Life in Dark, Dismal Days

Pitter pattering rain and the skies are grey. Waking up this morning to a dismal day. Death has come the night before and the new day seems to have no life at all. Although I still hear the birds and this is when the frogs come to life, their song seems so distant so far away. Along with our loved one so far, far away.

But then a slight kick as this child moves with in me and I am reminded that dark, dismal days don't last forever. And as the found soul rises to meet our Father, so too will the sun rise again.

For life is just hidden in darkness until the light shines again. You can still hear life even in the rainy days. You can feel life sitting beside you with a loved ones simple touch, You can feel life with in you with a baby's soft kick. It takes time to heal the pain. A hurt that never really goes away, but just fades, fades into the darkness where it will someday stay.

God Shine your light on this family right now as you walk your child home and show him the Radiant light, where the days are never grey and every corner is illuminated with your beaming glorious light. Until we meet again Uncle Bob. Love is never far away!

Praying For a Miracle and Receiving a Slightly Bigger Mustard Seed

It seems my faith is always being put to the test in one way or another. Does your faith ever stop growing? Oh, I hope not! My faith seems so little at times, smaller than the tiniest mustard seed.

 My faith does have growth spirts and like growth spirts it can be painful. But this time my faith grew with out pain. Oh the Joy of praying hard for a miracle and watching that miracle take flight.

"I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there', and it will move;

The miracle of salvation never ceases to put me in awe......to put me in tears, tears of Joy. For when you truly understand His saving Grace, it's a falling to the knees moment. I am in awe of the One who creates all miracles. Even with my tiny mustard seed faith, He has moved a mountain.

"And nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20-21.


No one is unsavable. He came for the world, not just a select few. Does my faith have room to grow? Absolutely!!
My little seed started growing years ago, And it humbles me to say that it is of the tiniest of seeds. So I stay in prayer to remember that I need Him...I stay in prayer to remember He is the miracle giver. He is the Mustard Seed Faith Giver!

The Sun Catcher

Tucked away in the hills of western New York stands an old farm house that's missing a sun catcher.

For years this old beveled glass would catch the rays of the sun as it set in the west. Filling my grandparents dining room with colors of the rainbow, but as time and the years wore on the rays of the setting sun could not penetrate through the years of the hurt and dirt that covered the old beveled glass.

This old window has seen dark times and worked hard to accept the sun through it's prisms to fill the dim corners of that old farm house. And every once in a while you would see a shimmer of hope shine through. That light would give our family the warmth to press on. For the window had accepted the sun all those years ago and you can't put out His light, but you can hide it with dirt and cover it with years of regret and hurt.

Time has a way of changing and moving things in your life. My Grandparents have long since went home to be with the Son. Soaking in His rays of light.

The old sun catcher found it's place in our new home 1200 miles away. It hangs in our dining room filling our home with warmth and love.

For in this home we have accepted the Son and we allow His rays to fill our lives. The sun catcher reminds us to wipe away the dirt and hurt to let the rays of the Son shine through you!

As I was taking pictures of my sun catcher I unexpectedly caught the angel sitting on a shelf on the opposite side. The beveled glass multiplied him. See what the Son can do..................

Thankful

I am reminded every day, the sacrifices this one man makes for his wife and quiver full. The time and years he has put in. The dreams and hobbies he has put on the back burner while his little ones grow.

He rises every morning with the sun. Even on the days it's hard to get out of bed. I've seen him rise with body aches and fever and still he pushes on. What drives this man? What makes him sacrifice so much? What makes him love this much? I am................Thankful and yet that still doesn't seem to be enough. To be thankful, I mean.

This man of mine truly realizes the important role he plays in our lives. The man that fills these shoes, no one else could. We are meant for him and him for us. He is God's gift. He was picked out especially for us. And through his actions I see his faithful love, I feel secure and well taken care of.

This man that goes to work with out fail every morning, is the same man that nudges me out of bed on Sunday mornings to get ready for Church. He is the same man who loves me unconditionally through all my craziness. This man that keeps me grounded in life when life seems to take flight. I am...................Thankful and yet that doesn't seem to be enough, to be thankful, I mean.

This man who has sacrificed so much to give me what I need and way beyond my needs he also gives me my wants.................... I am Thankful and yet that doesn't seem to be enough, to be thankful, I mean.

Hurtful words, Tape, and Forgiveness

My two girls decided to make a family book. Working together, having fun, and filling the house with laughter. And though they are 4 years apart they are still close and knitted together.

Carefully filling the pages with colors and hand drawn pictures of each family member. Writing words of love. Except for one word that stands out from all the rest.

Can you see it?

No one noticed it except the one it was meant for. Their intentions were good.

They did not write it to hurt, but it did.

And he did not forget that hurt. He held on to that hurt for two weeks until he came across our little family book. This little boy at the tender age of six so full of energy and what I like to call monkey doodles......is not BAD. He is delightfully busy.

Seeing that book brought that hurt to the front of his mind, and he did what he thought was the only right thing to do.

He started taring and tearing up. He didn't stop until every page was gone. Especially the one that caused the hurt.
Wether they are written or said, hurtful words run deep and are hard to erase even as little as they may seem.

And sometimes they can never be erased no matter how much patching up and tape you use.

I think their are two lessons to be learned here. First, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. According to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29. No matter how insignificant the words may be to you, they could be larger than life to someone else. Even when you have nice words to follow, that one negative word erases them all and stands out like neon lights to the one it's intended for.

 Second, We still must forgive. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving eachother, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. As I am writing this my two bubbly girls {who were not aware of the hurt that one word caused, until I told them,} are now in their room making a new family book with only positive, loving words for building eachother up.

Timeless

Timeless pieces of cotton, aged but still rugged. Stitched together, all by ancient hands. Hands I've never met. Although I've heard their story.

The story is bitter sweet, this quilt of many colors....made over 100 years ago, and yet there is not a tare. Every stitch is made with human perfection. Fabrics from vintage dresses, work shirts, and feed sacks. If they could speak.......

Would they speak of life and lessons learned? Days of dancing in the sun and crying in the rain? Would they tell us of hard times and withered hands? The dear old woman who gave me this quilt spoke of hard, happy times and growing up. This family heirloom will be passed down as long as the hundred year old stitches hold it together.

She along with her quilt has for quite some time been silenced. In her last days she spoke more and more about going home to our Lord. This Great Aunt of mine has left not only her quilt, but a legacy. Unlike this old quilt there is another timeless piece that will never be silenced.

It's ageless. The words spill from it's pages speaking as loud as thunder , then ever so gently like a soft rain. Stories written by ancient hands, passed down from generation to generation. Like the quilt, I wrap the words around me and I feel safe and warm.

 In time the quilt will fade and some day tare. It will lose it's warmth. The stories will be no more.

 Yet this one timeless piece will forever be. For the saved and the lost. It's stories have lived on......longer than 100 years. Thousands of years His word has been passed down. They will continue to live on from generation to generation, from heart to heart. This Ageless, Timeless family Heirloom will forever be passed down.

His word speaks LIFE, even after death. The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

Open Gate, Open Door

As I watched this fence go up and the posts be put in the ground. It made me think of why we put a fence up. I mean the ones in life. Are we putting them up to keep something in or to keep something out? I don't believe that this post and barbed wire would be good for any ones life. accept a farm animal.

Fences have gates, just like  your heart has a door. You either choose to open that door or keep it closed. About 17 years ago I made a choice to open that door to my heart when my Savior came knocking. I still keep it open, to let that love flow in and out.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Art: By Greg Olsen



When people see me I want them to see Christ and if I put up that fence and shut that door, they will not see even a trace of Him.

With an open door there are no boundaries and no telling where His love could go.

From Berry to Preserve

Berries pulled from the freezer, from last summer's harvest. These little red nuggets are like gold to me. Because the dear couple that raised them are old family friends. They have been there always. They are now getting on in years.......The berries start out bright red.

But when I add the sugar, I am reminded how they compliment eachother,The two together become a beautiful deep rich red. That's why we preserve them together. Without the sugar it would be too tart and without the tart it would be too sweet.

People and relationships are that way.....one compliments the other and when the mixture is just right it becomes beautiful and deep. You should take all the steps needed to preserve what you have.

The sweet old friends that grew these berries will always be preserved in my mind....I can't remember a time that they were not there.

Like so many others .....They make a good a mixture that compliments my life. Why wouldn't I want to preserve that?

What comes next?

I made a call  to one who has shared my childhood. She, like my sister has been there all through the years. Cousins are extended family, closely intertwined. We share a special bond even though miles separate.

 She said," we are having a family meeting tomorrow night." I knew what that meant. Her Daddy is dying. I feel her pain through the phone. If only I could hold her while she talks about letting him go. The miles are many and my heart is heavy, longing to be there. "We are going to discuss what comes next." She said.

 I've prayed and talked with her about the plan I know, the plan of salvation.  The one of certainty, the one where you don't have to worry about where you will be after this life. I'm afraid that won't be discussed in their "what comes next." It's so easy to grasp, so easy to hold onto especially when one is letting go of all they've known here in this mortal world. Right now all I can do is pray. In my small mind, Sometimes I feel like I should do more, but it's not me who does the saving, it's not me who creates miracles with one breath. And though I trust in Him and what He has instore, the pain is still there. It helps to know that the pain is only for this world.

So as I cling to the memories of younger days and times when us girls (cousins) did not think about this day that comes for everyone. I'm left with the thought that it's a choice we all have to make. Nobody can make it for you. Love is only love when it's not forced and He does not force His children to come to that safe, saving place. It's His love that asks you to come home and get out of the harsh wind of life. It's His love that wants you to be free from the pain and the tears. It was his love that sent His one and only Son to die for you. It's His love that brought you here And It's his love that can take you HOME!

So I am doing only what is left for me to do.....I am praying with all my heart with all the love that He has filled my heart with......That when they discuss "what comes next." I pray they all make that choice. The choice to accept His Love, to accept His Gift. I pray for clarity of their minds, that whatever they don't understand will become so vivid  they will not beable to  focus on anything else. I pray His Love comes to take her Daddy home, I pray His love will one day take them all home................

One size fits all?

I have realized over the years that you can have multiple children under the same roof, but you can not treat them all the same. A punishment that works for one will not work for another. The way you teach one will not help the other.

It is the same with adults. The way you communicate with one person, strangely will not apply to the next.

 I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1Corinthians 9:22

An opinionated, confrontational person can silence an honest communicator and push them away. Be careful not to force your ideas and knowledge on others. Be kind, gentle and realize that others have ideas and knowledge of their own. It's the key to good communication and a good relationship.

This is not a one size fits all world. God made each of us uniquely different. What works for one may not work for another. The one thing that does fit all is LOVE!

Does His light shine in the darkness?

Are your wonders known in the place of darkness?~Ps. 88:12
 Open the door to your heart, let His light shine. See His Amazing Wonders.They are everywhere, Look towards the heavens, look here on earth. Look at the miracles taking place in Haiti. Even in such darkness the light somehow shines. Look at the light He restored in a little ones heart. Amazing signs and Wonders abound! Open the door and let the light shine!

A day in the life of our homeschool

Reading books, computing History, and cutting pineapple. We learn to read by reading. We learn History by researching the past, and we learn in the kitchen by being in the kitchen. Learning is something we do every day with every day ordinary things. When we stop doing, we stop learning. When we stop learning we stop Growing in Wisdom and knowledge.