"Glorious"

I heard this Newsboys song on the radio yesterday. I don't usually dig Newsboys' stuff (the sound is sort of..."mehh" to me, tho' I do  like Michael Tait's voice here), but these lyrics really, really resonated with me, particularly the chorus. God remains Himself -- faithful, holy, glorious -- even when I falter or become faithless. My sin does not change Him, my lack of faith does not weaken Him. And how encouraging that is! Our souls crave a changeless anchor.


Glorious
And if I sing out in the dark of night
Or praise You in the light of dawn
Hear my song and lift me on Your wings
And if I worship You in solitude
Or join a choir 10,000 strong
Hear my song ‘til all creation sings

Glorious, shining so glorious
Though I stumble, though I fall
You remain glorious.
Towards Your light
I come running, I come running
Into Your arms
I come running, I come running.

You have searched me
You have known my heart
You’ve heard my every anxious thought
Hear my song, it’s all I have to bring
And though the battles come
This much is known:
The victory’s won by You alone
Hear my song, my Savior and my King

Every faithless mission
Every false ambition
Here, I lay them at Your feet
As in heaven, as on earth
I will ever sing Your worth
You alone make me complete

Glorious, shining so glorious
Though I stumble, though I fall
You remain glorious.
Towards Your light
I come running, I come running
Into Your arms
I come running, I come running.

Giving Thanks...(951-960)

951. Weekends away as a family
952. The colors of fall and how they cheer my heart
953. That it worked out for my schedule to join a women's Bible study
954. Cozy socks and cardigans
955. That feminine clothes are back in style for females! Go figure.
956. God's faithfulness to me whenever Dan travels for work
957. That our neighbors finally can live in their house again (fire last year)
958. Sunny breezes blowing red leaves around the yard
959. Jack's Bible group at BSF and how much they teach him in 2 hours. Ain't no nursery!
960. That Adele handles getting up early so well.

Adele's First Day of School

 

Giving Thanks for...(941-950)

941. A sunny last week before school
942. A spontaneous day at the zoo that was wonderful fun
943. A principle I just "got" over the weekend - one of those moments when you feel your mind and soul grow, even just an inch - and it's humbling and so encouraging to know once again that God is there and He is working.
944. Jack's soft heart. He may be bombastic, loud, and incredibly unfocused, but he has such a soft spot that he burst into tears tonight for Blue when Blue got reprimanded for snatching food off the table. Jack, though tears: "Next time, Mom, will you just say it nicely and say 'Blue, please do not eat the food from the table'?"
945. Adele being excited for kindergarten. I'm sure this was on my list another time in the past few weeks, but I'm really thankful that she isn't feeling timid about it or I'd be a mess. It's hard enough.
946. The first wide-open Saturday we've had in months. It was great to do whatever we wanted.
947. The days Dan gets home earlier than expected
948. Piles of clean laundry. I love doing laundry. There's something therapeutic about it for me.
949. The series "Foyle's War," enjoyed in the evenings
950. Updating baby books

Back to Giving Thanks... (931-940)

931. The incredible weather during the past few days

932. Camping in the middle of a forest and hearing the river splashing during the night

933. That Adele is excited for kindergarten. I think I'd be a wreck if she wasn't.

934. The classic summer tradition of s'mores around the firepit
         (Please note the different eating styles between girl and boy)

935. A yard full of these tiny friends

936. Breezy days at the beach with cousins

937. How awestruck Jack was watching Dan play football - and now he loves to try it himself (lots of unfortunate tackles happening in the house...)

938. A free backyard swingset! Very sweet of our friends to pass it on now that their kids are older.

939. Bike rides. I don't think anyone is ever too old to enjoy a bike.

940. Finding an old CD with great, great music on it - Rich Mullins, Bebo Norman, Patty Griffin...it's been awhile.

Giving Thanks for...(921-930)

921. the times when I pick up a child from someone's house and hear how wonderfully behaved they were
922. An evening to reconnect with dear friends
923. A good MRI result for my mom's knee
924. This honest and challenging post. Really good for me to read right now.
925. A potty-trained little boy!
926. Fresh garden vegetables despite the drought and heat
927. Afternoon quiet times
928. The hum of fans and air-conditioning at night, lulling us all to sleep
929. When TJ Maxx has exactly what you needed...and nothing more....
930. That Adele & Jack have started playing together for big chunks of time without arguments (I think he is really going to miss her when kindergarten starts!)

Giving Thanks for... (911-920)

911. Saturday evening's rain. The smell of it, the sound of it, and the little bit of perk it gave everything growing outside.
912. An afternoon tea with my sister and a friend and a roomful of ladies!
913. Birds bathing in our outdoor dog water bowl (I think I need a bird bath!)
914. Gorgeous lilies from the market

915. The first taste of warm tomatoes from the garden
916. How much more readily kids will eat foods that they planted, watered, and picked
917. Jack being on a 5-night roll of better bedtimes
918. That my kids have both sets of grandparents close by, healthy, and a part of their lives

 

919. Dan involvement in his community. He isn't one to sit and criticize; he gets involved, even when it will take a lot of time and patience. 

920. That my friend Kara's son, Calvin, had a safe surgery last week.

Friday Linky Love

I take issue with the Internet and social media a lot; just ask anyone who has heard my rant. It's more about the time it sucks up and the influence it has. But obviously there is great stuff out there that I wouldn't have found anywhere else! This week, I found some really brilliant posts to learn from as a mom. They're all pretty long...so I hope you have a nice iced coffee or something by your side. But please enjoy - and let me know what you think!

1. After reading this, I felt very compelled to shift (radically shift!) some visions and dreams I have for my kids.

2. And then I saw a link from Ann Voskamp over to here; this is still percolating in my mind days later

3.  This post made me again rethink the way I envision the years ahead before my kids are grown.

4. Perhaps you know me and my obsession for trying more and more healthy cooking and having my kids eat it all? :) Here's some back-up! I want to check the book out at the library soon.

5. Sometimes when I think ahead twenty years, I wonder about a lot.... So I really liked this one! (HT: The Flourishing Mother)

 Happy Weekend!

Laugh for the Day

I rarely enter the SAHM/WM debate, but this was too classic to pass up: 

Quote of the Day

 "Now the layman or amateur needs to be instructed as well as to be exhorted.  In this age his need for knowledge is particularly pressing.  Nor would I admit any sharp division between the two kinds of book.  For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others.  I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."

(C.S. Lewis) 

* Thanks to Kara for the reminder! *

Giving Thanks for...(901-910)

901. The chance to follow this trip to Haiti via updates and photos. I will always have a soft spot for Haiti. Such a beautiful island filled with unending sorrows.
902. Fresh air through the house last night after days and days of keeping it shut up tight
903. A new (to me) car
904. Pasta salads, fruit, smoothies, lemonade, iced tea, bruschetta, BLTs - easy, cool, summer favorites
905. Our pediatrician, who is always encouraging me and telling me I'm doing a great job
906. That my mom's knee is less painful
907. Echinacea flowers in the garden. They're just so cheery!
908. Jack's love of sharing
909. Adele's mothering skills
910. Our little town's 4th of July spirit

Giving Thanks for....(891-900)

WHOA. It's hot, people. It's humid. It was cooler in Florida last weekend. It makes me stick to my car seats and sweat on the trip from the back door to the barn. Hardly conducive to all the outdoor work I want to do. Instead I'm inside counting some more blessings!

891. Window air conditioners for those of us without central air!
892. AC in the car.
893. Cool showers for everyone at the end of the day.
894. Sweet friends and family who open their pools.
895. A weekend away with a friend to a really stellar conference that was both convicting and encouraging.
896. My sister-in-law/old friend's safe arrival back in town
897. The peace and quiet of staying inside during the heat, and the chance to catch up on reading
898.  A great car guy. Not repairman but the one you call when you need a car and he makes it super easy.
899. Rain. When we don't get it, I chide myself for ever complaining when it pours.
900. That the Word of God is always fresh and applicable and alive.

The Annual Week at the Lake

Giving Thanks...(881-890)

81. An easy first dentist appointment for Adele (I've always feared taking my kids there as much as they feared going)
882. Jack sleeping fine in his new bed
883. A new refrigerator! Not fun to pay for, but I love it and am very thankful for it
884. A husband who sets aside a whole Saturday to move rooms all around for my sake
885. Hot Pepper cheese
886. Dahlias
887. The promise of the first few days of summer
888. How much sunshine does for everyone's moods and sleep!
889. Fresh, juicy strawberries
890. The smell of freshly sawed wood

Giving Thanks for... (871-880)

871. Anything water-related for children during hot weather - squirt guns, inflatable pool, sprinklers, etc.
872. Long holiday weekends
873. The kids fishing with Dan in the pond he grew up on
874. The first high-school graduation for a niece/nephew!
875. Fresh herbs from the garden
876. Fans and air-conditioning
877. The chance to still do editing projects here and there
878. The fun of moving furniture around for a new look (Dan is groaning right now, I'm sure...)
879. No more poison ivy itching!!
880. Small communities - both geographically and in church

Something's missing...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, everyone!

Thought for the Day

"In the dim twilight, I often see pairs of Canada geese on the grass near the parking lot.... Today there are three couples. One of the females is eating grass, and her mate is a few feet away, keeping a vigil, on the lookout for any danger. I watched their interaction. It is minimal in its movements but intense in its awareness, one of the other. When one makes an adjustment, the other notices and immediately makes a compensatory shift. To an insensitive eye, these changes in direction of the body, of the head, might seem random, but I know differently, for this is a couple mated for life, and I had mated for life and had known and experienced as one does when one knows that the marriage is for life that the shifts and gestures need only be small. The intimacy of the relationship becomes this fine essence, a distillation of the earlier passion, but just as powerful. In the marriage that endures, there is no need for grandiosity."

(Sandy Broyard, Standby)

Giving Thanks...(861-870)

861. Playdates that make me socialize with other moms (not something I naturally do)

862. Glorious late spring sunshine, which means spending every waking hour outside

863. The last day of preschool 

864. Baby birds in the nests around the house - lots of peeping, clucking, and ruffling going on. Can you see the babies peeking out?

865. Jack's happy, healthy third birthday

 

 

 

866. Adele's ballet recital - she sure loves the costumes and the lipstick!

867. The times when Adele and Jack love each other's company

 

868. Bedtime book reading

869.  Salad straight from the garden

870. The rainbow of colors at the garden shop's flowerland

Happy Birthday, Jack!

To my little guy who is turning 3,

Your mama wants you to slow down just a bit. 

Otherwise, soon you won't love giving kisses. You won't pat my face and whisper, "Hi Mama" while your sister says her bedtime prayers. You won't plop down next to your daddy and say, "Let's visit!". You won't call them "underalls," "hydrant fires," or "cob on the corn." You might not yell instead of talk, and put full passion into everything you do. You won't say "Thanks, Mom!" when I buy the most basic of groceries. You won't be so excited that you were "a nice boy!!!" at church or a concert or any other quiet situation. You might not be as mournfully, truly repentant when you've been naughty.

So, sure, someday soon you might not flood the bathroom, wear diapers, eat giraffe food at the zoo, or tantrum like it's nobody's business, but I'll sure miss this adorable side of you.  

XXOO

Mama

Giving Thanks...(851-860)

841. This post (especially Exhibit C)
842. When rain and sunshine both come on the same day
843. Dan be back home after 9 days away
844. His face and the kids' faces at the airport
845. Anti-itch cream (for poison ivy!)
846. Seven happy, blessed years of marriage
847. Firepit discussions - there's something about talking in the dark, isn't there?
848. My mom's advice and encouragement and friendship
849. My mother-in-law's encouragement and involvement in our lives, even tho' she's still working
850. That it's time to get out to the greenhouses for flowers

Giving Thanks for...(841-850)

841. Parents who are able and willing to take our kids for several days
842. Meeting new little cousins (or first cousins once removed, I think?) for the first time
843. Evening talks with my cousin Nigel & his wife Caroline - kindred spirits of ours
844. Old cathedrals
845. The chance to see ruins in England that were originally built the same time that Christ walked on earth. Just blows my mind!
846. Free art exhibits in the middle of Schipol airport - what a brilliant idea!
847. Watching Dan during his first experience in a pub with fish-n-chips, smashed peas, and local beer
848. The perspective that comes with being away for a few days
849. The happy faces of my kids at the airport
850. The beautiful quote at the end of this post. What a seemingly unattainable vision, and yet I'm inspired by the thought. Love it. 

Giving Thanks for...(831-840)

831. Rest when you really, really need it
832. Little boys who love their mamas
833. Good news
834. The sudden chance to go away to England for the weekend with Dan - perfectly timed with our anniversary!
835. Rainy Saturdays (much less pressure to "get stuff done")
836. Colorful pansy beds
837. Group discussions about faith, God, humanity, culture
838. The smell of freshly mowed lawns up the road
839. Finding dozens of colored pictures all over the house with "Adele loves Mama" written at the bottoms
840. Farmer's markets and farm stands opening up

Quote for the Day

Isn't this Norwegian house the cutest?

"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." 

(Jane Austen)

Hey! Over here!

I decided to go super simple for my blog and update my domain a bit as well. Wowzers, it's all confusing for me...I must be old. Anyway, if you had me bookmarked anywhere, be sure to update to this new space.
And as a thanks for visiting, I'll share with you some pictures of our glorious wisteria!