I have often been accused of being a person who laughs a lot.  I don't usually notice that I do, but so many do notice, that I've had to look at myself and scrutinize my actions - and contemplate the reasons! Maybe there is some nervousness to my laughter at times.  But somehow I have come to the conclusion that there is not much about life that I don't enjoy or find some humor in.  Even when times are tough, there is usually something to smile about if we reason with ourselves and consider the bigger picture!  Don't get me wrong...I have shed plenty of tears for many reasons.  There are simply hard days and real heartaches in every life.  The temporal will always challenge us and bring trials.  I have gotten somewhat better at thinking of the eternal aspect whenever I do manage to compose my aches and excitements.  It is kind of a constant learning process to react according to the bigger picture, but I have discovered that God's grace is truly sufficient in good times - and bad.  Where there is peace and where there is panic - there is God.  And where there is God - there is hope.  Hope does not disappoint, because ultimate hope has blessed assurance and comfort.  The temporal produces sadness and short-term happenings and emotions.  The eternal promises joy unspeakable and a never-ending story.  Even great loss can be redeemed and restored in the eternal picture.  Sorrow can consume us in this life unless we have the hope of the next one in our hearts.  It is only when we realize those truths that we can find a reason to smile.  And yes, even a reason to celebrate - out loud - life that conquers even death!  It is possible to laugh amidst our sorrows and see the long-term joy that overcomes the trials of this life.  It is possible to celebrate the next life as we smile through the tears of the present one.  This past decade has been one of constant struggle, sickness and difficulty in many ways for our family.  I can say with all honesty that the very real enemy we are challenged by will ultimately lose the battle that he has been granted a limited amount of freedom to torment through.  And that, my friends is reason enough to laugh out loud! 

Well....it's an "I can't sleep, maybe I'll blog" kind of night.  Just tossed and turned until I decided to stop fighting it! :)  Guess I'm dreaming of "home".  Very anxious to get settled in our new house in about a week.  We are staying with my brother and sister-in-law as we have sold our city house and getting ready to close on a new place in the country.  Was looking through photos tonight and found this one of an old Caledonia homestead.  It looks like someone has loved it plenty.  The stones of the fireplace probably didn't get placed there in a day!  The logs in the cabin were obviously hand hewn and built with shelter and perhaps a family in mind.  And then there is the expanded house...with more space and more windows - most likely an upgrade for a new or growing family.  We can only guess, but whatever the history or stories here, it is a pleasant picture to contemplate...and it somehow makes me happy!  Perhaps because I look forward to my own place to hang a hat (or farm equipment!) soon.  

Lord, I pray for Your favor and blessing on the move ahead.  May our home be welcoming to many a friend and family.  May Your light and life be clearly present there.  And....may You keep it and all who enter safe and filled with a constant hunger for more of You!  

Another day has come and gone.  Just decided to ask myself a few questions.  Did I view it from a half-empty cup or a half-full one?  Am I observing shadows or do I see the light that creates them?  Life is a choice.  Every day.  Every moment.  We can choose to see the dark.  Or, we can choose to see what the sunlight does to the dark.  It rained today.  As I looked up I saw the sun so relentlessly breaking through the clouds that even the rain began to struggle to drip!  It was comical...and I caught myself thinking, "If only I could squeeze sunshine into my situations - it would surely over power the rain!"  The thought occurred to me that if our minds and hearts are stayed on our heavenly Father, the things of earth indeed do grow dim in the light of His amazing grace!  It is good to know the Source from which all blessings flow!  

Tis the season!  Grandma Doris' apples have arrived via my sister and brother-in-law's buckets after their latest visit to see my hubby's mother.  She has two trees that have almost unceasingly produced bushels of sweet delicious apples every year!  1st on the menu this past week - an amazing apple pie!  As good as any Kimswick mile high pie!  It took two of us to peel them, then Joyce (sister-in-law) flew into action and created her magic!  Thanks God for such wholesome treats during this time of year! And oh how colorful!  Kinda puts some lively color in the pre-fall pallet!  

The most terrible thing about chiggers is chiggers are terrible things!  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE country walks and hikes through the woods!  But oh how I hate those little flesh-eating varmints!!!  Yep, I got em' again over a week ago, and they are still creating itchy craters in my skin!  There has simply been no remedy for my crawling skin - except Benadryl.  And so I have lived on those little capsules now since the tiny beggars began gnawing away at me from head to toe!  A couple of years ago they had found me again and had another party at my expense.  It seems I am an inviting source of their feasting habit!  (Still have scars to prove it!)  Though I suppose there are worse things, I am not sure I can think of one right now - as I scratch another layer from my right leg!  They must be co-herts of the devil himself - seeking whom they may devour!  Yes, that's it.  Demons.  Had my eyes been good enough to see them, I bet they have horns and a forked tail!   

                                                                              A "last year" fall pic.  Guess where?  :)

Humor me if you will while I fantasize a little.  The season just ahead is beyond a doubt the best time of year!  The only thing about fall that I don't like is that it does not last long enough!  Every sunny, glimmering day of mild temperatures and brilliant color is a favorite of mine.  I know, I know....many say it reminds them that winter is on the way.  I get that.  But I am a person who loves the moment.  There are lots of those in these up and coming weeks!  I will savor the sun, bask in the blue skies, smile at the shimmer, and dance in the dazzle of the warm autumn colors!  Part of the joy is simply looking forward to it!  I have a new home in the woods that I am excited to settle into.  My heart twirls at the very idea of looking out the window to see orange and red leaves floating about and squirrels frolicking across the branches as they too build their own homes for the coming winter.  I can almost hear crackling flames in the fireplace on cool evenings, and taste rich hot chocolate with thick and frothy melted marshmallows!  That is all....just a little fall.  :) 

Good morning.  Moving slowly today.  However, there is a place where I can see the Sun as it lifts into the sky and warms even the silent places that welcome its powerful streams of light.  Lift up your heads, friends!  Let His glorious warmth and promise amaze you today.  He is always near!

"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!  you have set Your glory in the heavens.  Through the praise of children and infants You have established a stronghold against Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  When I consider Your heavens the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?"  Psalm 8:1-4