Serenade of the Seas

I returned home from a glorious week on the ocean...it was such a sweet time of respite and refreshment. A total gift from God, undeserved but so appreciated & very timely!! We were celebrating mom's 80th birthday - us three kids, and some dear friends from way back. We sailed on an absolutely gigantic vessel all the way up the coast to the Hubbard Glacier, stopping at a few little towns on the way. What stunning beauty; powerful waves, huge ocean, big sky, magnificent clouds, layers of misty mountains - some capped with snow, islands, seals, whales...God's amazing artwork. Oh He takes my breath away...foretastes of heaven were enjoyed. He serenaded me on the seas...

The ship was almost too big for me - I don't think I even visited every floor, but boy did I love those elevators!! They were glass and I could go zooming up 10 floors as I stared out over the crashing waves along side the ship. It was like a Disneyland trip for me!! Sometimes I just spent extra time on the elevators cause it was such a fantastic ride! What a blast. (Hey, when you can't use the pool, hot tubs, climbing wall, etc. you learn to amuse yourself in other ways!)

The food was beyond description. I'll just suffice it to say that I ate alot, enjoyed it immensely and found my pants very hard to do up by the end of the trip. Again - mostly we were seated at tables overlooking the ocean so we could eat delectable gourmet fare as we watched the beautiful landscape slip by. I'm deciding that I really, really like cruising. (smile - who wouldn't?) My bed and my bathroom travel right along with me so I don't have to worry about those essentials which can prove very difficult when I travel by other means.

One of my favorite things about travelling on the ocean is that most pleasurable sensation of getting rocked to sleep as I lay in my bed, feeling that huge vessel sway with the power of the waves. My room mate did not enjoy it in the least and she was exceedingly grateful for the gravol tablets I had brought along. She was a great deal of fun though, even in the midst of her misery and drugged state. We laughed ourselves silly over the strangest things, had wonderful visits as we lay on our beds and delightful times of prayer as we spent time in intercession and worship. Her gentleness, humility and kindness were a balm to my soul. She has been through much suffering but wow, the refining has made her most beautiful. Oh the kindness of my Father, again expressed in the flesh.

My sister underwent some kind of a Lazarus transformation!! That was a huge miracle to see her come to life. She probably needed that break more than any of us. She who has struggled the most emotionally and who has endured so much pain and brokenness ministered to me in the most profound ways. On Mother's Day, after hugging my mom whom we think is THE QUEEN of MOTHERS, she came over to me, letting me know that she thought her life would have been so different if I had been her mother. Now, I don't take that statement and get proud over it by any means...cause I know God put my sister into my mother's arms for a very good reason. A more patient and Godly woman is hard to find. However, just the validation of that statement meant so much to me. Because I know that I have dropped the ball in more ways than I ever care to think about as a mom. I, however, had the option of pulling my daughter from the conventional school system when she was going through a tough time to home school her. Back when we were growing up there weren't a whole lot of options, or a whole lot of knowledge regarding depression in kids.

I spent part of one very early morning sprawled on my bedroom floor after I unsuccessfully transferred myself onto the wrong part of my wheelchair. I slowly slid to the floor knowing this was not a good thing because I'm not able to get myself back into my chair. However, I decided to try to enjoy the view from below since I so rarely get down to that level. Gotta take advantage of every opportunity life hands you! Unfortunately - even with calling the front desk, ringing our emergency bell and waiting for half an hour, this maiden in distress was not rescued. We finally called my brother's room, waking him up so that he could be my knight in shining armour. He couldn't figure out why I didn't call him right away. Go figure. Why would I want to wake my brother up at 5:45 when there is enough staff on board to sink that big ship!!
Ah well, thankfully nothing broken - at least that I know of and I just started my day a little earlier than usual.

All in all a good time was had by all - it was rich and sweet and relaxing and ever so fun. What a blessing to have a family like mine. And to have friends that joined us at a moment's notice to renew old ties and reconnect.

Sheesh I'm spoiled, but that's cause I'm a daughter of the King. I just want to enjoy every good gift He lavishes on me. Now I'm home in my own land of beauty - lush with greenery, friends, home and my kids. It was sheer sweetness, being woken up the night I got home by my kids who were returning from a conference. Someone to come home to. I don't ever want to stop being grateful to God for the thousands upon thousands of good things He keeps pouring into my life - even in the midst of pain and brokenness. The best is definitely yet to come, but I want to try to enjoy the journey more!! Thanks Jesus,

I remain, Always in YOU.

"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing"

Zephaniah 3:17

Yes indeedy, I was surrounded by God, saved by Him, delighted in by Him, quieted and restored, and sung over by Him.

Happy Spring FOR REAL!!

I can actually say Happy Spring because the calendar tells me this is now a fact! And my world is slowly beginning to look like the season has changed. The grass is turning a lovely shade of green, the air is not so frosty (some days are even WARM!) and the birds are out heralding the season. I saw a little quail in my garden the other day and we've had the loveliest tiny birds at the feeder. The apple trees outside my office window stretch their naked arms to heaven eagerly awaiting the blossoms, leaves and finally fruit that will be blanketing them soon. I am so ready for a new season to begin and feel spring beginning in my spirit as well. I choose to embrace it along with my Lover who ordained the seasons...He calls to those of us who will listen, who have ears to hear:

"My lover spoke and said to me,
'Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their
fragrance.
Arise, come my darling; my beautiful one, come with me"

Song of Songs 2:10-13

What a sweet invitation - what a blessed announcement for those of us who have waded through a long, cold winter and have watched others struggling and fighting with the darkness and cold that a winter season can bring. The ones I have been watching and praying for have struggled with a winter season in the natural and the spiritual and my prayer for them is that the Lover will come and rescue them and breathe hope and warmth and new life into them.

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It's taken me a long time to get here - and my fingers have been itching to tell some stories and reconnect with the few people I know that visit me here. I actually sat down on Sunday night and put together a long book review, looking up scriptures and working hard to get it all right and then I clicked on a key that I obviously should have avoided and half of the post disappeared! At this point I was so exhausted that I just shut off the computer and went to bed. I still hope to put the book review on here because I feel it is an urgent and compelling message for the Western Church and those of us who feel we are growing somewhat complacent in our walk with Jesus. The book is called "RESCUED" by John Bevere & Andrew Olson.

So - what has kept me away from the computer? (besides the fact that it's usually my daughter who is enthroned in front of this screen for hours at time) Well, we just finished Spring Break which was lovely - and this break from school contained my precious daughter's Sweet 16th birthday, sleepover parties for her, a bonfire with her school friends in our "backyard", company from out of town and a holiday at West Edmonton Mall. I returned home to days that were quickly filled with numerous important meetings etc. and am even now surrounded with a desk loaded with papers that need to get to an accountant (For the first time in my life I'm finally having to compile papers for personal income tax and it's a bit of a learning curve!)

So, there you go - I am alive and well on planet earth!! My washing machine just announced that it is finished it's job and it's time to load all those towels into the drier. I have a huge pot of soup simmering on the stove (added butternut squash & sweet potatoes which pleases me immensely - doing something relatively healthy and creative in the kitchen!) And my back is announcing to me that it is high time that I go and lay down to give it some rest. I will happily acquiesce!