Wonder

Our word for this Five Minute Friday is:

Wonder

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When I was a young girl, the wonder of Christmas came wrapped in colorful paper tied with pretty ribbon,  stockings hanging limply from the fireplace mantle, tins filled with Christmas cookies, carols and  candlelight and most of all Santa Claus. The wonder of gifts tumbling over themselves under the tree and stockings filled with all sorts of little delights made sleep a total impossibility. I was so taken with the wonder of it all.

These days there is a different kind of wonder. The wonder of a gift given with such all encompassing love. A gift whose wrapping was marred by the dirt and dust of a stable; a gift more precious than any ever given and unnoticed by nearly all the world; a gift simply and humbly placed where any heart can find it and make it its own. And the miraculous wonder, that it is mine.

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I'm joining the Five Minute Friday community at Lisa Jo's. Won't you come?



Blessings,
Linda

Jesus Was Here

I saw you Jesus - right here in my own home - just a few days ago:

- in the smiles on the faces of those I love most dearly
- in the gentle way a grandson helped his great-grandfather
- in the hands that labored and served
- in the way a father and son leaned in to talk and listen
- in the tears falling down my Dad's cheeks

I heard you Jesus:

- in the voice of a son who prayed thanksgiving
- in the laughter of little girls playing
- in the conversation around the table
- in the thanks
- in the sharing of memories - nearly one hundred years old
- in the "I love you's"

I felt your presence Jesus:

- in the hugs and kisses
- in the young hands that clasped  weaker older hands
- in the listening hearts, generations passing down memories of You
- in a butterfly clasped in tiny hands
- in the joy of children running and climbing trees
- in the wonder of eternity placed in our hearts
-in the moments, these once in a lifetime moments, to treasure in my heart 

Thank you for coming Lord Jesus. Thank you for staying. Thank you for making everything sweeter.

Blessings,
Linda

His Plan

With an inner clock set in motion by the One whose word brought them into being, they know it is time to return. When the days warm to just the right temperature, I see them hovering around the empty space where the hummingbird feeder hung all last summer. In the same way they knew it was time, they remember the place. It’s time to make the mixture of sugar and water they have come to depend on.

To read the rest of this devotional please visit Laced With Grace. I would be so grateful.

Blessings,
Linda

Thanksgiving

Psalm 100
^"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
³ Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good; 

 His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

This quiet home will soon be bursting at the seams with family and friends. I'm going to take a week off and enter this beautiful season with joy. 

Wishing all of you the most joyful of Thanksgivings. If the Father had given us the one eternal gift of salvation, it would be more - so much more - than enough. Instead He daily lavishes us with gifts, wrapped in grace and love. Blessings heaped up and running over. 

With deep gratitude for the gift of your friendship and love,

Linda

Still Saturday - After the Storm

"The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will be the ultimate Word from God." 
Jim Elliot


Joining my dear friend Sandy this beautiful Saturday morning.



Blessings,
Linda
 

Five Minute Friday - Stay

The Five Minute Friday word for today is:

Stay

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It comes with a promise, this word stay. When I speak it, lying somewhere underneath is a promise of faithfulness. It must not be spoken lightly. If it doesn't hold true, it leaves a trail of pain in its wake.

We often say it easily, meaning it for the moment. But life bumps against it, and we call it back. It is, perhaps, inconvenient now or even too costly. It becomes a hindrance to plans newly formed. So we toss it aside, often leaving innocent victims standing alone on the sideline of our important lives.

There is One who promised to stay. He said it with His life - in the midst of more pain and selfless suffering than we can understand. He meant it. There is nothing, not a more important plan, or failure to perform that will cause Him to break that promise.

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I'm joining Lisa-Jo and all the other wonderful writers here:



Blessings,
Linda

It Is In the Doing

If I am looking, He is there - right in the middle of a green and brown day. One of those days that feels the same as all the others. One of those days when "everyone else" is out and about, doing new and interesting things - things that really make a difference. I plod through the apparent sameness, complaining ever so quietly under my breath about how tired I am of the dull routine.

I go through the day, shoulders up around my ears, head hanging low and my gaze cast downward - and it comes. That gentle whisper, a soft touch willing my shoulders to relax.

"Daughter. Do you remember the things you've been reading - the ones about doing all things as unto Me?  You agreed with it, if I remember correctly. Rejoiced in the truth and wonder of it."

My heart beat quickens, and I mentally ascent.

"Do you remember what I said - about the value of those things?"

"Yes Father," I whisper.

"Is it enough, dear daughter, just to read the truth?"

I shake my head feeling the weight of his words.

"Live them out daughter. Let them move from the page to your heart."

I ask forgiveness and step into the ordinary with a heart turned toward Him.  I look up, see the bright splash of color in the midst of the ordinary, and the day grows a bit brighter.

^"Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like."
James 1: 22-24 (The Message)

Joining my precious Em at imperfect prose today.




Blessings,
Linda

A Special Blessing

Here in South Texas we wait for it. For months we tell ourselves it will come. The sweltering days will be blown away when the first cold front makes its way down from the north. We look at friends' pictures of variegated landscapes with just a tad bit of envy, listen to talk of chilling temperatures and hot chocolate in the late afternoon.  We pull on shorts and slip into sandals for yet another day, and we wait.

And finally it comes - like the flip of a switch. The wind blows strong and the temperature plummets. Jackets and sweaters that have lain dormant for months see the light of day. Some of us even put on ......boots!

In our house there is something that has been cold and silent for seven months - ever since we moved into the new house. Every other thing has been used - the appliances all learning the rhythm of our lives.

This one almost didn't get to be a part of things. It put a strain on the budget. At one point it was eliminated - erased from the plans. But a tenderhearted husband made the dream come true.

This cold, damp evening it came to life and was everything I had dreamed of - warm, comforting, dancing light.

I am so abundantly blessed. It is humbling.

Blessings,
Linda

Confident Expectation

An elderly (even more "elderly" than the two of us) couple lives across the street from us. The entrance to their gated driveway is lush with beautiful flowers. Behind the gate is their house, which is also home to two border collies. One is, like her owners, quite elderly. The other is a little younger, and much more energetic.

Three days a week the lady of the house waits at the gate for the little bus from the Senior Center to pick her up and take her to her exercise classes. She leans on her cane waiting, the dogs pacing around her feet. When the bus arrives she climbs carefully up the steps. The dogs stand for a minute behind the gate watching her go. Then they walk resignedly back up the driveway toward the house.

The older collie spends most of her time sleeping in a comfortable spot under the oak trees. Not so the younger. Every vehicle that drives up our street is fair game. She waits until it is even with the fence that surrounds their property and then gives chase. Leaning into the run, she speeds toward the end of the property line, pulling up short just before the fence. Mission accomplished, she trots back with a self-satisfied grin and waits for the next round.

She takes great delight in barking furiously at dogs walking by with their owners, restrained by leashes and strong arms they have no way of reaching her.  Those of us who go for walks, get the same treatment. I've tried talking to her in my sweet, can't we be friends voice, but she will have no part of that. It is her duty to protect and defend.

She is a busy little collie, that one, but about an hour before her mistress is due home all activity ceases. She walks to farthest corner of their acreage,  faces the road she knows the bus will travel and sits.  A short distance behind her, the older one slowly comes and lies down.

Neither moves. They have been about the business of life, but that is over now. They simply wait. There is no doubt in their little doggie minds that she will return. They are confident in her love. They wait, looking with confident expectation for her return.

Joining my sweet friend Laura today:



Blessings,
Linda

Quiet In the Midst of the Storm

It is time for Five Minute Friday - already!  Lisa-Jo's word for today is QUIET.

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I've seen the force of the ocean, felt the force of the wind as it pelts my face with salt water. And I try to imagine Him asleep in the midst of it.

It is the sort of quiet I long for. I am knit together with a pattern that includes a need for solitude. I don't often find it. It is this peace in the midst of the storm I need. A quiet heart when the dark clouds lower, covering the sun.

It is easier to find peace curled up at His feet, head resting against His knee. It is difficult for me to find it in the midst of circumstances that push hard against me. I tend to look at the waves towering over me and fail to see His face. I cower as the wind buffets, forgetting to run to His open arms.

Quiet - in the midst of the noise and chaos. It is what He offers and what I long for.

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P.S. Our daughter flies in tonight from Paris. She will be with us for two weeks, so it will be a bit quiet around here. However, she is a free-lance writer - so we may just sit and write together! In any case, I wish you quiet and peace in the midst of your circumstances dear friends.

Blessings,
Linda

A Bit of Encouragement

I've been quiet here concerning politics, and I don't intend to change that now. I just want to share a little something from my heart.

I woke yesterday with an underlying feeling of discouragement - a little like a low-grade fever. It lay there below the surface disturbing the peace. I read friends' words of encouragement, read His words and prayed - still it lingered.

We had choir practice last evening. I always go feeling a bit weary (I'm not what you'd call a night owl.) and leave feeling exhilarated. I carried my discouragement in the door with me. Ray, our music minister, spoke just a few words - just a few. And then we sang one of the hymns we'd recorded several months ago. All around me faces turned toward heaven and hands were lifted high as the music filled the great room:



"This is my Father's world
 Oh let me ne'er forget.
 That though the wrong
 Seems oft so strong,
 God is the ruler yet."

Words are powerful, but something special happens when they are set to music. I share this to offer encouragement just in case, like me, you're feeling just a little let-down.

I left choir practice filled with hope - feeling exhilarated.

Blessings,
Linda

P.S. That's Ray singing with his oldest son Ben.

Making Memories

I look at her eighty-nine year old face and see the same smile - the one in the black and white wedding portrait - her gown a silky cloud around her feet. Some things are ageless.....

I knock loudly, knowing she will not hear, and call out to her as I walk toward the living room. My arms are full of my sewing project - a couple of pillows to set off the new quilt. Although this is not the house of my childhood, it is still like coming home. For a few hours, I'm not the responsible adult - I am a loved child. There is such comfort in being "kiddo."

She is seated on the couch, her books and handwork spread out around her. I lean in to kiss her soft cheek. She is eager to get busy on my pillows so we slowly make our way to her sewing room. I walk behind her and my heart hurts a little at the sight of the bent back, the slow gait. She often bemoans her inability to do the things she used to do. I am just thankful she is here.

We work together - mother and daughter, teacher and pupil. She has taught me so much - so many intangibles. Conversation has always flowed so easily, punctuated with laughter - and sometimes tears.

She sits while I look through a box of lace she has collected over the years. It is difficult for her to stand for any length of time.

Footsteps sound in the living room. Dad is home from dialysis. He peeks around the door, "I knew I'd find you here." She smiles the beautiful smile as he comes toward her to give her a kiss.

And my heart stores the memories and I am thankful for this day.

Blessings,
Linda

Pulling Back (really)

I feel very much the way this sweet little girl looks. I'm coming, shuffling my feet, praying you'll understand. I am embarrassed to think about the number of posts I've written declaring I was going to be cutting back on time spent on-line; that I was going to get more balance in my life; that I would be reading and commenting less.....yadda, yadda yadda.

Every single time, I slipped right back into my old familiar pattern. I reasoned that I needed to be an encourager (After all, isn't that what some people said I was?), and a good encourager reads all the posts and leaves comments every single time. The truth is - I was completely lacking in self-control and operating out of this inherent need for approval.

In the meantime, my husband sees more of the back of my laptop than my face, my piano is collecting dust, there are unfinished knitting and sewing projects, there are letters unwritten, phone calls not made, books on the night stand, a book waiting to be written....the list goes on and on.

I watched all of the talks from the Allume Conference and knew the Lord was speaking directly to me. It is way past time to make some changes. I am thoroughly sick of my big self. So......I will be a bit scarce around here from now on. I plan to write posts as often as I can (maybe I'll get more written this way!), and comment as time allows, but I am going to have to strictly limit my time on-line.

Just today, while I was doing my Bible Study Beth Moore hit me right between the eyes with this:

"What if we really believed that if we seek God's kingdom and His righteousness, everything else of true value would be given to us (Matt 6:33)"

It is difficult for me to pull back. My heart hurts to think I might lose some friends in the process. I would ask if there is anything you would like me to pray about, please let me know. I am apt to miss some things, but I promise to do whatever I can.

I love you,
Linda

My Grandma - Five Minute Friday

Today's Five Minute Friday word is "roots:"

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I have only a few treasured pictures of us together. This one sits in a tiny ornate frame on top of the piano. I sometimes sit and look at it with great longing. The pictures are my only "memory." She died when I was two.

I hunger for stories about her. In my heart she is the strong root system I am  thankful to draw from. She came to this country as a five year old child having sailed on a big ship from Italy with her mother. She didn't get to go to school because her little sister wasn't old enough and she had to stay home with her.

When she was thirteen an arrangement took place, and she was married. It turned out well. I always smile when my Mom says she grew to be taller than her husband. She worked hard - so very hard. She lost several babies - a six month old daughter to blood poisoning (just a little scratch from a rusty piece of metal). The hardest was the five year old son - meningitis. In her grief she ripped out a piece of her own hair. It never grew back.

She took in family members who immigrated from Italy - caring for them until they could get settled. She worked when there wasn't enough money from my Grandfather's barber shop and hocked what little precious jewelry she had to make ends meet.

She was a midwife - the one the neighbors called when there was sickness they couldn't deal with. During the great flu epidemic she went with the doctor from house to house. No one in her family ever got sick.

She is my precious Grandmother. She is part of my roots. I miss her dearly.

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Joining Lisa-Jo today at Five Minute Friday

Blessings,
Linda

A Little Gift

I'm pausing today - just to catch my breath. In the meantime, here is a little gift to you, dear reader, from me via Word Candy. It's a lovely place to visit. You could make a little gift of your own. (Just click on the picture and it will take you there.)


Blessings,
Linda