Category: friends and loved ones

life with my loved ones

friends and loved ones

true love is…

melodyanndayLeave a comment

Its valentine’s day weekend.  I had the privilege of going on a date with my wonderful husband.  Oh, don’t worry.  What I’m about to share will not make you blush.  I’m not the type to kiss and tell.  But, I can brag on my man, just a little.

For our date we went to a favorite spot for dinner, the same restaurant we went to on our first date and the evening we were engaged.  After having crab cakes, my favorite, he took me shopping.  And, even though I tried to subvert his attention to getting something new for him, he was not diverted.  We shopped and he stood by while I tried on clothes, all the while telling me how beautiful I looked… and he suggested more stores, and there were chocolates and a stop at Target….  The list goes on and on! My husband took an entire evening, carefully planned, to show me how special I am to him and how much he loves me.

How do I know its love?  Not because of all the stuff.  Seriously, its not because of that, although its nice and all. It takes true love for a guy to survive shopping with a gal like me, make no mistake about it.  And my man fits the bill… When I think of the Corinthians description of love, and Michael’s actions, they are very similar:

from 1 Corinthians 13:

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Look, anybody can make flowery statements of affection. But it takes a real lover to stand outside the dressing room of an indecisive woman; Encouraging her, not counting how many things she’s already tried on, complimenting when something looks well, searching for the right size when the millionth pair of pants still doesn’t fit.  That pretty well covers it, doesn’t it?

That’s why Paul, before explaining true love, says very clearly  that all the talk in the world means nothing without action:

(1 Corinthians 13: 1-3) If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

I am so grateful to be learning how to truly love and be loved.  My husband is such a rare gift; he’s a man who is striving to love me with a Christ like love.  It makes me long to love better and deeper. Thank you Lord for a beautiful Valentine’s Day.


friends and loved ones

My Nineveh…

melodyanndayLeave a comment

There’s a light on in the house across the street. The house has been empty for a year. But, the realtor sign is down today. It appears that we are about to have new neighbors.

Just over a year ago, the day after Christmas, we looked out our window to see our neighbors loading up a moving van. Michael went across the street to give them a hand. We found out that due to the unfavorable economic climate, the husband had lost his job and the house was in for-closure.

I don’t actually remember meeting them for the first time when they moved in three years earlier. It was a bit of a stretch getting acquainted because we were from such different backgrounds. But, we made some effort to get to know them. It was the typical neighborly stuff – waving from the driveway, kids playing together, stopping to chat after mowing the grass. Definitely nothing out of the ordinary.

And that’s the problem. We discussed several times the fact that it seemed our neighbors needed Jesus. There was no evidence that they knew Him at all. We tossed around a few Ideas of how to get to know them a bit better, but we never really did much about it. I felt sure that they had been put in our paths for a specific purpose but I dragged my feet. And I made excuses.

I was good at ‘legitimate’ excuses. I had to teach piano lessons. My pregnancy kept me feeling lousy, so I didn’t really want to be social. Emily’s home schooling was a priority. The husband, who was a truck driver, was consistently home on Sunday mornings. But, we had obligations at church.

I remember watching them from my living room window as they moved out of their house. I could feel my heart sinking to the bottom of my stomach. Opportunity had passed. Our friends were leaving and we had done nothing to truly show them Jesus. I cried hot tears that day. My disobedience was hard to resolve in my heart, even after begging for God’s forgiveness.

Recently I read the story of Jonah to my daughter and thoughts of our old neighbors came flooding back. They were my Nineveh. God had moved in my heart and I ignored Him. No, I didn’t flee to anywhere. But, I disobeyed – just like Jonah did. When God asked me to go to my neighbors – I went to church instead. I’ve asked myself a lot since then – What good is going to church, if you can’t stay home one Sunday morning and share Jesus over a cup of coffee with a neighbor who doesn’t know Him?

Now days I pray regularly for our neighbors. We have lost touch with them. But, I ask God to send a reliable believer to them who will give them Jesus in a very real way. And I pray for God to give me another opportunity. And as I look out across the street at the light in our neighbor’s house it appears that maybe He has…

md

(written January 16, 2010)

friends and loved ones

in my dreams…

melodyannday1 Comment

I am a mom by calling, by vocation and I guess because of physical attributes.  I have three small children who call me mommy.  They call me by my name hundreds of times a day.  I love my babies.  They are a huge part of my life.

And by that I mean, they are my life.  A lot of my longings and desires in life right now revolve around fulfilling my calling, becoming better at the job and well, just living up to my name.  That’s the truth.

So – I pray about it a lot.  I ask God for crazy things.  I utter things in my prayer life I never would have imagined when I was single.  Sometimes He tells me no.  Sometimes He asks me to wait a while, because I’m not ready.  And sometimes He says yes.

This weekend He said yes.  Three times.  (probably more, these are just the things that stand out…) He answered and gave me the desires of my heart three times.  I’m about to tell you some very small, but intimate details of my life and how He answered…

Food.  We struggle at the table.  My children are picky eaters.  They are stubborn picky eaters. and sometimes I give up.  I have no idea how in the world to get my kids to enjoy broccoli, cantaloupe and other delicious foods.  They are hard headed so I give in and let them eat whatever.  I’m not proud of it, but I do.  Well, recently I’ve been trying to make smart decisions and just give it to the Lord.  Do you know what happened?  Isaac did something amazing.  At breakfast on Saturday morning my sweet boy ate hot Oat Bran cereal for breakfast, (without being force fed) promising to eat it again, it was his favorite…  And if you don’t believe that is a miracle sent directly from Heaven, you’ll have to come over for a meal at our house some time.

Education.  I teach my children at home.  More than anything I want them to enjoy Jesus, by learning to read Scripture.  I want them to be able to enter into worship, understanding how to read the text for themselves, whether at home or at church.  But sometimes reading is a struggle for my oldest.  Not because she can’t, but because she doesn’t always enjoy it.  Today in worship services, I sat next to my precious girl during one of the responsive Scripture readings and for the first time she read it out loud with a full voice, clearly with pleasure.  My heart was full right to the point of bursting – and I think I may have felt my Heavenly Father smile.

Endurance and rest.  A good night’s rest is not to be underestimated.  My youngest is going on twenty one months old.  Every time we get into a pattern of solid sleep habits something happens to undo it. My sweet baby doll was sick last week and so our schedule was off course.  Michael and I have been miserable without a full night’s sleep, pushing through in the most difficult of moments without rest.  Finally – for the past two nights we have seen our sweet little Mackenzie get some rest.  And so did we all.  I was thankful for the grace to get through it all, and for the sleep in the end.

In my world as a mother, I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who sees the smallest desires of my heart – like a good night’s sleep – and He answers.  He graciously steps in and says, “I see your heart, I know your need and I want that for you too…”

“3 Trust in the LORD and do good;  dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the LORD;  trust in him and he will do this”  Proverbs 37:3-5

The truth from God’s word, correctly portrayed here, is this : when my heart’s desires mirror His desires, then my requests are aligned with His will and, He is able to answer my requests in the affirmative.   Typically what messes up this plan is my inability to except His will.

This weekend, I am so thankful to find a Heavenly father who is interested the smallest of needs, and is prepared to answer.  He is able to calm my heart letting me know,  His will is good and it is the answer to my hopes and dreams…

a bit of history · friends and loved ones

monkey see, monkey do…

melodyanndayLeave a comment

As a child I grew up with a choir in my house.  Not your typical group of singers, mind you. I, at age five was the conductor of a professional singing group.  of mostly stuffed animals. Yes, its very true.  Their choir loft was our couch in the den and  I loved to conduct them.  I would set them up in their appropriate sections, the dolls in the soprano section and the larger dogs and bears were the tenors and basses.  Once in a while my sister, Marilyn would sit in with the altos.  If it was Marilyn’s turn to conduct, I’d always join the bass section.

This all came about because I had a superb role model.  Watching my dad direct our church’s adult choir, and youth choir was just a part of my regular, every day growing up.  My sister and I were there for most of the rehearsals on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons.  I thought it looked like a fabulous occupation and wanted to be a part of it.

In bold attempts to be like my dad, I’d put on records ranging from The Children’s Bible Hour  singers to the Robert Shaw Chorale singing the Messiah.  With music flooding the house, and my chorus in place on the couch, I would wave my arms wildly, singing at the top of my lungs, pleased with the whole production.  I think I was the original little monkey…

Truly, there is no greater form of flattery than imitation.  I loved my dad and wanted to be like him. I still do.

Recently I’ve noticed something going on with my own children.  Particularly my little Isaac.  I didn’t figure it out at first.  He loves to play games on the ipod, on the wii, on the computer.  Oh, and he’s good at it.  But, he begs for it.  He wants to hold the iphone in his hands all the time.

And then a lightbulb went on.  He wants to, because we do.  Clearly,our actions have lead him to believe we value it, and so he places it at a high level of importance.   Its not that ipods, iphones, computers, or wii games are bad.  They aren’t.  But they have put my heart and mind on notice.

My sweet little boy Isaac is going to imitate. He is my little monkey and I call him that quite affectionately sometimes; we have a lot in common, he and I do.  yikes. I have to choose more carefully what I am doing as his example.   Yes, I realize that this is basic parenting 101, but I forget it all the time.  I can’t make the same choices in front of my children again and again, all the while hoping they will act differently than me.

What am I really saying?  I am going to have to be more like Christ, valuing what He values, conforming my actions to His will.  I know in my heart of hearts that the more I spend time with Him, the more I fall in love with Him, the more I will become like Him.  But still, its not easy.     I love how Paul tells of God’s grace, given to him when he needed it in the middle of tough stuff.  His words are really my only hope…

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.                   2 Cor. 12:9&10

I am so thankful there is hope for Emily, Isaac and Mackenzie – it is a substantial hope that doesn’t rest on me at all.  It is with His strength that I will be more Christ like and become the mom I need to be.   And its by His grace that my children will be more like Him.  Thank you Heavenly Father for these promises.

amen.

friends and loved ones

rear view mirror

melodyanndayLeave a comment

Typically from the driver’s seat of my Honda Odyssey, I can look into a little drop down mirror and see three little faces looking back at me.  Emily, Isaac and Mackenzie are in my view at a moment’s notice if I need to check on them.  I love looking back to see what they are up to.

Today I drove my van alone, without passengers.  Those three little seats were empty.  I took a moment to look back over my week with them and found myself grateful.  What was in my rear view mirror?  I’ll tell you.

There were sleepless nights.  Fevers and tylenol.  Runny noses.  Whining and whimpering.  lots of juice and pedia-lite.  Puke. Vicks vapor rub and humidifiers.  A trip to the pediatrician.  More sleepless nights and impromptu naps at the wrong time.  But God’s grace was rich and full, allowing me to fulfill my calling as a mommy.  And we’ve come to experience healing from the Great Physician.

When I gaze into my rear view mirror, able to see things after the fact, I have to come face to face with the truth.  My reality is  I’m not always great at being the mommy He wants me to be. I don’t always take advantage of the stamina or endurance He offers.  Sometimes, halfway through a week like mine, I start looking for an escape, wishing I had a different calling.  Its not because I don’t love my children.  No – I love them with my whole being.  But, its because I tend to forget about the joy….

They say hind sight is 20/20.  As last week comes into focus for me, what I see now is: quiet moments snuggling my sweet babies. tenderly caring for my children when they desperately needed a gentle touch.  Singing softly in their ears, whispering my love.  Wiping tears from feverish cheeks.  Rocking in the middle of a long night, seeking rest for their weary souls.  Its crystal clear as I review the week that I was merely a conduit, being the touch of Jesus to my children. And that gives me such joy…

There is a particular joy that comes when I manage to live a totally abandoned life inside His calling.  Its not happiness.  Its not fun or personal enjoyment.  Its joy, knowing He’s fulfilling a work in me, by His grace, because He’s asked me to. And that was last week for me.  When I was able to let go of the things that don’t matter, I could focus on being the mom that He wanted me to be.  Now I can look back and see the blessing. I can give Him glory for the grace that He gave  me for each moment of each day. And I can praise Him for using my physical touch to be His healing hand.

Hebrews 12:1-3 sums it up well.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Thank you Heavenly Father for the joy that comes with living for You and your purposes.  and thank you for calling me to be a mother to my three precious children.  May I never look into my rearview mirror  with regret, but always with peace knowing I lived abandoned to your will.  amen.

a bit of history · friends and loved ones

strong will…

melodyanndayLeave a comment

I ate my lunch today with the background music of my sweet baby doll wailing.  She had gone down for her afternoon nap and everything was just fine.  The coast was clear.  My other children were otherwise occupied in quiet time activities.  So, I thought I could sneak in some lunch.

It started low, with a murmur.  Just a tiny objection, really.  But it escalated quickly to loud crying. Crying and screaming, in fact.  Now in case you feel like I should be reported to Children’s services, I promise, I am a good mother.   I had changed her diaper.  She had just finished her lunch.  She had her blanky and bappy (that’s what she lovingly calls her pacifier).  We even sang her bedtime song.  All should have been quite fine.  but, no.  She did not want to sleep, even though she needed to.

Now, my sweet little baby girl has some stamina.  She is very strong willed, with a large dose of tenacity.  I don’t know where she gets it.  She continued the strain.  The minutes ticked by slowly. With a strong voice she let me know just how much she did not like my plans for her, even though an afternoon nap is in her best interest.  Listening to her struggle and fuss broke my heart a bit, I love her so.

Well, I have to be honest here.  I do know where she gets it.  Let me tell you how much I would love to blame this on my husband, but truly – I am very strong willed.  My parents had to read James Dobson’s “The Strong Willed Child”  after my birth, I’m told.  I can be bull headed and stubborn with the best of ’em.  When my Heavenly Father makes plans for me that are in my best interest, but I don’t like them, all too often I let Him know.  I cry, I “pray”, I complain, I try to escape. And  sometimes He just has to let me cry it out, knowing that what He has for me is better than what I want.  Its a slow and painful breaking of my will.  I’m sure it breaks His heart just a little, He loves me so.

from Proverbs 16:

2All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the LORD.

3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.

4 The LORD works out everything to its proper end—
even the wicked for a day of disaster.

The good news:  in a battle of wills, His is always the strongest and the best.  I would do well to remember these verses when I have doubts.  What I want could bring disaster… But, allowing Him to establish a plan for me, that is when I can be sure things will turn out right.  Its a difficult thing for a hard headed girl like me to remember.   I guess I probably need to memorize it, so I can teach it to my sweet baby girl who takes after me…

Heavenly Father, Thank you for patiently showing me Your path and teaching me Your will.   Let me remember that Your way is always best, especially when I begin to fight it.  I don’t know where I’d be without You… probably somewhere on the wrong path.  amen.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

a bit of history · friends and loved ones

quiet time

melodyanndayLeave a comment

My little boy Isaac is 3 and a half now. He has a fairly sunny disposition and I enjoy his personality very much. Most of the time he is very spunky and has a great sense of humor. That is until around 2 in the afternoon.

Some days we can make it past 2 and survive the rest of the day without a quiet time- but most days we can’t. And so, I enforce the quiet time rule for his own good. To be honest, its also for the sake of my own sanity, but I have other reasons too.

You see Isaac and I share something around 2 pm each day. Its almost so special, I don’t want to share it – but I will. When Isaac has grabbed up his blanket and favorite toy of the day to take to his nap, I snuggle him in his covers and I tell him an Isaac story. It begins with “Once there was a little boy named Isaac…” and typically it tells the tale of our exciting day so far. But it always ends with, “Isaac’s mommy and daddy love him very much.” and a hug and a kiss and an “I wuv you mommy! see you in the morning!”

And so I am happy to enforce quiet time.

Right now, if I look out my window there is about six inches of snow on the ground. Here, in Chattanooga, six inches. Its a winter wonderland and its beautiful. But its also debilitating. I don’t think there are more than 5 people in our city who own shovels – and the city owns even fewer plows. When snow falls in our southern part of the country, no one goes anywhere.

What does that mean for our family? Our weekend plans have been nixed. Not only did we have the regular weekend plans such as grocery shopping, laundry and church services on Sunday. There were also big ticket items on our agenda like a wedding, installing a new garage door opener and putting away the last of our Christmas decorations. Yes, we had a very busy weekend planned and now we don’t.

Instead, we will be home, together with a new and improved low-key agenda. A little hot cocoa, some monopoly, a good story book or two, possibly a movie, naps; there’s nowhere to be and nothing else to do. It makes me wonder. Is this God’s way of enforcing a quiet time with me? Is he hoping I’ll crawl up in his lap and rest so he can whisper to me a “Melody story”?

I know there have to be times when I reach the proverbial two o’clock mark in my life and He has to be hoping I’ll stop and be still with Him for a while. So often I don’t. I keep going. I keep running in over drive – and don’t make time for Him to bring peace to my heart and mind.

Psalm 23 is a reminder of His desire for my rest:

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

He longs to find a way to give me rest and to have a quiet moment alone together – to tell me the story of how much He loves me. And so, I believe the snow is here this weekend as a reminder for me to rest, to be still, to enjoy time with Him. Its a gentle reminder from the original quiet time enforcer.

(originally written January 30, 2010)

friends and loved ones

blue teeth

melodyanndayLeave a comment

A few days ago, amid the hustle and bustle of unpacking and general vacation recovery, I set my baby girl in the high chair to play.  Isaac was near by with his play-doh being creative.  Emily was coloring and drawing at the table too…   I was working away, making progress and I heard Mackenzie fuss.  I gave a directive to Emily to try to help Mackenzie, and the fussing stopped.  A few minutes later, the same cycle occurred…

Its bound to happen, I suppose.  I mean – I think its happened to all of my children at one point or another.  I walked into the dining room and there, to my surprise, sat Mackenzie – with a very, very blue grin.  Her teeth, her lips, her chin – all brightly stained blue.  Apparently, my loving children had shared their craft supplies, to placate my baby.  The result – she had eaten and chewed on blue play doh and crayons.  For the rest of the day she burped profusely, with the aroma of play doh on her breath…

It was obvious what she’d been eating.

All of this got me to thinking.  I’ve heard this before, “You are what you eat!”  Typically I’ve heard it with sort of a negative connotation.  If you eat junk food, you’re not going to feel well… that kind of thing.  And I think its true, don’t get me wrong.  Since then I’ve thought alot about my sweet baby doll and her big periwinkle smile.

When I smile is there a glow from the Holy Spirit?  Do I sparkle because of my conversations with Him?  When I speak, is the sweet aroma of His presence on my breath?  Is His anointing undeniable? Does He permeate my actions?

ls it obvious I’ve spent time with Him?

From Luke 6:43-46

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

These words from the book of Luke are so clear.  The more that I spend time with my Savior, the more that He fills my heart to overflowing, the more my own countenance will be a reflection of His.  Wow.  I have such a long way to go on this one.

Heavenly Father,  Help me to seek your presence at the beginning, middle and end of each day – and every place in between.  Let me absorb You so much, that your presence is what others see. I pray that the unimportant cares of this world will fade, so that I will linger with you longer.  Give me courage to let go of me and be filled with You.  amen

and another prayer, because it is beautiful, from Psalm 84:

How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield,[e] O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

LORD Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.


a bit of history · friends and loved ones

are we there yet?

melodyanndayLeave a comment

We’ve just returned from what seems like an epic journey.  It all began 13 days ago…

With the car loaded up, we left early in the morning on New year’s Day, headed for my parents’ home which is more than thirteen hours away.  Within moments of merging into traffic on the interstate, around 4:00 in the morning, I heard the words, “Are we there yet?”  from my daughter.

Seriously?

“No, Emily. We won’t be there until around supper time.”  But within an hour, the same question sounded from the back seat.  and again, my answer.  “No, Emily.  We won’t get to Nanny and Papa’s until around supper time.”

The second leg of our journey took us part way home, via Columbus, Ohio to visit some friends.  Its a mere five hours from Grand Rapids, which seemed fairly short in comparison to the first part of our trip.  And still, we had to answer the question – this time from two children, “Are we there yet?”  My son learned quickly from his sister.  great.  We answered again and again – at 10 minute intervals.

Its hard to understand.  Even when we reach the destination, there will still be another trip to take…  until we’re home.

And so, we made the final drive home yesterday.  But not without the infamous question.  I don’t know how many times I said “We’ll be home in just a little bit.”

These short little conversations with my children have been resonating in my ears.  They are similar to conversations I have with my Heavenly Father regularly.

“Really, do I have to learn this lesson again?  I thought I had accomplished this already?  Aren’t we there yet?”  This is what I ask Him, when he sets me on a path- even though I thought I had arrived at my destination already… ” Surely I know how to be patient!” or  “Didn’t you remind me to trust You just last week?”  Really, I thought…

“Oh, my daughter!  You have so much to learn.  We’re just getting started, its a long way before we arrive home…”

And I ask Him again, because I’m sure I misunderstood.  “Are we there yet?  I’m tired of this lesson, its hard and I feel like I’ve accomplished this concept…”

But its only been ten minutes since I asked the last time and He assures me we still have a distance to go.   In fact, we’re going to keep learning until we get home…  “I’ll let you know when we arrive…”  He says.

*sigh*

I’m in good company…Paul talks about pressing forward in Philippians 3, learning to stay on the road heavenward:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I have to be thankful.   He’s with me.  I’m still amazed that He even invited me along for the ride.  After all, He knew that I’d be this way.  And He hasn’t grown weary of me and my need to learn again and again.  Instead He gently and graciously answers my questions, reminding me:  Even when we reach an earthly destination, learning a powerful lesson, its only the beginning – There’s still another leg of the journey to embark on, until we reach our heavenly home.

a bit of history · friends and loved ones

The China Cabinet…

melodyanndayLeave a comment

From my seat, here on the couch I can see through the windows of my mother’s china cabinet.  She has beautiful place settings of Royal Doulton China.  I have enjoyed eating many special dinners from these dishes.  But that’s not what is on display in the windows.

There are cups and saucers.  Many of them.  I have enjoyed looking at these pieces my whole life and I have even had a cup of hot tea on occasion from them.  These are not the regular cups that belong with my mother’s china – these are special.

My mom has cups and saucers from many women’s place settings.  She was given them as gifts, I believe, from different people in her life – from an aunt, her mother, her grandmother, loyal friends, that kind of thing.  They are each as different and beautiful as the women who gave them to her.  Guilded edges, petite flowers, hearty plaids, solid bold colors – each unique in their own way.

I guess we started a family tradition because I also have a similar collection of tea cups at home.  Several were given to me for wedding gifts from relatives and close friends.  I treasure them because they remind me of fellowship and family meals with loved ones over the years.  They each have a face attached to them in my memory.

One is from my grandmother – a delicate lacy pink pattern, with tiny dark pink flowers and a golden edging around the lip of the cup.  It is one of my favorites – and my mom has one too in her cabinet.  Another is from Mrs. Jones, a close family friend.  Her cup, given to me from her set of china, is stunning with dark reds and large burgundy flowers. I was so honored when she shared it with me.

Over time these special pieces of china have come to mean far more than a fond memory.  Each of these women had a story.  For me they represent womanhood at its finest, living lives to serve their families and loved ones.   They are women of strength and wisdom, beauty and grace.  How I long to be like these godly women.

If I’m honest with myself I know that I’m pretty far removed from their example.  I’m not the servant I should be, let alone being selfless.   I don’t always have gracious wisdom for a friend.  A kind and patient word is not what always comes from my mouth when dealing with my children.    I rarely pass the test of godly womanhood.  Even the small trial of a sleepless night wears away all Christ -like -ness to ungodly behavior.

“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:9-11)

This Scripture, like my teacups, encourages me.  There is hope for me.  I am not alone – there are women who have gone through many trials before me.   And, now their cups stand like trophies of God’s grace in my mother’s cabinet and in my cupboard at home.

May God continue His work in my heart and life until I am able to pass on one of my own cups to a daughter of the future generation.

md.

(written December 29, 2009)