Stream of Consciousness

There are so many blog posts rolling around in me as I journal, and yet of course my to do list is longer than my day, preventing me from pouring them onto my keyboard. But, what the heck, I'll write a little here and there.

HELLO!

Our Anna Grace is 18 today. Amazing: another child brought to adulthood. One to go. It is one of life's pleasures to see your children grow into delightful people. Many times recently I've questioned if I was cut out for four children [I'm not good with chaos] [I totally melt down at times in chaos] but truly the benefits outweigh the exhaustion. [I'm in the exhaustion stage of life] Happy Birthday Anna Grace. We can't imagine a more well rounded, sweet Christian daughter than you.

What I love about Anna is that she grabs all of life - enjoys so many different activities and people, and is so content in her own skin. It's a joy to watch. [She's starkly different than her mother was at 18] [thank God] And yes, we definitely have our mother daughter face to face conflicts, but those are so a part of the normal process of gaining independence that I'm thankful for them too. We have a very honest relationship. I love my Anna Grace.

This week end my friend Kathi and I were at The Moody Church in Chicago for a 1.5 day seminar on the Middle East Conflict and how it relates to the Bible. Amazing. The featured speaker was Joel Rosenberg. My father so enjoyed his book, "Epicenter" when it was released in 2006, and would have LOVED this conference. We loved this conference, and I wish I had more time to study it. I'm hoping an elective will come along in seminary so that I can spend more time in Prophecy.

One of the speakers was a former driver and sniper who worked for Arafat. He was touched by the love of Jesus through a patron at a restaurant in which he worked, and turned his life around. Now his life is spent spreading Christ's love in the Arab world. What an amazing story of God's grace.

There are so many good options for how to spend time. And there is so much in the Word that I look forward to delving into. I wrote in my journal this morning that the definition of SWEET is when "my ought-to collides with my want-to." Studying the Word is that for me. I ought to. And I want to. Sweet.

Speaking of which, it's time to spend some time with David - a man after God's own heart. And then I need to spend a few hours on Theology - we have our mid term this week. And in between I'll be puttering around, setting the table for the big birthday dinner, making rolls, prepping for the requested chicken shrimp stir fry. The requested angel food cake is in the oven now. There are presents to wrap too. And sunshine to bask in here at the dining room table. Life today is very pleasant.

MARGIN. Kathi loves that word, and we yakked about it on our way to Chicago. What a great concept - to build margin into our days. BALANCE. Another word to chew on. And SIMPLICITY. I'm entering the stage of life where I want less stuff and not more. More beauty. Less stuff. More experiences, less stuff.

I'm singing tomorrow at the funeral of a 70 year old woman. That feels so young to me. She left behind five grand children under the age of 11. Whew. It's hard to ponder.

It's one of those days where there is just a lot swirling about in my head - can you tell? I am thankful beyond words for a Monday off. I am so glad that we have chosen over the years to have me work part time. I likely have the higher earning potential of the two of us, yet I can't express how thankful I am that we have not built a life on two full time incomes. These scattered days off keep me whole. It's my margin, creating balance in a world swirling with options. It's why we could have four children, how we could create and maintain a lovely home, how we can and could take the time to care for aging parents, and why I now can be in seminary. God has allowed me this flexibility, and for that I am extremely grateful. Each of us has different callings, different options, and different definitions of margin. I think of the verse in Psalms 16:6 "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed my heritage is beautiful to me."

[There is no time to write it now, but it is pure fact that a difficult childhood has greatly contributed to who I am, and what my priorities are. And a marriage that keeps me on my knees is the same one that allows for me to be a part time worker. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he?]

Enjoy your Monday. Don't forget to create a moment or two of margin, and count your blessings. Lately I've been back into knitting. I knit and talk aloud to God in the morning, reciting my blessings and concerns. It might only be ten minutes, but it's really helping me to stay focused on prayer. I'll post a photo of the latest project soon...

Well, this post is really all over the place. So is my brain. Welcome. :}