Birthday "Week"...

Most people have a birth DAY. Well, being the only female (human) in my house, I have long held to the tradition that there needs to be a birthday WEEK. So this is my birthday WEEK. Every day leading up to my birthday has had a little something special in it, and I love that. Sunday, Curtis's mom paid for us to go out to lunch at Red Lobster, something we would not have been able to do otherwise. Since both boys were busy in other social adventures, it was just Curtis and I, which made it special times two. Monday was special because Curtis drove me to work and picked me up. My Monday part-time job includes horrendous parking. Seriously, you have to get to the campus at least 15 minutes early just to find a parking spot. Then you have to hike a mile (okay, maybe just 10 blocks or so) to get to your actual work location. So getting a ride to work (and home!) is a big deal. Today, Tuesday, we went to see Sherlock Holmes at the ultra cheap theater with some change from our change can. It was a great movie and extra-special because I got to see it with Curtis. I wonder what Wednesday will bring? Happy Birthday WEEK to me!

Are you trapped?

Sometimes, life can feel like a trap. Every day is a struggle and you don't know which way you should go or what you should do. Most days you feel like you have no options and you rail against the trap you feel you are in. So, I got to thinking about this visual image of a snare. A simple snare that one might use to trap a small animal like a rabbit. When a rabbit initially gets caught in the snare, its first reaction is to struggle and fight for freedom --- to get out of the snare and run away. Far, far away. A snare is a simple design - it's greatest strength is that it is light, simple, easy to set up and, the best part, the more the trapped animal struggles, the tighter the snare becomes. And so it goes with life. The more you struggle against the trap you feel you are in, the tighter the trap closes in around you. There is no freedom in the struggle. Check out Psalm 91:3...."Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare". Hmmmm, makes you think, right? The message I got from this is not to struggle when you feel you are trapped. You need to lie still and wait for Him to come and undo the snare that has you trapped. That is your only job: lie still and wait for Him. Which leads me to the next Psalm. Read Psalm 46:10..."Be still and know that I am God." These two verses speak to me in my current "trap" of unemployment and the black hole of an unknown immediate future. I shall lie still and wait for Him to undo the ties that bind me.

It's him...

I tried to find a picture of him, but couldn't locate my pictures. But it doesn't matter. I know what he looks like and besides, looks don't matter anyway. I just want to say on this Hallmark of holidays that I really and truly love my husband. The longer we are married (20+ years), the more I come to appreciate who he is and what a gift he is to my life. While I am all over the place emotionally a lot of the time, he is steady as a rock. Think: bedrock. Not much gets him ruffled or causes him to get detoured. I need that. Apparently God knew that too. So I am thankful for him today.

Don't ya love it?

Yup, that's my boy. Boy, huh, not really. He's 18 now, man-like in all he does. But I love this picture. It makes me smile and feel good all over. He is a joy and I am blessed to be his mother.

I tried...

I tried to make it last, really I did. But I finished it any way. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was, sigh, great. Really great. I enjoyed each and every word. How often can you say that about a book? Made me want to move there and get to know everyone, even if they are fictional. I savored the afterglow of that book, and then began another. This one is entitled Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I think it might have been just as good. A very different sort of literary book, but oh-so-good too. I finished it last night. So sad to see it finished. Why can't they just go on forever? (Don't answer, I know why.) If you are looking for a good book, I can heartily recommend either (or both). You will be blessed and enjoy yourself as well!

The Joy of Reading...

If you know me, you know I love to read. I am a voracious reader. I have to limit myself on the reading thing because I've been known to shut out everyone, completely, when my nose is in a book. Ahem. I have given myself permission to read a book just last night...
a book that I've been hearing is a good one. It is entitled The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. See? Even the title is intriguing! I'm only to page 13, but I had to share this excerpt from what I've read so far:

I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true. That's why I love reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive --- all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.

Now, don't you want to read more??? I know I do and I know I will be reading this tonight. Probably way too late and will go to work tired tomorrow. Tired but happy because I got to spend some quality time with a book.

Just thinking....again.

So many thoughts swirling around in my head....must write some of them down to decrease the mental clutter. I've been thinking about the faithfulness and provision of God. No matter my situation, He has always provided for my daily needs. There have been times when we had more resources and I used some of those resources to stock pile. You know, you see a screaming deal on canned peaches so you buy as many as you can afford and store. Then the times come that are a bit leaner and you remember - ah! I have peaches! - and it just makes your day. You can't convince me that that is a coincidence. If I remain open and yielded to God, He uses it all: all of my efforts and desires and longings and whatever. It is truly a confort to me to know that He is always watching out for me and always creating a way for me to not only survive, but thrive. It is truly humbling!

I have another example....there are several women at church who are expecting a baby. I love to give gifts to new moms and love to participate in the fellowship at baby showers. But, in hard times, it can be difficult to know what to do about the gift. Again, like the canned peaches example, many years ago someone taught me how to make a very simple denim strip quilt. I've stockpiled enough old Levis to make 100's of quilts! So, now I am known at my church as the lady who makes denim strip quilts for new moms. And, years ago, when I was learning this particular skill, I wasn't thinking about how useful it will be in the future. I was just happy to learn. Now I can look back and see how it all fits together in my life now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that nothing is wasted in God's economy. What I'm living through right now is going to help me or someone else in the future. God has it all in His very capable hands and all I have to do is be obedient and yielded to Him. It gives me great peace.