"Praise the LORD from the earth,

you sea monsters and all deeps,

fire and hail, 

snow and frost,

stormy wind in its rush;

mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and tame,

creeping creatures and soaring birds!"

--Psalm 148:7-10


"Oh the sheer delight of spanning the horizon
with a palette of color

Sometimes soft, pale peachy pinks at dusk...
a way to speak gentleness to the earth's inhabitants

Or hues of periwinkle blue and soft lavender
to touch some lonely soul

Other times
   a canon of brilliant orange, red and yellow is set off
and collides in the heavens
to dazzle even the most cynical

For one cannot escape
the tantalizing display of 
a mesmerizing sunset

Splashing praise with a brush 
in the Master Creator's hand"
 

 "I will say to my soul,

'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years.

Relax, eat, drink, be merry."

--Luke 12:19

"I will say to my soul,

'Soul, your abundance is in Jesus.

All the peace, security, contentment and joy you need

flows from Him.

Not only did He come to give of His abundance

freely--

He is the abundant One!

The abundant life

is a Person!

Oh my soul

rest in Him

draw from Him

He is your 

unstoppable

 Abundance!'"

It has been a number of weeks 

since I have written a prayer from Rachel Hackenberg's "prayer prompt"

as summer and cottage life has interrupted rhythms of life. 

 But this one jumped out at me and was written effortlessly 

It is what the Abundant One has been speaking to my soul about--

His abundance.

And what He has made me aware of again--

that I so rarely live out of His abundance.

Sigh.

How delightful it has been for Him

 to have awakened within me

the beauty and constancy and strength

of His abundance.

I so long to live here.

Still

Still

enough to hear the leaves

rustle with the wind

the birds sing their endless

collage of melodies

Still

enough to gaze on a

candle's flickering dance

the patchwork colors of blankets

keeping me warm

Still

enough to be quiet in His presence

listening, waiting, wondering

the Mystery

Thankful wave upon wave-crashing gratitude

for blessings 

and goodness

and heaping bounty

Still

July 21/13

Still 

is what marked our first five days at Eden last week.

After that the cottage grew in population by 3 lovely teenage ladies:)

I have been basking in the stillness of just Brian and I

at the cottage

but I also delight in my daughter's arrival with friends in tow

It does change everything though

And now that we are home again--

and I love being home

I have to choose stillness

in my soul

in my mind

because "life" is 

sometimes busy, sometimes complicated, sometimes stress-laden

 I don't like it when I wear the effects of all of the above

I don't like that adding people to the cottage

changes my insides

or that the ups and downs of life at times churn my inner being

Why can't I just be still?

A "New" Eden

If this picture depicts serenity, peace, stillness, quiet, 

then you have been able to "see" some of our time spent at Eden last week.

Yes, Brian and I had 5 days alone last summer,

but I was sick the entire time,

so being able to actually taste Eden without kids

did not fully happen

until just a few days ago.

And it was beautiful.

Just beautiful.

This is the stage we are moving into...

the empty nest.

And while there is most certainly a 

bittersweet taste to this upcoming season,

there is so much that is rich and filling to my spirit.

In a few days we return

just the two of us

It's like a "new" Eden.

Happy 1st Anniversary...Cam and Sonya!!!

July 14, 2012

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."

 "Thus says the LORD, who created the heavens 

and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it and 

spirit to those who walk in it.

'I am the LORD, that is my name.

The former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth,

I tell you of them.'"

--Isaiah 42:5 and 8-9

Creator God

who breathed life into

creation

and

created beings

You are worthy of my 

worship 

for Who You are.

Creator God

Who is ever forever the Artist of my days--

carving new paths for me to journey on

rainbow relationships to be discovered

fresh growth places for my soul to awaken to

I welcome Your artistic movement within

I trust Your wise brush strokes

as the canvas unfolds.

When "hello" is the Beginning of "goodbye"

We opened Eden this past weekend.

She was waiting for us in all her glory

a broken water pipe just to remind us

that some things never change.

Regardless of how carefully we close up in the fall,

winter still seems to do a number on the pipes

of this charming little haven.

But we're used to it by now

It's all part of the fun and adventure and memory making.

This particular cottage season will be one of

drinking deeply the beauty of this place

of relishing each moment

of basking in rest and adventure and food and relationships

It will be a season marked with a strong taste of

bittersweet.

We put Eden up for sale this weekend):

Fifteen years of memories fill this tiny summer "home".

For 3 families

it has been fifteen years of our children growing up together

and we as adults growing...well...growing up too in many ways.

Eden was a gift beyond anything we had every imagined when we purchased her!

She will always be known as this holy sanctuary

where heaven and earth met...

even with burst water pipes!!

Last year we began to talk seriously about the possibility of selling

A lot has changed, specifically in the past 5 years

with my sister and her family moving 5 hours away

and my brother and his family

and our family

all rapidly changing

as our children grow older

get married, and go off to university and
make memories of their own.

It will not be an easy "goodbye"

for any of us.

But as much as we are all deeply in love with our Eden

we all feel that it's "time."

So our "hello" to Eden this spring

is the beginning of "goodbye"

We laughed and talked and ate and worked

with gusto and the knowledge that we are making

farewell memories.

My tired hubby and Zoe...just home from Haiti and not cottage opening!

Having fun in the leaves!!  Aaron and Anderson

Chris and

Charmaine busy raking leaves

Time out for a story!! :)

Mikaela and Emma painting sun catchers

Ashley and Rachel washing dishes...I think:)

Touching up the trim...Randy and Chris

Yummy fruit for waffles

Preparing for Flower Planting

More painting...my hubby:)

   

Oh Eden...
how we are going to miss you...

But not yet!!
Our season has just begun!