Rich & Priceless Treasures...

The rooster crows...
The rain falls...
The quiet music plays...

Oatmeal has been made...
Eggs have been boiled...
Coffee has been sipped...

Bibles have been read...
Kisses have been given...
Prayers have been said...

It's a Tuesday.

Yesterday started our new schedule with MaKayla back home. ♥
A wonderful, productive, blessed day. ♥

We had breakfast together & then Mal & I dug into school while she did her own thing.
Seeing her have time to open her Bible & really read...study...absorb...
Was a beautiful picture for me to see. ♥

We all chatted from time to time but for the most part stayed very focused on what we were attempting to accomplish. Each of us something different.

Eggs were gathered...(more than once) :)
Bathroom cabinets organized...
Refrigerator cleaned...

After lunch we hunkered down in the basement with the goal of putting together our crafting/sewing room that has been in the works for a while. MaKayla has greatly missed working on her sewing projects & currently has a quilt that she has been asked to create/make. In order to do this effectively (since she is highly OCD), we need a designated space/area. An area where she can see what she has/needs... A place to spread out... A space that is organized to her liking... :) She's really been wanting to teach Mal to sew as well & after receiving correspondence from a friend yesterday asking if she would be interested in doing a craft show together, the wheels were quickly set into motion.

We sorted...
We organized...
We cleaned...

Today we hope to finish.

As I flipped through my journal yesterday looking for something I knew I had penned,
I came across this...

#1471 - burgers in a streetcar

#1472 - too high balconies

#1473 - late night visits

Therefore, my beloved brethern,
be steadfast,
immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
~1 Corinthians 15:58

#1474 - king size bed

#1475 - high count white Pima sheets

So thankful for this one that I love... ♥

He makes my feet like hinds' feet,
And sets me on my high places.
2 Samuel 22:34

In the city you simply see it all...
Tie-die from head to toe...
Even his shirt...

Enjoying the street musicians...

#1476 - a warm, strong hand on my back

You have delivered my feet from death,
Indeed my feet from stumbling,
So that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
~Psalm 56:13

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction,
out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon  a rock making my footsteps firm.
Psalm 40:2

#1477 - Starbucks coffee freshly brewed

Some nice young man offered to take our picture... ♥

Memories...

Sweet, wonderful memories...

Memories with ones we love...

Memories with ones who loves us...

Memories of relaxation...

Laughter...

Sharpening...

Catching up...

A few weeks back I received a text from Beth asking if Kyle & I would be interested in taking a weekend away with she & Tom. Although we were eager to jump at the opportunity, Kyle was already scheduled to work one of those days & the reality of the cost made the idea seemingly impossible. They assured us that they had gotten very good rates for the rooms however we regretfully declined the offer & dismissed the prospect from our minds. As the week lingered on, Tom had been in touch with Kyle & I began to pray that if God wanted us to go, that He would open the door. Tom & Beth were needing some time to unwind & they knew how desperately we needed to get away...

To clear our minds...

To regroup...

To reevaluate the stresses we were dealing with in life...

I prayed...

Let go...

And trusted God...

On the Friday we would have been departing, my cell phone & our home phone both rang at the same time. One call was from Kyle saying things had changed at work & he didn't need to go in on Saturday, and the other call was from Tom saying, "I just can't let go of the prodding that we are supposed to do this... Is there any way Kyle could convey the circumstances & see if they would let him have the day off..." Needless to say, God was at work.

We discussed our plans with MaKayla & Mal, they strongly encouraged us to go, plans were made for them & I began packing... Quickly packing... :) By 4:30, Kyle & I were on our way to meet our friends. ♥

The weekend was a blessing in many more ways than one for Kyle & I. ♥

They gave us the swanky room... ;)

We talked late while eating fresh fruit & cheese...

A little shopping here...

A little shopping there...

Supper in a streetcar...

Breakfast in a downtown diner...

Dinner in a delicious Italian establishment...

Coffee sipped...

Yogurt enjoyed...

Open market strolled through...

Street musicians listened to...

Produce purchased...

The scent of herbs/spices breathed in... 

Tom & Beth were so generous, thoughtful & kind & we were once again reminded what rich & priceless treasures they are in our lives. We've been through much over the years as friends & our love for them continually grows in unexplainable ways... ♥

 

 It was one of those "best weekends" tucked safely in our hearts... ♥

I'm glad friendship doesn't come with price tags.

For if it does, I'd never afford someone as great as you.

~Author Unknown

Today I'm remembering a wonderful weekend... ♥

With wonderful friends... ♥

Today I am forever grateful... ♥

Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.

~Proverbs 18:24 

(The Message)

Do We Right The Wrong...

It's Friday...
Which is constituted as MaKayla's most favorite day of the week. :)

It's cold...
Which constituted Kyle wearing three layers of shirts to work this morning.
And one mug of coffee at home with another hefty helping in his to-go cup.♥
(He said it was 64 degrees at his desk all day yesterday... Brrr...)

It's the dawn of a new day...
Which constitutes that God's grace is full & fresh & abundant.

I find it hard to believe that as I look at the calendar, October is nearing it's end & November is just on the brink of beginning. Summer has most certainly transitioned into fall & winter is just around the corner. Where has the year gone?

The word 'transition' has taken on a new meaning & depth for me in the past several weeks. Initially I would currently look at the word in a negatory way due to the context in which it has been posed to Kyle & I, yet as the two of us sat at the table last night discussing life, God convicted my heart & corrected my thinking.

- transition -

movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, ect. to another

a period during which such change takes place

a modulation in music

a passage that links one scene or topic to another, as in a piece of writing

As I think of transition, I think of many things...
Moving...
Changing...
Growing...
Strengthening...
Beautifying...
Preparing...
Progressing...
And I'm guessing that most women can relate to the word transition, as in stages of birthing...

An easy phase to work through?
Typically, no.

Necessary?
Absolutely.

Worth it?
Most definitely.

And the attitude in which we transition makes all the difference.

The problem is, we are a people who resist change.
We resist anything we aren't certain of.

We defy those things that might cause us discomfort or vulnerability.
We are a people who need assurance in the change.

Is it gonna hurt?
What can I expect?
Is there anything I can take to dull the pain?

Moses.

And all too often, we sell short...

Jonah.

We stop before we see the beauty of the end.
The reward for our endurance & perseverance.

Lot's wife.

If we can't see what it's going to look like, we would rather stay in the current state we are in.

Gomer.

We would rather hang on to the good rather than to take hold of the best.

The rich young ruler.

We lack faith.

Kyle & I have recently heard the words, "There would have to be a transition period & I'm not sure what that will look like. It's going to take time. Adjustments have already been made. Spots filled..."

This conversation rang loud & clear in my ears last night as Kyle & I shared together about where God has our family at this season-of-life.

You see, we've gotten a little (or a lot) off of the "road less traveled" that God specifically & uniquely has instructed our family to take. A road that many don't understand. A road that requires diligence, determination & discipline. A road that doesn't have an abundance of fellow travelers. A road where God wants us to have Him as our focus.

When MaKayla took her first "out-of-the-home" job back in August, we saw it as an amazing opportunity. A great thing. A perfect situation. I'm sure to most people from the outside looking in they thought, "Great. They're finally allowing that girl to get out & do something... To be something... To go somewhere... It's about time..."

The only problem with it all was, several years back God had instructed our family very differently...
To raise girls who stay at home until God gives them specific direction for life.
Where He wants them to go.
What He desires for them to do.
His plan.
His purpose.

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,

spend a year there, carry on business and make money."

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life?

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

As it is, you boast and brag.

All such boasting is evil.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:13-17

Or until He provided them with a mate who would assume the role that their dad has held...
Provider ~ seeing that their needs are met
Protector ~ being their shield
Prophet ~ instructing them & teaching them in the ways of the Lord
Priest ~ standing in the gap on their behalf

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,

and they will become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

The deceiver of all people, through the "amazing opportunity", tempted us to lose our focus...
Humbly I admit, we fell prey to the temptation.
Humbly I admit, the fault lies mostly on me.

I was the one who saw the opportunity listing...
Presented it...
Encouraged it...

Why didn't I line it up with God's Word...
And the vision God has placed upon our family...

Lesson learned.

The job didn't work out as perfectly as we had expected.
A car was purchased.
Another job landed.

What a wicked web we allow ourselves to weave...

All with the help & assistance of the one who longs to see us stumble...
Struggle...
Fall short of God's best for our lives.

We've all done it.
And then we choose...

Do we right the wrong...
Or do we just settle in for the long haul & make the best of the situation...

We already knew what God thought...

Minor health conditions surface...
Doctor visit...
Diagnostic testing...

Wake-up call.

"You're leaving..."

Counting costs...
Weighing options...
Haggling alternatives...

"We can't keep the good ones & can't get rid of the bad ones..."

Abandoned obedience...

Permissible will dwelling...

"We'd love to have you back..."

Specialist visit...
More testing...
A fork in the road that requires a decision...

"You're always welcome..."

This way...
That way...

"We'll have a spot for you should you want to return..."

Either way there's a cost...

"You do a great job..."

Car payment...
A beautiful spirit/being stifled...

"Thank you for your hard work..."

The car payment, although not an easy feat, is conquerable...
A beautiful spirit stifled, an eternity of consequences...
Literally.

I appreciate the unconditional grace the world many times offers that sadly the Christian community fails to...
(Myself included...one thing I'm learning the essence of...)

A beautiful spirit stifled with an eternity of consequences...
Not a chance in this world her daddy & I are willing to take.

For two weeks now we've been anticipating the transition...

Since August Mal & I have settled into a productive routine...
Care for chickens & gather eggs.
Breakfast.
School.
Lunch.
Bible reading.
Journaling.
Spending time together.
Deciding supper.
Preparing for our peeps to arrive home.

At first we didn't know what we would do without MaKayla being here...
It. Was. Hard.
We've adjusted.

I shared with Kyle that going back to three instead of just two will be different.
It will take adjustments.
Life will change.

I'm so grateful for his strong hand of leadership & authority...

In our home...

In our lives...

In our family...

Not dictatorship as some would perceive...

Leadership...

And then he said the word that has been hanging in the balance for me...

"transition..."

A-ha, there it was.
The word that had delivered negativity into my heart...
The word that would define our next few days & weeks.

God instantly got my attention.
If I didn't want others to see transitions in a negative light...
Neither should I...

I don't want people to see transitioning Kyle/me/us in as a difficult thing, and neither do I want MaKayla to feel as though Mal & I transitioning her back in to our daily routine to be difficult.
Effort...
An obligation...
A favor we are doing her...

Transitions bring strength...
And beauty...
Diversity...
And unity...

They bring growth...
And preparation for something more...
Something new...
Something exciting...

Especially when the transition is an act of obedience to God.

The reality of having our girl home again, fills my heart with joy.
It puts a song in my spirit.
It instills hope in our the future of our family.

Seeing her thrive...♥
Develop...♥
Hone her giftings...♥

It is hard for me to see her step away from a position & a place where she is valued...
Appreciated...
Effective...

Yet...

Home is truly where this girl, our girl...
This is where her heart is...♥

God calls each of us to a road less traveled...
A road specific to each of us...
Not to be compared to or measure by anyone else...
And I am more than eager to get back into the middle of the road of which He has called us.

Are you in the midst of a transition?
How are you perceiving it?

Are you in the middle of the road in which God has called you...
Or have you veered off of the path He has called you to take?

The transition may stretch you, but it will totally be worth it.
Push forward, my friend. ♥

"I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I--,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

~Robert Frost, 'The Road Not Taken'

A Short Season...

The days are getting shorter.
The furnace is running more.
The fireplace in the basement has been ignited.
Fall has arrived. ♥

Although Mal got on-line last night & announced the 10 day forecast, I obviously was more focused on what today's temperature was going to be rather than how cold it was to get last night... After taking a peek outside upon arising, Kyle told me that it had frosted...hard. Fall has arrived. ♥

Our family loves this time of year...

Baking...
Snuggling under blankets...
Playing lots of card/board games...
Coffee/hot tea/hot chocolate...
Soup...
Brisk walks...

A week or so ago I heard on K-love that crisp fall air is so good for the lungs, for the body, for the mind & for the spirit. As is the scent of apples & pumpkin. We have a big crock bowl full of apples sitting in the middle of the kitchen table & many days while assisting Mal with school, I will catch a whiff of the sweet scent of the fruit before me. ♥ And as I walk Kyle out the door for work, I purpose to linger a moment & breathe deep... To take in the crisp, fresh, fall air... Allowing it to cleanse my lungs, refresh my mind & renew my spirit... I take a look up into the heavens & thank God for the newness of day, the beauty of the midnight sky & the privilege I have of knowing Him. ♥

As a child Halloween was something my dad was very adamant that we not celebrate or commemorate. We didn't dress up. We didn't hand out candy. We shut the lights off, kept the doors locked & hunkered down when it was trick-or-treat night in the town we lived in. He had very strong convictions against such. I remember being in elementary school & while all of the other kids in grades K-6 would come dressed up & parade around from classroom to classroom, I would remain in my designated homeroom & find something to do at my desk. Ironically, I don't recall it ever really "bothering" me & I am thankful to this day that Dad held strong to the convictions that God so intently laid up on his heart... An integral lesson for me as I grew up & then began raising a family of my own. Even though it may "cost" us something...popularity, acceptance, attention...being obedient to what God had laid upon your heart was of utmost importance. It was He we always aspired to please.

As would be expected, when Kyle & I got married, we began choosing our own way of doing things. He had grown up "doing" Halloween so saw nothing wrong with it & bit-by-bit the influence of the world (workplace, friends, society) began to permeate the convictions of my youth. I jumped in feet first & before you knew it, our home looked something like a "fun" haunted house. Spider webs with plastic spiders attached (I. Hate. Spiders.). Muslin ghosts tied to the ceiling fan blades. Ceramic statues that lit up & blinked. The whole nine yards. And then the first year or two of MaKayla's life we dressed her up in cutesie, tootsie outfits...

And then God reminded me of Whose I was & from Where I came from...

Thankfully my "innocent rebellion" lasted for only a season...

A short season.
Not a proud series of moments for this Christian momma...

Subsequently, we don't celebrate, decorate or commemorate Halloween in our home...at.all.

Our focus is fall...
Thanksgiving...
Gratefulness for the harvest of blessings God has so richly lavished upon us.

We love the scents...
The colors...
The comfort of the season...

We love seeing the combines/tractors in the fields...
Bundling up to go outside...
Realizing that death must come in order for life to return...

We love digging out the sweatshirts...
Pulling out the blue-jeans...
Wrapping ourselves in warmth...

We love remembering the heat of summer...
Anticipating the newness of spring...
Relishing in the current season in which we find ourselves...

Fall has arrived...♥

MaKayla asked a few weeks back if we could purchase some pumpkins & mums to spruce things up so we did some calling, found the most economical prices & have had so much fun adorning the outside of our home. (She had already spent a Saturday beautifying the inside...) Such traditions are ones we greatly enjoy. ♥

She picked up on an idea from Marci & Danielle so...

Kyle did the cutting...
We did the cleaning...
The stuffing...
The placing...

So cute.
So fun.

God is moving us from one season into the next.
His faithfulness in inexplicable...
His joy is unquenchable...
His love is immeasurable...

We give thanks...♥

Fall has arrived...♥

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:7~8