Time with Laura

Our friend Laura was in PA last week for a few days, and we were so blessed to spend some time with her on Friday! Friday morning, we put together a Gingerbread Tree kit that Stacy gave us at Christmas time. We put Claire in charge of the candy, since we figured she could handle that job. :) Laura was in charge of piping the icing, which was good because she is extremely knowledgeable and experienced with gingerbread building. I was in charge of spreading the icing and taking pictures, of course.









Laura suggested dusting our tree with powdered sugar, which I thought added a really nice touch. We had a lot of fun building our tree, and Claire enjoyed a few (or more) pieces of candy and a few (or more) licks of icing.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Chocolate World to ride the Chocolate Tour ride and enjoy some extremely scrumptious cookies! We had a great time with you, Laura! And as always, we look forward to the next time we see you. :)

Bathtub Tea Party

Tonight, while I was preparing to give Claire her bath, she came up with the idea to have a tea party in the bathtub. We have a lot of different bath toys, but occasionally, Claire likes to choose unconventional bath toys by asking to put regular toys from her room in the tub. She has gotten smart enough to figure out which toys work and which toys don't work in the bathtub. For instance, she doesn't ask to put her stuffed animals in the tub. Tonight, she asked if she could play with a few plastic tea cups. I said sure, and she proceeded to gather two tea cups, two bowls, a teapot, and a tray (to carry it all on) from her kitchen set. While being bathed, she even made a cup of "tea" for me. I asked her if she had Earl Grey, and she replied, "No, but we do have 'tea-caf'." I had to giggle...I think she hears us talking about "decaf" coffee and thinks we are saying "tea-caf," which, in her mind, must be some type of tea!

Frere Jacques...Claire's Version

This video shows Claire singing her version of the song, "Frere Jacques." I sincerely hope that her version doesn't mean anything offensive in French (or any other language). Enjoy!

Settled?

Someone recently asked me if I was feeling more settled in life than I was two plus years ago when I was faced with a difficult trial in my life. I understand why the question was asked, because it is probably what most people would expect. It is said that "time is a healer." However, I'm not convinced this is true after walking down the road I've been on.

I regularly follow a blog that was originally set up after a young man was in a tragic car accident on September 30, 2006. The blog was set up to let people know how to pray for this man who came extremely close to losing his life altogether. He is still not back to his pre-accident brain and bodily function, yet many continue to pray for Ian Murphy. His good friend, Larissa, writes:

"Time does nothing to grief but make it deeper and more wearying. Two years has not erased any grief. It hasn't made it easier. Time has only made the grief deeper as each day we live one more day without Ian the way he used to be. To re-use one of Steve's illustrations, instead of an intense grief, it now is always lingering, always over our shoulder, always ready to manifest itself.

"Ian's progress doesn't change my grief. It encourages me, but it doesn't even touch the grief that I know. Even if Ian were to be healed completely today, I would still grieve for what he has suffered and endured. I would still grieve for what happened to Ian September 30.

"There is much to say about grief, but this is it for now. For those who encounter significant suffering in their lives, maybe the grieving never ends, until meeting Jesus.

"'Sorrowful yet always rejoicing.'"



To check out Ian Murphy's blog, click here: prayforian.com.

2008 Reflections

I often catch myself thinking, "I hope 2009 is better than 2008." When I really think about it, I am hoping that the circumstances of my life are better, easier, more pleasant, etc. than those I faced this past year. First of all, I too often forget all of God's blessings. He has been SO GOOD to me! I am a HUGE sinner (those who know me best can testify!). Yet I stand forgiven before the throne of grace. More than that, I am surrounded by blessings that come in the form of a wonderful daughter, loving family and friends, a comfortable home to live in, and needs that are continually being met. Even more than that, the difficult circumstances that I do face are being used for good. This truth never ceases to amaze me..."And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). When you look at the picture posted above, it is the clouds that make the blue sky and sun's rays even more radiant. Given blue skies and sunshine, we will never truly appreciate their value and beauty without the clouds and the rain.

While I don't believe it is wrong to hope for better circumstances in my life, I ultimately want my hope to be in God for whatever comes my way. "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). My life certainly hasn't gone as I expected it to, but I can stand on this truth...God's love will never be taken away from me. Here's to God's glory in 2009!