Weather Forecast

Yesterday I had a meeting at work. Nothing too important, just the usual updates and a viewing of the new power points that we will be using in some of our classes.
I was running a bit behind in getting there, traffic was slow, etc... I didn't check the weather forecast before I left the house. Maybe I should have, but in retrospect, it would not have prepared me for the SHOWER I was about to run in to!! That's right! The wonderful ladies that I work with and around threw me a VERY unexpected toddler shower for our sweet Guatemalan princess!! I was reduced to tears! The decorations were so sweet, the food was delicious, and the cake was amazing!! But most beautiful was the prayer that was said to bless the food, and in thanksgiving for this opportunity to bring home our daughter in God's time, and to call to mind our Lord and His love for us!! Thank you ladies for the wonderful day!!
It could not have possibly come at a more needed time. Sometimes when the wait gets long, and the distance between me and my daughter seems more than just a plane ride away, I am in need of God's little pick-me-ups! This was a REALLY BIG pick-me-up!!! Thank you Jesus!!!
I prayed this morning to thank Him again for yesterday. I also asked Him if I could spend the "gift" , or should I wait a little bit longer. He promptly gave me the "go-ahead" to be a good steward of the gift I had received! Thank you Jesus for retail therapy!! :-) This Momma's goin' shopping!!

Fall

Summer Rain and a friend were helping me decorate for Fall. Basically, a trip into the attic for me, and a hallway upstairs littered with the remnants of boxes and tissue paper that held the treasures they were seeking. (Hmmmm. I wonder who's gonna havta clean THAT up??) They put out this cute display with the help of our sweet kitties. Samson is the gray kitty, and Charley is the black kitty. Both felines have since "rearranged" the display at will. I guess they haven't gotten it just right yet :-)

Shoes???

Sorry this shot is a bit blurry, but I find this most interesting. Our youngest son loves "different" things. He is very comfortable in his own skin, and will wear whatever suits him...including a three piece suit and tie to school on any given day. He loves hats of all kinds, and his taste in clothing spills over to his shoe selection. For example, when buying shoes for school this year, he went to a Converse website, that allows you to design your own shoes. He choose low-tops with a special design/fabric on the inside, and black leather on one side and white leather on the other. Think bowling shoes. Guess I should have taken a pic of those too!LOL! Anyhoo, these are his latest find. They are climbing shoes. They have a rubber sole, and each toe gets a special little toe shoe area separate from the toe next to it :-) They even have special socks that can be worn with the shoes....of course those were a must have, too! He rarely wears the socks, though. He is allowed to wear them to school, but his Food Dynamics teacher restricted him to only days they were not in the kitchen cooking!!How funny is that?!!!

Close Moments.

Friends,
Well, yesterday was a tough day. Actually so was the day before. Lots of time in prayer for our daughter to come home. My heart was so heavy, leaden almost, causing me to look heavenward for strength and reassurance and rest.
As I was sitting at dance class, waiting on Summer Rain to finish her ballet class, I looked down upon the bench I was sitting on. There was a copy of Sports Illustrated. Hmmm. I don't read that magazine, and I almost looked away when the front page slogan caught my eye, and I re-read the three words that were blazed across the center in big, white letters. IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! I really believe God put that magazine there to remind me that our daughter will come home :-) As if that was not enough, He graced me further with my daughter's shouts in the car as we were leaving the parking lot after dance class. She calls out,"Look, Mom! A rainbow!!" Indeed when I looked up, I saw a a broad slice of a most beautiful rainbow!! God's reminder to me that He keeps His promises!! To let you know how awesome this was, there was no rain, not this day or the day before. Just beautiful skies, and God's rainbow to share His love with me.

Family Fun Day

Wubby 's company has a family fun day every year. It is great fun for all of us. There is bingo with really good prizes, and guessing games, a few carnival rides, a runway of sorts with carnival type games, and many, many inflatables for bouncing fun! We all always enjoy going, and Summer Rain loves it!!! Of course, the food is very good, and the kiddos love the free, unlimited popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, cookies, and a huge buffet!!

The first pic is of our youngest son, just finishing his rock climb, and Wubby is next doing the same :-) The other pic is our Summer Rain (on the right) with a friend. They filled the backseat with their loot, and made us stay until it was OVER!! We were exhausted...but jubilant :-)

Ordinary vs Extraordinary

Hello friends! Well, it is Friday, and my hope soars as I await the phone to ring today. Is there anything special about today. Nope. That is precisely what makes it so special. It is an ordinary day. God loves to use the ordinary to do EXTRA ordinary things!! If the phone doesn't ring and bring good news from Guatemala today, I will still enjoy a wonderful weekend , and await the next ordinary day that God chooses to use to bring to me the news that our file has been signed by the judge, and we are off to civil registry! We are getting closer and closer to bringing our daughter home. She is just beautiful, and I miss her very much. Soon, a couple of my friends will be traveling to pick up their daughters from Hannah's Hope, and both have promised to take with them a measure of love from me to bestow upon my little sweetie. Thank you friends in advance, for transporting a bit of my heart to Guatemala!

Meandering Thoughts

The morning is pregnant with hope and promise.
The breeze causes the gentle tinkling of my wind chimes.
What are they proclaiming?
The freshness of the air fills my lungs with a sweetness rare.

I walk in the desert.
Sometimes with purposeful strides.
Sometimes skipping along.
Sometimes in circles.
And, sometimes, trudgingly on, and on.

It is quiet here, in my desert
save for my own thoughts.
The truths I know flood my mind.
Some appear as a fountain
Gushing forth to quench my thirst.
Others as manna to satisfy my hunger.
Still others as mountains that must be climbed and probed, and explored,
and eventually conquered.

My Lord is with me here.
He speaks softly His words
that direct my path inward
to use this gift of desert time for discipline.
The discipline to increase my faith, and shine light on my darkest corners.