This is my LATE husband:

Hehe...  :-) Last night he was 15 minutes late for supper.  It wouldn't be a big deal, but he had Math tutoring, and I had spent a lot of time making him a good supper which ended up being rushed.  I wasn't mad.  But when he came in the door, I was snapping a picture of supper.  I turned around and took his picture, and I told him I was going to post it on my blog and say, "This is my late husband".  Realizing what I had said, we both started to laugh... Anyway, here are those fresh salsas and dip that I mentioned in the last blog post, along with fajita veggies, my version of cilantro-lime rice, and some really good marinated chicken from Trader Joe's:  

For those of you who are familiar with Chipotle Mexican Grill (one of our favorite places to eat out), this food may look familiar.  But ya know...  I've learned that Chipotle is pretty hard to knock off.  All of these elements were really good individually.  I think certain things, on their own, were better than Chipotle.  The corn salsa was excellent, and the cilantro-lime rice was pretty much exactly right.  And it wasn't bad all together.  But it wasn't Chipotle.  Oh well...  It's probably not in my best interests to be able to fix Chipotle at home anyway...

A beautiful day...

Yesterday was a hard day.  It was a good day--because I had the privilege of experiencing God's grace in ways that I wouldn't have appreciated on an easier day.

Yesterday was one of those days where nothing came easily...

I made a bunch of fresh salsas and dip for supper and chopped up a few jalapeno peppers.  Have you ever gotten jalapeno oil way up in your nose and it burned so bad you had to call the poison control center?  I have...  Not yesterday though, thankfully.  Nope.  Yesterday I was gonna be very sure that didn't happen again.  So, I made a mental note NOT to touch myself anywhere because I planned to take a shower first thing when I was done.  Yeah, that was interesting.  Coulda been worse...  Reminds me of another brilliant idea I had one time when I bought...well...that one probably isn't blog material come to think of it.  Some of you may have heard that story, and for the rest of you, ask me sometime if you're married and female...  ;-)

Well, after my exhilarating shower was over, I headed to Rochester only to discover that I had misplaced my purse.  Now, that particular incident was not my fault...but anyway...  Found the purse, but proceeded to lock my keys in the van and my hubby had to rescue us.

Got our errands done and ended up at home where we did school in the afternoon.  Nothing. came. easily. in school.  We spent over 45 minutes on one page of Math and then just put the book away because one of us was in tears and the other was pretty close...

Well, anyway...  That was the kind of a day that I had yesterday.

Today, I felt spoiled....

I woke up to beautiful sunshine.  It would appear that some of the "storms" (not the weather kind) from this weekend have passed.  Beth slept in so I had lots of time to myself in the morning.  We played a round of disc with Mike mid-day and spent some time at the park.  Everything in school went incredibly smoothly, and Elizabeth spent most of her spare time in the sunshine.  And I even got to treat myself to a date alone tonight while Mike and Elizabeth went to an open gym for basketball.  I had an abundance of time when there were no demands on me whatsoever and I got to recharge...  And I found myself laughing today.  A lot.  And it felt really good.

I'm thankful for this day.  But I'm thankful for yesterday, too...because those days make days like today seem so much sweeter.

A new week...an empty heart filled with grace.

This weekend was one that I was more than happy to leave behind...

Speaking of new beginnings, I was more than ready to start a new week...

The last few weeks have been busy, and I was starting to feel pretty homesick.

I was weary.  This morning, in the shower, I explained to God that I was tired.  And empty.  And I needed a break.  I figured He'd understand.

I was ready to do some homemaking...

...and some homeschooling.

I like my home.  And I like my little family.

I explained to God that I needed some time to hold onto the blessings in my life for awhile, and that I was going to put away the trials for today.  Maybe for a few days.  After all, I didn't ask for the trials in my life, and you don't have to choose the hard path every day.  Right?  So, I had every intention of cancelling my weekly prayer meeting and closing my doors to the troubles of the world.  For today.  It seemed like a reasonable request.

So, after my shower, I decided to hide away for a few minutes in my room.  My eyes glanced at the neglected book on my nightstand.  I turned away at first.  But then I felt a twinge of conviction in my heart, and I whispered, "No, Lord, I'm not running away.  I need a break from life.  But I don't need a break from You".  So, I picked up the book.  I didn't remember where I had left off...

I open the book.  The title of the chapter is,

"Empty to Fill".

The chapter begins with a quote:

Sigh. 

Did I just read that?

I read it again...  "Here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with your grace."

I read on...

"[Gratitude] opens the eyes, the heart, to the grace that falls upon us, a drop, a river, a waterfall of blessing filling our emptiness

. . . 

If I close these fingers...try to hoard the river--dam up the grace--won't the water grow stagnant? 

. . . 

I turn my hand over, spread my fingers open.  I receive grace.  And through me, grace could flow on." 

(-Ann Voskamp: One Thousand Gifts)

Sigh.  So, I guess He said "no".

Maybe He knew that there was no such thing as sitting out just one day.

Maybe He knew that if I hoarded the comforts of this day that I wouldn't be able to let go tomorrow...

The telephone rings.

 It's my husband.

My husband never calls me from work...

An e-mail or an occasional text message.  But not a phone call.

"How's your day today?"

"Okay..."  (choking up)

"Did something bad happen?"

"No, not really".  (tears begin to flow freely)

I pour out on him the whole story of how I was tired and empty and I told God that I needed a break for awhile and I opened the book and the Lord spoke to me. 

And then I said, "I guess He's not gonna give me a break, huh?"

And my hubby says, "No, but He'll give you the grace."

When I try to run to a quiet corner and hide, He finds me there and His voice reaches me through the words of a book...through a rare and random call from my husband...

This is my God.  He never offered a life free from pain or insult or rejection...  He never said life would be easy or that it's okay to walk away from the battle--even for a day.  But He offers grace.  He meets us in the place of pain and emptiness and He fills us with grace.  Abundant grace.  And then we get to be vessels of that grace and let it flow freely through us to others. 

If we never experienced the emptiness, we'd never feel the fullness of His grace.

New beginnings...

There are signs of spring emerging all over the yard now... Spring is a time for fresh beginnings. One of my favorite parts about spring is walking around the yard and seeing new growth emerge from day to day... The signs of spring are everywhere, and it's almost like a treasure hunt as our eager eyes search the mulch for new growth--however small it may be:  

  It's thrilling to be the first to spot a tiny sprout peeking through. I must admit...when it comes to gardening...I'm terribly ignorant.  We plant bulbs around the yard and honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell you what most of them are if you asked.  I think that's possibly why it delights me so much to see new life return from year to year. I know what this one is--it's one of my many daylilies.  These are impossible to harm and so I have collected a variety of colors in various corners of the yard:  

The lilac buds are swelling:

 

 And one of my favorites, the magnolia buds are plumping-out with promises of early spring blossoms... 

The sun was trying to peek out through the clouds: 

While I was snapping pictures of spring, a pair of chickadees stopped by to say hello:

 And, here is a half-nibbled suet cake that Elizabeth made with her Grandma: 

 I'm sure you've also been exploring your yard for the first signs of spring.  Isn't it just amazing--the small miracles that are taking place in our back yards every day?  I love this time of year...  I love that my God is the giver of all life--and brings new life out of what is dead and lifeless.  And I love that He is a God of new beginnings...in back yards...and in the lives of those He loves.  

Thunderstorms!

 I'm pretty excited... Got a message on my phone today... It was my first hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service.  :-) That might not be something you would get excited about... But I signed up for alerts from the NWS when we went to spotter training. We have our first moderate risk of the season for severe weather over the weekend:  

Sunday evening looks to be our first chance of super cells for the year.  Hmm...  We shall see where they fire and if Hubby is up for practicing a little storm spotting.  ;-) Anyway...if you live in SE Minnesota, prepare yourself for some interesting weather this weekend, and look forward to things getting a lot greener real soon! That's something we can ALL get excited about...

Lead Me...

 I have a new favorite song for today. I came across it on the radio when I was driving around Rochester. For the handful of you that read my blog regularly, you know that my heart has been incredibly burdened for Christian marriages . . . Last night, my sleep was restless again under the weight of grief for those that I know who are dealing with the sorrow of broken marriages.  Every time I would stir in the night I found myself once again just pleading with God to rescue the marriages that I know of that are in peril. And then He gave me a song:  

  You probably also know someone who is hurting from a broken marriage. If you take the time to listen, also take a moment to pray...  

Letting Go...

 I had the privilege of throwing a wedding shower for this beautiful person over the weekend...  

...and last night, I got to have her to myself.

We had a "special date".

We went to Olive Garden, and did some shopping, and had some time to talk.

We've had lots of special dates over the years...

  I've played a role in her life that I never asked for and don't deserve.  But today it's hitting me that last night was probably our last special date cause we're about to give her away.  And, it would appear that God's plan is to take her far from home.  Where has the time gone?  

Our relationship didn't start out so special...

She may look innocent, but this little peanut's head-banging tantrums were my worst nightmare when I babysat her!  :-) But somewhere along the way, she grew up into one of the most beautiful people I've ever known, and I hope my daughter will grow up to be just like her. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to teach her about housekeeping...and a little about homemaking...and a little about hospitality...  I've gotten to work with her, and sing with her, and teach with her...  I've had the opportunity to see her steadfast faith in difficult circumstances, and her unwavering determination to do what she believes is right no matter how much it hurts.  There are so many things I wanted to tell her...so much I wanted to teach her...and so much more I could have learned from her, too.  This girl is a rare treasure and I know that the Lord will use her greatly.  And I just pray that, in the years to come, He will raise up Godly women in her life who will have the privilege of teaching her all the things that I won't be able to, and to challenge her to become all that He created her to be.  So, I'm learning to let go.    It hasn't been easy.    Man, if this is hard, how am I ever going to let go of my one and only little girl??    We're not even gonna go there...    Well...  I love you Bethany.  Have a beautiful marriage!