The Fabric of our Lives

There's something so special about rummaging through the picture box. Now I know that most of you out there have your pictures organized, alphabetized and scrapbooked, and that is fine, but mine reside in shoeboxes. I love the treasure hunt as I search for just that one I remember, and oh what memories are stirred as I my fingers sift through the reflections of time. Snapshots of years passed coupled with the ones generations newer. Young faces now grown with young faces of their own. Childhood memories, family and friends and those acquaintances I can't even remember their names. Lives now gone - lives that meant so much to me. Places visited and dreams fulfilled and dreams broken - viewed bittersweet. Visual reminders that stir something deep inside. We are so much more than flesh and blood - we are relationships. Relationships with God, with family, with friends, with strangers. These snapshots, this peek into who we are and who we've become - these are the fabric of our lives.

6/18/15

Breathe Her In

Breathe her in - 

The aroma of my mother.

In empty rooms -

Where chairs once stood;

And closets full - 

Now barren.

Memories fresh

Of shuffled steps 

And smiling face

With Heart of joy- 

Now warms my own 

In empty rooms;

Breathe her in - 

The aroma of my mother.

The First First

Everyone says that the first year of the loss of a loved one is the hardest. It is the series of "firsts" that make that journey challenging. My first comes too soon - just 32 days after Mom's passing and it will be - in my opinion - the most difficult. My birthday is 2 days away and I'm am already keanly aware that for the first time in 58 years, I won't hear my Mom wish me "Happy Birthday". This makes me incredibly sad as I embrace my biggest fear - that of being an orphan and being alone. I thank God that through Christ I will never be alone and He has released me from the fear that gripped me so. I am an orphan now, with no siblings, but I am grateful for my husband, children, extended family and friends who stand in the gap. I am sad because of this "first," but I am not crippled by its loneliness, for I will carry her in my heart for the rest of my days. I am steadfast in the faith of my Lord Jesus Christ just as she taught me by her example  - and that is the best birthday present a daughter could ever receive.

The Rhythm of the Rain June 2014

Droplets on the canopy leaves

      The rhythm of the rain

Falling through the forest's sieves

       The rhythm of the rain 

Leaf to leaf they tumble down

        The rhythm of the rain

Swallowed up by thirsting ground

        The rhythm of the rain

Droplets on the canopy leaves

40

40 years is a long time. Just ask the children of Israel. This weekend marks the 40 year milestone since my high school graduation and in many ways my journey has been much like that of the Hebrews - knowing where I was going but just wandering around trying to get there. God led in miraculous ways - sometimes I followed, other times I ignored His direction. He provided manna - sometimes I was very thankful for my daily bread and sometimes I was grumbling because I had no meat. But through it all my God has been so faithful - picking me up when I fell, guiding me through the consequences of my sin - giving me more chances than I deserve to become someone after His own heart. I am thankful for all the ups in the last 40 and confident that all the ashes of where I crashed and burned can be made beautiful by Him. For in Him lies my past - my present - and my future. My days and years are numbered. But this I know - that day by day for as many as I have remaining - I will follow my Lord into the Promised Land. Won't you join me?

5/14/2014

Terebinth May 2014

And darkness falls on Terebinth

As last light rays fade slow

leaves fold round

We snuggle down 

As Heavenly peace unfolds.

And in our nest of Terebinth

My Love and I commune.

Hearts as one 

Look towards the Son

With thanks and gratitude.

And morning breaks at Terebinth 

The day grows bright with song

Our Faith assured

From Holy Words

God's promises forever strong.

A Change of Pace

Yesterday began a new chapter of my life. For the first time ever, we own a vacation home. 382 Square Feet of space with twice as much deck. Our little bit of closeness to God. We have named it Terebinth - where God reassures us of His promises. We took that from Genesis 18. When God came to reassure Abraham of His promise of a son, they met beneath the Terebinth tree. This beautiful space is where we desire to commune with God and rest in His reassurance of all He is and all He has done for us.