I have great kids!

Thanks much to my thoughtful and kind daughters for a beautiful arrangement, delivered on Friday with wishes for a great Mother's Day.

I'm go glad I have had the incredible privilege of being a Mom (and now an Oma).

It is rewarding to see how God has worked in their lives, how they have matured, and what wonderful women they have become.

On top of that, they are doing a fantastic job as Mother's themselves ~ gracious, loving and kind!

Last but not least, they married well ~ the best sons a mother-in-law could hope to have!

Mother's Day 2011

I'm enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day, even tho the kids and grandkids are 1,000 miles away. We went to church last night and out to Mama Mia's for dinner, so this morning we took off for the Kettle Moraine State Forest down near Eagle, WI. We spent a couple of hours hiking the Emma Carlin Trail...4-5 miles. We enjoyed a variety of spring wildflowers along the trail, but the trees and bushes haven't leafed out much. It's a beautiful day ~ sunny and in the 60's with blue skies. Can't get much better than that!

Note to self: come back in the fall ~ the color will be spectacular!

April Adventures

Such fun to be in Virginia with the Marx family over Spring Break! The sky was overcast, but it was warm and dry. We went to Belle Isle for a great hike one morning. Crump Park is always fun with a play area, a pond to hike around, and a farm to visit the animals. At home we created Easter cards, enjoyed lots of Yahtzee, and played school. The visit was short but sweet...the kids are growing up so quickly!

Sometimes the way forward is back

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will make your paths straight
Proverbs 3:5~6

I'm back to the charge and the promise Andy and I committed ourselves to the day we married nearly 42 years ago. Funny how we forget and lose our way.

...stop trying to work things out before their times have come

...trust Me at all times, in all circumstances, with all your heart

...wait on Me in hopeful anticipation of what I will do

...this is a time in your life when you must learn to let go

...entrust the details of your life to Me

...trust Me and don't be afraid

...trust Me one day at a time ~

I'm the one who understands you completely and loves you perfectly

I've been gently hammered with these thoughts over the last couple of weeks.

You are the same yesterday, today, and forever

I can trust You

I can thank You

I am safe in your care

I will trust in Him and not be afraid
The Lord God is my strength and my song
He has given me victory
Isaiah 12:2

Just the Best!

Two Delightful Little Guys!

We were in Colorado recently ~ to babysit Anders and Cade while Mom worked pretty much full time administering CSAP (state testing) at Lincoln Academy (the charter school where she has worked the past 10 years). It was such fun and the boys were just great, listening and obeying Oma and Opa. We took walks, went to the park, visited a petting zoo, enjoyed the local community water park, and played just about every kind of ball game you can think of.

Secret Things Belong to the Lord

Tonight at church our pastor talked about the "d" word ~ divorce. It was helpful, even for those of us who are happily married. One thing he said that caught my attention was, "Committment in marriage means being willing to be unhappy until we work it out." That's helpful to me right now ~ I'm in one of those "unhappy until we work it out" places. It has to do with what the future holds for us in the coming years...the future seems uncertain and feels flimsy right now.

Then when we got home from a nice dinner out at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, I read that "Secret things belong to the Lord (Deut 29:29) and future things are secret things." It turns out that when I try and figure out the future, it is an act of rebellion ~ doubting God's promise to care for me. What I should be doing is to relax and enjoy the journey, trusting God to open up the way before me as I go.

Lots to think about...any thoughts you'd like to share?

Unrestricted Ecstasy

This year I have been using JESUS CALLING by Sarah Young along with my NLT One Year Bible for my devotions each today. Today the reading was about God's love for me...and you.

There is no force in the universe as powerful as My Love. There is no limit to My Love; it fills all of space, time, and eternity. Now you see through a glass, darkly, but someday you will see Me face to Face. Then you will be able to experience fully how wide and long and high and deep is My Love for you. If you were to experience that now, you would be overwhelmed to the point of feeling crushed. But you have an eternity ahead of you, absolutely guaranteed, during which you can enjoy My Presence in unrestricted ecstasy. For now, the knowledge of My loving Presence is sufficient to carry you through each day.

The older I get, the more I long for Heaven. Some days I don't feel very loved by anyone, even the Father. I feel crushed, but not because of God's love. The thought of unrestricted ecstasy in His Presence sounds mighty good. In the meantime, I'm grateful that He carries me through each day.