Am I ready?

My Dear Husband gave me a night to myself.

A night to write.

A night to get things done.

And this is where I sat:

He even took my children to my In-Laws to really give me peace and quiet.  

(The last time he tried to do this, I went to take a bath and I had one boy in the tub with me and one pooping right by me.  Not a very relaxing bath...)

So I wrote.

And tweeted.

And wrote.

And night came.

And I wrote some more.

And morning came.

And I wanted to write more, but they were home.  

Giggles and shouts.

And snuggles that I needed to have.  I hadn't had any bare tootsies in my cozy spot for a while...

But I wasn't ready.

I wanted to write more.

I wanted to get three loads of laundry done.

I wanted to clean up the pantry.

I wanted to organize my closet.

I wasn't ready.

And although I long for the day when I see my Jesus face to face....

Am I ready?

Have I met each day with the desire to show His love to everyone I meet?

Have I set aside time to be with my Lord in order to learn to love him more?

This is not just a list of "good enoughs."

I will never be good enough to get into Heaven.  That is what grace is for.  Jesus loving me,  

a sinner, enough to die for me.

In order to give me eternity.

In order to give me full life here on earth.

In order to make me ready.

I guess I am ready...

but my prayer is that everyday: 

He strengthens me more,

He teaches me more,

He uses me more.

And He continues to allow me to encourage others to be ready too!

Blessings,

She died on Christmas.

I don't know the time exactly.

All that matters is that it was on Christmas.

Every Christmas from here after her daughter will think of that.

Instead of a day filled with hope and happiness,

It will be filled with sorrow and questions.

Do the questions get answered or does the grief just fade?

I have heard it never fully goes away.

So years from now as her daughter watches her children's eyes

 dance with delight at a stocking full of joy,

her thoughts will be on her mom and

 her last Christmas, her last day, her last hug with her mom.

Many years ago a baby was born to save the world,

Crying, cold, coming to bring us peace.

She knew this baby

And called Him her Savior,

She trusted him

all the way until the end,

And even then,

her husband says

"We have seen His blessings in all this.

From day one of the cancer until the very end.

We have seen the blessings in all this."

We have seen the blessings in all of this.

His blessings.

My questions fade, and my longing increases,

My longing to be where she is at this moment.

Seeing His face and knowing His grace

 more fully 

than I will ever know this side of the open door.

My friend has walked through 

the winter of pain and has found the place He has prepared for her.

He led her through this open door.

Her family will still know this pain.

Her husband missing her laugh,

Her son missing her smile,

and her daughter missing her mom when years from now, 

she holds her own sweet baby on Christmas day.

But she has found peace.

Calgon, don't take me away! We're having too much fun!

Hey There!

Haven't been on in a while....
Between moving, school starting, and just the craziness of having four kids 8 and under, it is not that I haven't had the moments,it is that they are coming far too quickly to remember,but hopefully the positive memories will stick and the ones I want my kids to forget will be wiped away by all the love I try to show them.


Apparently, my kids are quite gifted and know when it is time to bathe!
Here's a classic story that I got picture of...

I was upstairs with my oldest son snuggling after quiet time. He had said, "Hey Mom! Is that water I hear?" I didn't think so, but after hearing it for a while, we thought we should go check it out. Well, my four year old, who at last checking was reading on the couch, decided to take his clothes off, and take a bath in the powder room sink! I told him gently, but sternly that he really could have fallen backward and it was not a good idea to do that, but to keep doing it so I could take a picture for dad. :) We were all laughing pretty hard at that one!

Isn't that just like us? Thinking we know what we need, we will take it into our own hands and maybe get part of the job accomplished, but definitely not the whole thing. And all because we didn't get prepared. Whether it is praying, checking with wise counsel or simply giving yourself time to search the Bible for a more definite answer, we just want to jump into the sink instead of a glorious bath overflowing with bubbles.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you joy and peace."

In what ways are you settling for a bath in the sink? In what areas of your life do you need to give over to God in order to let him bathe you with his joy and peace, comfort and joy?"

Enjoy the MOMents!

Blessings,
Angie