Wednesday Wanderings
I'm very disappointed. My oldest niece's boyfriend dug out the flowerbeds in my backyard, but I was unable to finish the job of prepping the soil, and none of the flower seeds in the seed mat rolls I laid out are sprouting
Another year with no flowers in the backyard...but next year will be different
I love flowers. I buy bouquets for myself nearly every payday, and I love to have a bouquet on my desk at work. My desk is the receptionist desk, so it has a shelf and that's where I place the vase for everyone to enjoy as they come into our suite. Last week I had a gorgeous bouquet made up of hydrangeas from my yard and peonies from the grocery store. I love having flowers at my desk because it makes people smile as they walk past my desk.
I also have a candy bowl at my desk. Right now it's filled with Dum-Dum Lollipops. It's an inexpensive thing to have available, and I feel it's one small way to brighten the work day for everyone, and who doesn't love Dum-Dum Lollipops?
I was listening to K-Love on the way in to work this morning and heard a news story about a full-page ad in USA Today placed by different organizations in Iraq thanking our President and our soldiers for helping bring freedom and democracy to their country. I made a stop and bought two copies of the paper. What a neat gesture, and one I appreciate.
I truly believe that going to Iraq was the right thing to do, and I'm thankful for a President who believed that as well. Evil - and Saddam was evil - must be stopped. It cannot be ignored or appeased, as was tried with Hitler. It has to be stopped, or even greater evil will happen. And it's each person's responsibility to do what he can to stop evil.
Maybe it's simplistic, but I believe history bears out the truth of this.
Work has been busy, and right now it's still unknown whether or not we'll have Monday off in observance of Independence Day. If we do, I may just make a run to Walmart and finally buy the paint and a ladder and begin painting my living room and dining room. Note that I said "May"
My half-brother is getting married at the end of the month, and it's going to be an interesting occasion for me. First a good one, because I haven't seen Rodney in years, and I'll get to meet his fiancee (who, by the way, has the same first name as me, so once she's married there'll be two Kimberly XXXXX's in the family), but secondly a bit interesting because his mother - my former stepmother - will be there. I haven't seen Betty since she and my father divorced over 20 years ago, and while she wasn't a wicked stepmother, she wasn't someone I got along with well. I was subjected to her stealing things from me, ripping up my books, telling me that if I didn't move in with my mom that she'd leave my father and that he'd be so upset that he'd kill himself over it. That was when I was in my mid-teens, and it wasn't a fun time for me.
I've worked on forgiving her, but to be honest, I haven't wanted to see her ever again. Which begs the question, have I really forgiven her? I realize forgiveness is a choice, and I've made that choice, but forgiveness is also the process of continually making the choice to forgive until it actually does happen. I think I'm still in the process. Actually, I
know I'm still in the process. I pray this time of my brother's wedding helps me move even further to fully forgiving her for all that happened way back then. And if God so reveals, to apologize for anything I might have done. Truthfully, I don't think there was anything I'd done to cause the situation...it was one that was doomed to failure from the beginning, but if I'm wrong and God reveals it to me, I'll make amends.
Moving on...
When I got home from work earlier this evening, I relaxed for a bit then headed off to Trader Joe's to buy some food. Pre-made salads, handmade whole-wheat tortillas, whole wheat pizza dough, cheeses, multi-grain pita chips, snapea crisps (very yummy baked snack, texture of puffed cheetos but green and tastes like peas) and a few other things.
Now I'm sitting at the computer drinking (plain) iced tea, snacking on the Snapea Crisps, writing in my blog and check
Crosswalk's forums. A nice way to end the day
Boring Everyone with Family Photos :)
I had a very enjoyable weekend
My nephew's first birthday was on the 23rd and we celebrated it on Saturday.
Elias Paul is a little miracle...last year in February when my sister was about 4 months pregnant she found out her cervix was dilating early and there was a very real risk of a delivery so early that Eli wouldn't survive. She had to go on bed rest for a couple of months and ended up staying with our mom and stepdad during that time so they could help take care of Ariel who was about 2 1/2 at the time as well as taking care of Laura.
Thankfully Laura was able to carry Eli full-term, and on June 23rd, 2003 he was born. He's the most adorable little guy I've ever seen - I'm in love with my nephew!
Here are photos from his birthday party...the theme was Dumbo and he wore the cutest set of Dumbo ears with the slogan "It's fun being one" on the hat.
Look, isn't he cute?
On Sunday we visited our dad and stepmom for the afternoon. I'd mentioned in an earlier post in my blog the miniature horse they bought for the grandkids, and Sunday was the day they got to meet Tootsie and ride her. At first Ariel was scared, but after seeing Eli ride the pony she was more willing to enjoy being led around while riding Tootsie.
Here are photos from Sunday.
Eli is such a joy to be around...he's a very happy little boy, and his giggle makes me laugh
I have a very cute nephew and nieces
Twilight Ponderings...
Sometimes I feel so inadequate. This evening as I sat in the backyard watching the pale lemon glow of sunlight fade away leaving the velvet midnight blue of the night sky I talked with God and realized once again how full of sin I am, how often I fall short in my walk with God, and I felt like such a surface follower.
It's hard to rest in the knowledge of God's grace. It's hard to believe that He can love me even though I don't do the things I think I should be doing. It's hard to trust that He's working out His will in my life and will continue to conform me to the image of His Son. And yet in all of that lies my comfort and my peace...the knowledge that His love for me isn't dictated by my behavior, but has always been and always will be.
For one who often labors under the burden of doing the right thing to be acceptable and to stay out of trouble, in those realizations lies freedom and hope and the assurance that all He requires of me is to love Him, to be faithful to Him and to surrender to Him, and He will do the rest.
God brought a verse to mind...from Isaiah 30:15a:
For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." In quietness and confidence...not in struggle and despair. So to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul, trusting that You will continue to guide me along the path You've laid before me, and that You will continue to conform me to the image of Christ, Your beloved Son, in Whom I trust.
After coming back inside this evening I put the channel of my satellite TV to Sirius's Christian Hits channel, and the next song was surely God's timing:
Selah
"You Raise Me Up"
When I am down, and oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
There is no life, no life without its hunger
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly
But when you come and I am filled with wonder
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can beLord, There is no life, no life without its hunger, Each restless heart beats so imperfectly. But when you come and I am filled with wonder, Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity. Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity...
