Caution

Doing this:

May result in this:

But... if you're this guy:

You manage to find ways to do this:

and this:

and this:

Way to make the most of a summer stumper, Ethan!

You're awesome!!

Anticipation

Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.  Proverbs 25:25

This verse describes the enthusiasm rising here as we anticipate the arrival of my brother and sister-in-law, and nephews Owen and Sam next week!!! Their upcoming visit is such good news, and knowing it's only a week away has us talking of all the fun we'll have together.  I'm sure the time until they get here will go fast as we get ready for them, and it's likely with all the fun to be had, their time here will fly on by, but I'm praying it slows down to a steady week long trickle, if only in my mind!  Can't wait!!

Plant Life

My camera is not home yet.  I had plans to pick it up last week, but never did.  Sadly, not a lick of today's wonderful Father's Day hike was captured in photography.  I'll be happy to have my camera by my side again.  

Here are some pics from my archives... shots from a recent garden tour Bill and I enjoyed on a saturday afternoon in the spring. 

 

Artichoke

Cliche

 

When it Rains it Pours.  It's a strange thing... the truth of it, no?  

In one week I lost my favorite bracelet AND my camera broke, and these after a cascade of much larger issues.  I was drenched in a matter of days.  

I will tell you, that while the lost bracelet can be replaced, the point is, it was my favorite. But the camera... that was The Icing on the Cake.  

Now I was crying.  After all the week rounded out to be, I thought I'd crawl into a hole.  

Good news... I found the bracelet in a random and unlikely place the following week.  And my camera is in for repair.  I'm picking it up today.  

Yea!!

Roots

I keep a single Buckeye nut in the drawer of my desk.  

There aren't many things to accompany it, and I like it that way.   

It's there, nearly alone, in full view each time I go there in search of something.

Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye!!

With Age Comes Beauty

I picked up a book last week while at the doctor's office.  I was so drawn to it that I decided I needed my own personal copy.   The book is a collection of wisdom and insight gleaned from women in their elder years.  Yes, some entries are a little strange, but for the most part, the eloquence, depth and poetic passion of these remarkable women and their life experiences are inspirational.  

Flipping through the pages of this book encouraged me in that, while there will always be a struggle, I can exist out of control.   As women, we have the gift of pushing through the pain and difficulty for an often greater purpose.  

I'm so thankful that God is my source of strength in life's challenges.  

If you're interested, the book is called Wise Women - A Celebration of Their Insights, Courage and Beauty.  

Anniversary

It's been exactly one year today.  A year since we packed up our things and moved cross-country with a new adventure ahead of us.  

Yes, this year has surely kept us out of the box.... at times, I'll be honest, down right uncomfortable.  But for the greater part, many wonderful things inhabit our new life here.  And somehow, something about here and now (almost) feels normal.  

As I revisit all that has happened in this year of transition and the time leading up to it, I remember one difficult conversation between Halle and I that spring.  She was experiencing great sadness over the idea of leaving Ohio, and it was at that moment that I had nothing to offer... a time that I had yet to make peace with the idea myself.  I was wrestling with God. However, with His help (and a lump in my throat) I spoke words that were not only a comfort to Halle, but also to me:  The promise that our loving God, who had so graciously blessed us in life, would once again prove Himself faithful in ways we were unable to imagine.  

The journey that began last summer would - and has revealed that truth.

Now, one year later, acclimation still taking place, and as I continue to wrestle in new ways with what God has for us, I want to tell you... He IS faithful.   The name of this blog is a friendly reminder to me of the work God does when we are open to what He allows.  

His grace is abundant.  His blessings are bountiful.  His mercy is new moment by moment.  

Truth Revealed

What lies behind us

and what lies before us 

are tiny matters compared to

what lies within us.  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gentle Reminder

How easy it is to get held up on the past rather than stepping forward into the future.  Nothing positive comes of wallowing in regret.  This is especially true when one is not In The Word and focused on What Really Matters.  

I've been distracted, yet gratefully reminded that I must refocus and re-prioritize, and appreciate the life I'm living today.  Which leads me to the humility that comes (once again) in realizing God's amazing, unending grace.  Just as the Israelites continued to ebb and flow in their trust of Him, so am I.  Yet, despite my natural tendency to fear or doubt, HE doesn't hold it against me.  

Today I'm thanking God for the gift of life... and the changes that inevitably come with it... and for His grace that walks along beside me... even when I'm unaware.  

On being born.....

"Did you feel like you got a new toy when I was born?"  

This was Halle's question to me a week after her 10th birthday.  The dialogue started with a comment about wishing every day could be a birthday-kind-of-day. 

Little does she know... to her Mama she's "birthday special" every day.  

Skeleton

We came across this amazing tree on top of 

Mt. San Jacinto during a recent visit to Palm Springs. 

Looks like the remnant of a dinosaur....

   A 15 minute gondola ride led us to a bird's eye view of 

the desert and surrounding mountains... 

the elevation made it seem more like the view from a satellite!

It was quite an experience to go from hot dry air to cold 

temperatures, complete with huge pine trees and snow.