Hope...

"Hope is the thing with feathers-
That perches in the soul-
And sings the tune without the words-
And never stops at all."
Emily Dickinson

It is amazing to see the influence siblings have on one another.
In our case, the relationship between Maggie and her older brother is made more extraordinary by the fact that many miles separate them, and they do not live together under the same roof.
No matter.
There is something pretty special between those two.
A whole lotta love.
A little sister who thinks her GeGe hung the moon,
and a young man who really would try to hang it, if that is what his little sister wanted.
So it was really no surprise yesterday,
when those little legs and feet
moved forward in progression with such determination.
The first steps since surgery.
All. Completely. By. Herself.
With a grin from one ear to the other,
and a pre-determined destination...
...right to her waiting GeGe's arms.

"Hope is not a granted wish or favor performed; no, it is far greater than that.
It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction." -Max Lucado

Wishing you Hope!

Happiness...

"The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions-the little soon-forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment, and the countless infinitesimals of pleasurable and genial feeling."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

For Baba

With Love,
Maggie Grace

(Turn off playlist on left first)

Isaiah 40:31...

..."but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

Sometimes, progress is hard to see.
As humans, we yearn for the end result in our time,
not God's.
The breadth of our understanding so finite,
often leads to discouragement.
And then, just when we need it,
God gives us glimpses into His
miraculously awesome ways,
to give us hope and encouragement.
While gardening this weekend,
we were given such a glimpse...

...and it happened over and over again,
with that same proud smile.
Praising God, and hoping you get a glimpse of His glory today!

Simple summer pleasures...

...you can laze on the porch swing

...or read a good book

...but one of the very best pleasures of summer is...pink toes!
Enjoy your weekend!

Around here...

...We enjoyed a beautiful, fun morning in the park on Saturday. Thanks to our
local library and Kiwanis club, everyone enjoyed "Storybook Park"- a great event
with story stations set up throughout our town's scenic riverfront park. There were
loads of activities, some favorite characters, and even some special animals to see and touch.
...We are finishing up some landscaping projects in our backyard, and hoping for some good weather tomorrow so the concrete work on our new patio can be done. It will be so nice to have this done and be able to use and enjoy just in time for summer.
...Maggie is getting stronger everyday! Praise God!
...We are looking forward to some family time at the beach soon in a few weeks.
...Enjoying the bounty of fresh summer produce...we have strawberries in the garden right now, and boy, are they ever yummy!
...Loving the longer days and shorter nights.
...Grateful for the showers God has sent our way...afterall, without them, there would not be any rainbows or flowers!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Conviction...

It is yet another rainy day here today. Muscle cramps in those healing legs meant a mostly sleepless night. A good day for a nap!
While cleaning out the closets yesterday, I found a favorite devotional by Max Lucado. This morning,
cup of strong coffee in hand, I read the following.
Yep. God Delivered. Just when it was needed...
...like always.

"When God doesn't do what we want, it's not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and he will get us through it.

Remember, disappointment is caused by unmet expectations. Disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

Next time you're disappointed, don't panic.
Don't give up. Just be patient and let God remind you he's still in control. It ain't over till it's over."
-Max Lucado- He Still Moves Stones

Disappointing Day...

Today, we made the trip to see the Dr. for follow up post-spica.
The news was disappointing.
The Dr. was "greatly disheartened" by what the x-rays revealed today.
Not exactly what we had hoped for.
Where to go from here?...
...a quiet place, on bended knees, and open hearts.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (The Message):
"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated...Because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you."

*It is quite notable that while flipping through the reference pages of my bible this evening, there was not much to be found under the reference of "disappointment". Maybe it's because that's not what it's about. Hmmmmm....there are, however, countless references to hope and promise...

Posies...

Ahhhh...
While the calendar says Summer officially is a few weeks away,
we have been noticing the signs ...
Kids counting the hours until the last school bell rings.
Ice cream trucks making the rounds each evening.
Cheerful birdsongs announcing the start of another day.
Longer days!
Shorter nights.
Fresh produce stands brimming with just picked berries.
Bugs, bees, toads and frogs busying about.
Hummingbirds!
Flowers, lawns and gardens seemingly growing overnight.
Take a moment to enjoy the magic of summer!