Faith, Trust, Etc.

Blindfolded, seeing only what I see, I strain my eyes to look beyond the veil of things that are. Your voice leads, my heart trusts. Soon today will pass behind and failures surely fade, but trusting faith grows and grows. So in this moment, swallowing fear, I surrender the striving and let my eyes rest. In your wisdom You will show all that I need see, and in my faith assuredly a triumph it will be.

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These last few weeks have been FILLED with blessing. One thing after another, big and little. Max and I have been blown away by the Lord's goodness to us. The hard part is, I know exactly why. We said yes to some scary, overwhelming, out-of-our-comfort-zone things the Lord had put before us. And then He brought the next step under us. As we took it. The mental picture alone make my stomach flip-flop. I hate the unknown, I hate things being out of my control. But God seems to love it. Remember this? And probably another dozen posts I've written about being nervous for the future.

We leave in two days for our adventure. I feel like I've been holding my breath the last few days and will continue to do so until my feet are in Europe. I've got too much anxious excitement.

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I know quotes can be pretty cheesy and overdone. But when I'm struggling to find the words or the strength to keep going [and they have to be from the right people], a good quote can be just the ticket.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller

The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been. -Albert Einstein

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. - Corrie Ten Boom

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Our little fam took a mini-adventure to the fair on Sunday. All the colors were amazing, Hanley loved the animals, and I wore my cowboy boots.

Laid Down

Bend low, let  hair sweep the ground
One foot above floor boards,
Simplicity is hard to hear.

To live at its surface
Where dreams are wild,
Songs and words, senseless.

Find in grains of wood
Questions silenced,
For lack of care.

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I've been captured with this idea the last few days that if I could just lay down on the floor, flat on the floor, I would find what it's all about. Maybe it's to wrestle and tickle my baby, or look up at emptiness, or perhaps I'm just tired. But there's a flicker of something- curiosity, insatiability, romanticism- that is ready to dwell in simplicity. I want to learn all its beautiful secrets and share them with this darkened world.

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And more life bliss...

The skies have been so gorgeous lately. I wish I was a watercolor-pro and could recreate them.

I've got an explorer baby.

Gardening has never been a gifting of mine, so my ripening tomatoes are quite the achievement.


C.

He Himself

In between running the laundry and mopping every room in our house the other day I got this revelation: The Lord is not all that interested in a perfectly managed life. Working as an administrator, having a spatially-driven mind, and keeping [or attempting to keep] a strict budget, I can get serious OCD sometimes. It's difficult for my brain to comprehend that the God of order isn't too concerned about my to-do lists. As I pushed hard against the mop to get the crusted jam off my kitchen floor I started to wonder if it bothers Him that there's a stack of books on my night-stand that I got bored with and never finished, or that in my basement are many abandoned sewing projects.

What a brain scrambler. Thoughts jumbled, criss-crossed, upside-down.

I don't understand how all of my striving accomplishes so little, but produces so much anxiousness. Why do I endlessly move my pennies of ambition around hoping they'll somehow add up to something greater than the just-enough-to-get-by I've been experiencing?

I know this for certain, God is more than satisfied with these few dirty-pennies of giftings I shuffle from pocket to pocket. After all, God is full of grace, full of goodness, and ever faithful.

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I feel bad for people who don't get to know our Hanley Rose. As younger[ish] parents we may miss out on some things our peers do, but she is the sweetest thing. Even when she does her 100% girl whine, or arches her back in protest. The joy and fulfillment she brings I could never have imagined. It's amazing, another brain scrambler.

There's so much happening around me that I want to savor and capture, hold tight and always remember.

We got to welcome a new niece into the world last week. She is sweet as can be.

I can feel summer winding down so we are filling in these last weeks with lots of walks, meals outside, and hopefully one last visit to the lake.

Fall is my favorite season and I'm looking forward to sweet bundled eskimo-esque outfits for my baby.

Having my baby at work with me is the most wonderful thing. She's learning all sorts of new tricks and I'm so glad I don't miss too much.

Lastly, I did complete one sweet little dress for my baby, it was really a joint effort. She picked out the fabric and hungout with me while I sewed, but was quite the wiggly model/muse.