Saturday, December 20, 2008

Blessed Saturday

It's Saturday morning the world is covered in a blanket of ice but inside our home all is well.
We are closing the shop next week so, even though I never work on Saturdays, today feels like the first day of vacation.
I sit here at the computer while my hair color is processing, thanks to Nice and Easy, with a happy tummy, thanks to Kim's southern biscuits and gravy. REALLY FANTASTIC! (I would add a link to the recipe but don't know how, if interested look at Kim's posting on November 3 and 4). I didn't make homemade sausage but the biscuits were light and tender and the gravy wonderfully savory. Thanks Kim.
Both my boys ate breakfast with us in spite of it being 10 AM on a Saturday morning. Nic, (now 20), makes us chuckle because he can no longer sleep in, he was awake by 7:30! Daniel (still a teenager) had to be dragged out of bed, but he cheered up nicely towards the end of the meal.
In spite of the ice storm, a grim report from my dentist and the poor economy, this past week has been full of blessings.
We were able to pay our bills, eat well and enjoy one another's company. On Thursday I worked very late so that payroll would be ready on Friday and so that I could go to the dentist. My good friend Josefina showed up late afternoon and brought me dinner! Truly this was a blessing from God. She didn't know how wonderful it was to come home late and just pop dinner in the microwave. Now the hymn "make me a blessing to someone today" keeps floating through my mind.
Now to wash the mountain of dishes...

Friday, December 19, 2008

Fourth picture in my picture file







I was photo tagged and will attempt to do this. Obviously this exercise was designed by people who are much more technologically savvy than myself... I spent 10 minutes trying to find my picture folder and the last 20 trying to move the picture to a different location on the page (never did achieve the later).
Here goes...

This is the fourth picture in my picture file. I know ...it's a little strange to have a picture of an earring in your picture file. This picture is of an earring found in Jerusalem and dated 2,000 years ago. Some of you know about my fascination with jewelry design and this just captured my fancy. It is very possible that whoever wore this earring knew Jesus. Somehow it makes me feel connected.

I won't be tagging 4 people because the only bloggers I know personally have already been tagged! I will however, look forward to reading the other tags.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Correct me, Lord

I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own,
it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, Lord, but only with justice, not in your anger
Lest you reduce me to nothing.
Jeremiah 10:23-24

I don't know why but I find this verse tremendously comforting. Maybe because I'd prefer to not be the one in charge of directing my steps and it's lovely to know that in spite of all my sin God will correct me with justice and not with anger.

Correct me, Lord

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Memories

I have spent most of my life blocking out the past. Mostly in order to avoid pain. But now at the ripe old age of almost forty-seven I find myself wanting to return to some of those old memories and savor that which was good.
My oldest friend is Cynthia. We lost touch and haven't seen each other in at least 23 years, (my fault), I don't even remember her married name. Nevertheless I have many memories that stand out like photographs in my mind.
Las Heras, Santa Cruz. I can see myself standing at the door bawling with my mouth wide open because my friend and her family had to go back to Comodoro Rivadavia. I was eight.
Camping at Ventisqueros, Perito Moreno, my ninth (?) birthday. She gave me a box of crayons. We walked through a field where there was a bull, we climbed a glacier and then had to scale a cliff. (Lest you wonder, we were accompanied by our parents). There were wild blueberries at our campsite. Definitely the best birthday ever!
Bahia Blanca, missionary conference. She used to pray that her breasts wouldn't grow... she hated her red curly hair and always covered it with a scarf (to this day I am very partial to little children with red curly hair). Once we went to the zoo and stood very close to the monkey cage, the monkeys reached out and pulled her scarf and then took my glasses and broke them in two.
San Antonio Oeste, Rio Negro. Cream filled pastries, we probably ate 6 a piece and later where horribly sick. I think that was the same night Cynthia's mom made soy bean stew. I have never been able to eat soy since.
I remember camp at General Roca. One year during winter camp we combined our blankets and had such a mountain of bedding on top of us that we couldn't move.
Over the next few years my friend developed quite a fashion sense and I was still sporting the vintage missionary barrell look. That is when I started to allow my insecurity come between us.
I visited her on my honeymoon, and a year or so later went to her wedding. I remember how she looked after she changed into her going-away-on-a-honeymoon outfit.
After all this time I can finally go back to those days and remember. Remember what was good.