seasons

it's that time of year again, friends.

time to break out some of my wool favorites that swaddle us in their warmth and goodness. 

my husband has laid claim to that plaid beauty on the right.

{it is sooo warm}.

do you look forward to the seasons changing as much as i do?

i am so thankful for God's design of change.

although i enjoy some seasons more than others, i always look forward to the next and the beauty that it offers.

i love how each season is designed as a pathway to the next. 

they are all necessary for life to thrive.

if we didn't have winter and the bleak dreary days,

we would not be able to enjoy the hope of spring buds and new life that is around the corner.

God has been so good to gently ease us into each new season and all the glories that encompass them.

this makes me think of the different seasons in our lives.

while the weather seasons are gradual and we know they are coming, sometimes we are forced into seasons of our life that we are not prepared for, that we do not understand, and that seem very harsh and uncomfortable.

no one likes to be out of their comfort zone, right?

we, as a family, have found ourselves in some very deep, unexpected valleys.

times where everything seemed  harsh and bitterly cold.

the sun seemed to only peek from behind the clouds, taunting us with the potential of it's warmth.

like in the dormancy of winter,  there seemed to be no sign of spring.

looking back, we can see clearly that God was using this time to draw us back to Him.

we were not alone.
through the valley, He had lessons that He wanted to teach us.

He was waiting for our obedience and love to be redirected back to Him.

He used those times of hibernation to refine us and grow our faith.

He revealed himself in such a way that i cannot explain.

His love and warmth blanketed us, and He didn't leave us out in the cold.
no, friend.  He would never do that.

He was preparing for something great, and i wouldn't trade the lessons we learned for anything.

those deep valleys paved the way to new life like we never could have imagined.

the fresh hope of spring in our lives was reassuring, new, and alive! 

our healthy hope had been restored, and our love for Him renewed.
if you are in a dark season, be assured, there is hope.
:)

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."


Ecclesiates 3:1-11

xo,

bittersweet

how can i be so happy and so sad at the same time?

my baby taught himself how to ride his bike the other day.

bittersweet, indeed.

when i was a new mom, the idea of my baby's firsts was so exciting to me.

i was so anxious for the first crawl, the first steps, the first word.

now it seems like some days i am just begging for time to slow down, stand still, even, 

and let me bask in the moment...

...for fear if i blink, they might be all gone.

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

James 4:14

Lord, help me to enjoy every day, every moment, as if it were my last.

xo,

{virtual coffee}

hi, friends.
how was your weekend?
mine flew by{as usual}, but was very nice.
there might be a new{er} car in the works.  woo!
we got to spend a few hours on saturday with some of my favorite people.  yay!
and we attended a funeral  joyous celebration, because of the hope that we have in Jesus!

i can't believe it's tuesday already.
do you like coffee?
i hope that you can pull up a chair, grab your favorite warm beverage{because it's cold out there!} and stay a while.

if we were really having coffee this morning, i would tell you that i woke up cold this morning and stumbled  into this little guy huddled on the floor rocking back and forth.
he was being so goofy!

i think he was cold, too.  :)
of course, he wouldn't put on pants or a sweatshirt.
whatever.
this kid is a breed all his own.
love him!

i would also tell you that my hubby and i have made a deal to try to keep the heat off for as long as possible.
i was ready to give in last night, but i think i might just be a tad bit premature on that.  :)
what was i thinking to agree to this?

63.5 and climbing this morning!
yeah, i've got it soooo bad, right?

i would tell you that the kids and i ran went to the thrift store last week
and took part in their blessed two dollar bag sale.
man, we made out like bandits.
i never spent four dollars so well.
yes, that means we got two bags, full.

vintage blue cardigan, red/gray striped sweater vest, and long sleeve hunter green shirt underneath all came from the thrifty bag sale last week.
the cowl is courtesy of my daughter, elly.

here is a pic elly took of it before it was done.
i love wearing the things she creates for me.

if we were really meeting for coffee this morning, i would tell you about henry and his crazy antics.
last night, we were watching 'Fiddler on the Roof' and he started serenading me with this song.

crazy kid.
"yes, i looove you!"

if we were chatting over coffee, i would tell you about this girl and how she has encouraged me.
she hits the nail on the head with the whole facebook thing{to me, anyway}.
i admire her honesty.
what do you think about facebook?
do you love it?
can you live without it?
it is a total love/hate relationship for me.
i love keeping up with family and friends, but i don't like how it sucks you in and steals precious time.
i suppose that would be my problem with self control{or lack thereof}, huh?
yeeeesssssss.  absolutely.
does it take away from precious time that i should be spending training my children or doing something for my family/someone in need?
yesssssssssss.
i definitely need help with time management on this one, and i am going to make some changes with His help.
while facebook can be a worthwhile and fun tool, it has to be guarded carefully like anything else in my life.

so, do you think i'm crazy or do you kind of feel the same way?
if we were really having coffee, i'm pretty sure you'd be rolling your eyes at me right now with all of this babbling.
thanks for listening, friend.  :)

well, if we were really chatting over cider, coffee, a latte, soda, or whatever your choose, i would tell you that when the kids and i start off our day reading His Word, the day goes much better.

proven fact for sure.
well, school work is calling me and so are my husband's slippers.
the temp is still 63.5 in here and i might be adding a hat and some fingerless gloves soon.
i just know you are all playing me a sad song right now.  heehee
pooooor mary!

thanks for stopping by, friends.
love you all.

xo,

 

o death where is thy sting?

happy monday, friends.

are you ready to start a new week?

ready or not, here it comes. :)

today, our family attended the funeral of our preacher's mother.

can i just say that we have the best preacher and his family, ever!?

we are so blessed to have him as the shepherd of our flock and we love all of his family dearly.

but of course, i'm partial.  

i always get a little nervous about going to funerals because i know i'm going to cry.

i'm a tenderhearted softy and i just.can't.help.it.

i  don't like crying in public. 

my eyes become a salty, wet mess of puffiness and it lasts for days. or so it seems.

this was no exception.

it was a beautiful memorial for a lovely woman.

her son{our pastor} performed the service.

 all of her grandchildren gathered to sing beautiful hymns in her memory.

she would have loved it.

she adored her family and all i kept thinking of was how this is exactly what she would have wanted.

although we weep and mourn the loss of a loved one, 

this service was ultimately one of rejoicing and joyous 

hope.

arleen was a tough 'ol farm wife.

a north dakota girl who married a farmer, as she told me many times, 

and followed him to wisconsin for a brand new life.

a hard worker.

mother of three.

grandmother to many.

most importantly, a child of the Risen King, as simply stated in her journal from the 70's.

as our pastor, her son, tearfully shared the tender entry of when she came to the point in her life where she knew that nothing she did or could ever do would be good enough to earn her way to Heaven, we rejoiced.

she knew that religion, going to church, and good works simply weren't enough.

only trusting in the shed blood of Jesus and His finished work on the cross.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Romans 10:9-10

as a mother, wife, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend and much more,

 she was not defined by any of these roles in her life.

she was defined by her relationship with Him.

she became a new creature and she proclaimed it without reservation.

this was her healthy hope.

 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is 

thy victory?"

I Corinthians 15:55

this is the banner that we can wave high today.

arleen is not in any more pain.

she  is completely new, more alive than ever.

perfect, you could say, with confidence.

our pastor wisely reminds us that we are living in the land of the dying,

 but if we have accepted Christ, we are going to the land of the living!

now that is something to celebrate.

we will miss you, arleen, and we look forward to our glorious reunion.

i hope you have a lovely week.

thank you so much for stopping by today.

xo, 

blessings in disguise

hello.  :)
do you remember my post from yesterday?
well, it sure is funny how things work out sometimes.
or rather miraculous, i should say.
i'm not one who believes in luck or superstitions.
i know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God is in control of everything in my life.
i am constantly reminded of how we ought not count on tomorrow, for we never know what a day will bring.

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

Proverbs 27:1

true words, indeed.

last night, as i was typing the post about my hubby, i received a phone call.
it was an unknown number to me{and i was blogging!?!}, so i didn't answer it.
thankfully, i knew that a church friend had left me a message earlier, too, so i grabbed my phone after clicking the 'publish blog' button and listened to my voicemails.

i listened to the first and pushed the appropriate number to delete the message, relying on memory to serve me when i was finished with the second message.
*note* relying on my memory, not a good idea. 
i proceeded to listen to the second {garbled} message of what sounded like my husband.
hmmmmm....this can't be good, i thought.
remember, he had been on his way to his second job after being home only moments before.
i saw his cell lying on the counter charging so i knew he didn't have it with him.
what you don't know, is that i had been on an 'alert' of sorts in my own mind.
or rather, my heart.

*his wonderful car, which had been given to us years prior in our deepest time of need, is past it's prime.
it has seen better days and certainly served us well.
we have a deep connection with the selfless love that was behind this gift.
it came when we least expected it, but truly needed it.
we are fully aware that it was meant for us, for such a time as was needed, and that God placed it in our family because He spoke to someone's heart, they listened, and even more amazing, they acted upon His nudging.
in short, this car had been a gift from God.
a symbol of His promise to take care of His own.
a constant reminder that through trials, deep valleys, chastening, and grace, He still has mercy upon His children.*

somewhat frantically, i called the number back.
no answer.
so i called again.
no answer.
again.
finally, my husband  called me back and we had a clear connection.
he told me that he had hit a deer{the second one, of course}.
he was ok.
but the car was not.
what a relief!

we are so blessed that a nice man came up behind him, offered my husband his phone, and drove him to where he needed to go.
we are so blessed to have true friends that, even though they go to bed early because they are farmers, are willing to get up and tow a friend home.
we are so blessed that the deer flew over the car and not into it.
we are so blessed that my husband came home with no injuries.
there are just so many blessings in disguise that i feel can be so easily looked over, but we know that God is in complete control.

there is no doubt in my mind that this was God's way of preventing something much worse that could have happened with this car.
the tires are bald.
the wires are showing.
the frame is rusted.
despite all these things, he still drove it {not with the kids or me anymore} because it was what we had, and it was really not in the budget to get something else.
have you ever seen God move in a way that you just knew was Him?
this is my story, today, of how God used a scary situation to again remind us of His infinite plan.
and we are seriously going to miss this car.
i never want to forget the lessons of love, provision, and obedience that it encourages me with.

so, now i look forward to seeing what He will provide for us.
i'm sure you'll be hearing about it.  ;)

i hope you all have a lovely weekend, friends.
thank so much for stopping by today.
you are all a blessing to me.

xo,

image via 

thank you and a pic...:)

hi, friends.

i wanted to stop in real quick and thank you SO much 

for all of your kind words, prayers, 

and thoughtfulness for my niece, Charis.

she had her biopsy today and now we are waiting.

keep those lines to Heaven busy, please!

He is able to do exceedingly above anything we ask or think.

amen. :)

me and the hubby.

this was taken in between him walking through the door.

eating at warp speed{bad, i know}.

and headed right back out{within 10 minutes} in his dirty 'ol work clothes.

he works so hard for us.

i am so thankful for a husband with Godly character who takes such good care of his family.

he may not always want to leave, especially when the kids are around him jumping up for squeezes 

begging that he stay, but he always follows through.

we are looking forward to him being able to come home from work to stay.

please, Lord, soon.  :)

image via pinterest

love you, honey.

see you all soon!

:)

xo,

Jesus, i am resting, resting

hi, friends.
i'm joining amy for {virtual}coffee this morning.

i like my coffee black and strong.
exciting, right?

the kids and i hit a garage sale{only one!}last week and found some pretty awesome stuff.
we picked up this vintage coffee pot and thermos for $1 a piece.
they totally made me think of amy and her cute vintage style.
she also takes the best pictures.
yes, i am jealous.   :)


so, now it's going to get heavy...

if we were really having coffee this morning, i would tell you what is heavy on my heart.
i would tell you that there are so many people around me hurting, and that makes me hurt.
i would have to say that i am a fixer.
or i try to be anyway.
and when i can't fix things, it hurts even more.
i would admit that i really don't think that some things in this world are fair.
this may seem like such a childish statement, but it's true.
i would resolve to the fact that even though life isn't fair, and bad things happen to  people that i don't always understand,
there is Someone who does.
and, oh! does He ever!
He uses these trials, burdens, and cares to draw us to Him.
because He is a shelter in the time of storm.
He may use them to draw His own back to the fold.
because He is a loving Father who chastens His children.
He may use them to encourage the weary.
because He is our strength.
He may use them to save lost souls who are dying and in desperate need of a Savior.
because that's all that really matters.
we may never, ever know.

when the tears roll and the burdens overwhelm, there is only One that i can truly rest in.

if we were really having coffee today, i would ask you to pray for my niece, Charis.
she is four years old, an absolute miracle, and a testament to God's grace.
she has been faced with challenges from the very first moment that she took her first breath into this world.
a heart transplant recipient at 9 days old.
yes, 9  days.
a true fighter, brave and strong.
she has recently faced aggressive cancer, one of the worst kinds, and has been through two rounds of chemotherapy.

she and her family need our prayers.
would you add them to your prayer list, please?
i thank you so much for them in advance.
to God be the glory.
no.
matter.
what.

so, in any season of our lives...

we have hope.
we can trust.
we can rest.

"For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD."
Psalm 117:2

xo,