A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - T.G. F. F. {Thank Goodness For the Force}



Nets

"It was a net, dropped into unlikely water and brought to the surface with gasps of awe. 

 

There is new life now -  life that wasn't expected or deserved.  We should marvel at the gift in the same way they did as the nets tore apart and the boats quaked with the weight of it all. 

 

Had it not been for the overwhelming barrenness, there would not have been such appreciation for what He provided."

 

from Chasing God by Angie Smith

 

 

Sometimes, it appears as though we labor in vain.  We put forth a solid effort, going about our work in the best way we know how, but for whatever reason when it comes time to measure our progress, we have little to show for it.  It was certainly the case for the fisherman mentioned in Luke 5.  

 

...he (Jesus) saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.  He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore.  Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.  

 

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 

 

Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.  But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

 

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. (verses 2-6)

 

Today, as I read this passage with fresh eyes, a few things stood out to me. 

 

1. While coming up empty, after a long and labored night of work, the fisherman were met washing their nets, completing their daily tasks, so that they would be prepared for next evening's cast.  They were deflated, but not defeated.

2. How rad it would be to listen to Jesus preach from a boat. 

 

3. Simon's response - his honest and admitted frustration before the Master ["We have worked hard all night..."] yet, in his very next breath, implicit trust ["But because you say so, I will..."]

{emphasis mine} 

 

4.  The fisherman's obedience resulted in a bounty that was far greater than anything they could have anticipated or expected.

 

I know there is a picture floating around out there of me in cut-off denim shorts, standing on a rock in the middle of a river holding up a fish I'd caught in northern Wisconsin, but a fisherman I am not.  And, while I will never know the labor involved in casting and catching, I can understand the disappointment of an empty net.  And yet...and yet, what beauty there is to behold in the unexpected provision that awaits a heart bowed down in humble obedience.   I'm sure Simon had his doubts.  I'm confident he was fatigued and ready to call it a day.  I can appreciate his need to validate his efforts before the Master, (how often I find myself doing the same).  But, in spite of the fatigue, the doubt, the temptation to rely on his own strength, "because you say so, I will..." 

I have witnessed many evidences of grace in my life.  Through each season, be it one of disappointment or deep and satisfying fulfillment, God's faithful hand has been there to steady, guide, and direct.  And so, it is with great confidence that even when faced with an empty net, my prayer will be "because you say so, I will..."

I trust in You



This Week {in quotes}

from Morning and Evening

by Charles H. Spurgeon

from Chasing God

by Angie Smith

taken from www.girltalkhome.com



A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - "What?"

XXIV

 

Twenty-four hours.  That's all the time we needed to get away, reminisce days of old, experience the freedom of lingering in bed, order that second glass of wine, take a longer, hotter shower, watch E News Weekend (a guilty pleasure long forgotten), play the music we wanted free from unsolicited back-of-the-van-requests, give each other our undivided attention. 

 

 Twenty-four hours.  It was all the time we needed to focus on {us} before joyfully returning to {them}.

 

 

 

 

And, upon our return, his song to me.

 

I'm a small man
Next to a tall man
But baby I'm all man
When I'm with you

And I'm a fooled man
Compared to a schooled man
But I feel so enlightened
Just studying your smile

And I don't care how small I stand
I don't plan on measuring
Cause when you love me as I am
Baby I'm a better man

I'm a frail man
I ain't no fairy tale man
But because you accept that
I almost forget that
I'm bruised and I'm broken

And I'm an exposed man
Though I do some composing
But I ain't got a five or ten year plan
And I ain't got no, no back pockets

And it don't matter where I've been
Where I wasn't going
Cause when you love me where I am
Baby I'm a better man

And you love me the way I am
For reasons I don't understand
And your love is so much better than
Any kind of thing I could be earning

Now I don't care how small I stand
I don't plan on comparing
Cause you have loved me just as I am
And that makes me a better man

Now I'm a small man
Next to a tall man
But baby I'm all man
When I'm with you

This Week {in music}

Ledges 

by Noah Gunderson

 

 

You Have Me

by Gungor

 

 

Little Birdie

by Mumford and Sons

 

 

Stubborn Love

by The Lumineers

 

 

I Shall Not Want

by Audrey Assad

 

 

Flaws 

by Bastille

 

 

 

 

 

 



On Zeppelin, slogans and love

 Hum a few bars of Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot" and the littlest will proceed to get her groove on.  Verse after verse, a simple refrain, "talkin 'bout love, talkin' 'bout love."  Yesterday's morning commute inspired thoughts on love as Robert Plant's voice filled our van, and our little ones thrashed about in car seats. 

 

***

 

It appears that this month of love has ramped up my emotive state.  Last night, as one Olympic qualifying round came to an end, breaking for commercial, JC Penneys had me contemplating the tagline, "when it fits, you feel it."  And, as I returned the pint of Cherry Garcia FroYo to the freezer (...you weren't kidding about that one, Ash), hands sticky sweet, my heart swelled as my mind fiddled with this concept of "it."  {It} is what I feel each time our garage door slowly rises, my van finds its way home, gearshift moving from drive to park, and the process of unloading little ones into the house begins. {It}, the steady rhythm of routine as he makes his way downstairs each morning, filling coffee cup, cracking open books, thin pages of Scripture turning as I linger in bed a few moments more before joining him.  {It}, their perfect little bedheads rising to meet the day, rubbing sleep from their eyes as they settle into my lap for morning's first embrace. {It}, a home filled with music, little ones queuing up playlist after playlist, dancing freely before and after school.  {It}, our love story, from the hallways of high school to a quiet suburban street in Fitchburg, a story only we could tell.  The many years, months, days and moments shared, building a life that is uniquely ours.  Waking this morning, with an urgency to put into words what is so strongly felt.  The custom fit and feel of a love that most certainly isn't perfect, but that is ours, and I feel it, each and every day that I'm gifted life.

 

 

 

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrong.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails.

 

1 Corinthians 13: 1-8a

 



Hand-picked

Valentine's Day came a little early this year as we made our fourth annual trip to Barnes and Noble to make our book selections.  This trip continues to bring me such joy as I watch our children peruse the children's section in search of their Valentine's pick.  This year, both the little lady and man were inspired by very specific characters and quickly settled on Fancy Nancy and Star Wars themed early reader book bundles.  Leslie Patricelli's Quiet Loud was gifted to us during our time in Cleveland, and our children loved the simple illustrations with contrasting content, so I selected another Patricelli board book for the littlest.  Yummy Yucky seemed an appropriate choice as teething has her shoving all things (yummy and yucky) into her mouth.  Having an Amazon literary wish list a mile long, I was curious to see which book Jeff would walk away with.  His selection, Born To Run, is one I will surely never be tempted to read, as I'm fully aware I was born to walk (or dance) my way through life.  As for me, I was torn having just received so many lovely new books, but couldn't bear to leave the store empty handed.  I meandered to the cookbook section with the intention of picking up Keepers, but was drawn to Ruth Reichl's Tender to the Bone having so enjoyed her laugh-out-loud Garlic and Sapphires.  Here's to many hours of reading quietly in front of the fire!

 



my funny valentine

"No one asks if I will take this man every morning when I get up.  But I do take him, whether the day is worse or better.  He asked the question once.  I answer him with my life."

- Emily P. Freeman

 

 

A week from now, my valentine and I will be in the Windy City sans littles.  We will join friends for an intimate weekend of rest, relaxation, food, and inevitable laughter. When it comes to Valentine's Day, we typically keep it romantically simple, I put pen to paper expressing my heart in words and he strums, singing sweet melodies.  It's tradition and I love it.  But, the thought of having extra special plans this year has me giddy with anticipation. 

This morning, I awoke grateful for a heart that still flips and flutters each time my favorite one walks into the room, for the opportunity to be his bride, to walk hand and hand through life's many seasons, to rest my back against his each night and find his feet under the covers, to catch his gaze across the room, to joke, eye roll, and laugh our way through each day, to share my thoughts, frustrations, opinions, and dreams with.  I'm thankful he has my back, and I, his.  I'm comforted to know that in spite of how loudly I chew my chips, how poorly I open new boxes of cereal, my inability to communicate effectively without using my hands, the minutes of restlessness I experience each night in bed before finding the perfect position, and the pride I struggle to rein, he loves me the way I am.




This Week

"God is growing YOU as your children grow."

 

 

Amazing.

 

 

A love story. (I wonder what he and I will say when aged and wrinkled, hand in hand, sitting on the couch.)

 

 

Your One Wild and Precious Life.

 

 

Love their accessories.  How pretty for spring?!


"Some people are worth melting for..." The sweetest of movies.

Things got even more dramatic...

Dancing to Vivaldi's Four Seasons before bed.



 

Imaginary play inspired by West Side Story.

"Sharks and Jets"

 

Breaktime

"Only when we decided to quiet ourselves and listen on purpose did we really begin to hear."

- Emily P. Freeman

 

   

 

SW 6463 Breaktime

Interior / Exterior

 

I love the wall color in the girls' room; its aqua shade changing throughout the day as natural light floods the space.  It is the delicate combination of Tiffany blue and Robin's egg blue with a hint of mint and splash of grey. While I do not spend a significant amount of time in their bedroom, each day when I sit in the corner on a favorite chair putting the littlest to sleep, I embrace the peaceful color, allowing its soft tone to inspire quiet reflection.  It amuses me that I was drawn to a shade of blue called, Breaktime, especially when I consider the color was chosen for two little ladies that currently have very little interest in taking a break. 

 

My "breaktime moments" are always reflective, never filled with to-do lists or the thought of what's next.  Perhaps it's the color, or watching the littlest as she falls asleep through the lulling combination of warm milk and her mama's arms.  They are a break from the noise, the rush, and business of daily life, and in those moments I am caught up, caught off guard and overwhelmed by the beautiful in my life.  The crazy beautiful.  The many sweet and tender moments that play out each and every day.  The way he instills confidence in me through affirming nods, a supportive smile, or wink across the room. Their bright eyes, curious minds, and many expressions. The three of them - features and personalities - a beautiful blend of he and I, but also uniquely their own.  The love that fills our home, each tickle, hug, playful kiss, and long embrace.  The intense devotion I feel each time he walks through the door at the end of a long day.

***

Lord, may I not be so hurried in my days that I forget the importance of taking a break, slowing my pace.  May I be attentive, aware of how You speak through those quiet moments.  And, may my eyes always be open to the beauty that is right in front of me.   

  

 

This week

 

On perfectionism, authenticity and homemaking. 

 

"I want to flourish for the benefit of others." - Tension in our roles as women

 

It seems appropriate for our home to have one of these.

 

Trying out a new makeup line , and am already loving this and this.

 

We celebrated all things pink Friday evening at Dawn and Bob's, praising the Lord for a healthy 20 week ultrasound!  A niece...I can hardly wait!