Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Thank you
Unspoken gratitude blesses few
...but spoken gratitude shares
your heart, your love and Jesus in us.
I all too often keep my thankfulness inside
...but spoken gratitude shares
your heart, your love and Jesus in us.
I all too often keep my thankfulness inside
...it's in my heart but should flow from my mouth as well.

So, thank you
...for being here
...for following our families life journey
...for your friendship
...for asking me to be your photographer
...for your words of encourgement
...for listening to me
...for praying and caring for our family
...for being patient with me
...for giving me the opportunity share
...for sharing with me
...for your unspoken gratitude.
truly, Thank YOU!

So, thank you
...for being here
...for following our families life journey
...for your friendship
...for asking me to be your photographer
...for your words of encourgement
...for listening to me
...for praying and caring for our family
...for being patient with me
...for giving me the opportunity share
...for sharing with me
...for your unspoken gratitude.
truly, Thank YOU!
{NEVER} easy
.can be strengthening.

.can be fun.

.and {it's} definitely never EASY.
finding {peace} in GOD...
GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. {Psalms 46:1}
The LORD is my strength and my shield, in him my heart trusts, so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. {Psalms 28:7}
My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. {Psalms 73:26}
For GOD'S foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and GOD'S weakness is stronger than human strength {1 Cor 1:25}
{this is a repost from 2 summers ago... never grows old though} enjoy!
may you
...see all the blessings that surround you
...heart be filled with God's perfect love
...see his beauty in the ordinary
...be surrounded by God's perfect peace
...feel God's sufficient grace
...seek the one who waits for you
I am thankful for
...a loving heavenly Father
...an amazing husband who loves his family more than himself
...our quiver-full of children who amaze me everyday
...God's written word & the ability to read it
...parents who raised me in a safe and loving home
...clean drinking water
... nourishing food & a kitchen to prepare it in
...our garden & all the glorious food it provides
...a warm and safe place to call home
...the friendships and bonds my children share with each other
...God's grace & peace
...a mom who birthed me, nursed me, loved me & taught me
...fathers who hugged me, loved me & supported me
...a safe and fruitful harvest
...my wonderful family even when they are far away
...the memories our family is making
...a loving church home
...friends near and far
...God who opened my womb & knit 6 amazing children within it
...the ability to see, hear, feel, taste & smell
...boys that come one at a time
...girls that come two at a time
...the privilege of teaching my children at home
...my camera and the skills to use it
...the internet & the many friends I have made here
...encouragement, love & kindness that flows from so many of your hearts
...a warm, safe and reliable vehicle
...this farm & the blessings of raising a family here
...a healthy family
...God's plan for my life
...loving people who bring orphans into their families
...hardship & the lessons I have learned through them
...God's strength that fills me up when I am weak
...the beautiful snow & blue skys
...an amazing earth filled with beauty
...my life and each and every person who touches it
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your day be filled with thankfulness, love & joy!
Does it matter?
There is no judgement here...
I grew up going to church on Sundays....
and never once did I ponder these questions.
Did the day really change?
Who changed it?
Does it truly matter?
What is the meaning of Sabbath?
What does the Bible say?
What do you think?
spit it out...
I've been holding this in
...for a while now
...because it felt intimate
...but I feel the constant urge to share it
...I hold myself back because putting these emotions into words is hard
...but i'll try

last year we left our home in the city.
the home I deeply loved.
with an abundance of 8ft windows and gleaming 100 yr old oak floors.
and took a journey to the county.
to my husbands grandparents farm.
we came because we felt called.
we came for the summer.
to work & cherish our family.
and then we planned to return home.
to our city life.
renewed and ready to keep going.
but it didn't work out that way.
our plans are not HIS plans.
our financial devastation had worsened.
our life was changing.
your generosity brought us home.
to say goodbye to family and friends.
to find closure in part of our life that was coming to an end.
we gave away things I never would have parted with.
and left a life I never thought I would.

our new home is small.
it has carpet that I hate.
and I can't paint the white walls.
the kitchen is the size of a bathroom.
our master bedroom is in the family room.
and my best friend doesn't live down the street.
there is one bathroom with no shower.
the bedrooms have postage stamp windows.
and the laundry room is nothing like this
but for some reason it feels right.
it is our new home.
our new life.
and I love it.
the peace I have been craving has been found here.
parts of me that were buried have been found.
we are letting go of our ideals.
and finding ourselves again.
living with less is living with more.
slowing down is waking up to life.
real life that matters.
letting go of so much has opened my heart and mind to so much more.
and all of that.
all of the pain.
all of the struggles.
oh how blessed we are to have had them.

I have never hurt more.
loved more.
desired God more.
lost more.
given more.
opened up more.
become more.
found more.
less really is more.
this only feels like i'm sharing the surface
...so much more is happening in our lives
and hopefully i'll be able to share more with you soon.
thanks for letting me share my life with you
...your love and kindness is inspiring
peace out.
...for a while now
...because it felt intimate
...but I feel the constant urge to share it
...I hold myself back because putting these emotions into words is hard
...but i'll try

last year we left our home in the city.
the home I deeply loved.
with an abundance of 8ft windows and gleaming 100 yr old oak floors.
and took a journey to the county.
to my husbands grandparents farm.
we came because we felt called.
we came for the summer.
to work & cherish our family.
and then we planned to return home.
to our city life.
renewed and ready to keep going.
but it didn't work out that way.
our plans are not HIS plans.
our financial devastation had worsened.
our life was changing.
your generosity brought us home.
to say goodbye to family and friends.
to find closure in part of our life that was coming to an end.
we gave away things I never would have parted with.
and left a life I never thought I would.

our new home is small.
it has carpet that I hate.
and I can't paint the white walls.
the kitchen is the size of a bathroom.
our master bedroom is in the family room.
and my best friend doesn't live down the street.
there is one bathroom with no shower.
the bedrooms have postage stamp windows.
and the laundry room is nothing like this
but for some reason it feels right.
it is our new home.
our new life.
and I love it.
the peace I have been craving has been found here.
parts of me that were buried have been found.
we are letting go of our ideals.
and finding ourselves again.
living with less is living with more.
slowing down is waking up to life.
real life that matters.
letting go of so much has opened my heart and mind to so much more.
and all of that.
all of the pain.
all of the struggles.
oh how blessed we are to have had them.

I have never hurt more.
loved more.
desired God more.
lost more.
given more.
opened up more.
become more.
found more.
less really is more.
...so much more is happening in our lives
and hopefully i'll be able to share more with you soon.
thanks for letting me share my life with you
...your love and kindness is inspiring
peace out.
bad day... good day... the story
A few days ago I was on the phone with my best friend
…we were talking about this and that
One of our topics of discussion brought the comment
if your roof blew off you’d say “good I can see the stars better!”
we giggled…
finished our leisurely talk {with 9 children in the background} and ended our phone call
later that night as I was laying in bed looking at the stars I remembered my earlier conversation
…feeling the need to share I retold the one line comment
We giggled…
And went to sleep
The next morning we woke up to ferocious 55mph winds
…since I knew it wasn’t a tornado I was thrilled
… I love crazy weather
After seeing that the wind was getting stronger
…I gathered the big boys and ventured outside to secure everything down
I headed straight for the laundry line where 40+ diapers were having a dance party
…I tried to take a picture but it wasn’t working
…instead someone should have been taking a picture of me
Hair blowing
Pajamas blowing
Using every part of my body to try to keep the diapers from blowing away
…you can imagine
…it was quite the scene
On the way in the house on of the boys opened the door and there was no way they could hold on
…the wind was too strong
…and the door was going to come crashing into the house
So…
I decided to try to catch it
…you know, to save the door and the house
Yeah…bad idea
A bag of frozen brussel sprouts, Traumeel & a few tears later we concluded that my hand was thankfully not broken
As I was sitting on the couch recovering
…we heard what the kids described as “someone is stomping on our roof”
Can you see where this is going?
The roof was blowing off
…1…2…3…4…5…6…7……
Shingle by shingle the roof was being torn to pieces
At this point I’m still enjoying this crazy weather
…and then I hear glass shatter
…the door had been ripped from Paul's hand
…crashing into the house
…Ripping it in half and breaking out the glass
Knowing that the door is unrepairable and hoping to detract from the door catastrophe I decide to ask
Me: “you know how to roof right?”
Paul: “Yes”
Me: “good… now you can teach the boys how to roof too!”
Paul: “yes I can”
So indeed I wasn’t able to see the stars any better
…but it’s another learning adventure!
Now what about the picture?
Later that evening we all walked over to Grandma & Grandpas for dinner
…after dinner as I’m helping Grandma in the kitchen she says
Grandma: “sure has been a bad day hasn’t it!”
Me: “I guess I’d call it wild and exciting, but it sure is a bummer about the door and roof”
Grandma: “that’s not the first time wind has broken the door to smithereens”
Me: “oh my, look out the window”
Paul: “run and get your camera”
So I ran over to our house
Staring at the sky the whole time
Grabbed my camera
Ran back outside and the rainbow was fading but the sky was still spectacular
I took one picture and then it faded away

…roof blowing off
…almost broken hand
…smashed door
…but it was still a good day
God made sure to remind us of his amazing love
Astonishing beauty
And unbreakable promises
…a Good Day indeed!
…we were talking about this and that
One of our topics of discussion brought the comment
if your roof blew off you’d say “good I can see the stars better!”
we giggled…
finished our leisurely talk {with 9 children in the background} and ended our phone call
later that night as I was laying in bed looking at the stars I remembered my earlier conversation
…feeling the need to share I retold the one line comment
We giggled…
And went to sleep
The next morning we woke up to ferocious 55mph winds
…since I knew it wasn’t a tornado I was thrilled
… I love crazy weather
After seeing that the wind was getting stronger
…I gathered the big boys and ventured outside to secure everything down
I headed straight for the laundry line where 40+ diapers were having a dance party
…I tried to take a picture but it wasn’t working
…instead someone should have been taking a picture of me
Hair blowing
Pajamas blowing
Using every part of my body to try to keep the diapers from blowing away
…you can imagine
…it was quite the scene
On the way in the house on of the boys opened the door and there was no way they could hold on
…the wind was too strong
…and the door was going to come crashing into the house
So…
I decided to try to catch it
…you know, to save the door and the house
Yeah…bad idea
A bag of frozen brussel sprouts, Traumeel & a few tears later we concluded that my hand was thankfully not broken
As I was sitting on the couch recovering
…we heard what the kids described as “someone is stomping on our roof”
Can you see where this is going?
The roof was blowing off
…1…2…3…4…5…6…7……
Shingle by shingle the roof was being torn to pieces
At this point I’m still enjoying this crazy weather
…and then I hear glass shatter
…the door had been ripped from Paul's hand
…crashing into the house
…Ripping it in half and breaking out the glass
Knowing that the door is unrepairable and hoping to detract from the door catastrophe I decide to ask
Me: “you know how to roof right?”
Paul: “Yes”
Me: “good… now you can teach the boys how to roof too!”
Paul: “yes I can”
So indeed I wasn’t able to see the stars any better
…but it’s another learning adventure!
Now what about the picture?
Later that evening we all walked over to Grandma & Grandpas for dinner
…after dinner as I’m helping Grandma in the kitchen she says
Grandma: “sure has been a bad day hasn’t it!”
Me: “I guess I’d call it wild and exciting, but it sure is a bummer about the door and roof”
Grandma: “that’s not the first time wind has broken the door to smithereens”
Me: “oh my, look out the window”
Paul: “run and get your camera”
So I ran over to our house
Staring at the sky the whole time
Grabbed my camera
Ran back outside and the rainbow was fading but the sky was still spectacular
I took one picture and then it faded away

…roof blowing off
…almost broken hand
…smashed door
…but it was still a good day
God made sure to remind us of his amazing love
Astonishing beauty
And unbreakable promises
…a Good Day indeed!
fabulous family
it's been a while since we have taken a family picture
...way too long
this spur of the moment family photograph turned out just right
.capturing the beginning of a new journey.
...way too long
this spur of the moment family photograph turned out just right
.capturing the beginning of a new journey.
...grayson...
NINE
NINE
...vance...
EIGHT
EIGHT
...gavin...
SIX
SIX

...ozzie...
THREE

19 months
This last 2 years {wow it's been 2 years} has been life changing
...so much has happened
...so much has changed
and for that I am thankful.
let life flow...
...here we go
a beautiful picture...
{never} easy
.can be strengthening.

.can be fun.

.and {it's} definitely never EASY.
finding {peace} in GOD...
GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. {Psalms 46:1}
The LORD is my strength and my shield, in him my heart trusts, so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. {Psalms 28:7}
My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. {Psalms 73:26}
For GOD'S foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and GOD'S weakness is stronger than human strength {1 Cor 1:25}
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