A Praying Day

The power and importance of prayer was just a little bit more real to me today. My niece and a friend's mom—who live thousands of miles apart—had surgeries in the early afternoon.

It was a coincidence that they were on the same day, but their being about the same time ensured I did not forget to lift both of them before God's throne. For different reasons, both were nervous about the surgeries and needed a healthy dose of heavenly peace. And of course both wanted their procedures to be safe and effective.

Thanks to God and the gifts He has given to the medical staff, they came through beautifully and are recovering. Thank you, God, for answered prayer today—when Your power seems close and Your light vivid—and every day.

My beautiful niece recovering in the hospital.

What I haven't done

It's been a while since my last post, and in that while I've been procrastinating blogging because I've felt I haven't accomplished much. I have had little time to scrapbook, and I haven't motivated myself to clean up the garden as I intended to do in May.

But as I reflected on life since I last blogged, I realized that life brings you little joys, even if you're not looking for them, and are swamped with work from two jobs, and are feeling stressed about certain aspects of your future. Here are some joys God has given me the privilege of experiencing recently:

• A good friend of my sister-in-law's, who has become a fun scrapbooking friend, had a precious little boy with a head full of dark, soft hair. He's adorable indeed.
• I visited my family and joined in on important celebrations—Mother's Day and my eldest brother's birthday—as well as the everyday delights of a picnic, stops at tourist attractions, and warm hugs.
• A conference I attended left me inspired to write more—perhaps even a book someday.
• I celebrated a friend's birthday with delicious food, deep conversation, and delightful smiles. And a party to celebrate more is planned for Sunday.
• I cleaned out part of my closet and various areas of my house and piles of paper that ordinarily don't get as much attention as they deserve—a great feeling.
• I taught Sunday school to second- and third-grade kids; the childlike prayers and innocent (but often humorous) questions and responses warmed my heart.
• I laughed and cooked and prayed and cleaned and lived with my wonderful husband.

Accomplishments are important to me. I like to have checked off a list and made progress in projects I've assigned myself. But sometimes it's important to set aside organization and calendars and perfect plans and be surprised by joy.

Welcome, warm!

I'm loving the warm weather. What a pleasant ending to a terribly chilly Colorado winter!

This weekend, I hope to tackle the yard/garden with my husband. The garden is a pitiful little mess, and the lawn has some need of fertilizer and even grass seed in spots. I've been convicted lately because acquaintances of mine have been talking about the hours they spend on landscaping-type tasks, and our poor yard stands neglected without even a glance in its direction (except to cringe now and then). I have a difficult time caring about the outside of our house sometimes, which deserves at least some love.

Now with the splendid weather, coupled with the holiday weekend, I have no excuse. It will be more of a delight than a hardship to be outside, digging in the dirt and making things look a bit more attractive.

Thank you, God, for warm and lovely sunshine!

By the way, if you're a green thumb type and have any tips (or words of motivation) whatsoever, I would be most gratified to hear them.

Onward toward the goal

One day short of a month ago, I mentioned that I had created a scrapbooking goal because I am so desperately behind in my albums. I also wrote that I wanted to use this blog as a form of accountability in my scrapbooking.

So here's an update: Since I penned that post, I have completed 20 pages. This accounts for some of August, and all of September, as well as the vast majority of October 2006 (I still have two pages to do).

My original goal was 12 pages or three months' worth of photos. I've decided to make the schedule a little more agressive and do 20 pages (unless I complete three months of photos in fewer pages), lest I still be working on my photos from my first years of married life when I've got a cane in hand.

Here's a recent two-page layout:

Mother of mine

For the first time in many years, I will have the honor of sharing Mother's Day with my own precious mom (she and I live thousands of miles apart). I'm excited to be with her and to show her how much I appreciate her—both now, and for all she did while I was growing from baby to little girl to teen.

There are many, many reasons why she is wonderful. Here are a few:

1. She gives warm hugs and is almost always adorned with a cheerful smile.
2. She's been there for me at every stage of my life, blessing me with love each step I take. A recent memory: When I got married, she sewed my wedding dress, three bridesmaids dresses, two candle lighter dresses, and the ring bearer's pillow, and put countless hours into other special details.
3. She's talented at crafts and sewing.
4. She is an excellent cook. I love her scones, ice box rolls, roast beef dinners, and so much more. Yum!
5. She calls now and then just to chat.
6. She opens her home and her heart to so many people. In the past, she's taught Bible studies, ESL classes, and children's classes, had people over for dinner or tea, babysat young children to give mothers a break, volunteered as a youth camp cook, baked cookies for people, and done many other loving things about which I may never know.
7. She has a great sense of humor. Family gatherings are a joy.
8. She is very diligent, always keeping her home in order and working on her home sewing business.
9. She is caring and offers a helping hand or equally helpful advice to me and others in need.
10. She's smart, especially in the areas of math and science. She's a nurse, so she has great medical tips for me when I ask.

I love you, Mom!