Isn’t it funny – how different things in life start and stop and start again.

I took a walk thru my yard just now. And do you know what I found? My yellow roses budding, my peonies pushing up, my hydrangea showing its intentions! Ridiculous. It can’t be that time yet.

My sister started a new business not long ago and it is going gang-busters. I’ll probably tell you more about it soon. Amazing. Fantastic.

I have friends in heart-breaking endings. Others in joy-filled beginnings. Mostly I don’t know what to think, let alone ask “Why?” Thoughts of treatments beginning with the best of hopes, funeral processions moving at an unbearable pace, sweetest baby showers, wedding vows. awe-filled shock and wonder alternating.

We started attending a new church last year and love helping lead worship there. Michael even sang with me last week. Typically he’s a “yes” to guitar playing and a “no” to singing into a microphone. Wild. Happy.

I’ve been homeschooling for over fifteen years. Emily is graduating from Chattanooga State in a few weeks. And Isaac graduates from high school in May. Surreal. Unbelievable.

Different physical and emotional limitations have complicated life for the last few years. No space for in my heart for things I love – like taking photos or writing. But here I am, talking to you about it. Unexpected. Mind-boggling.

And what about this new job I’ve just begun, using all the creativity that’s jostling around in my body. Feels like home – like I’ve been at it for years, maybe longer, in the happiest of senses – yet it’s only been a few months. Unimaginable. Almost Breathtaking.

Even though we walk through seasons and cycles of death and life, grey barren landscapes turn to bright green buds on trees and the sun goes up and down; but I’m still surprised at it all, beautiful or otherwise, not to mention the ebb and flow of my own life. Gobb-smacked. Stunned.

I recently participated in a Bible Study on Ecclesiastes with my Bible Study Gals. It was actually wonderful. Do you know what I learned that completely caught me off guard when it should not have? My times are in His hands.

To everything there is a season. Even though the writer questions so much, The Teacher promises in Ecclesiastes that every inch of humanity is in the hands of the creator. Every moment is full of His purposes.

Rest easy, friends. His plan is good. Try not to look surprised.

Today we went for a simple hike at Big Soddy Gulf, not far from our house. Creation was proclaiming God’s glory- even on the trail floor. Everywhere I looked, nature was unabashedly glowing. I decided to show you a few pictures instead of telling you in words…

“O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1

My oldest is an art major. She’s working on a proposal right now for an amazing project. (I hope I can be as cool as her someday. But, I digress.) She’s learning all the things these days. And watching her creativity bloom is really lovely to behold. The thing is, its taken us many years to arrive here at this place, where maybe her cocoon is opening up and she’s getting ready to flit, flit, fly away like the beauty she is.

For now, I feel like I’m in a space of waiting, my own transformation underway. I don’t really see what’s going on. My imagination is foggy at best, so for the life of me I can’t think of what I’m becoming. I’ve prayed for, requested, hoped for things, but it doesn’t feel like God is hearing.

Its true that all of us are waiting for something, aren’t we? What are you waiting for?

I’m reminded of one of my favorite poems.

“I asked the Lord
for a bunch of fresh flowers
but instead he gave me an ugly cactus
with many thorns.
I asked the Lord
for some beautiful butterflies
but instead he gave me
many ugly and dreadful worms.
I was threatened.
I was disappointed.
I mourned.
But after many days,
suddenly,
I saw the cactus bloom
with many beautiful flowers
and those worms became
beautiful butterflies
fying in the wind.
God’s way is the best way.”

I can’t remember a time when God’s way didn’t involve patience and learning to wait. But I do know His way also leads to beauty and peace and rest. Its always worth the wait.

Yesterday I turned 47. I do feel a little older this year – I don’t really know why -maybe because I’m definitely closer to 50 than 40 now. But, I’ve realized that I have so much to be grateful for. I started listing things, and its really quite a list.

I know there are times when we have to remind ourselves to be grateful, when things are painful or just plain hard to keep going. But this is not one of those times for me. I’m blessed to overflowing – and so with a light heart I’m jotting them down. Maybe my list will spur you on towards a thankful heart too.

These things are not big and important by the world’s standards. not a chance. I don’t have a new house, fancy kitchen or fashionable fall wardrobe. But, my list is chalk-full of His goodness to me in simple, ordinary ways, that have become extraordinary to me.

1 Michael

2 Emily

3 Isaac

4 Mackenzie

5 & 6 My parents- Ken and Rose

7 &8 Michaels parents – Johnny and Ellavene

9 My sister (my life-long friend who can’t get rid of me)

10 All of my family and friends near and far- I can not count them all – they could have a list all their own!

11 Ollie & 12 Jojo

13 My home and especially our 14 new back deck

15 Night-time fire around our fire pit w s’mores

16 Peanut m&ms

17 My piano and 18 violin too

Fresh flowers – 19 purple snapdragons and 20 blue hydrangeas

21 A comfy bed

22 Fresh coffee with heavy cream

23 Working technology and especially my new laptop

24 Cozy blankets

25 Hummingbirds at the feeder

26 A fridge full of food – we’ve never had to go hungry.

27 My oven that faithfully bakes loaves of bread and cakes

28 Lunch with friends 

29 New friends at children’s choir 

30 My lemon sugar Himalayan candle from Ace hardware

31 Open windows and fall breeze

32 Cake

33 My forerunner

34 The maple in our front yard, turning red 

35 Hot chocolate

36 Sunshine 

37 My favorite mug 

38 Birthday cake- particularly the Monte Carlo from Federal Bake Shop and thumbprint cookies too!

39 Burt’s bees lip shimmer

40 Footie socks that keep my toes warm 

41 Homemade strawberry jam on toast

42 A new set of colorful felt tip pens

43 My Bible study girls

44 My favorite pocket Bible

45 Front porch mums

46 Trader Joe’s everything seasoning nut mix

47 Thoughtful birthday gifts, including new birthday sweaters, new tote, whisk attachment for my stand mixer, cookbook

48 Sunsets and 49 walks at Chester Frost Park

50 Audible books – my rescue from boredom while chauffeuring my people!

Thank you, Lord, for all of your precious gifts to me.

 

We’ve learned to enjoy life by just being together. no fancy soirees. no high-dollar gifts. just us. loving each other in the normal stuff. For richer, poorer, sick, well – all the days – grumpy or happy, good and not-so-good – we are in this together and that’s worth celebrating every day! So – here’s a bit of the good life this weekend…

a neighborhood walk with the girls.

flowers, because Michael knows I love them.

a trip to Home Depot, of course

a little work outdoors, because the weather was good

goodies from TJ’s, it’s the little things, right?

more flowers, for the front porch

chocolate dipped strawberries, a worthy splurge

pumpkin bread, by Mackenzie

a lovely evening out with friends

refreshed fire-pit (thanks to the help of Isaac and Mackenzie!), ready for friends and family

That’s it, folks! Keeping it simple over here and enjoying the gifts of life and love ! Here’s to many more years together.

Growing up I had a great grandmother who we called GG. We loved her dearly – her sense of humor, her determination, her cinnamon rolls, her love of family and her devotion to God. When we visited Iowa I slept in the front room with GG in her double bed where she accused me of nightly giving her the “Bonky-roll-stomp”. If you sat on her lap, she would tickle you and laugh and say, “You’d better sit still!” She was such a character – and I hope I take after her.

We would stay with her for several weeks in the summer – and we played endless games of “Memory” (with old maid cards) at her kitchen table, and we’d play “I spy” for literally hours. She made up a game called “hide the thimble” which we begged her to play over and over. Most importantly she got us “little boxes” of sugar cereal for breakfast. Our time with her was the best.

She had such a zest for life and absolutely the best laugh you ever heard! Just today I remembered one of her sayings- something I’d forgotten. She would say it regularly to us. “I love you more than tongue can tell!’ I believed her. When I think about it now, I realize that the love and devotion she had for all of us, was truly one of the best examples of God’s love for me.

There are so many verses in Scripture that remind me of His unspeakable love. How do I choose one to think about? Well, I’m going to share my favorite passage here, Ephesians 2:4-10:

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

and that makes me think of this old hymn:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

My heart is so grateful for the earthly love that’s been given to me, from loved ones, like GG. But far surpassing it is this rich, deep, Love that I’ve come to know. It’s more than my brain can really understand. And its far more than my tongue can tell.

Thank you, Lord.

You may have noticed that I haven’t blogged very much lately. At all, really. for a long time actually. Life’s been CRAZY. See that? Its an all-caps kind of crazy life. Lots of learning and growing around here.

Wanna know something? I’ve missed writing words down to share. Not that I have a corner on the market with words to share that everyone needs to read – nope, not at all really. But, sometimes it feels good to tell somebody the things. I feel better when I tell the things.

You might be wondering what things.

I’d like to tell you about a song I’ve been listening to a lot. Its by Housefires. I hadn’t ever heard of them until a few weeks ago. I’m not sure I can even share a link to their music here, but I’ll try at the bottom.

The specific song I’m talking about is called “Jesus, What a Savior”. It is super simple; the words warm and soften my heart into a gooey mess (am I allowed to compare my heart to a hot-n-fresh chocolate chip cookie?) and I feel it all the way down to my toes.

I know when the Holy Spirit is meeting me in a song because He sings it in my ear on repeat and I CAN’T GET OVER IT. This one in particular moves me towards hope. Towards peace. That’s what happens with this song.

Titus 3:4-7. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Is there any love that is better than that?!?

I’m not sure why I’m so surprised when a song reminds me of Scripture and it moves me. But its absolutely refreshing and completely exciting to know the Holy Spirit is moving in my heart! That He is moving towards me…

The song is “Jesus What a Savior”…

So here’s the thing – He’s always using something, just like he promised, whispering truth to my heart. There is no love like His. This time, I’m really hearing it. And its way better than a fresh chocolate chip cookie.

In the movie “Nemo” there is scene where the fish in the tank at the dentist wake up in the morning, on the day of their escape and they are excited. One of the fish says, “Today’s the day, the sun is shining, the tank is clean. THE TANK IS CLEAN!” And right then and there, their plans come to a screeching halt.

I’ve felt like one of those fish lately. I’m bee-bopping along, and BAM! Just like that- things are NOT following my itinerary. My plans seem completely undone. And let me just say that I love my plans. I’m quite happy when everything goes my way. I mean, who isn’t?

So today, I started teaching children’s choir at a new church, in a new space with new kids, meeting new parents. I had mixed emotions about it all- I mean last year this time I NEVER would have planned this! But over time I came to realize this was something that the Lord had for me, and so I started this new journey.

I chose several songs that I thought the kids would enjoy learning. And, in particular I chose a song by City Alight that focuses on the Scripture from Psalm 118. “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

As I made my lesson plans this morning, I thought about that Scripture a bit more. Regardless of whether the day is full of familiar comforts or unexpected situations – new joys or hardship and pain – I can rejoice because this REALLY IS the day HE has made.

Well, I’ll just say – it was great! These kids can sing! I can’t post pictures on social media – but they are just the cutest group! Its gonna be a good time for sure! Thank you Lord, for this good day you made!

And here’s the song, just to remind you, no matter what – You can rejoice and be glad! This is the day He has made!