Sewing at Grandma's

Marriage is an Act of Grace

This is where I spent this past weekend...can you guess?

It's never fun being admitted into the hospital with abdominal pain, but it's always good to experience God's abundant grace as He ministers.  This past week I was ministered to through many friends and family.  Not only through the love and concern they showed me, but the meals that were brought and the way so many reached out to show they cared.  But none could minister to me quite like my beloved, Russ.  It turned out to be a not so major incident and we are thankful that my condition spontaneously repaired itself.  Surgery was not required nor would it have been fun.  But both Russ and I felt so assured in God's protection and covering that we both had enormous peace despite the circumstances.

There are many marriages that are beautiful because of how God works in and through them.  I am blessed.  But the following story shows such an amazing amount of sacrificial love, amazing grace and God glorifying evidence that very few can compare.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/05/08/this-momentary-marriage-ian-larissas-story/

Nature Walkssssss...

This is what we found on our nature walk today.  Sssscary!

Helping With the Trash. A Man's Job?

Dinner Party for NNPA Department

Russ and I hosted his department at our home.  It was a blessing to be able to serve in this way.  I took a few pictures, but forgot the most important ones, PEOPLE!  I forgot to snap a picture as we all sat around, ate and had warm fellowship.  Maybe next time!

Oh, and yesterday was Home Economics Day!  I wish I had taken pictures of Audra chopping and cooking.  Couldn't have done it without these girls.

He just drove away...all by himself...without me.

A new chapter, a new adventure and a little more freedom for both of us. That's how it feels to watch Luke get his driver's license and watch him drive away. Bitter sweet, yes, but a little bit more sweet right now. It feels right, he is ready and so am I.

I will miss our talks in the car, but I'll make other times to connect. Over breakfast or a quick dinner out, just the two of us. I love to watch Luke mature, and grow. I pray as he falters and seems to fight through his desires and longings, knowing that God is always there catching him if necessary. It can be a whirlwind, but I'm thankful for what the Lord has done so far and promises to complete.

Now I must focus on the girlies, daily, as we school and muse over our findings. I must be less hurried, more settled. As it's been said, Life is NOT an emergency...LIFE is not an emergency. So I'm slowing, at least for today to drink in the beauty of change, the constant sameness and the wonder of what today will hold.

The Sadness of Jobs' Passing

To some households Steve Jobs' passing doesn't mean much. He was just another CEO/Creator of a great product. But to our household the announcement of Jobs's passing had gravity to it. Yes, we are an Apple family, and it started years ago with my husband. Russ loved his Mac and had an Apple sticker on the back of his old Jetta to prove it. Years later our son, Luke, became an Apple addict, and has put his own Apple on the back of his first car, the Volvo. I say addict because he could never get enough, from the iPod, to the iPod Touch to the iPod Shuffle. Then it was the MacBook Pro and the iPhone. Why would we buy our 15 year old an iPhone when I still use an old out-of-date basic phone? Because we saw his passion for a product and an innovator that got his wheels turning.

Luke would want to get out of school early just to watch the latest stockholder address that was featuring a new product or some new announcement from Steve Jobs that would wow the country, and the world. He would sit for hours to watch the entire meeting, regardless of how long or boring it was.

Luke has said for the past year or so, that he wants to be the CEO of Apple some day. I'm not sure he'll feel that way in 8 years, but you never know. So as we reflect on a great innovator and leader and as we read about this "Secular Prophet" I can't help but think about what Steve Jobs left behind, and more importantly what he won't be taking with him.

I pray that Luke will do great things with the gifts God has given him, but I pray more earnestly that he will do great things for the Kingdom of God. That is something Luke will take with him when his time comes. Is there a better way to live...or, more importantly, to die?