On my firstborn's birthday...

Today is your birthday.

You made me a mama when I wasn't much more than a child myself,

just shy of my twentieth birthday.

There are no words to describe the way I loved you from the very start,

but maybe I'll try.

I loved you fiercely.

This was no mamby-pamby, ooey-gooey, sissy type love,

this was full blown mama bear love.

It flooded my heart the minute I saw you with your head of thick dark hair

and your dimpled cheeks.

It's power surprised me.

You're a grown married woman now, with children of your own.

Surely you understand now what I mean.

Being a mama is a wonderful and terrifying thing.

It changed and shaped me in the best ways while it exposed my weaknesses in the worst ways.

My frequent prayer was, "God, please cover my mistakes with Your grace".

Yesterday, you asked me to watch your girls for a few hours while you attended a meeting.

While the two year old napped,  the five year old and I played a game of dominos,

then a hand of Go Fish followed by a hand of Old Maid.

We ended up snuggled up together on my bed while I read One Morning in Maine to her.

While we read about Sal and her lose tooth I commented, that at age five, she'll probably lose a tooth soon as well.

A few moments later she burst out,  "Nana, this is the best day!"

My heart burst with the love I felt for your firstborn girl,

and it was a wee bit like getting to live a moment with you at age five all over again.

It just goes by so gosh darn fast.

So fast.

Too fast.

I wish I'd played more dominos and hands of Go Fish and Old Maid and read more 

Robert McCloskey classics to you and worried a lot less about my list of to-dos.

But I can't go back, and looking at you, I guess God's grace did cover my weakness, 

because you're pretty amazing.

You are beautiful in every way and I am so proud of you.

I am proud to be your mama.

It would be wonderful to have my name on the cover of a book someday,

or even on an article in a magazine,

but if all I'm ever know as is your mama, your sisters' mama,

your daughters' nana, or your sisters' childrens' nana,

I'm okay with that.

Because it's been a high privilege,

a high honor,

and the greatest blessing from God I've ever known.

still following,

     

Also joining THOUGHT PROVOKING THURSDAYS 

at 3-D Lessons for Life

Bringing spring indoors...

The camellias are in bloom all over our neighborhood.

The deep red ones seem to be the most popular,

but I prefer the white or peachy pink colors.

Forsythia is a favorite of mine.

It brings back childhood memories of playing beneath the blooming forsythia that grew between our house and the neighbor lady's.

I love being able to have bring spring flowers indoors

without having to buy them at the store.

However, I did buy this new houseplant that was on sale at my favorite produce stand.

There was no identifying label or care instructions so I'm hoping someone who knows will comment!

Flowers and plants are a simple way to bring a touch of spring indoors.

still following,

     
         

Texture Tuesday..."Quiet"...

(photo edited with an overlay of Kim's "touch of texture 1" at 40% opacity)

The prompt this week for Texture Tuesday was "quiet".

Immediately this photo I took last week of the sunlight streaming through the window

 of one of the buildings of the historic Ft. Vancouver came to mind.

These words from Isaiah 30:15 came to mind as well.

Here is the entire verse.

For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:“In returning and rest you shall be saved;In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not.

In some versions of the Bible it uses the word trust instead of confidence.

Quietly trusting God is something I need to do, yet, like Israel, I too often don't.

I keep voicing my opinion, saying my two cents worth, instructing, manipulating the situation,

anything but really and truly quietly trusting that God knows best and that He's well able to deal with the situations and circumstances that I face.

Even in this I am helpless and in desperate need of His help to "will and to do His good pleasure".

So I ask Him, "God, help me to quietly, confidently trust You."

still following,

Safe in the Fortress...

We've had  a lovely week with especially lovely weather to accompany spring's arrival.

The week began with the Hubs taking two days off and us having a little R&R at the beach.

{I'm really grateful that he knows when his usual one day off a week from the church isn't cutting it and he periodically schedules these little getaways for us.}

The week ended with us having our two oldest grandkids stay with us for three nights while their mama and daddy were out of town.

Since they didn't have school Friday, they got to choose something fun for us to do together.

They love to visit Ft. Vancouver, so since it's educational and inexpensive it was a win-win!

We explored all of the various parts of the fort and saved climbing to the top of the gun turret for last.

After we enjoyed the view from the top and were making our way back down, 

I made the mistake of putting my sunglasses on before I was all the way at the bottom of the stairs.

It's already a bit dark inside the turret, and in my foolishness about putting on my sunglasses prematurely I missed the bottom step and went tumbling.

I banged up my knee, cut my hand up pretty badly and sprained a couple of fingers,

but was thankful that I had no broken bones and that my camera was still safely around my neck.

However, it left me hurting in a different way, a way that surprised me a bit.

It left me feeling vulnerable about my age.

Now I know that 56 isn't ancient, but the fall really shook me up and I realized how easily I could have been hurt really badly.

My body ached from the accident and so did my soul.

It was today that the Lord spoke to me about what happened through two different things.

At church, He spoke to me through a song with these words,

"I know that I can trust You.  

My life is in the hands of the Maker of Heaven."

Then as I looked over the photos of our day at the fort, He spoke to my heart and said, 

"No matter what happens to you I'm your fortress.  

You're right in the middle of the safest place you could ever be."

I'm so thankful for His protection that day and that I really can trust Him for all of my days to come.

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

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

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

#4443-#4475

3-17-14-

-an impromptu getaway to the beach

-the "senior's midweek special" on a great room at a favorite hotel

-dinner at our favorite place

-a beautiful walk on the beach

3-18-14-

-sleeping in

-reading the book of Jonah with She Reads Truth

-sipping on my Starbucks that the Hub's brought me

-the beautiful weather

-happy hour price on our dinner

3-19-14-

-a safe drive home

-doing my usual "nesting" after getting home from out of town

-loving the devotions on the book of Jonah

-time to write

3-20-14-

-the first day of spring

-a new journal

-going on a run in between the two Bible studies I lead on Thursday

-bringing a crock pot of homemade Zuppa Toscana to the church for our dinner and sharing it with others

-prayer-singing a song of intercession

-the two oldest grands staying with us through the weekend

3-21-14-

-waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon for breakfast

-a beautiful day to go to Ft. Vancouver

-thank God things weren't worse when I fell

-going to Mod Pizza for dinner

-finding a bargain on a hobnail milk glass pitcher at Camas Antiques

-coming home and resting

3-22-14-

-making M&M cookie bars with my granddaughter while Papa took our grandson to his football game

-walking on a nearby trail with the grands and watching two hawks soar overhead

-the two grandkids enjoying going thrifting/antiquing with me

-crafting while watching a movie with the grands

3-23-14-

-the words "I know that I can trust You.  My life is in the hands of the Maker of Heaven."

-God's answer to a problem youngest daughter had at work

-the Hub's message at church this morning

-going out for Thai food with the college age and twenty-somethings afterwards

gratefully yours,

Join the community of gratitude gatherers here...

The trouble with Jonah, and me too...

The words in the photo are the words of Jonah recorded in verse 9 of the first chapter of Jonah.

He spoke these words after God told him to go to Ninevah and warn the city of coming judgment.

He spoke these words after he got on a ship and headed in the exact opposite direction of God's instructions.

He spoke these words to the "false god worshipping sailors" on the ship who woke the slumbering Jonah up because the ship was being tossed about in a terrible storm sent by the One True God due to Jonah's disobedience.

The captain of the ship asked Jonah to pray to his God to spare their lives.

The crew cast lots to see who was the cause of the horrible storm.

Jonah was revealed as the culprit.

He readily confessed that he was running away from the very God who he claimed to worship,

the very God that he declared was the Maker of heaven, earth and sea.

It seems to me there was a mighty big chasm between Jonah's "say-er" and Jonah's "do-er".

Surely, if you really, really believe that God is Who He says He is,

then wouldn't you have a bit of the fear of the Lord when it comes to doing what He says?

Wouldn't you revere Him enough to obey Him?

Joy Dawson, in her book, Intimate Friendship with God, says that the fear of the Lord is evident in the life of a person by the fact that they do what God says wholeheartedly and quickly.

When I am teaching children about salvation and asking Jesus to be their Savior and Lord,

I explain that the word Lord means letting God be the Boss of your life.

My life verse goes along with that thought.

It's 1 Corinthians 6:20, "For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

I am twice God's.

I am His creation.

 I'm His because He made me.

I am also His because He redeemed me. 

He bought me back from sin and satan though the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.

Hasn't He earned the right to rule my life?

Hasn't He proved His love and trustworthiness over and over and over?

Yes, yes He has.

And yet, I've pulled a Jonah a time or two or a hundred.

Maybe it's not been as dramatic as Him telling me to go east and I've headed west instead,

but there's been many a time He's told me to keep silent and I've insisted on having my say.

He's told me to reach out to someone and I've let fear win over obedience.

He's told me to forgive and let it go and I've kept a record of wrongs instead.

It's all disobedience.

It's me wanting to be the boss of my own life.

It's me not revering God enough to obey wholeheartedly and quickly the minute He speaks.

I thank God that the story of Jonah is one of repentance and of God's mercy and forgiveness

for Ninevah and for Jonah.

My story is one of repentance and of God's mercy and forgiveness, too.

Thank God.

still following,

Linking with She Reads Truth

Friday's Faves...Limelight Hydrangeas and A New Basket

The day before St. Patrick's Day the grocery store florist had all of their green flowers on sale.

These gorgeous limelight hydrangeas were only $3.50!

I couldn't resist.
They are still beautiful all these days later.

This lovely tray basket was a recent find at Homegoods.

I thought $7.99 was a good price for it.

It's quite large, sturdy and well made.

The handles are made of rope.

It's fun to make little changes and bring some spring into the house without spending a lot of money!

Well, it's almost Friday, friends.

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and

a BLESSED weekend.

                  

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday