How did it get to Oct???

Oh my sisters, sorry I have been so negligent on here... mercy me!! May to October?? Well, better late than never? So much has happened since May. I have been working a lot, my oldest daughter turned 21 (not months but YEARS!!!), my youngest turned 19 (also in years), and I'm sure there's more but for now, thats a lot for me. The dynamics have definitely changed in my life. When this (retired) homeschooling mom went back to working, things kind of got dropped, missed, overlooked, etc. It's amazing how UN Superwoman I am... seriously. Do you remember the commercial where the amazing woman on the screen struts to this tune, "I can bring home the bacon. Fry it up in a pan. And never, never let you forget you're a man cause I'm a woman, Enjoli." Um, well I practically forgot my husband was a man but that had nothing to do with the fact that I was a woman! Working retail, I sometimes get home after he's already in bed! Then he gets up and leaves before I'm awake. But we do have cell phones so we enjoy a virtual relationship daily! Haha! So UN Superwoman me has also failed to keep up with housework, reading, quilting, this blog, getting together with friends. Enter God's abundant grace, His grace is truly sufficient. Let me encourage you today that whatever you are facing in this crazy, sometimes break neck speed life, that God is a constant, faithful, sovereign Lord. He never leaves you nor forsakes you and He is a strength when you are weak (trust me I know about me being weak when He is strong!). Let's you and I rest in His grace, be saturated by it, be conduits of it. Take some time today to meditate on the instruments of His grace in your life. You will be amazed at His love for you. Bless you my sisters <3 Let's chat again soon <3

I expect.... expectations

Expectations.. I expect we all have them. I expect we all expect others to have them. I also expect that we expect others to meet our expectations before we meet their expectations. I expect our expectations are not the same as other people's expectations which should cause us to expect some trouble. Whew, I expect we should reconsider our expectations in light of this expectation trouble. I looked up expectation in the dictionary, I expected a clear definition and here's what I got: "The state of expecting, either with hope or fear". What did I expect? Sheesh! Maybe a definition that doesn't have the word as the definition? Is my expectation unreasonable? Maybe, maybe not. Expectations can be healthy such as expecting someone to get up every day, eat, go be productive at work or school, etc. While others may be unreasonable like you need to make me happy. I mean really, can you make someone else happy every day in every way? Then there are the hidden expectations, you know the ones we keep to ourselves and expect other people to figure it out, respond or behave accordingly, and allow us sovereign decision making on the actual sufficiency of the effort made. Hypothetically speaking, IF we were to practice hidden expectations in our daily lives, hypothetically it might be a problem. We might be the problem. Let's just stand back and consider where do our expectations lie and are they beneficial to us alone? Are we being reasonable? Are we being fair? Are we considering the other party's perspective? Or their expectations? I expect we have a mixture of these expectations. So what can we expect from all of this? To have our expectations met sometimes, not met other times, and (if you're willing) an adjustment in our expectations that may include change, lowering, or even...gasp... letting go of some of our expectations. I expect this will not be easy but hey, what did you expect?

Between Heaven and Earth

One friend bringing new life into the world while another friend fights for her life. Such a tenuous balance. There is joy and agony, laughter and tears, struggle and victory. The one thread that weaves through both situations is hope. We have a blessed hope, my sisters in Christ and I. We place our hope in God's sovereignty, His plan, and His timing. Trusting that nothing is wasted in God's economy, that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. So we celebrate and grieve with peace in our hearts. We continue living on earth but heading for heaven. So we live, between heaven and earth, knowing we are firmly in His grip.