Happy 18 Birthday Ashley!!!!

Out for dinner:)

Opening a map of the world--for our girl who plans to travel

New Horizons just around the corner

New York City

Surreal

Mezmerizing

Fascinating

Amazing Adventure

These are the words I have been using to describe the 5 days Brian and I spent in New York City

last week.

Getting there was a monumental step for me as I have not been on a plane in 22 years.

Being suspended (somehow) 30,000 feet above solid ground is not my idea of fun.

But with Vineyard Worship streaming from my ipod

some lovely medication:)

and only an hour flight

I not only managed to get through it,

I will do it again in the future.

Brian had a conference for 2 of the days, but we went a a day and a half prior and stayed an extra night.

We shared some of the conference highlights together in terms of our evening meals

and time on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Some...of my Gratitude List...

**luxury bathrobes in hotel room

**Waldorf Chicken Salad

**walking down Broadway

**Time Square

**walking the streets of NY with my hubby and an umbrella

**still getting wet:)

 **Sunset over Hudson River on Floor 38

**the many people who prayed for me for the flight

**deepest gratitude for the simple beauty of my home while living in opulence

**hop on/hop off bus tours--the only way to see NY

**Century 21 Shopping and great bargains

**Ferry Boat Ride and Statue of Liberty

**lots of walking exercise

**Sea Grill Restaurant and a Sea Bass Dinner

**getting away from it all

**still being able to eat healthy

**sleeping in til 7:50

Freedom Tower

**the fascination of this city

**metro bracelet gift from conference organizers

**rooftop gardens and Empire State Building view

**bandaids for my blistered toes

**a bite of NY cheesecake

**NY Stock Exchange Tour

**thankful for the quiet city I live in

**create-your-own -salad cafe's

**people watching

**a holiday from cooking, cleaning, errands, a to-do list, emails, texting making the bed, laundry

**seeing "Wicked"!!

**3 seconds for our doorman to hail a taxi

**going  home today

**fast, smooth, airport transitions

Prom...from a Mama's Heart

 

"It's easy to complain about children.

But when we want to express our joy, our love,

the words elude us.

The feelings are almost so sacred they defy speech."

--Joan McIntosh

"Being a mother, as far as I can tell,

is a constantly evolving process

of adapting to the needs of your child

while also changing and growing as a person in your own right."

--Deborah Insel

"I cannot stop marvelling at her perfect formation,

her peaceful sleeping face,

and her shock of black(auburn) hair.

I feel awkward and uncomfortable about handling her,

but I am learning."

--Simone Bloom

"Discovering an ability to love uncritically and totally

has been exhilarating.

It's the sort of love that calls upon my whole being,

bringing all of my potential to life."

--Ronnie Friedland

"Once Eleza was doing more than merely screaming or sleeping,

I wanted to talk endlessly about our adorable and clever little petunia blossom.

Who else was as interested in her as I?

Who else but my husband could appreciate the subtle changes that go

unobserved by all others?"

--Carol Kort

"Jennie smiles for the first time--

a gentle parting of her lips into a contented, happy crinkle,

and we are filled with delight and excitement.

We get out her baby book and make the first notation."

--Simone Bloom

"Mothering should involve both taking care of someone

who is dependent and at the same time

supporting  that person in his or her efforts

to become independent."

--Signe Hammer

"What is the price of an afternoon when a small girl is soothed in your arms

when the sun bolts through a doorway and both you and the child

are very young?"

--Dorothy Evslin

 "The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and,

in a sense, tragic.

It requires the most intense love on the mother's side,

yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother,

and to become fully independent."

--Erich Fromm

"It will be gone before you know it.

The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher.

Then suddenly they disappear."

--Dorothy Evslin

Life

"Now THIS is the Life."

Have you ever thought or announced those words?

Perhaps at the beach as the sand sifted through your toes

Or on a hot, lazy afternoon as the ice cream drips off your chin

Or even a slow Saturday morning after sleeping in

These past days I have been inundated with life

And find myself thinking...

"THIS is Life...

The mourning of a loved one taken

while simultaneously rejoicing
in their homecoming into our Father's presence...

Friends who are grieving this loss yet grateful
 for beloved memories of a
husband,
father,
grandfather...

The pain of an unmended relationship

out of my control...

An anticipated family BBQ with out of town relatives...

The upcoming celebration of our season- ending -Small Group...

And ALL the preparation in preparing for these get togethers
in my home!! 

Joy and excitement in a Mama's growing belly and

loving on Mom and Dad-to-be with a shower...

The ongoing challenges of those moving through recovery

their tired bodies trudging the long path...

Prom

and Prom drama

and the 100 other highs and lows of a teenage daughter

preparing for this memorable occasion...

Weariness and emotional struggles

in this "fullness" of Life


THIS is Life

Life in all of its
joy and pain
exhaustion and celebration
sadness and rejoicing
work and rest

Psalm 42:8
has long been an all encompassing verse for me--
"The Lord will command His lovingkindness
in the daytime;
And His song will be with me
in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life."