David

A few months back my husband was reunited with a guy he met when working grounds at Covenant College. A summer where to young men were asking questions, figuring out themselves and how they fit in this world. I think it was encouraging for both of them to hear how God has worked in both of their lives to bring them to a place of deeper faith and trust in Christ. Recently David and his lovely family moved to England to work with the intellectuals of Cambridge. You can check out his work here. This past Thursday David was asked to be part of a debate about inner peace. We had been praying for him and were so blessed by what he shared.

I remember

Seven years. it marks the same as my union. my memories are a gift. a small box. filled. flashes of dream moments. seeing then. living now. I remember. 

The Awakening 

Death is not a sleep, but an awakening

to Life. Casting off the dreams of

darkness, sorrow, sin and strife-the soul 

arising greets the glory of the morning ray-

faring forth into the promise of the golden day.

At the gate that swings between this world

and worlds above-stands the Angel of God’s

mercy with the lamp of love…. Fear not for

the spirit that has passed into the night.

Death is not sleep, but an awakening to

Light.

~Patience Strong

  I've wanted chickens for years. If you've spent any amount of time with me you know this because I always talk about it. I knew my Dad would need something to do while he visited us and so I found my chance to put his building and architectural genius into use. I told him what I wanted and he and my husband made it happen. 

the front

the back with three nesting boxes that open from the outside for easy gathering

our chickens inspecting their new home.

New Hampshire Reds: Josephine, Beatrix, and Fanny

My little helper

Its been such a good feeling having our chickens. They are so easy to take care of and so beautiful. I've enjoyed sitting out in my yard just watching them peck and scratch. My children have also found our hens intriguing although I will say they tend to get a little upset about being pecked at. And our eggs? well we don't have any yet. They are still only 5 months old and don't usually start laying until now and because of less day light I'm not really expecting much from them. In fact I'm taking this really slowly and just seeing if we are really chicken people. So far so good. If you are interested in raising your own I recommend Living with Chickens and Keeping Chickens. They are both fairly basic books but delightful to read.

Visit II

My parents came for a visit in October and they brought my Grandmother with them. I was so thankful for their visit as I was feeling a little bit lonely for my side of the family. We mostly spent our days relaxing at home eating good food, learning how to crochet, playing cards but we did venture out a bit....

Being silly with my Grandma 

Riding the "train"

Enjoying the view from the Southern Belle

The Captain 

The Big Kids at the Choo Choo

Visit I

My sister comes every year and we always have a blast when she comes. This year we went apple picking and enjoyed the drama that can be found at the Ocoee river in early September. When my sister visits us she always comes bearing gifts and a willingness to enter into our full lives. Getting one on one time with my sister is a blessing. We've been able to go deep and share our hearts about our broken spaces and the memories that have made us who we are. We are super different and move in totally different circles but, I'm finding the older I get the more I can get what she is about and the wisdom she can impart.  

LJS

A few weeks ago I started some new posts but my computer was on the blink and just as I was uploading pictures it shut down. How convenient. So I got super frustrated and stopped it all. I'm finding it in my heart to continue the documentation process despite that fact that well...these pictures and thoughts are a few months old! 

Lets start with my sweet little nephew Luke. What a precious little boy he is and it brings me so much joy to hold him so snuggly and new (well not that new now!).  Family is important to me and so when a new baby makes his or her way into my world I'm thrilled. My sister-in-law rocked this birth and is an amazing Mama, my Brother is a wonderful Father and Max loves on his brother so vivaciously!

It could be mold.

So in true curious fashion I went on to this site after I posted my last blog entry about Andrea Fabry. I wanted to know her story. On her blog I found this video. Its long and might seem boring but if you hold out and watch the whole thing it might be a small break through for you or someone you know. I know so many of us who have struggled with sickness and have been frustrated in not finding the answers. It seems kind of crazy that such a small thing could cause so many problems, but it really does! How many of us have worked in schools, offices, houses, that have had mold issues? The apartment in Athens Greece, the friend who worked in houses after Katrina, the brother-in-law who worked at that school, the husband who does remodeling for a living, the child with chronic asthma and other issues, the mother who is always tired and depressed...