Beautiful bride dressed in white

 Beautiful bride dressed in white

Bathing in perfumes and oils as Esther did to prepare for the king.

The finest cloth to be sown, the flowers gathered in bouquets,

Making to get ready for that special day.

 Bride’s maids and grooms men practicing their songs.

The focus on what is seen,

The planning and excitement for the celebration overshadowing the truth,

 The groom to be wed is all he cares,

No fancy trappings, no gala affair.

To spend forever with his lady is what he longs

 Looking for a heart that will be knit with his,

Seeking a bride who will be true,

Who will comprehend his sacrifice and her real value.

 His yearning; for her to desire Him.

 Distractions, selfishness and fear often override

 Her understanding of his true love for His bride.

 Waiting patiently for her as she holds to the promises and perseveres,

 Till the day her faith is sight

And her groom comes sweeping her up into eternal light.

What do you choose this day?

What do you choose this day?

Choices made every second, get up now or lay in bed a little longer.

To Shave or not shave, look at social media or linger on God’s word.

Walk in hope or choose to mope. Follow man or let God lead.

Choosing choices, picking, deciding, selecting, and weighing in.

Where do we fall on issues, where can we safely situate ourselves?

We say it is on Jesus and that all other is sinking sand, but really where do we stand?

Our little decisions to step one foot this way and then one more to the right and soon we have made choices that cause us to stumble

. Or is it better to not make a choice at all, putting blinders on, staying in one place seeking assurance that we won’t fall.  Truth is a place so intimidating to some but with the love of God it is the only place to run. Choices fraught with eternal consequences and yet it is here in flesh that we must decide unwavering what we will choose.

By your side

By your side

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you”. Joshua 1:5

We wander off,

Push away,

Reject all help,

But still you stay.

We say “we can do it",

Heading out the gate,

Running towards our independence,

But still you wait.

We cling to what we see,

Not fully trusting you,

Embracing here and now,

But still you see us through.

Our need for self-preservation,

Doubting if you even care,

Our tendency to head into fright, flight or fight,

But still you are there.

How long before we comprehend,

You have been and will be here

From beginning to the end.

Season of Celebrations

 We made it through this season of graduations and festivities, arrivals and departures. All wonderful occasions to celebrate. Parties and meals put together to mark the time of finishing as well as mark the beginning of new adventures. Lots of energy expended to commemorate and honor accomplishments and to welcome change.  Exhausting at moments to balance time, menus and budgets yet in retrospect not wasted activity. The “toil” of planning gatherings can seem so trivial but always the people element pushes away the doubt. Watching new faces connect, reconnecting with old friends or conversing with family cannot be calculated on a human scale.The blessings not even fully understood, not in the gift bags and cards, but in the relationships sown and grown. A niece coming with supplies of stuff and of herself, friends transporting tables and chairs, young men mixing concrete bags and prayers for sunshine are where the glory of God is displayed.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him."

Brushing up against souls

Brushing up against souls, touching pain.

Lives running on empty, filling up with sugary fluff.

Craving this and that, seeking but never enough.

Inflammation proven to result.

Mindless seeking of pleasure,

The depths of our depravity hard to measure.

If only we could see,

 To have eyes and ears to perceive

The truth is in the cross,

 The bloodshed and the loss,

To us is a gain,

Life giving, soul filling, healing for our pain.

Transitions

The time has arrived for one of many transitions in our family. My dear nephew Michael flies the coop this week. He and his gal are moving across the country to Arizona for a new chapter in their lives. For us back on the east coast though it closes a chapter which makes this Auntie very sad.  We just spent our last weekend up at our cabin with this adorable couple. Though visits will ensue these will inevitably become quick calls trying to squeeze much in in limited schedules. The days of lingering and impromptu visits, meals and laughter feel fleeting. At the moment my heart wants to freeze time as I think about the little boy that I baby sat many a summer day and as I think over the years how this eagle scout has grown in integrity and wisdom. Michael has been one who at even the mention of needing help would jump up without hesitation or grumbling. We have enjoyed engaging in intelligent debates over controversial issues and sometimes silly and mundane issues watching as Michael stays level headed despite the hotheaded relatives. He has brought to our family a semblance of balance and can be counted on to be a peace maker. He is a young man who has a bit of swagger and a smile that is contagious. He is the other pea in the pod with Ryan and a second big brother to the younger cousins. Michael and Ariel will be sorely missed by their Pennsylvania family and Arizona is a lucky place to get them. 

If you were our little girl

If you were our little girl


If you were our little girl I would let you climb up on the stool and bake cookies with you every day.
If you were our little girl I would let you paint and draw and tell you how creative you are.
If you were our little girl I would listen for hours to you singing and making music.
If were our little girl I would sweep you up and dance with you until our feet hurt.

If you were our little girl we would read books for hours, snuggled under blankets.

If you were our little girl I would let you get muddy and dirty and a bubble bath would be your reward.
If  you were our little girl we would gaze at  clouds and guess their shapes, we would look at the stars and talk about God.
If you were our little girl we would encourage you  to climb mountains, swim, fish and dilly dally the day away.
If you were our little girl you would fearlessly ride your bicycle up and down hills waving at everyone in town.
If only you were our little girl when you were little... but God's plan is much different and so you come into our lives almost all grown up but my mamma heart says you are now my little girl and my desire for you is all of the above plus so much more.