Hope that never puts to shame

The past few months have been a difficult season of life for me. No really big problems, just lots of little trials and hurdles. Some have challenged me to take a long, hard look at where my real hope lies. Several trials have involved my children, which pierces my heart with pain. I have struggled to keep my hands firmly grasping both sorrow (reality) and hope (promise).

Both children had the stomach bug this weekend, which forced my schedule to slow down to a halt, and gave me time to reflect and wrestle with my soul. I stayed up late in Harry's room the other night, preparing for a talk that I am giving at our women's retreat this weekend. Three of us are dividing up the book, A Praying Life, by Paul Miller, and the section that I am speaking on is about finding God in the desert. This was exactly what my heart needed to mull over at 1:00 a.m. with a throwing up kid next to me.

This quote from the book has stuck with me over the last several months: "...Gospel stories always have suffering in them. American Christianity has an allergic reaction to this part of the gospel. We'd love to hear about God's love for us, but suffering doesn't mesh with our right to the 'pursuit of happiness'. So we pray to escape a gospel story, when that is the best gift the Father can give us." I think this is what I have been doing for most of my adult life. I have been wanting to be like Jesus, but without the pain and suffering part. I have wanted a "gospel story" without the cross that is the center of it. I am beginning to realize that the two are inseparable. Jesus isn't a Savior without His cross.

So I am praying to find the Father within the sufferings. The trials are a means for me to be purified, to have my heart become completely His. So many things have been crowding Him out of my thoughts, and they need to be removed and put in their rightful place. This verse is constantly being brought to my mind: "...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope DOES NOT PUT US TO SHAME, because God's love has been POURED INTO our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5: 3-5

I want to have a heart that belongs, completely and wholly, to the One who has poured His love into my heart. He has borne the ultimate suffering, the curse of the tree, so that I would never have to. I can bear these trials, even rejoice in them, to have Him become my only Hope.

Hannah as "Princess Leia" and Harry as "Spiderman"

Playing around...

...with the camera I got for my birthday from Ken and the kids! As a special "gift", the kids let me take some pictures of them, so I could try out my camera. It's a steep learning curve for me as I have always had a "point and shoot" model until now. I'll have fun experimenting!

Pumpkin Patch

I know I have not yet posted pictures from the rest of the summer or of the beginning of the school year, but I had to post these pumpkin patch ones! We had so much fun picking out our pumpkins, even though it was a little cold and windy outside. I LOVE pumpkins, especially the ones that are varying shades of gray and white. We tried a new place this year, and I was really happy with it. Instead of charging different prices for different kinds of pumpkins, they just charged unilaterally by the pound. The same pumpkins would have cost me $6 more at Kroger. I know, because I checked! :)

The pumpkins were such beautiful works of art! Fall is one of the most lovely and colorful seasons in our neck of the woods, so hopefully more autumn pictures to come!

Summer Fun, Part 1: Travels

It's been a long time since I last posted. We had a really fun summer, and I plan on sharing what we did over the next several posts.

One thing we did a ton of was TRAVEL! We traveled over 7,000 miles this summer going on vacation and visiting with family. It was fun to get to spend time with the people we love and don't get to see near enough.

We went to Hilton Head with my family and enjoyed the beach, the bicycle trails, and all the fun activities (like putt-putt). Ken sent me a week ahead of himself and the kids, so I actually got a REAL vacation!!! What a sweet sacrifice from my dear husband. Thanks to Mimi and Pop coming to visit that week to lend a helping hand, I was able to read on the beach, sleep in, and basically do whatever I felt like for a WHOLE WEEK. Words just can't express. All you tired mamas know what I'm talking about. Ken and the kids came for the second week and I was so relaxed--I was actually able to enjoy my children on vacation. Such a blessing. :) Here are some pictures from that week:

Breakfast at our favorite diner in HHI

Grandparents sweetly watched the kids one night, so Ken and I went out on a much needed date:

On the way home, we stopped off in Savannah and showed the kids the B&B that we stayed in on our honeymoon! Fun memories. Also funny to think about what a DIFFERENT stage of life we are in these days! Sigh...

That's all for now. Hopefully some more updates to come soon!

The VERY BEST thing about summer...

...is getting to spend loads of time with this girl! I miss her a lot during the school year, and summer is a fun catch up time for us. We've been shopping, picked out our summer reading books, painted toe-nails, gone on bike rides, played at the pool together, and have just enjoyed each other's company. Days full of memories to treasure.

Here are the pictures from her "Bridging Ceremony" for girl scouts. She is now officially a brownie! Yes, that means we will be selling cookies next year. What this means for me? I will now be able to order as many boxes of thin mints as I like without anyone knowing! he he he

My Little Slugger

Here's my handsome little man (and my other handsome man) in their baseball uniforms! It's been so fun watching Harry play and Ken help as an assistant coach. Fun days.