life goes on

Life is precious, fragile and unpredictable. I truly believe this, but it always takes me by surprise when we feel it. My grandma Hazel passed away yesterday. She was 93 and has been in a lot of pain these last weeks, so she is much better off now. But when you lose someone you care so deeply for, it's always too soon. The time was never long enough.

 

Bare feet, sloppy joe's, cream sweaters, upset the fruit basket,
dancing snowmen, pumpkins, wicker chairs, gum drops, 
dark blue bottles, cherry pie, herbs, Max Lucado,
and wind chimes will always remind me of her.

In the words of her obituary: "Hazel celebrated life in all its seasons and ages." Just last year, she was telling me how I must have my hands full with 3 boys. She said she'd keep trying to get out of the nursing home, so that she could come out to help me (at 92 years of age :) I love that she truly believed that! 

It has been so sweet to find traces of history in these things of hers. Of lives that were fully-lived. Stories that can only be pieced together by imagination. Personalities that unfold in hidden postcards.

It makes me think of the story we're living. The legacy we're leaving.
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough?
We may have a ripe 93 years of this life to make things right, 
or we may not make it through the night. Yet, life goes on...
This world is not our home. This life is not the end.

May we learn to swing wide our doors to those who need a hug or a hand or a gum drop (or ten). 

And may we not waste another minute of another day depending on anyone other than the Name above all names, Jesus Christ--our only Hope.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, 

but because of His mercy.

~ Titus 3.4

last hurrahs

School started today. 
Suddenly the house is very quiet. The floors are clean. And that doesn't matter like it did a week ago. When I was sweeping up the dirt tracks made before I had the chance to make breakfast, and there were mud fingerprints on the walls and mimicking wars. I thought a quiet, clean house would be nice. But now I just want my worm-diggin', mess-lovin' boys back!
The first day of school is always the longest day of the year for me.
I contemplate again whether or not we should homeschool. So far, the verdict is the same. But, it helps to know it's an option. 
So, I continually pray for courage and peace and grace for our oldest boys. I hug our youngest lots and thank the Lord for another year with him. 
And relish in the memories of our last hurrahs...

  Family time in Hocking Hills

Take me out to the ballgame, with free tickets from our library's summer reading program!

 commissioning and prayer for our small group kids before school starts

The sun rises and it sets and how a summer flies.

How many more sunsets will we see?

Life is so short. 

Let's make it count! Let's live for what lasts!

Things that go wrong can shape us or scar us...

God finds us in our failures and our successes, and He says that while we used to think one way about things, now He wants us to think another way about those same things. And for me, I've realized that I used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter. 

~ Bob Goff, Love Does

P.S. This book is blowing my mind!!

Would love to share more, but you just gotta read it.

And, it's time to get my boys. I have a feeling there will be more worm-diggin' and dirt-trackin' tonight. But, it doesn't matter. Because clean floors last just about as long as these moments. And which is more important?