Here and Now

I wouldn't have guessed this particular scenario ten years ago...

My home filled with three lovely young women
Our four lives intertwining and connecting over kitchen conversations, meals, gathering leaves, baking, knitting, watching movies, sharing big bowls of popcorn, making special drinks and always, always finding something funny and sweet to laugh about regarding the two doggies.

Always we are free to go our separate ways, experience life and return full of stories or silence to participate again in this little "family' that God has created for us right now.

There is a wholeness and soundness and comfort in this...
Community.
How good and pleasant it is when sisters dwell together in unity.
Truly it is good and pleasant and I am blessed.

Knowing it is always just a season
And I must drink in the moments and revel in the laughter and youth that surrounds me.
Not comparing to what could be or "should be" or what is happening in other homes.
Just plain thankful for this warmth.
Life around me.
Here and now.

I am not alone.

Book-ish Club

So last year I was invited into a "Book Club" with a group of ladies whom I just adore. I felt very privileged to be asked to join this group and I entered in with great enthusiasm as I am wont to do when there is a possibility of fun and food and fellowship.

These are all found in great abundance at our gatherings.
The books?
Well, not so much, but that doesn't seem to bother us.  At least not too much.

We're happy with the wine and appies and the opportunity to unburden ourselves of life's many conundrums in the presence of other women who also happen to love books.

As long as there is a book within sight or some conversation surrounding something literary we are quite happy.

Surprisingly, at our last gathering (the one where there was no book assigned whatsoever) one of our talented members surprised us all by saying she had written several short stories.  She proclaimed she was not a writer and couldn't read well, both statements which were completely untrue as we were soon to find out.

When we finished laughing rather uproariously about the antics of one of our member's  husbands (something involving bright white runners and an unmade bed) we finally wiped away our tears and settled down to have a good listen to our apparent "non-writing" "non-reading" friend.

Our attention was captured with the first line, read quite beautifully I might add with a lovely South African accent, and our attention was held until the last syllable was uttered. I was literally stunned at how well the story was executed using wonderfully descriptive words and a captivating story line.

To think we have a budding author in our midst!  I foresee publishing and an audience hungry for more, as we all were.

As if this wasn't enough literary excitement for one evening, this delightfully shocking discovery was followed by another.  Apparently the bravery of one literary genius gave courage to another and soon we were hanging onto the words of an incredible poem which had been written by another one in our midst on Remembrance Day.

The stage was set, the drums played and the words created a magnificent percussive scene of warfare and courage.

Obviously we don't need to travel outside the bounds of our own members who have hidden talents to find literature bound to inspire and challenge.
Most likely there will be more to come and the excitement mounts!!
Who will be the next emergent artist in our ranks?

We will continue to drink wine, eat goodies and laugh until they shake off their fears and apprehensions and reveal their identity as closet authors!

Heavenly Daze

Well!

Following that last rather morbid, pms induced posting I was lifted far above my apparent mundane and earthbound miseries with a surprisingly delightful day.
Heaven kissed earth in my wee realm and I must relate the tale as a "stone of remembrance" of sorts.

Thursday afternoons are set aside to pray with a dear friend who is dripping with grace and kindness. She enters my room with her sweet smile and gentle presence and we present ourselves to the King for His good pleasure.
These afternoons alone are an appointment with heaven and we enter into that throne room to kiss the King and to intercede on behalf of so many precious saints and not yet saints...
Together our faith is BIGGER and we love to stand in agreement with whatever Jesus is up to as much as we are able.

The followup to the prayer session included some rather extravagant giftings for no apparent reason at all.
Just because He loves me...
I have a month of free massage - IN THE COMFORT OF MY OWN HOME!!!
I also get four hours of housecleaning this week and I am so excited to get things done that are kind of hard for me to ask my housemates to do.  Asking is not my strong point and for some reason this good stuff just got dumped on me.
Showers of blessings indeed!

To top off the gifting session, the "final door" opened for me contained a trip via private jet to CALIFORNIA!!  With my dear praying friend and several other great people.

A private jet - no joke!!

Oh my WORD!!  Outrageous blessings for no reason at all.
That's what kind of gets me in all of this.
I'm used to getting and giving things "in season" as it were.  Having grown up in a good Mennonite home, extravagance was not the common practice, even though I always had more than I needed.
We just learned restraint and the discipline of delay was somehow strongly bred into this little mare.

Needless to say I was blown away and have been carrying this treasured anticipation close to my heart.
Even if it doesn't happen, the offer, the possibilities, the dream of it all is just over the top wonderful.

Cold and Raw

Kinda raw these days.
Overwhelmed by so much in life.
Wondering how it's all going to pan out.
Reminded to trust but finding it hard.

These unruly thoughts are hard to reign in,
especially in the night.
So I gratefully pull out my computer ( new macbook air - a delight and so much easier on my shoulder and elbow - ahhh so many good gifts) and put on a story or sermon to replace my troubled, frantic thoughts with goodness.

Such weak frail creatures we are.
So prone to self seeking and absorption.
I am mortified as I look back over years spent serving myself.
Saddened by sins of omission.
By my cold heart.

Missing the tangible presence of God.
Lonely in that deepest place.

Crying out for revelation, for faith to keep standing.
Crying out for those around me
So many in the midst of long, dark struggles.

Reminded by my dear struggling sister that the enemy
is attempting
at all times
to wear down the saints.
Wearing us down is his plan.
THEREFORE
there must be much Vigilance to recognize the lies
that come disguised in hardship.
Diligence to speak out goodness, truth, gratefulness.

Close the door on self pity, fear and sorrow.
Though the fig tree does not blossom...

Because seriously, the goodness that presses in on me,
from all sides (if I have eyes to see, and ears to hear)
is truly most overwhelming.

If I have eyes to see.
Oh Lord, open my eyes, open my ears
To see even more of your goodness.
To fix my eyes on that goodness till my raw, cold heart
Is healed and whole and laughter fills my mouth again.

Even if it is gloomy and cold and snowy.
The good news today is there is lots of dripping and melting going on out there.
I just witnessed it when I took the dogs out for a little romp.

too soon

This happened yesterday...

Beautiful, yes?  But far too early in my humble opinion.  The leaves are still on so many of the trees!  Time for the snow to melt and we can get back to fall....