Random Certainties

Having birthdays and saying goodbye to loved ones are conducive to reflective thoughts so here are a few of mine (with illustrations).  Yes, it's a long post, mostly pictures though...but it's my blog so I get to do what I want, right??

On saying goodbye...We never know when our last conversation with someone will be until we are looking back.  It does give us something to look forward to, though...an eternity of conversation, relationships, and I hope tea drinking.  Also reminds me that Time is a valuable commodity, so spend it on what is important.  Celebrating the life of my sweet aunt this past weekend brings it into sharp focus.

2009 visit

A few steps away from my aunt and uncle's grave...

Don't know if or when I will visit my parents' grave again.  But that's ok, they are not here anyway!

On birthdays...instead of buying or making birthday cards for my DH I have begun making a scrapbook page for him in honor of his day.  It just magnifies the enjoyment for both of us...I get the fun of creating something I know he will like, we get greater value from the money spent because we will both enjoy looking at it in future and not just for a moment, and since he likes to keep things, this already has an assigned place for storage--the scrapbook album.  This year's page was super easy because I found the perfect piece of patterned paper to use.

On friends...I miss you.  and not just the ones pictured here.

On the importance of laughter...keep doing it.  And it's always better with people you love...  And if you find the same things funny...

And finally...beauty is a gift to be found/created/shared...all around us, small or large.  If you recognize the significance of this photo beyond the beauty of flowers and table, it means I am thinking about you today.

Birthday Reflections

This may shape up to be one of the best birthdays ever.  I have a love/hate relationship with my birthday.  I love having them because it means I am still alive and breathing.  I hate them because I always get depressed.  Everything bad that I have ever believed about myself (most of them lies) haunts me on my birthday.  My allergies and migraines have always kicked in big time around my birthday, mostly due to the myriad of maple trees around us (which start to wake up in February).

All that is different this year.  Since we moved my allergies have improved drastically (few maple trees, no mold).  We came to Virginia for a visit to my brother and his wife.  They are one of God's most wonderful and special blessings in my life.  The days here are an incredible birthday gift from God (and them and my dearest, sweet and thoughtful hubby) and I am savouring every minute of it.  The weather is a major factor.  It is in the 50's and the daffodils are coming up.  In my mind, spring should always start to appear in February, not April or May!

At the end of this week we go to help celebrate the life and passage into Heaven of my dearest aunt.  The very last of my parents' generation to leave this life.  She was, to me, the epitome of one who is refined like gold.  The flame grew brighter in her as the years passed and this life dropped away from her.  I can hear her laughing, because she was ready to go.  That's how I want to be.  Yes, she had physical challenges in recent years, but she was able to retain who she was and continued being a light and a blessing to others right up to the end.

I have decided to keep my Joy Dare journal on paper.  I can't help it.  I need to have that piece of paper to write on and embellish.  And I have a lovely journal given to me by a dear friend.  Posterity will just have to read my journal, not my blog.  

Another week of grace

You light a lamp for me.  The Lord my God, lights up my darkness.  Psalm 18:28 NLT

We lost someone very dear and precious to us this past week...my daughter's mother in law.  It is so painful just to think about, but I am slowly processing it all now.  I have officially gotten behind on my gratitude count, because while I was very conscious of being thankful for many things during the past days, I didn't have the opportunity to write them down.  So here is a list of things as I remember them plus a few that come to mind now.  These are not part of the Joy Dare, but it's all about thanking God for His gifts, not completing a checklist.

#46. Faith is safe and at peace now
#47. God totally has been orchestrating our schedule so we would be in town this week instead of in Arizona (plan A) or Minnesota (plan B).
#48. Support systems for Heather and Rob kicking into overdrive.  Reminds me of the one we are so blessed by.
#49. Honoring Faith's birthday by remembering the good times with her.
#50. Time together in a small circle to pray, worship God, remember good times, cry, plan
#51. Support of family in times of need...arrival from points around the country and even world.
#52. An amazing service remembering Faith, grieving, praising God for his faithfulness, laughing...
#53. Two extremely precious grandchildren to brighten the days, bring smiles to our faces, help us remember joy.
#54. Speaking truth.  Truth is sometimes difficult to hear and accept.  But ultimately it is freeing,
#55. God's ability to bring light to very dark places.  "Light" is my word for 2013 and God is reminding me over and over of His power over darkness.
#56. Blessings of friends who supported and prayed for us from afar.
#57. Rest and sleep for the exhausted.
#58. A most amazing daughter and son in law who led with grace and strength in the midst of intense grief.
#59. A most amazing daughter and son in law who traveled sacrificially amongst other sacrifices to support the previously mentioned amazing daughter and son in law.

It's all about grace...

I don't seem to be able to record my gifts one day at a time, they simmer in the back of my mind, then I write them every two or three days.  This weekend we were busy helping our daughter behind the scenes with the celebration of her husband's 30th birthday--it was big and it was fun!

Gratitude prompts for January 12
Something above, below, beside

#34  Skylights...our home lets in a lot of light and we are grateful for it.  We have south and east facing windows and 2 skylights in the kitchen.  Even on very cloudy days, it's pretty good.  

#35  We love our sun room, and are grateful it's a year-round room.  That's partly because there is another room under it, rather than just open air like some of our neighbors'. 

#36  Isaiah 30:21...technically it says "behind" but that's close enough to "beside" for me.

January 13
3 things about yourself you are grateful for.  Ok this is a tough one.

#37  I love music.  My life would have been so flat without it (no pun intended...truly).

#38  Creativity.  Discovering this part of me has been literally a life saver.

#39  Ability to laugh at myself.  At least I think I can.  An endless source of amusement (according to the card my cousin sent me).

January 14
3 startling graces of God

Three of the many can be summed up in Luke 11:10
#40 For everyone who asks receives, 
#41 and the one who seeks finds, 
#42 and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Today I was thinking about how recording three gifts every day might become difficult to keep up with.  Then I read Ann Voskamp's thoughts for this day on her blog A Holy Experience.  How to Keep in Time with God.  God's graces to me are the only thing that keep me going.  The least I can do is write them down.

Catching up the week

Gifts recorded on January 8
Dusky light, surprising reflection, lovely shadow

#22 I love the dusky part of day...lights begin to twinkle on, time to come close to hearth and home.  The driveway lights in our condo association come on automatically every day and I like to see that happen...the shining beacons all up and down the street, lighting the way.

#23 We live in a culture of fear and crisis constantly fed by TV news and the internet.  It's ok if I don't listen to those voices, but instead listen to the voice of God who says, "Even if the mountains fall down into the sea, don't be afraid."  Rough paraphrase of Psalm 46.

#24  My aunt is in the final stage of her life, the timing known only to God, but she could be said to be a shadow of her former self...but still so beautiful, so lovely because Jesus is shining through her.  Refined gold.  I pray that when there is nothing left of me but the essence, it may be as lovely as hers.

January 9
A gift held, passed by, sat with

#25  On a cold winter day there is nothing like holding a mug of hot tea.  Warms the hands and heart.

#26  How many gifts have I passed by unintentionally because they are disguised?  Thankful for eyes to see all God's gifts...my prayer is that they be wide open!

#27  Had a few hours this week to sit with a few of my absolute dearest of friends...a HUGE gift.

January 10
A gift sour, sweet, just right

#28  Small wake-up calls that catch us up short...a voice in the heart or ear saying, "pay attention to this while you can change direction easily."

#29  A gift of apple strudel...a favorite!

#30  God's constant assurances of love and care

January 11
Three yellow gifts of fresh mercy

#31  My word for 2013 has declared itself to be "light."  In winter there are few yellow things to be seen, but when the sun shines...what a mercy.  We are not abandoned to gray clouds...the sun is there even if we cannot see it every day.

#32  And when the sun is not visible we have...firelight!  There is nothing like firelight to induce thoughtful moments...a great winter activity.

#33  Morning...not always yellow, but sometimes, and they always contain fresh mercy every. single. day.  I know because God told me so.  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Gifts for a new week

Sunday's gratitude prompts:
One thing in your bag, your fridge, your heart

Thankful for:
#16  Something often in my bag is my computer.  I really like my computer, have always liked computers and I am grateful for it.  I switched to a Mac this past summer, and have never looked back.  It's also good for the brain to learn a new language, and getting a new computer is essentially that.  So...grateful for the brain challenge, too!

#17  I love homemade soup and I have two in my fridge right now.  Beef barley and ham & bean.  Yum.  I like to make soup, too.

#18  I am reminded of the song from my childhood...I have the love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.   I am grateful that I can know I have the love of Jesus.

And Monday's gratitude:
Three graces from people you love

#19  My brother and sister-in-law are letting us come visit them for two weeks!

#20  My husband vacuumed the house for us.

#21  My almost three-year-old grandson likes to hold my hand just for no reason.

Saturday's (and Friday's) Gifts

Gratitude prompts for Friday:  A gift old, new, blue

#10  Old friends.  We are so blessed with friends of many years...I could go on and on here, but won't for now.  It is enough to say I can't wait to see some of those "old" friends next week!

#11 New home.  We love our new home...with its many wonderful features and close proximity to our grandson.  We just don't let ourselves think about the things we miss from the old house.

#12  Blue anything.  I am so glad God made the color blue because it's my favorite (as my grandson is very fond of saying right now).  But blue really is my favorite!  Blue makes me feel good, and is just beautiful to look at.

And prompts for today, Saturday:  Something you're reading, making, seeing

#13  What's on my nightstand right now?  The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring...I am rereading The Hobbit because of the movie, but I have loved reading the Lord of the Rings books multiple times.  Don't consider myself a lover of fantasy books, but I do love Tolkien, for all sorts of reasons which I won't go into now.  Thankful for these books, and the encouragement they offer to never ever give up on fighting for goodness, truth and light.

#14  Incredibly thankful for scrapbooking and something I am making right now.  A very fun page talking about my "girly girl" granddaughter.

#15  Something I am seeing right now...our fireplace.  I love it and especially that it can be turned on with the flick of a switch.  Now that's luxury (especially after having wood stoves for many years).