So this is love...

You know you love a lot...

when you can't see out of the plane window because there are tears in your eyes. You wish that summer was forever and you could never leave these new found friends.

You love when you hug and find tears in your eyes. And than you look up and see tears in their eyes too and nothing more has be said.

Love is knowing that you are the most beautiful thing in God's sight because of the ugly shedding of Christ blood on your behalf.

Love is reading e-mails and not knowing the right words to say how much you care.

Love is seeing the hurt and pain of another and wishing violently to take it away.

Love is feeling oh so hurt, yet choosing to forgive because you have been loved and forgiven.

Love is wishing for a way to pack both big and little nieces and nephews into your suitcase for enjoyment later.

This is the person who likes to write amusing tales of her social blunders and private blunders too, because she thinks life is funny. The same person sometimes finds herself tearing over the more sacred times of life. Times of seeing the hurt of others, feeling the hurt, realizing the good byes are temporary, but mean too long of a separation. So this is me the one who laughs, but also cries when hopefully no one is looking because I love.

Here is the Steeple

Church...I have been privileged to know no other until I went to college. Slowly I learned to love another church family. To join together in another church body to glorify Christ and I felt loved by these believers. I stilled missed the little church in the country with the white steeple.

I never really feel like I have really been home till I got to church. When I set down in a hard wooden pew and then worship while the organ plays. Yes then I feel at home. Not because I am in the perfect church, but because I am in the church where people remembered when I cried as a baby and now pray for me on my mission trips.

The pastor. The man who remembers my baby days. He preached on the importance of baptism and I listened. A few weeks later on a frigid wintry day I stepped into a warm pool of water before my church making known publicly what had already been done in my heart for years. My desire to follow Christ has been feed by sound doctrinal sermons.

I like visiting churches, but I like even more coming back to my little church on the busy highway.

Thankfully I have been learning things about church. It doesn't matter where you are, or who are with, just living your life in obedience to God is worshiping. I have been blessed that wherever the Lord has taken me He also brings me to just the right church. Yes, a place where there are people I don't know. A church with different church functions that I am used too. Still I have learned even if there is differences I can still be fed and encouraged just as well in a far way place.

Wherever I may be in this life I think I will always like going to church. Church though in a foreign culture? By far the dessert...rich chocolaty silky dessert that you can never get enough of.

A Police Accident Report Good?

God is good. Can we not state this truth enough? Because He is good…even when you’re driving to Bible club and a car pulls out in front of you…and the brakes won’t stop your car in time…and you find yourself trading insurance company numbers and giving a policeman your DL…God is still very, very, good. He is in control and even in a small traffic wreck He can be glorified. You can stop and wonder if you should have taken a different route… left 30 seconds later…if maybe you could have stepped on the brake harder…done anything at all to have prevented the awful sound vehicles slamming against each other. Yes a person can wonder all of these things or you can stop wondering what if and start seeing how God worked in His wondrous ways.

No one was hurt…the airbags did not deploy and the baby didn’t even flinch.
The other driver was the sweetest lady never once shifting blame and hugged me like I was her daughter.

The hero of the day…the man in the uniform…with the car that had blue lights and most importantly a pleasant attitude. In a matter of minutes he had us good to go and very chivalrously checked to make sure our car was working properly. Perhaps policemen are specially trained on how to make sure the dam of a woman’s tears doesn’t break; either that or they keep a secret stash of chocolate in their car for emergency purposes such as consoling emotional women. Just possibly we made his day as he heroically made sure the damsels in distress were properly cared for.

The people who hug you and tell you accidents are just part of life.
A friend who calls 911 for you, than drives for you when the shock hasn’t worn off and then fearlessly lets you drive her home.

Being able to teach a club after being in shock only moments earlier. Then you know without a doubt God most defiantly is giving strength.

Telling your mom the events and hearing her gentle voice remind you that the 3 seconds which upset the day were just part of life experience.

Knowing your still under the grace of God…loved by God…and just because you ruined your day does not mean your life should be ruined.

The unthinkable happened to me something that would not have had happened if we had driven down the road 30 seconds later. How many times I wonder is it that just because we forgot something had go back and get it…were stalled by the train or a red light…went a different way…because of those change of plans we avoid disaster without even knowing.

I may never know what could have happened in the future. Now I peer closely at traffic in intersections ever on the alert for danger. Was it because of a small fender bender that that horrific crash was avoided? That is not for me to know. I just know...

God is good.

Summer of 2011 was not supposed to be remembered as the time when I first crashed a car. This summer will not be defined by a car wreck…it will be defined on how the glory of God of was shown in an ugly pimple on the face of my day. When I think of this summer I don’t want to think of the “what ifs” instead I want to remember the goodness and grace of God.

These two...

I’m afraid in my absence from blog writing I missed my parent’s anniversary. To be very honest I would not have remembered if not my mother had reminded me of it. For some very odd reason my mom remembers her anniversary quite well. Without further delay though a very happy anniversary to one of the loveliest, most romantic and very cute couples ever. Why no I am not biased..not in the least.

I had a bit of evidence of my parents love when I was home for a visit this summer. Dad had just left to run errands, but apparently forgot something. The poor man was locked out of his own house, so he rang the doorbell. I believe the scenario went something like this. My ears hear the doorbell, than I hear mother opening the door, and then of all things I hear a very loud smooch which leaves my ears ringing. I must admit that is a bit over describing, but I think I have made my point. My parents like each other a lot and the kissing thing? One would expect that after 44 years of marriage 2 lovers would become quite apt at kissing.

And I am glad of this, even if they probably like each other more than me. In a different way of course.

The facts

Despite the fact that after my little niece got off of my lap after cuddling very sweetly she had left a gift on my pants that was of a great odor and rather wet.

despite the fact that cleaning up from meals takes longer than actually eating and this would include cleaning off the little children. Oh and by the way peanut butter smeared all over a child is not eye appealing in the least and certainly not for the faint of heart.

despite the fact I had to take my nap with one eye open, so as to keep track of miss busybody running hither and yonder about the house...

The fact really is that I will miss listening to amusing chatter, giggles, and just being around these little people. Of course the big people will be missed just as equally as much. Yes, I admit that I'm already feeling a bit homesick at leaving my family again. This I am grateful for, because really it is a very nice thing to have family to miss. Sometimes I wonder how I can ever take them, so for granted. Especially the times I am praying for someone who is of quite the opposite background and hurting deeply because of it.

Tonight as I ready for probably some very sad farewells this is what I'm thankful for.