The Weekend of Things.....

 Saturday we attended a beautiful and tender wedding of some friends. I made this serving set as a present for them and wrapped them in a set of kitchen towels. My hope is that they are used in every day family dinners to spruce things up and make them feel special.

We had a crazy busy long weekend but it was full of fun and encouragement and new friendships. We had a big conference at church over the weekend and we hosted a 2 of the 19 guest speakers in our home. I will have to write about it later when I can gather my thoughts more.

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In other news, last week my husband came home with news that had shaken him up pretty good from our doctor. He had gone in for a basic exam and came home with a medication for stage 2 hypertension. His blood pressure was through the roof. It really shook up his world and made him re-evaluate how he does things. We have been going through the house discussing his eating choices and how to adjust to a low sodium lifestyle. Because he is a runner, the exercise part of lifestyle changes is not too hard for him. His goal is to simply be more consistent.

Another thing he has opted to do of his own free will and desire (without any prodding from me) is to keep a daily blog journal of his health progress as he fights his blood pressure and prepares for the big Hood-2-Coast run in August. When you have opportunity to visit him, the encouragement would really make him smile.

It is so cute how he is loving blogging too.  Always in the past he would support me with my writing but pace around about me "always" being on the computer. Now he is calling me during the day and saying things about what he wants to write when he gets home from work.  He is learning quickly that it is quite an addictive habit.

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 And then there was my first cello lesson. Goodness, 45 minutes goes by fast. I am having fun with practice and finding the feel for my positioning. I have been thinking about a name for my cello and I want to thank you for your suggestions. It has been good.  I didn't set out to think this way but the name of the woman I bought it from keeps coming to my mind. Her name is Carlotta. Whenever I think of the name Carlotta I envision a beautiful woman who has a flair for creativity and passion while pushing the barrier between what is normal and individually on the edge. For some reason that keeps speaking to me.....maybe because my goal is to use my cello in free unrestricted worship to God.

Okay, it is so very late and my eyes are fighting sleep desperately.
Be blessed and know without a doubt that you are loved with the amazing love of God that never ends.

Music Is a Heavenly Sound....

 

This is my new cello!

I am so excited!

I bought it yesterday from a previous owner. I know it is not a high end super fancy one but I feel confident that she gave me a nice instrument for a fair price. I used a small portion of my inheritance and I feel that Daddy is smiling his excitement.

Oh my.....I just got this flash image of him dancing in heaven with that beautiful heavenly sound everywhere and I can be here making a reflection of that sound............

I begin my lessons with an instructor tomorrow but I couldn't wait that long. I jumped online this morning and found a "lessons 101" website to play around with. It is filled with all sorts of music theory which is great because sight reading has always been a downfall for me.

Aaahhhhhh!!!!! I am so excited!

But I must give attention to some other things today as well.

I had offered to head up a fundraiser for Puddin's advanced choir. They are touring in the spring to Disneyland (rough right?) and need to cover expenses. Today is the day to pick up products and disperse them to customers.  Also we have a conference going on at church this weekend and I am helping to organize host homes for the 18 out of state guest speakers coming.

How can I do everything? I am almost done with it so it is okay. 

Sadly, my brother had a bicycle accident over the weekend and broke his collar bone in 4 places. Consequently, my sister-in-law is off work caring for him and I miss out on having my Angel-girl to chatter with. That gives me a lot of time in the day to do what needs to be done.

How is my brother? He is doing really well. The doctor has his shoulder taped up and says there possibly won't be a need for surgery.  I went to see him yesterday and he really looks good. The swelling is down and I didn't see any discoloration or bruising. God was definitely with him. He didn't have a helmet on when he fell going downhill but there isn't a single scratch on him.

My brother just texted me and asked if I am going to name my cello. He says it is too beautiful an instrument to be called "it".  He is right. I was just pondering that same thought.  Hmmmm.....what to call it.....

"A rose by any other name....."

Blessings to you today!

Celebrating Birthday and Love.....

 

Yesterday we hosted a surprise birthday party for my Nana. She is now 85 years young. Doesn't she look amazing? My parents told her they were taking her out for the day but needed to stop at my house and deliver something. Delivering her as the guest honor was the real motive and she was so surprised at the houseful of people greeting her.

Family and friends socialized over the buffet table and told stories while laughing and snapping pictures. It was a good day and I think everyone was blessed at being able to get together.

It was also an opportunity for Icca Chou to meet more of my family and get settled into being a part of our family with all the fun and craziness we offer.  I introduced her to extended cousins as one of my heart adopted daughters that lives with us and everyone welcomed her with open arms.  

Later one of my cousins pulled me aside and wanted to know more of her personal history and if her parents are around at all. I tried to be tactful and gracious in answering the question because I didn't think it really mattered and it is not my story to tell.  Icca Chou supported herself through high school and graduated. Now she works 40 hours a week and goes to college full time and we have the privilege of having her in our home as an every day blessing while she works towards achieving her goals.

But before I could think of anything to really say my cousin continued with, "I ask because I see something so special about her. She watches everything you do and the look in her eyes is filled with admiration and love for you. She has been looking around at everyone here at the party and it is like she is drinking it all in with happiness. I am so overwhelmed with feeling the fact that she so completely loves you and is proud of you and looks at you like a mom. I just wanna have a camera so I can freeze her look in my heart because it touches me so deeply."

I was absolutely blown away and it made me want to cry right then and there.

I love each one that comes through our door. So long ago when Hubby and I were starting our family my heart was full for so many children to love and cherish. It never occurred to me that my heart desires would be fulfilled by way of all the friends that our girls bring through the doors. We were just teasing this afternoon with someone about Pippin and Puddin' always inviting others over all the time or when they fill all the seats of my car with extras to go along with whatever adventure we are embarking. Then the girls will pull me aside and say, "Mom they need you to love on them." or "They need Mom advice."  

Most kids bring home stray pets. Mine bring home extra kids to love on. And I love every second of speaking into their lives and encouraging them into walking in their destinies.   

Thank You God for your love to share and your eyes to see.

I pray that you have a fantastically blessed day filled with God's goodness.

In My Head and On My Heart.....

  I have had this experience sitting in my head and on my heart for a little over a week now and haven't been able to figure out quite how to write about it. I still am not really sure but I want to journal it before it gets all fuzzy.

God speaks to us in different ways. He uses his audible voice, our conscience, scripture, the people and things around us and even things that we casually brush off as coincidence.  Many times He will use a combination of things to get our attention and speak to us; not that He has to do it that way but mostly because we tend to not pay attention unless it becomes repetitive.  Sometimes the things God tells is to help us through a present issue and sometimes it is to help us understand something in the past or future.

 I am prefacing was all of that because I have recently found myself in a place of hearing His nudging of direction and have needed Him to tell me over and over again in different ways to finally let it seep into my heart.
While I will share my thoughts and desires transparently here in my cyber journal, I will rarely discuss my circling thoughts out loud to those around me. It is not that I don't want to share. It is just that it takes so long to find the right words to express what I am thinking.  So when someone(s) come to me and says, "God wants me to tell you something", I know it is not from any personal thing they conjured up from their personal thoughts.

It all started at my church 2 weeks ago. I went feeling great and happy to be there.  I was greeting different people and enjoying my social time before service started when one specific person came up to hug me. It wasn't a friend hug that I received. I mean, it was a friend hug in the sense that she is a dear friend to me. But it was so much more than a "Good morning and glad to see you" type of hug. Instantly I felt God all around me and it was as if my feet were off the ground and He held me. The flood of emotion was unexpected like a beautiful song as I drifted in the embrace that was everything in a few short seconds.

As service started, I tried to wrap my brain around what happened but at the same time didn't care. I wanted to enjoy it for what it was without analyzing it to pieces. Sometimes during our worship part of service I simply sing along with the music. Sometimes I smile and clap or move ever so slightly to the beat of the song. More and more though, I find myself in the back of the room with huge flag banners in my hands moving in time with the music. It feels as if my flags are dancing an amazing ballet with the Holy Spirit in the air and I get lost in it all. That is what I chose to do that day.

As I was spinning and flying, I felt a tap on my shoulder from another dear friend. She said, "God wants me to tell you something and it is important that you know now before worship is finished today.  He wants you to know that you are entering a new season, a season you have never experienced before. Your time with Him, your worship with Him, your intimacy with Him is all going to change and become even deeper. From this very moment you are changed and different.  Deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper........"

As I finished worship I dwelt on God's goodness and thought about seasons, being with my dad, everything being so different and the thoughts I have had on just how my life is different and changed so much over the last couple of years. I thought about my new goals and wondered what ones I had yet to even dream up much less the ones I have in my heart that I haven't walked through.

After service I decided to go to our art ministry just to see what would happen. I had never really given that ministry much thought before but felt very drawn to it that day. Here is what happened.

The person doing my art simply held my hands and prayed for God to show her something that He wanted to share with me that day. She kept her eyes closed for a minute and then looked at me and said, "oh wow. This is good. I need to get this all on paper so I don't forget any of it."  Below is what she drew. It scanned into my computer very light but I will explain.

 

She drew a fast moving river with a raft in the middle of it. I am in the raft (the top smiley face on the left) and it is full of other people.The raft itself bears no significance except to show that I am with others in the middle of the flow and not merely a spectator on the side left behind. She said it would be easy for me to feel that with everything of this last year I could feel as though I have missed out on so many things but God is not letting me miss a thing. 

You can't see from this scan but there is a waterfall ahead and my smiley face is looking towards it with joy and expectation. She said that while at times I am perplexed as to my future, I have no fear of whatever will happen next and I have expectation for it to happen. 

 

Like I said, I had never paid attention to that kind of prayer art before. I found it very interesting and touching. There is no denying that there is similarity with each experience I had that morning.
After I wiped back the tears off my face I got to thinking more about what it all means and where do I go from here.

I keep thinking about my desire in learning to play cello. How many times I have said this is not the season because my hands are full with Angel-girl. But really? Is it impossible to do right now?  Does that word spoken over me that my worship and time with God is different and changed from that moment forward mean that I can now magically play the cello  or that I will become so fanciful and perfect at it?  No.  But maybe it is referring to the destiny that we all have in us that doesn't happen by us just sitting around.

It took a very long time for me to write and explain all of that out and I still am not quite sure what it all means 100% or even what my plan is. But maybe I should look into pricing lessons and what it would take to get a cello in my home.

This journey that we are all on is never dull for sure.

God bless you today with the knowledge and comfort of knowing just how amazing and important you truly are.

Now Is It Final?.....

If I keep staring at the computer screen will it make things any easier?

I received my inheritance money today.
The amount doesn't matter in the least to me except for the feeling of respect and gratitude in how my father worked with the sheer purpose of leaving something behind for the six of us children.
That thought didn't hit me though as I sat in the car holding the envelope tonight. My only thought was that it is so final.

It is not that having or not having that check would make anything different. Daddy is in heaven and I have a heart filled with memories from the last year with him that I treasure more than anything money can buy. For some reason though, holding that check makes things seem so much more final than they did before.....not that it wasn't all final before. 
It is confusing.
It is a feeling and feelings are rarely orderly.

I feel a huge responsibility in what to do with it. I am scared to cash it, scared I will make decisions in spending and investing that I will wish I didn't do later on.

Wisdom, Father God how I am seeking your wisdom.