Journeys

Sitting by the campground pool, feeling heavy of heart. This is the time to start counting blessings. This is a long journey, with many questions, and some answers. How do I have hope for the future when I'm not sure what I'm aiming for? 

"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 8:28

I'm sure I'm too wrapped up in temporary things right now.  I know The Lord is after His glory in me.  He is working out the details of my life so I may see His goodness. Contentment. A feeling of calm satisfaction. But more. Satisfaction in the unseen work of the Holy Spirit. Okay with the here and now because I know the One who holds me. 

So the house contract is dissolved and our RV must remain our primary home. We're continuing our search in this area but we are looking in the next county north as well. The boys have adjusted well to their schools, so starting over in new ones isn't our preference, but houses don't appraise well in Palm Coast. People are more apt to purchase a foreclosure. The town is growing on me, though. So the thought of leaving is sad too. 

So today I sit in the shade and ocean breezes by a comfy pool and try to see the good. It's here, all around me. 

Boys close. 

Sunshine. 

Sunday gatherings. 

New beginnings. 

No water bills. 

And so on. 

But mostly 

Secure.  -Psalm 16

Purge, Purge, Purge

My son asked me the other day, “why haven’t you been writing?”  Really, I can’t give a good reason.  Maybe it has something to do with my season of life.  I should be writing, but I’ve found it difficult.  It’s been my dream to write, but I find within myself a barrier to pursuing my own dreams.  Maybe it’s some lie I’ve believed.   That I don’t have what it takes, or I should be placing my energy into something more practical.  Yet, why do I write?  Alan Ziegler says that some people write because there are stories we must tell, or because we must tell stories.  We write to remember; we write to forget.  We write to create something new, or to re-create something.  We write for sheer pleasure- or for healing.  We write to move the reader, or to change the reader, or to change ourselves.  I think for me, and most, it's a little bit of all those reasons.

The truth is, I love creating.  Whether it is a hand crafted ornament, or a faux finished wall, or a combination of well-ordered words, creating is a reward in itself.  But chewing my thoughts out on paper is the best time I’ve spent.  For me, writing is thinking- thinking right.  Typing or scribbling words helps me to measure my thoughts.  It’s taking pieces of a scattered, fragmented reality and putting it together to make sense.  It’s a search of the soul that brings about truth.  It’s revelation that leads to gratification. 

Through writing, I question faith, and then find it again.  I seek for divine intervention and find remedy.   It’s not that truth is subjective, or can be found by musing alone, it’s that I have sown truth, hidden it in my heart over time, trusted the God of the Bible to make it efficacious, and when I begin to pour out words in pen, reflections of the truth find their way out, all over the page. Writing is self discovery and God imparting.   Maybe it’s just for me, but I think those little nuggets of encouragement from a child shouldn't be missed.

Summer. Let it begin.

As my daughter so aptly says, "Summer, let it begin."  Joanna just graduated two weeks ago.  She auditions for a music scholarship today, and registers for classes tomorrow at Oglethorpe.  We leave for a family trip tomorrow and we are busy pulling all of our loose ends together.  Daniel is taking Latin on line this summer, so even though the work comes with, we plan to do a ton of hiking and biking, lots of picture taking and sun soaking.

In Georgia, the summers are short.  I don't mean that we have short bursts of heat, we have plenty of that.  I mean we have very little time off from classes.  School begins in the beginning of August so June and July are our only months to build memories and spend unconstrained time with one another.

Once July hits?  Football, JROTC, and wrestling.  August?  Packing and sending a daughter off to college.  And the madness continues.  But then again, "a little insanity never hurt anyone."

Anthony's First Team Sport

I don't know what it is about me, but by the time my fourth child was old enough to begin his own sporting ventures, we were so deep in theater, football, and basketball, that Anthony was the child who tagged along.  For the first time this year, we began letting him stay after class for "running club."  I am so very thankful, though, for his cousins love for soccer.  Because of this, Anthony begged me to play, and when his Uncle decided to coach, it became a no brainer.  Uncle Greg arranged for the cousins to be on the same team under his care.  So I don't even have to drive!  Thank you, Uncle Greg.  Here's pictures of the day of his first game!  Go England!