplishments and  failures are the same,  and  both can  be turned into  beautiful works of art.


                           

       the card from my youngest....she added Three Things You Should Never Ask Your Mother.....1-say you're bored...(she'll find work for you) 
                           2-say you're hungry...(she'll give you something healthy)
                           3-say you're tired...(she'll say go to bed.)


and when you give her this card she will laugh:)) I love that crazy kid...:)



 I apoologize that this post may sound rather scattered;My mother's amazing example and my glaring imperfections mixed;somehow it came out like this... I guess that is the way love and life are at times...thank-you for grace!
                 
                                         

The Gift We Give Ourselves

 

   

                                                         please listen to the beautiful song...

I watch from afar and admit it would be easy to reach up to that branch of judgement dangling it's accusations in my face.

How tempting it would be to hurl questions about motives, character and all the things that are a measure of the heart.

I wish you could be here to see;I wonder what you'd say.
I think about actions; and how they drown out all the noisy clamour of shallow words.
I breathe a prayer to release my feeble feelings... 

Grace and forgiveness that gift for us; to then release to others the way it's given to us.
I hold it close here and ponder it's glorious meaning.
 For when it is the most difficult thing in the world to do...it is the most needful.
Then and only then can true peace be acquired.

Sometimes it's easy to read into the subtleties  of a relationship, that can at times be discouraging.

Then I remember my word response,no one but myself is responsible for my response; but I. How freeing and exhilarating to know my response is my right and privilege.
I am grateful.

                                        


these thoughts came in part from reading this book recently...
a modern take on the story of Joseph.


416; March break week...happy times,417;for hubby who made the coffee on Saturday and Sunday and poured me a cup,418-listening as he talked about his first of the season motorcycle ride,419-cross country skiing on Saturday morning,420-riding my bike in the afternoon,421-daughter making breakfast for all of us,
422-good time with two oldest girls while the other three were at my sister, 423-sisters,424-a hubby who listens while I share my heart,425-praying,4-hope for a week that is a mix of spontaneity with clarity.....

Prerequisite For My Day

Give me your eyes of grace, Lord.

                                         
I need them to see through this day.

Give me your hands of mercy, Lord.
 I have much work to do.

 Give me your feet of faith, Lord.
 The road before me is long.

 Give me your lips of truth,Lord.
 Someone needs your hope.


Give me your heart of love, Lord.
Without it I am void,

For all I have is nothing
Without love to spur me on.


                                                                       

    Love bears all things, believes all things. hopes all things,endures all things,love never fails.
                 I Corinthians 13

341- baby lambs still living, ,342-flowers,343-tea with daughter,344- young love,345-children who are diligent with school,346-exams went well for them,347- a good book to read on a snowy day,348-hugs,349-laughter,350- sharing concerns 351- praying for people who have shared,352-family time,353-summer dreams and plans....

The Truth About Love

                  


                  The truth is some people will never love us
                                as much as we love them.
                                                         and that's okay because
                   The truth is we can never love God
                        AS MUCH  as He loves us.



 

The Trifling Ticket Incident

I see the flashing red and blue lights in my mirror and wonder vaguely if I should move to  another lane so they can  pass me.Bewildered I notice they are still behind me as I pull into the parking lot of my destination, the big thrift store. "what on earth!" I say to my daughter beside me, who is ready to get home and go out for the evening. She has spent four hours taking the bus home from college and I have come to pick her up in the closest city.I wanted to make a quick stop while I checked the thrift store for some knitting needles and then scurry home to make supper for hubby who is out plowing the field. This just seems rather unlikely.
 Feeling a bit flustered as my mind races ahead of me I pull into a parking space and roll down my window to acknowledge the approaching officer.

"What do you mean?" I ask innocently." I don't have an updated licence sticker,how could you tell this?" I ask him frankly.
I stared at the officer in disbelief, "no I am certain this is a mistake." My husband always pays his insurance on his birthday.'( I know this because he will  usually make a wry joke about what a nice present this is.)
'Would you like to see some piece of evidence?' I inquire, hoping Mr Officer will be impressed by my helpfulness, I reach into the glove department to display the ownership and insurance papers.A wave of impatience and annoyance surges through me.
Surely he has more important things to do with his time then to stop me for not having a licence sticker!
Isn't there real criminals he should be after and innocent children he could be protecting!
Fuming is futile, so subdued I sit and wait with three daughters  for Mr. Officer to return with the verdict.Eventually Mr. Officer returns with ticket in hand assuring me it is not half as bad as it could be and how he has graciously waived having us taken off the road. Determined to be a good example to my silent occupants, I thank him and assure him that we will certainly pay the licence as soon as possible. His demeanour changes slightly from superior cop to citizen as he reminds me to drive safe.

 I think about that evening and the weeks events, and how it seemed like the final straw. All week I felt like I had been running on 'survival mode' and the constant demands and duties were taking it's toll on me. I smile at the irony of my feelings when I notice this helpless little Polly my daughter had placed here waiting for glue to repair her....

                                 The truth is aren't we all broken? 
   Don't we all need that Divine heavenly glue called grace?
 Aren't we  all a mess without it. The dirt and debris of our lives are all exposed much like the bright sunshine exposed the evidence of a lack of dusting furniture here recently and
as Mr. Officer could tell by scanning my licence plate and reveal the truth of my ways,
our Heavenly Father sees all the secrets of my heart.

The feelings of not being enough and being too much.
The feelings of regret when words and silence wound hearts.
The fears and failures do not surprise Him at all.

I have spent the past week cleaning up leftover leaves and debris from lawn and garden, and as my eyes scan the bare landscape of November I consider the purpose of  this barren land, the starkness, a reminder though of Help and Healing to barren hearts. 

       Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy    laden.            and I will give you rest. Matthew11:28.




thankful for.....
 139,for cops with compassion...my second daughter( who is seventeen and only driving alone for six months) happened to be on the road at the same time that I was stopped.At the hand of fate  a cop also stopped her but
when he noticed her tears and how visibly shaken she was he kindly let her go as he assured her he realises it is not her fault:).



 

Necessary Love...

 Never underestimate the power of small kindness. I really had no idea when I decided to wave faithfully every morning to our grumpy and austere bus driver that I would be so transformed.

I started waving and encouraging the kids to be kind and gracious, despite his crankiness. Well our love chipped away a coarse exterior exposing a smiling,waving and appreciative man.

I have tears in my eyes as I write this as I realize that what I started out to try and change and soften someone elses' heart ,which is so exciting to see, I also come away changed, humbled and thankful .

It really is God's love for me that makes it possible for me to extend it to others, and sometimes the

smallest deeds are the most profound.

                                                                        

              The people who are the hardest to love;

                              are the ones who need it the most.

                                             ~Socrates~

June ; A Reverie In Green

On God's green earth the ocean swims in brilliant blues
The yellow sun warms me and you
'Til it's chased by an iridescent moon
On God's green earth

On God's green earth the mountains climb with purple haze
Against a sky of stormy grays
There are ebony nights and silver days
On God's green earth

We live, we laugh and love and dance
'Cause God makes all things beautiful and perfect in His hands
We rise from the ashes of our past
'Cause we've learned the truth at last
Love is not blind
Every color shines
On God's green earth

On God's green earth...if every color was the same
And every child had just one name
There'd be no beauty for each of us to claim

On God's green earth
We see the scars of yesterday
Of wars that we cannot erase
But we can walk hand in hand in healing grace
On God's green earth
(Twila Labar, Joel Lindsay) song by Point Of Grace

                         I wonder what it would be like

to live in a world

where it was always June.

L M Montgomery.

Yes ,It is all Good,Thank-you.

God,thank-you for today and all it's blissful newness.

For this glorious always out of fruit and cookies, and long lines of laundry stage of life.

For girls with imaginations; unfettered by fear.

For yesterdays' fumblings, ,failures ,and small victories, that create this beautiful collage.

For happy ending to that lost ,little girl.

For visiting nephew after kidney transplant and seeing the peace of God.

For learning how to let go...LEARNING ,not THERE yet!

For this gorgeous month of June: which is a tangent mix of every emotion.

and ofcourse that wonderful first bowl of garden lettuce!!

The Beauty of Now

Wishing you a day of Absorbing Beauty ....

whatever that is to you.....

beauty must be seen and felt to be appreciated.