Quick - To the Mom Cave!

I really think Batman was on to a good thing with his self-contained, state-of-the-art underground hideaway! To escape the demands of the world, he retreated to his solitary domain to rethink, regroup and recharge. I could certainly make great use of such a haven…(Note to Self: add 1 bat cave to Christmas wish list).
I can see it now: a mom-style retreat completely void of dirty socks, ironing boards or soap scum, certainly no mouthy teenagers and no “It’s okay. Mom will clean that up later” messes!

Wow – do you detect a bit of cabin fever here today???

Maybe I’m just getting old and stale in my thinking. OR, perhaps both peace and quiet have grown tired of waiting around for the “vacancy” sign to light up and have moved on to another house.
I write my blog posts in the little stolen moments between trips to the dryer, standing at the stove and picking up or dropping off half a dozen kids each day. However, this particular stolen moment is interrupted by the blender groaning and chugging out my son’s milk shake while my husband can’t seem to keep his finger off the Up arrow of the remote!
I think every hard-working mom out there deserves her very own mom cave, especially this time of year. A mom cave might come in handy when:
• You’re standing behind 26 people in line in the middle of the Christmas rush and person #8 is joined by 6 of her friends, arms loaded with purchases of their own!
• After many failed attempts at constructing a gingerbread house with the kids, you finally give in and break out the heavy-duty wall putty when the frosting fails to hold your walls in place.
• You’ve already endured the kids’ 2 ½ hour Christmas music performance when the teacher announces, “For our final number, won’t you please join us in singing ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.”
• Your son or daughter comes home from school and informs you that you’ve been “nominated” to bake cupcakes for the entire 3rd grade student body for their Christmas party….tomorrow!
Okay, in all fairness, I’d have to admit that such a mom cave would get pretty lonely after….I don’t know….maybe a week or two…
Seriously, be good to yourself this season. Grab those moments of awe and wonder when they stare you head on. Take time to reflect, to truly enjoy from the inside out, to laugh with your whole heart, to say “no” to some things and “yes” to others, and to celebrate the birth of our Lord with those who make your heart sing to the highest notes.
(And don’t forget to add that mom cave to your Christmas wish list!)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30) NIV

I Love the Reign

It started when the sun took its rest beyond the trees

That perfect, random rhythm on the roof that makes you stop and listen

You know it's nothing you've created - it's the work of the Lord

It's out of your control.

I've waited all day for the gentle song of peace that now feeds my soul.

I've spent a restless, uneasy day - shifting moods and stumbling around with the clouds

As if switching unsteady dance partners in a darkened room

But then, I hear the voice in the rain:

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations.

I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) NIV

He brings the sun and the stars, and the wind that grows my strength

It's the work of the Lord - it's out of my control

He gives vision to see more clearly the blessings that surround me

He brings the dark when the day is done that I may take refuge in Him

And he brings the sweet song of rain on my roof that I may simply stop....and remember

It's His reigning power over my life and my home that comforts me

It's the work of the Lord...and I'm so glad He is in control.

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind

of the spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's

people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose." (Romans 8:27-28) NIV

Collecting Marbles

The images have clouded over the years, but sometimes the cotton-candy like fog clears and I'm that little girl again walking the fence line with Papo; one of my childhood super heroes.
Marbles grew out of the dirt in his back yard. I remember plucking them from the ground and filling my pockets...dirt and all. He and Mamo knew just how to calm the storm of a little girl caught in the middle of divorce - how it tugged and pulled and confused me. Yet those simple, sweet, quiet moments spent walking hand-in-hand in search of little shiny spots of hope are more precious now than before as I realize God's involvement - even then.
He gives us those shiny moments in the middle of our struggle. Sometimes they're a little more hidden beneath the dirt, but they're there. He carefully plants each one just like I imagine Papo out scattering those marbles along the fence hiding them just enough to be a mystery, yet exposing just enough to catch the light of day...and a granddaughter's smile.
Sometimes it's easy to build things up in our minds when we're hoping for the perfect outcome. The perfect situation. The perfect opportunity...the perfect holiday.
I'm praying God has scattered little rays of hope along your path; treasured moments in the midst of stress and trial that reflect the light of his love - shiny moments to tuck away in the pockets of your mind.

God Bless you, and may your Thanksgiving celebration

be full of shiny moments!

When times are good, be happy;

but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other...
(Ecclesiastes 7:14) NIV

Matters of the Heart

My hands worked over a mound of honey-colored dough kneading with my palms across a board awash in warm sunlight of a fall afternoon. The enticing aroma of focaccia hung heavy, and in the quiet hum of tradition I connected somehow with countless others who've smiled deep within their souls the same satisfaction of such a moment.
The traditions, the matters of the heart, are what bind us together in prayer and in praise...those who marvel at simple blessings.
I think of all the long-stemmed roses I've gathered throughout the years; those cleverly disguised as mothers, grandmothers, aunts and precious lady friends who have unfurled their strength of character and fragrance of love upon my life. They have exuded grace and humility in passing down traditions born of hard work, sacrifice, love of family and a desire to best equip those fortunate enough to have received the blessings of hearth and home.
Lord, thank you for holidays past that still bring a tear. Thank you for lessons learned from the tattered hem of every apron, and for the love that still remains in each memory. Thank you for the many hands at work this season preparing and nurturing...blessing those who gather with thankful hearts.
In Jesus' name. Amen.

"Likewise teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind; and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." (Titus 2:3-5) NIV

Unchanging

The season put on quite a show out my window yesterday, pouring leaves on the wind and letting each one choose its own path toward the bronze heap below.
There’s change in the air – can you feel it? Everyone’s talking about the cooler, shorter days as nature begins her makeover from deep greens to comforting hues of fall.
We’ve a lot to learn from the trees as they throw back their covers. They know how to put the season to good use exposing themselves to God’s rejuvenating power. Having shed their foliage, they’re left to stand bare and vulnerable before him. I suppose it’s their way of bending the knee of their will to allow for new growth.
But the glory of the season is short-lived as leaves soon whither and fade away into the landscape. Excitement builds as we wonder what awaits us in this next chapter of time. We’re captivated by a moment. A memory made, savored and tucked away to retrieve another day. But above all that’s shifting and changing around us, I realize I’m more thankful for the stability in what remains constant.

It’s the strength we gain from that which remains UNCHANGING

that allows us to tolerate the change!

I’m so thankful that God does not fluctuate with the seasons. His love and faithfulness to his people will endure forever. His Word will always ring true, and the rest and peace he offers will forever be a haven, an indescribable refuge.
The warm ambers and golds splash across the blank canvas of each new day, but they only provide the backdrop for the sustaining power of the One who orchestrates the seasons.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(Psalm 118:1) NIV

Prayer For the Week Ahead

Lord Jesus,

Before we jump into this busy week; before solutions or challenges are revealed, I ask for your strength and protection on each and every person who passes through this little corner of my world. Let each one feel your embrace and sense your presence for decisions yet to be made; for options yet to be offered.
Be in our thoughts and words as we interact with others.
Be in our planning of coming events as we now find ourselves in the season of celebration; yet, let us also be sensitive toward those suffering a season less than festive.
Be in the reconciliation of loved ones, of family members separated by time and ill feelings that they may begin new relationships not built upon the crumbling foundation of past hurts, but upon the stable rock of your grace.
Be with those whose hearts have been shattered by recent tragedy and unthinkable pain. Be the comfort that holds them from deep within. Dry tears shed in the most private moments. Be the force that propels them forward and gives them purpose for each new day. Let those who wander a darkened, deceptive path hear your voice above the confusion and turn toward your light….and remain there once and for all.

“I have told you these things, so that
in me you may have peace. In this world
you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) NIV

God Bless you!

Glimpsing Heaven

We walked, bundled against an icy breeze, through a maze of coats, scarves and tiny, honking cars.
The frigid air pierced through layers of wool and excitement but couldn’t hinder the awe and romance of a few precious days in paradise with my husband.

The grand Eiffel Tower stood half shrouded in a low fog that illuminated the glow of Christmas lights below.

There was no plan. No itinerary. We wandered and strolled beyond the bustling crowd and found ourselves deep in art and history, nose-to-nose with musical brilliance.

Once inside, the faint hum of applauses offered for past performances rehearsed and enjoyed hung thick in pristine marble halls.
How does one take in such grandeur with the human eye?

We came upon a series of doors each with tiny round windows covered in velvet blocking a spectator’s view of a private rehearsal. We stood tip-toed with noses pressed to glass, and ears reaching hard through the barrier.

And there, through the parted curtains, a peek into another world - one meant for a more sophisticated, well-dressed audience later that evening. Yet, God somehow granted us a private showing at that moment on that freezing December afternoon a million miles away from all that was home to us.

Another reminder that we've only glimpsed the Heaven that awaits us in the pleasures and joys experienced here on Earth.

We've merely been given a taste of what lies just beyond the door.