She is a daughter of the King

Just want to catch you up on some of what's happened in our lives since our first grandbaby was born.
She was baptized into God's family on Sunday, June 5th.

In attendance at this joyful event:  Parents of SIL, pastor, SIL & Daughter #2 holding grandbaby, 

Dear Husband, Moi, Son & DIL, Mom, SIL & Daughter #1

4 Generations of our family

We had brunch together at the same restaurant we went to on Mother's Day.

Oh, I just love to nibble on these sweet little piggies!

May our tender Shepherd touch you with His grace today, friends!

Love,

Christmas In July

My daughter received these peonies to celebrate the birth of her first-born.
No, you're not cross-eyed.  They are out of focus.

I played Bible roulette again this morning with my Women's Devotional Bible.  I pick it up from the side table and read whatever page it opens to.  Do you ever do that?

Today I happened upon this poem by Anne Ortland, a Christian musician and author.

Incarnation

"The Lord is in His holy house"-

Oh, grace beyond describing,

That Christ in me should please to dwell-

Immanuel residing!

"My soul doth magnify the Lord,"

I sing with lowly Mary,

That God should choose to enter in

This

      humble sanctuary!

I read it through a couple of times, marveling at her word pictures and the truths of which she spoke.  Her inspiration came from Luke 1, the story of the angel's announcement to Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Luke 1:35 & 37 jumped out at me:  

The angel answered...

"... no thing (word change and emphasis mine) is impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

A favorite daydream came to mind immediately.  For several years my Dear Husband and I have been mulling around the idea of moving closer to our children.  We want to experience life with them on a WAY more regular basis.  We want our visits to be unhurried, not sandwiched between two 3-hour drives.  

This dream is my impossible thing for these reasons:

We'd need to sell our home.  

In this market?

I would have to quit the job I love.  

Not work with my students?  

How could we afford to replace the health insurance benefits it provides?

DH would need to continue being self-employed.

In this economy?

We would need to forge new lives for ourselves, individually and as a couple.

This means a new support system of church and community friends-can't expect the kids to fill all of our time

This dream and the accompanying thoughts are never far from my conscious mind.   They often surface causing my heart and tummy to ache.  But this morning, as I read Anne's poem and the Truth from God's Word, I laid those cares at His throne of grace.  Because Jesus, the One that Mary bore, in Whom I "live and move and have" my being,* lives in me and with Him no thing is impossible.

What is your impossible thing?

May God give you grace to trust that He is living and moving in your life

with the knowledge that His plans for you are wonderful.

Love, 

Karen

*Paul is quoting the Cretan poet Epimenides in Acts 17:28.  I didn't know that.  Did you?

P.S.  I WILL BE ON VACATION FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AND DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.  I HAVE SCHEDULED ANOTHER POST FOR WEDNESDAY, SO Y'ALL COME BACK AND VISIT, 'KAY?  WHEN YOU VISIT AND, PRETTY PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT, KNOW THAT I WILL VISIT YOU TOO WHEN I GET IT TOGETHER RETURN.  

Playing along with 

Beverly for Pink Saturday

Charlotte & Ginger for Spiritual Sundays

All Means All

 I got to celebrate Mother's Day at Anthony's restaurant near where our kids live.  

This was the view from the window.

Yes, it was a gray day. 

But we Northwesterners  choose to look at the bright side of the weather.

Notice the clouds reflecting in the water.

The evergreen and new-growth green of the slopping hillside.

The boats gently bobbing on the quiet water.

After brunch, we noticed a patch of blue sky and said,

"It's turning out to be a lovely day!"

By contrast, on Saturday our dogwood was glowing in full bloom during a sun break 

as I finished tying  my grandbaby's quilt.

Last Monday I secured  the edges with decorative machine stitching.

It's not perfect, but a whole lotta love went into each stitch. 

True Confession:  I chose Contemporary Christian instead of listening to Country music.

Decided that, as I worked, I'd note lyrics from the songs that spoke to my heart about God's plans for grandbaby's life.  More often than not, lyrics for these songs are based on verses from the Bible.

What better way to pray/sing blessing into his/her life?  

[Don't think that's possible with Country music.]

Yes, it took twice as long to tie the quilt, but it turned my nervous anticipation into peaceful joy.

And, TA DA!

Here's the result:

7 days before her due date!
As close to being a mommy on Mother's Day as a girl can be, without actually holding her baby.

We squinted happily at being together under the patchy blue sky.
Sweet DIL, DH, Son, moi, D#2, SIL
D#1 and other SIL were in Europe

This morning I read this:

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

As I anticipate my daughter's labor and delivery, 

Jesus applied His Word to our circumstances this way:

"I will give her the gift of My grace in this, too.

Because I love her and her baby, 

they have My boundless provision of mercy and love to protect them.

For giving birth to this new little life is, indeed,

a good work!

So do not be afraid, O little [Karen],

for I myself will help [them].

{Isaiah 41:10}

To which I reply, "Thank You, Jesus!"

Grace, mercy, and love be to YOU today, too, friend.

Love,

Linking with

Ann at A Holy Experience for Multitudes on Monday.

This is a blog hop I whole-heartedly recommend.

The blogs I visit here are nearly always worthy of the time spent reading them!

I truly wish I could figure out how to add Ann's graphic here without the html code.

Again, I ask for my readers' help with this.

Also linking with

Internet Cafe's Word-Filled Wednesday

A picture of comfort

Today I received news that a friend's great grand baby had died inutero.  

She asked me to keep the family in my prayers, as they are, of course, devastated.

Weeping with sorrow, I typed out my prayer:

that they would be comforted in knowing 

their baby is sitting on Jesus' lap, waiting for them in heaven.

For the record:

It is NOT my intention by this post to make their tragedy about ME!

I simply desire to offer comfort to anyone who's lost a child

-for whatever reason- 

by means of the comfort the Lord gave me a long time ago.

Here is my story.

38 years ago, my then-boyfriend [now Dear Husband] and I 

aborted our first child.

We married 6 years later and 2 years after that,

the Lord blessed us with the first of our 3 children.

Just realized that might be better stated like this:

"...the second of our four children."

Slowly, we began to realize, as we never had before, 

the gravity of our decision to abort our first child.

We mourned that baby for 25 years.

Yes, we asked the Lord to forgive us 

and in our heads, we knew He did.

During that time the Lord gave me the mental picture of

Him holding our baby on His lap,

safe and happy, with his/her Savior,

waiting to meet us in heaven.

But we never received that comfort in our hearts 

nor had we lived in the freedom of forgiveness.

Several times over the years we'd shared about our abortion 

with close friends and with various Bible study groups, 

but our sorrow lingered. 

About 6 years ago, on Sanctity of Life Sunday, 

my pastor asked me to share our abortion experience at 3 worship services.  

As a result of that testimony, God brought good out of a bad decision we'd made 

by drawing other hurting hearts to Himself.

What was the result of sharing our story for me?

It was no longer about me.

It was about God

and His grace and forgiveness to me;

His patience and faithfulness in drawing me close to His heart all those years

until I received it.

Today I pray that whoever reads this and needs it, 

 will receive the same comfort the Lord continues to give me:

the knowledge that their baby is loved with His everlasting love, 

is secure in His everlasting arms,

and is sitting in Jesus' lap,

waiting to meet them in heaven.

The eternal God is your refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27

Love,

Linking with
Ann Voskamp @ A Holy Experience for
"Multitudes on Monday"
<a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff162/annvoskamp/multitudesonmondaysbutton2-1.jpg" ></a>
[Can someone please teach me how to copy and paste the button code so that the graphic also shows?!?]
If you'd like to join us for this weekly meme, go to her site above, and link up.
I've been following Ann's blog for a couple of months now and I must say that every time I read it, I am blessed by the depth of her posts.  I look forward to checking out the other participants' links over the next several days.
Ann also hosts Walk with Him Wednesdays.
Tough Cookie Mommy for

Being one flesh

Many years into my married life, I began to wonder what it meant to be "one flesh" in marriage. 
It sure didn't feel like we were one flesh.  I began to ask the Lord about it.  


But I often rebelled at His consistent answer to my query:
You must die to self.  
Life is a series of opportunities to die to your own needs, desires, opinions.  
Your marriage is the first place I want you to practice that.  
You must consider your husband's needs before your own.

That's not fair, Lord!  What about me?  

His answer, "I want you to rely on Me first.  

When your husband does meet your needs, it's by My grace. 

And when he is unable/unwilling to fulfill your needs, I will.  

All blessings in life are from My hand.  

When your needs go unmet, that, too, is my portion for you. 

But I am always with you.

Constantly I provide for you, often in ways you had no idea you needed.  

Ask Me for the grace to meet his needs.  

I will give it

-and the peace and joy that results-

if you are willing to die to yourself.

Today I read here about being one flesh.  

It was another gentle reminder to rely on my heavenly Father first and to die to my self.

By spending time in His Word, praising Him, laying my burdens on Him, listening for His voice,

He prepares my heart to willingly, joyfully meet my husband's needs.

Jesus Christ's lifestyle was one of reliance on His Father first and dying to self 

from conception to His last breath on the cross 

for my salvation.  And yours.

And so I pray:

Jesus, by Your grace, open my heart to opportunities to die to myself today, 

for my husband's sake.  

I ask this, Lord, so that we may consciously experience 

being one flesh:

unity with You first and then with each other.

With Your love and strength, 

may the cord of 3 strands that our marriage represents 

be a testimony to our descendants for Your glory.

Love,

Link to this post:  When You Don't Feel Like "One Flesh."

Empty Nest

 Are you on this end of motherhood?  How did/do you deal with it?

Are your friends, activities, job, husband, and home

enough to fulfill you, allow you to live your purpose in God's plan?

Been there.  Still do it.  Or, at least, tell myself to do it.

But I struggle.

Struggle, as in 

"I miss my kids so much my chest feels like it's going to burst!"

That began when our eldest went to college and got married, and only increased in intensity as the next 2 did the same.  I've been trying to find a healthy outlook in this season for over 10 years.

Am I the only one?

Yes, there are many joy-filled moments and blessings to be savored.  

There's lots of love to keep me warm.

But in my heart, this "missing them" spot is fresh and tender.

Do you have one of those?

Elizabeth at Just Following Jesus left me a thoughtful comment [love those!] on yesterday's post.

I hopped over to her site to thank her and found a kindred heart.

In her Wednesday post, she talked about her sorrow as her Daughter, SIL, and children 

leave the US to serve God in Africa.  

She quoted Watchman Nee,

"God wants us to love Him more than our Isaac."

She's considering starting a new blog called M{oms}O{f}M{issionaries}

with this purpose-

Maybe us Mamas need an online place to share both the wounds of letting go as well as the joys of seeing our children serving God and to share prayer requests as well.

I want to be a joyful, gracious woman of God.

For the most part, I believe I am by the looks of me.

But my heavenly Father and my Dear Husband know differently.

They know my struggle.

I want to be able to be alone with myself and them

and truly be that woman.

I need some other Moms to come alongside me 

and help me learn to love God more than I love my Isaac.  

I have encouraged Elizabeth to begin that blog.

How about you?

Would such a blog fill a need in your heart and soul?

If so, please visit her and tell her that.

I am so thankful that you are there.

Your posts and comments help me with these crazy ups and downs

as I try to find my way with Jesus.

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:1, 23-24 

May you taste God's abundant grace today!

Love,

Linking up with 

Iris @ Grace Alone for Thankful Thursday

Worth More Than Sparrows

See her beak?  

Even the sparrow has found a home 

and the swallow a nest for herself, 

where she may have her young-

a place near your altar,

O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Psalm 84:3

A hummingbird built her nest on the lower branch of our fir tree about a month ago.

Since then we've had lots of rain, wind, and even 4" of snow.

I really thought she'd desert her nest after the snow.

Surely her eggs froze, right?

Nope.  

She has a job to do-hatch, raise, and launch those chicks out of the nest.

I realized the LORD Almighty was aware of that mother bird and her nest.

The wind and rain of life challenged my Dear Husband and me, too.

But we had an important task to do-

raise up the next generation of servants of the King of the universe.

By his tender grace and mercy,

that's what we did.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

Selah [pause, and think calmly of that].

Blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 84:4, 12

Happy Wednesday, dear ones!

Love,

Thank you to all of the women who host these fun, inspiring weekly Wednesday hops:
Linking with

Word-filled Wednesday @ Internet Cafe Devotions 

Scripture and a Snapshot @ Katie Lloyd Photography

walk with Him Wednesdays @ a holy experience
So sorry, Ann, couldn't figure out how to add your
wwHW button or graphic.  Could not find your email.
Please contact me so I can fix this.

Wordish Wednesday with Supermom

Wordless Wednesday @ Never Growing Old 

"Monday, Monday...

so good to me.
Monday, Monday,
it was all I hoped it would be.

Actually, it was Friday and Saturday that were all I hoped they'd be.
One of my goals for Project 2011 was accomplished:
Make plans with my husband to improve our marriage.
On Friday evening and Saturday all day,
we attended this marriage conference at our church:
Cultivating A Thriving Marriage
I should mention that growing together, instead of apart,
is a mutual interest.
I didn't have to twist his arm.
God is answering 20 years' worth of prayers  
as He begins a new work in us
in our empty nest season,
just before grandparenthood.
He is teaching us a deeper meaning of
what it means to be one flesh.
Remember that term from your wedding vows?
Seems so long ago.
Jeepers, it was long ago!

On Friday evening, we sat with 2 other couples, and, over dinner, 

chatted about our first dates, honeymoons and favorite vacations.

.

Did I mention the meal was catered? 

I didn't have to plan it or cook it.  

I wasn't on the committee to set up, serve, or clean up, 

(The youth group did that!)

and there were lemon bars for dessert.

I passed up brownies for lemon bars.

I know!  Crazy me!

Which would you rather have?

My Knight in Shining Armor,

was at my side.

Throw in friends and good food.

The weekend was shaping up to be 

one of the best we've had as a couple 

for a mighty long time.

After dinner, 

Ben and Janet Burns, national speakers at 

Family Life's Weekend to Remember marriage conferences, 

were introduced and spoke with humor and sensitivity about 

the differences between men and women.

Her thoughts:  "Where is our relationship headed?"

His thoughts:  "The car needs and oil change."

I'm certain about this:  
Everyone who reads this has noticed 

this apparent disconnect between the sexes, right?

Right??

Since Friday night was supposed to be a date night,

there was another special treat in store for us:

A local Christian couple, married for 35 years,

Mark Hanson, a Grammy-award winning guitarist,

and his wife, Greta Pedersen, the 2009 Artist of the Year for Young Audiences,

 performed for us.

(You can check out Mark's videos on youtube, too.  I've only linked to one here.)

On Saturday morning, Ben reminded us,

as is usual at each one of the Family Life Conferences we've attended, 

to make these our priorities:
 God first-Vertical relationship
Spouse second-Horizontal relationship

He said he and Janet experience conflict in their marriage.

And so does every other married couple, Christian or not.

Another thing I feel certain about:  
This is not new news.
Is it?

Well, phew! 
The DH and I aren't the only couple in church 
who have some doozies conflict.

They equipped us with useful scripts and methods to use to
work through our conflicts

in God-honoring ways, with love and truth.
Yes, marriage is work.  Every.  Single.  Day.

Everything they shared can be used by newlyweds as well as folks who've been married for decades.

One of the best things about the conference was that many of our friends were there.

When we first met, 17 years ago, we were all raising teenagers

a trying time even if you have "good" kids.

Together, we went through the stops and starts of 

launching them,

only to experience the empty nest.

College/jobs/military service, weddings and/or out-of-wedlock pregnancies, 

and grandparent-hood were next.

By God's grace, we are all still married to the partners of our youth.

It's so encouraging to know that these dear friends 

are still committed to their marriages 

and that they rely on Godly instruction to thrive, together, till death parts them.

Several times during the weekend I wondered,

"How do people get through married life 

without God

and a church family?!"

Thank You, Lord, for the tools we came away with this weekend.

We're so grateful that You will help us learn to use them.

Thanks, too, for our church family with whom we get to share 

the mountain tops and valleys of life here on earth.

Not by might, nor by power,
but by My Spirit, says the LORD...
Who despises the day of small things?
Zechariah 4:6, 10

My God shower His grace, mercy, and peace on you today!

Love, 

Linking up with

Cate at Moments of Whimsy

and for the first time with Drowsy Monkey for

and Danielle for

and Darcy for

and Katie for

and the Latte Lady, Janet for

I'm Thankful For...

...my Golden Retriever, Boomer. 

 I read about a local dog show this morning and began thinking about her.  

Realized I still miss her.  

Terribly.

Boomer, 1994-2009

I know many folks in the world are hurting, hungry, homeless, and hopeless.

But I just wanted to take a few moments to

remember her

with you.

She helped me greet the day, every day, for over 14 years.

She suffered a stroke in August of 2009.

She'd been hobbling around on arthritic hips for several years. 

Be assured, we gave her doggie-type medicine for her aches and pains.

But that morning, I had to come to terms with the finality of her stroke symptoms.

Her head was tilted to 1 side,

She could no longer grin at us for her mouth was slanted in an unfamiliar frown. 

She couldn't move off her bed, much less eat.

In the afternoon we took her to the vet.

He gave her 2 shots.

One to calm her.

One to send her quickly to heaven.

We like to think she's gone fishin' with my Dad there.

She kept her eyes and ears peeled for...squirrels.  Oh, how I miss petting her silky fur!

This morning, I wept as I read about the dog show.

Now I am tear-less.

 I truly am thankful for the years we had together.

Years when she acted like the dog she was:

spots on the carpet, chewing on forbidden things, leaving land mines, etc.

Years when her cheesy grin greeted me 

without fail

EVERY TIME

she saw me,

even if she was being naughty.

She was always in a good mood.

She made sure it was safe to...

...enjoy our quiet time on summer mornings.

In the spring of 2007, I asked God to let her stay healthy 

till at least fall, 

after our 3rd child got married.

I just couldn't imagine all that planning

without her.

I told God I needed her

sweet, unconditional companionship

as I pondered the wedding.

She combined these 2 skills seamlessly:  vigilance and nap-taking.

I asked that of the God Who...

created the heavens and the earth,

gave His only Son, Jesus, to be my Savior,

numbers the very hairs on my head, 

wipes away every tear from my face.

She loved car rides.  This was the last time she rode in our 20 year old minivan.
We gave it to a charity soon after this, dog hair and all.

As usual, God knew what I needed better that I did.

He let her stick around for another 2 1/2 years. 

And when  the new school year wasn't far off, 

when I began to dread leaving her 

in the laundry room all day,

He took her quickly

to heaven.

Okay, NOW I'm choking up.

Not so much because I miss Boomer

-although the heart of God surely knows I do-

but because I'm remembering

His grace, love, and mercy 

 to me 

and to my dog,

pressed down and overflowing.

The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces...

Surely this is our God;

we trusted in Him,

and He saved us...

let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.

Isaiah 25:8, 9

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

So don't be afraid...

Matthew 10:30, 31

Oh, the abundant grace and love of God!

May you be filled with it today, friend.

Love,

Want to meet lots of other bloggers?  Go check these fun blog hops: 

Linking up with Kristin, Jaime, & Melissa 

@ Take it from me

  

Lynn @ Spiritually Unequal Marriage

Java @ Never Growing Old