More Shawnee Pottery, (never say never)...

I was exactly a week ago when I posted the story about my how my friends bought me a Shawnee Pottery owl cookie jar that I had seen and admired when we were out antiquing together.

In that same post I said I WAS NOT going to start collecting Shawnee Pottery.

So, imagine my surprise, upon returning home from the Jumping Tandem retreat,

 finding out that my cookie jar had had salt and pepper shaker babies.

And here I assumed he was a male owl!

In truth, just as the cookie jar was a blessing of friendship,

the salt and pepper shakers are as well.

I met the most amazing women at the retreat this past weekend,

and hope to stay in touch with all of them.

Three of those wonderful ladies and I went antiquing during our free time on Saturday.

At this huge antique mall I spied a set of Shawnee Pottery owl salt and pepper shakers,

but they cost more than I was willing to spend.

I usually have a running conversation with God going on in my soul most of the time,

so I thought, "I'd like to find those for a lot, lot less, God".

Two rows over in a booth so full it was a miracle I saw them at all,

there they were, for almost half price of the other pair.

So, the cookie jar reminds me of old friends, while the salt and pepper shakers remind me of new.

And they all remind me of the God who loves us so much that He listens to our somewhat nonsensical wants, as well as to our heart rending needs.

I wanted the salt and pepper shakers, but I needed some dear friends to laugh and cry with, to shop with and pray with and share my life stories with.

Thanks be to the God who gave me both.

Still following,

              

How beautiful is the body of Christ...

It was my leap of faith, my act of courage, my it's now or never moment.  It wasn't jumping out of an airplane, climbing a mountain, or any of the other acts of daring people write on their bucket lists.  My act of courage was simply to type in the registration information and press send for the Jumping Tandem retreat, a retreat for bloggers, writers and dreamers.

I knew and loved some of the women who would be attending from their words read here in the blogosphere, but I had only met one of the women face to face once, briefly.  Since the conference was in Omaha, Nebraska, and I live in Portland, Oregon, I knew that once I was there, I was stuck.  I wasn't going to be able to run back home to my safe place, no matter how miserable I was.

I flew in the afternoon before the retreat, and had 24 hours of delicious alone time in my hotel.  I soaked up the solitude, knowing that my inner introvert would not get the opportunity to be alone for the the rest of the weekend.

Two hours before the shuttle came to take me to the retreat center, I finally got out of my pajamas and got ready, fretting somewhat over what to wear, wanting to fit in.  When the time came, I got into the elevator to ride down to the lobby to catch my ride.  Two women were in the elevator with me.  I can't remember which one of us asked the question, "You wouldn't happen to be here for the Jumping Tandem retreat?", but the answer from all three of us was yes.  Janet and Susan scooped me up in Jesus' love right there in that elevator.  They invited me to ride with them instead of taking the shuttle.  They made me feel safe and welcome right away. 

My expectation of the retreat before going was that it would be mostly about writing, blogging and daring to live your dreams.  I expected it to be inspirational and motivational with a little bit of Jesus thrown in.  Instead, it was a whole lot of Jesus, a whole lot of loving relationships, with a little bit about blogging and writing and daring to live your dreams.  I didn't know, but God did, that it was exactly what I needed.

We came from all over the US and Canada, we came from different types of churches,  most of us were bloggers, but some were not, some were published authors, but most were not,  the majority of us were women, with a handful of brave men there as well.  Yet, when we sang together in worship, led by a young man with his guitar, the liturgical and the charismatic, the well known and the unknown, the women and the men, each worshipped the same God  yet in their own way, in a beautiful potpourri of praise.

I met some of the well known bloggers/authors that I have followed, and who have encouraged me, since I began blogging four years ago.  Yet, unlike many of the church conferences and retreats and church leadership type events I have attended, there seemed to be absolutely no division between the known and unknown, those with huge followings and those with small.  And, unlike most events where two or more women gather together, there seemed to be no backbiting, no competition, no pushing to be seen, noticed, or promoted.  I do believe I saw and experienced  more of the humility of Jesus and the unity of the body in this weekend than I have ever seen before.

I came away from the Jumping Tandem retreat with a heart full of hope.  It was, to me, less about hope in fulfilling my own dreams, (although I received that as well),  and more about my hope and faith being restored about the beautiful body of Christ.  And, for that, I am truly, truly grateful.

**********************

In 2013 I'm going back to the way I did it in the beginning,
just noticing and recording the many extraordinary blessings in my ordinary life.

And so I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of them via my camera or iPhone)

#3031-#3058

4-15-13-

-coral carnations from the Hubs in my antique preserves crock

-taxes done and mailed 

-sunshine to have devotions outdoors

-God's provision

-rainbows!

-stunning sky

-only grandson's ball game, (they won!)

4-16-13-

-listening to Laura Hackett on Spotify

-dinner at Chipotle with my two oldest grandkids

-trusting God's love and goodness in a situation I don't understand

4-17-13-

-hard eucharisteo-expensive car repairs

-and now the clothes dryer quit!

4-18-19-

-a safe trip to Omaha

-finding Joanne, my ride to the hotel, right away at the airport

-the Hub's love and encouragement to go to Jumping Tandem

4-19-13-

-a great night's sleep and a relaxing morning at the hotel

-sweet photos from the Hubs of grandparents day at the grandkids school

-meeting Janet and Susan in the elevator and feeling the love of Jesus through them

4-20-13-

-sweet Emily

-antiquing during free time with new friends, Linda and Rhonda and Cherri,

(and yes, I did succumb and buy these Shawnee Pottery salt and pepper shakers)

-Jennifer's keynote message that rocked me to the core

4-21-13-

-worshipping together

-taking communion together

-meeting and visiting with more wonderful women while waiting to leave for the airport

-crammed into a car with Deidra, Alia, Emily, Kathy and Robin on the ride to the airport

-a safe trip home

-back in my own bed next to my husband

-a heart so full it spills over in tears

Gratefully yours,

Proverbs 24:14...

I love this photo of sweet, four year old granddaughter's hand holding a peppermint stick.

I also love the book of Proverbs.

If you've never done a study on the contrasts between wisdom and foolishness in the book of Proverbs, I highly recommend doing so.

God wants us to have wisdom.

In the book of James, God tells us to ask Him for wisdom.

This verse in Proverbs tells us that having wisdom is connected to having a bright future, to having hope.

So, wisdom isn't just an optional attribute, it's something we should be asking for, seeking and pursuing.

If we will, God will give wisdom to us.

Still following,

Friday's Favs...Lilacs and Grain Sack Style Tablecloths

To me the blooming of the daffodils announce spring's arrival,

but it's the blooming of the lilacs that signal that we're smack dab in the thick of spring, beautiful spring!

I just can't resist an old wood tool caddy.

I found this one at the Goodwill sometime last fall.

When my second born daughter and her family were staying with us while relocating back to the area,

my grandson used this tote to store his army guys and action figures.

Today the old tool caddy houses old blue canning jars filled with lilacs.

On the table is a grain sack style tablecloth found at Marshall's.

I love anything with this sort of homespun look.

I do believe lilacs are right up there on my favorite flowers list.

 Of course, I have lots of favorites...

kind of in the same way I have three favorite daughters and four favorite grandkids!

So, what are your favorite flowers?

Peonies, English Roses, Tulips, Lilacs, Bluebells, Lily of the Valley...

I do believe it's impossible to choose just one!

Well, it's almost Friday, friends!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and

a BLESSED weekend!

              

                                            

Also linking to Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday

On the day of the Boston Marathon bombing...

I was on my run around a local fitness trail when I received the text from my husband,

"there's been a bombing in Boston".

And suddenly I have the same feeling, the same sort of words run through my mind, as I did when I visited Ghana for the first time.

"How can such filth and poverty coexist with the totally different life I live on

 the same small planet at the very same time?"

I'm running, the spring sun peeks out from behind puffy cumulus clouds, worship music plays through the ear buds I'm wearing, occasionally interrupted by the voice of my automated running coach.

Meanwhile, not only on the same small planet,

but in the same small country,

others just ran right into horror and devastation.

Suddenly I'm aware that while I'm breathing in and out, someone else is taking their last breath.

While I'm a wee bit irritated that I just had to mail our taxes with a check for money owed,

someone else is mourning with pain indescribable over the death of their child.

That evening we pick up four year old granddaughter to take her with us to see only grandson's,

her cousin's, baseball game.

In the car she tells us that her mama told her some people got hurt at a running race.

Her daddy runs marathons, and immediately I 

want to reassure her that nothing like that will ever happen to him.

But I keep quiet, and in typical four year old fashion, her attention quickly shifts to something else.

At the baseball game, we eat peanuts, (in the shell),  and Cracker Jacks because she knows the song

and thinks it's some sort of law of the universe that those two snacks must be eaten at a baseball game.

The whole evening seems an old-fashioned snapshot of a simpler time in America.

It seems so wholesome, so simple, so safe.

Suddenly the sky changes, gray clouds roll in, and a few random sprinkles turns into a downpour.

We run with four year old granddaughter for the car, her laughing at the rain and pushing the hood of her jacket off on purpose.

As we pull the car out of the ball park, we see two rainbows.

One is so bright and so clear that we can clearly see where the end of it touches the grass.

I see it and I remember the God who has made the heavens His throne and from there rules over everything.

I remember that He is keeping His eye on both the evil and the good.

I remember that He was sent to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come,

and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.

I remember that one day,

 on this same small planet at the very same time,

our Redeemer will return,

and it will be the greatest day ever for some, 

but for the unrepentant wicked, a day of God's vengeance.

I remember that we're the ones who started this whole mess in His perfect, beautiful creation,

but that He's the One Who's going to make it all right again.

I remember, and I wait, and I long for it.

Still following,