Charlie - Early Morning Buddy

Charlie is my early morning buddy.   At 5:15 am he and I have our quiet time together.  After his breakfast and my coffee has brewed, he sits next to me or curls up on the floor by my feet.  I sip my coffee and have my quiet time with God.  When he sits like this I wonder if he is waiting for me to read aloud to him!  It is an amazing, refreshing time for me as I dig into God's Word and I am blessed to have a foot warmer sitting with me!

Anniversary

It has already been a year

since my dad passed away.

I love looking at these pictures

depicting all of the fun he had.

Grief is a crazy thing

with days of peace and then

days of unending tears.

It helps knowing God

is taking good care of him.

I miss you, Dad.

Christmas for the Birds

Snow fell softly overnight

A white cover purifying the land

On the corner of our deck is a bird house

A place of safety for our winged friends

Slipped over branches is a wreath of green

Both are wrapped in peace

Christmas should be shared with all

Hankering

Hankering is a funny sounding word.  Tonight I had a really strong desire for fish tacos.  The craving was strong enough to be called a hankering.


The problem with making fish tacos on the spur of the moment is using the limited ingredients available.  I had one tomato that wasn't mushy and some onion.  I diced that up and added some dried cilantro.  Then some salt,  pepper, and lime juice.  While that marinated I baked a few pieces of cod. 


Do you call romaine lettuce a stalk or head?  Like head of lettuce?


I had romaine lettuce so I washed that up. 


When the fish was done I chunked it and tossed it in with the tomato/onion mixture.  Then the whole kit-and-caboodle was spooned onto a romaine leaf.


Did you hear me yelling NUMMY? 

I wonder if God had fun coming up with the word hankering.  Maybe He was sitting around, stroking his chin as He thought:  what would be a good word for a really strong desire or craving.  Oh, why don't we call it hankering. Ha! ha!

My fish tacos sound bland but they were incredible

May your next hankering be fulfilled in an amazing way like mine was tonight.



Snow Mania

We have had several days of near 60 degrees.  It is a very early spring for southern Minnesota.  Until today.  There is a blizzard predicted with up to 14 inches of snow expected.  It has been sleeting with snall pebble-sized pellets.  I can hear them hitting the window tonight.

School was cancelled fo tomorrow as soon as the storm was announced.  How I wish I was still in school!  Work will not be cancelled.  Nuts!  I may end up taking the city bus if we get the amount of snow predicted.

We live in a part of the world where there are four definite seasons.  Our spring doesn't really start until the end of April or May but we have had such warm weather, everyone has thought spring was here.

The four seasons are amazing.  White snow.  Tree buds in the spring.  Green grass in the summer. Crisp air with orange/brown leaves in the fall.  We are so blessed with the changes.

Ramblings

Ramblings since I just want to type and see what comes out of my fingers.  Since my last post there have been so many things that have happened and I guess I lost my desire to write.   Tonight I went to the pool and spent time water walking.  I was walking and the thought popped in my head:  what do I really like doing and I realized writing is something I love to do.  So I'm back from the pool with the resolve to get some thoughts down and I doubt I'll publish this post. 


I watched cancer win its battle over my dad.  That battle and his death have affected all of my family in different ways and it has ripped at my heart seeing all the grief.  Not to mention how grief lingers in the background of my own life and pops up at unannounced times.  The anger, sadness that makes breathing hard, streaming tears, and loneliness are like a jack-in-the-box popping up in surprise.  I know it is important to get these feelings out and it is part of the process of healing.  But gosh it hurts. 


Cancer sucks.


Kidlet One and Favorite Son-In-Law announced that they will be having Grandbaby #3 in August.  How thankful I am that there will be LIFE to focus on in this year when dad's DEATH has made such a big hole for all of us.  Oh Lord may this baby be healthy and may Kidlet One feel good from this point on!


There are other heavy things in my life.  It is such a war for me to give these things over to God and then I turn around and pick them up again.  Silly me.  I trust Him to work everything out yet it seems I cannot fully surrender that control over to Him.  This is one of those amazing things of asking Jesus to be the Lord of my life--giving myself fully over to Him--and then allowing my flesh to think I need to help Him out.  This is one area I really want to have victory in soon. 


My job is changing.  I don't feel that I am using the gifts God put inside of me in the new direction the work is taking.  This is so frustrating and draining.  Another area that I need to lay down to God and let Him work it out. 


Today I had the privilege of celebrating Grandbaby C's third birthday.  Oh we had fun!  My mom, Kidlet One and I took the Birthday Girl to the Mall of America.  Each one of us went on a ride with C and then we went to the American Girl café for lunch.  Grandbaby C was wide eyed and in wonder.  Her innocence and joy were contagious and lifted my spirits higher than they've been in a long time.  We laughed and enjoyed sharing this day together.  In fact we decided this would be a yearly event.  All of us celebrating the birth of this delightful girl.  How amazing is it that a grandchild can fill my Love Tank so much!


The thread that remains woven in amongst my feelings is the cord of God.  He has a rope that has been a lifeline to me.  I honestly think I've felt every emotion imaginable in the past months and when I get to the end of myself there is God holding the rope that I sometimes didn't feel was around me.  He pulls me up onto His lap and just holds me allowing me to bury my head in His shoulder.  And then He looks into my eyes and just smiles at me.  A great and loving Father.  Amazing.


Getting words down and out from inside of my heart feels good.  Thank you, Lord, for challenging me to do what I love. 


Again I am So Amazed at your faithfulness in walking with me through this journey.

Therapy

Baking by candlelight.
It is amazing therapy.

Gated Community

Riley, the family pet, now lives in a gated community.

Moving to this community was not a choice Riley made but one we made for him.

The gate in this picture is between the kitchen and hallway. 

We have to move the gate each and every time we go into the kitchen.

So I guess our whole family now lives in a gated community.

Poor Riley has been having seizures.  He was started on medication and thankfully had no more seizures.

Until two days before Thanksgiving.

His seizures occur only at night and both Tuesday and Wednesday nights he seized over and over again.  It was awful.

When his medication is adjusted up he becomes ferociously hungry and thirty.

Obnoxiously hungry and thirsty.

Which leads to him going Number 1 and Number 2 all over the house.

GROSS!!

We continue to make adjustments to his medications and until we feel he is under control, he lives in the kitchen.

In his gated community.

If you stop by the house and ring the doorbell, it make takes us a little longer to get to the door.

We have a few gates to climb over!

It is amazing the extents we go to for our pet!

Resurrected Blog

Dear Blog,

Yes, it is true, you have been neglected.  So many times my fingers have itched to sit down and write but, golly, I have been side tracked by so many things.  Tonight I blew the dust from the keyboard and decided to re-introduce myself to you.

I am So Amazed.  So Amazed at all that God has done in my life, is currently doing, and will do in the future.  His beauty and wonder delights me and I love to capture, in pictures, or in words those amazing details.

The side-tracking things in my life continue to exist.  So I won't promise a daily update but when I can, I shall return.

For tonight, I am thankful that God is my Rock and Foundation.  His steadfastness and faithfulness are like gasoline in my tank.  They keep me going.

This picture was taken at my parent's house early one morning when fog covered the area.  You cannot tell what is beyond those trees.

 

A short time later, as the fog drifted away, the view was more defined.  Not everything was clear but at least the lake could be seen.


So much in our lives doesn't seem to make sense or may seem foggy.  Hang in there and trust that God will blow the fog away in the right time.  You will then see things more clearly.  He has been doing that with me so much lately.  The wait for the clear vision is worth it.

If you are intentional about looking for those small, amazing things in your life, you will be blessed.

I know.

Signed,
So Amazed

Legion Baseball

Kidlet Three is playing Legion baseball this summer.

This past weekend was the annual Firecracker Baseball Tournament

sponsored by the American Legion William T. McCoy Post 92

in our Home Town.

The tournament has been held for the past five years and the

winners have not been from our Home Town...

 until this year.  

Kidlet Three's team won over 15 teams

 from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Canada.

How exciting is that!

We watched many great games over the weekend and 

we are so proud of how these boys played.

It was rather cute watching them get organized

for a team photo at the end of the game.

 They got themselves together with that great trophy 

and posed with their finger-pointing that they are

#1

It was also great honoring our country with the

American Legion.  For the final game, the

color guard led us in the National Anthem.

The Fourth of July was amazingly fun.

Beauty

Yesterday morning as I was rushing into work I passed this plant along the sidewalk.  It was early in the day and all the rains we've been having were still displayed as droplets on the leaves of this day lily.  It caught my eye and I had to stop to admire it.  So many itzy bitzy beads of water delicately balanced on each leaf.  It was gorgeous.  My cell phone camera doesn't do justice to the beauty I enjoyed.

Walking away I turned around to look at the plant again and from a distance, with the sun rising, the plant almost looked be-jeweled as the water sparkled.  

In a Great Book of Wisdom it is written: 

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 

I am very thankful this plant caught my attention.  It caused me to stop and see the beauty around me and that was like a precious gift. Life has become The Great Rush--getting to the next meeting or running another errand--so focused and intent that we miss the beauty placed specifically for us to enjoy. Vegetation spoken by the very breath of God and He called it good.  

Friends, slow down half a step today and look around you.  Take the challenge I'm offering to really see the beauty in our land.  Not only will you be refreshed but you just might be So Amazed.

My Dad's Sleeping View

Last weekend I went to visit my parents in their Far-Up-North home.  The top picture is when I was standing looking out the window in the livingroom.  The second photo is the view from the recliner my dad sits in.  The morning I took these photos the lake was calm and the wind was still.  The one word that came to my mind was

Peace

Psalm 4:8 reads "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

My dad has been doing a lot of sleeping in his recliner the past week and a half.  On his recent cancer recheck here it was found that the cancer has spread to several areas in his body.  Areas that bring him pain and great discomfort.  The pain medication makes him sleepy so he takes several naps throughout the day.

God is very present in my parent's home and His Peace is very evident from the view my dad can enjoy from his chair.  As I was searching for a Bible verse that describes peace, I had to chuckle that the above Psalm mentioned lying down to sleep.  My dad is amazed at how much sleep he now gets in his recliner!

How thankful I am for the peaceful view my dad has as he awakens from a nap.  

It is So Amazing that peace can fill our heart, mind, and soul despite the unwelcome news the doctors shared.  It is a miraculous wonder that we have peace as we lie down to sleep and are comforted dwelling in the Almighty's safety.

Let's Play Ball!

The baseball season has officially started.  After three rained-out games, Kidlet Three's high school team was able to play a game today.   Enjoy a pictorial overview of the game.

 

 

 

 

 

The Thankful Test

I'm being put to the test.
Will I be thankful in all things?
Despite the overwhelming sense of thankfulness I felt two nights ago
Tonight my thankfulness comes as a choice.

When life goes smooth it is easy to be thankful
Right?
When the speed bumps come it can take awhile to get to a thankful heart
Right?

I don't think I'm alone in this
Wanting to be thankful in ALL things.
Can you relate to any of this rambling?
Sometimes it seems there is a test to be thankful.

Today my thankful list starts with my dad and mom.  How incredibly thankful I am that God gave me the parents I have.  They are so cute in this picture!

Also on my list today:
...an extraordinary nurse practitioner named Rachel (not our daughter)
...a surgeon that speaks in layman's language and not medical-ese
...CT scan technology to discover spots on the inside of people
...thankful that last year many of my dad's spots were benign
...faith.  I'm so thankful for faith and God's faithfulness

Today we were told of new spots inside my dad during his cancer recheck.  Over the next several days those spots will be investigated.

As I get ready for bed I am reminded of what led me to start blogging.  I was So Amazed at the mighty things God "Is" and "Does" that I wanted to publicize Him.  So I end in thankfulness for my God who continues to amaze me over and over and over again.

I am thankful.