Monthly Archives: July 2005

I tasted some heavenly fruit the other night. The moment it touched my lips, I knew it was not of this world. Clearly it was rooted in the spirit of God. We were washing dishes, Rebekah and I. Deborah Jane … Continue reading →

I remember….

The blissful quiet of tousled heads abed

Lingering in Your presence

Soaking in the early witness of morning

With herring, stepping through the misty edge of pond

Hovering hummingbirds like bees buzzing

And the singing!  Recognition brings delight Lord.

Lord,
you know how I long to be with You in the morning.  Help me
rebuild this essential habit.  I NEED to be with You.  When
sleepy children arise early, let it not be an irritation, but a desire
of my heart fulfilled in You. Continue reading →

In
1998, we moved from a condominium to our very first house (I was
9-months pregnant with our very first child at the time).  On
moving day we were completely prepared; we had even moved everything
from upstairs to downstairs to facilitate a rapid move.  All of
the boxes were labeled with the room they would go into and the ease of
it all was quite wonderful!  We received many compliments that
day:-)

I
absolutely love being prepared.  There is something wonderful
about having dinner ready, guest rooms prepared, duckies in a
row:-).  A clean island, a clean desk, a clutter-free living
room…..these are truly “ahhhhhh” moments for me:-) It is exciting to
go into a situation where your full attention (such as it is) can be
devoted to the task at hand.  

On
the other hand, it is truly disappointing when I have failed to
plan.  For instance, the other day I intended to color pictures
with my kids, and I sat down at the computer to find some great pics
online.  I handed the pics out as they came out of the printer and
by the time I had given up on finding my oldest the perfect outline map
of the continents, all of the other children were finished with their
pictures!

As
I begin to plan out our homeschool year, I am realizing that the true
dilemna of the homeschooling mother of young children seems to be
finding the time to plan, and doing so effectively.  When the
children are finally tucked in at night seems to be the only time
available, and by this time my gas tank is running on fumes.  If
anyone has any good planning tips, I’m all ears! Continue reading →

Inspiration: 
I was inspired to write this post when I realized that I was beginning
to recognize a particular kind of bird in my backyard.  In fact, I
was listening for his voice.  I realized that I really loved to
listen to his song because it was becoming familiar to me; because I
recognized it.

My son David is determined to memorize every dinosaur that ever
lived!  When we go to the library, he can usually be found in the
dinosaur section.  He makes lists of dinosaurs on the
computer.  He really loves dinosaurs and wants to know everything
about them.  And the more he knows of them, the more he loves them. My
daughter Deborah Jane is in love with the Little House stories (and so
many of you are also:-).  She often listens to one during her
quiet-time in the afternoon.  She will tell me some little tidbit
that she has memorized from these precious stories.  And the more
she knows of these whispering souls and the lives they lived, the more
she loves them.  I
have become convinced that familiarity does NOT breed contempt when it
comes to someone or something worth loving.  When we really know
something we begin to recognize it’s nuances; we begin to appreciate
it’s character.  Recognition is the fuel that fans this flame of
love in our souls.  And that is the essence of worshiping
God.  Seeing Him;  Recognizing Him; Loving Him. I
know of people who talk in a very animated fashion about their
interests.  Their eyes light up and their voices take an
enthusiastic turn.  They are engaged by something they really LOVE! This reminds me of some precious verses in the scriptures:  “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of thine heart.”  (Psalm 37:4) “Whom
having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter
1:8-9) “If
ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affectiona on things
above, not on things on the earth.  3For ye are dead, and your
life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”  (Col. 3:1-4) I’ve
found that delighting myself in the Lord brings about a change in my
heart like nothing else!  All of those other interests and desires
that I am prone to love are veiled in light of HIS glory.  O,
God, let your glory blind me!   Plant within my heart new
passion for the things of God.  I want to delight in you as I draw
breath; to recognize you in all that my eyes behold; to drink you into
my parched soul.  Let me recognize and delight in your glory which
is present in each moment. Continue reading →

Yesterday Rebekah (my 3yo daughter) said something that made my heart sing. We had spent the morning outside in the sunshine, watering and feeding the flowers and garden. Rebekah was very talkative when we came inside. “Mama, if God came … Continue reading →