Thorns:1000 Gifts

'L
ife without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion.

Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.

Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.

Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road."

-John Henry Jowett

I have copied this quote from one of my absolute favorite blogs A Holy Experience. Ann Voskamp has continued to encourage me and to challenge my often ungrateful view on life. This unfortunate thorn has not only caused me to be unkind and selfish toward my family, but it has also forced me to my knees in repentance. It is these kinds of "thorns in the flesh" I am grateful for today. Little reminders of my need for a Savior. And believe me, I have quite a few!!! Not only spiritual in nature, but the physical as well. I thank God for these today as I reflect on the past couple of weeks. I thank God for His grace that continually calls me home.

0029

Thorns in the flesh

0030

God's continued grace

0031

Continued blessing at school

0032

Being able to fly home for Christmas

0033

Christmas cookies

0034

My husband

0035

My children

0036

The Advent of our Lord and Savior

More Change:1000 Gifts

The last few months have been months of constant change. We are not a family who has taken to this altogether well. We have sold our house, left our family and friends behind for the first time, moved 2000 miles away with no job, no school, no church; just a God who is faithful to provide all of these needs for us by His grace. Sometimes, this takes more time than we want! In leaving, our kids begged us to keep them home for school. They have had the blessing of the most wonderful experience we could have ever hoped for at The Fourth Presbyterian School. That little community helped shape our little family more than they will ever realize. A lot of healing after many forms of crisis, many lifelong friendships were formed there, and so much growth in all of us. Along with Fourth Church, our family will never be the same, and for that, we are truly thankful. But....God has a plan and it doesn't involve Fourth Church. So, we follow the call and we live by faith. This is a lesson my kids are having to learn in a very hard way. Needless to say, we obliged the children's wishes and went ahead and started homeschooling. For all you homeschool moms, I applaud you! This is NO easy task. Especially when you have a 4th grader and 2nd grader who have always gone to school, and with a 3 year old at home! Six weeks into this venture, after many days full of tears, discipline, and fighting we have decided that our kids have been asked to change too much all at once. Even they will tell you that they miss other kids throughout the day and the challenge of making the grade for a teacher (who is not mom)! So, through much prayer, many tears and hearts fighting regret, they were off to school this morning. We are so thankful to find a school with a Christian based education, wonderful teachers and very close to home. Please continue to pray that these precious little ones will see God's hand of grace on their lives throughout all this change going on.

As another Monday comes around, I find my heart full of thanks to a God who is faithful in all the little things in life. My list continues....

0022

Thanksgiving with family

0023

Our Fourth Church family (who is very missed)

0024

A new school

0025

Brave children

0026

A quiet house

0027

Decorated Christmas tree

0028

God's amazing grace

Our Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to remember all that God has blessed us with. A time to remember what His grace did for us. And because of His incredible grace, we were blessed indeed this Thanksgiving. Michael's family came in from Maryland and spent 6 days with us. We had very full days with lots of joy and laughter, good food and great company. Here are a few highlights of our incredible week....

Our first day, we went to the park...

Family....

Trying on hats in Old Town...

The tram to Sandia Peak...

The view from the top...

Kathleen, Grace, Kathryn & myself

The city lights...

Mountain top dinner...

Rudy's BBQ baby....

An evening Santa Fe stoll...

Relaxing at the St. Francis...

Kathryn loving her daddy....

A gift from Grand-Sheri....

Thankful:1000 Gifts

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift."

2 Corinthians 9:15

With a full and refreshed heart, my list continues.....

0015

My family

0016

My precious girl full of wonder

0017

My son's perfect smile

0018

Chocolate covered mouth

0019

That precious face

0020

Pure joy

0021

Love only for the trains outside his window

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. AND BE THANKFUL."

Colossians 3:15

Still

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and grow weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:29-31

I was talking with someone close to me today and she was very tired. I too am very tired. Since when does does a home become a battlefield? Yet, that is what it seems like these days. I am asking God for grace to get through the morning, then for grace to get through the afternoon....you can almost feel the cosmic warfare going on in the house. Children fighting, always fighting. Fighting not to do school, then fighting to watch TV, fighting with siblings, fighting to get their way. It's exhausting. And the children are exhausted too. As I was talking with my friend, all I could think to say sounded so cliche, but it was so true. "I have been there, and it's ok." I think I was telling myself that same thing as I was saying it. I have been exponentially more tired than what I feel right now, and I made it through. God's grace was sufficient for me then, and His grace will be sufficient for me now.

The most difficult thing for me to do when I feel this cosmic warfare is to be still. I like to fight! But, God asks us to "be still, and know that I am God." With so many responsibilities, how in the world are we to do this, and I know my friend would be weary just hearing me say this to her! But, I think maybe it's not just an action, but a state of being. Finding stillness in the midst of the chaos. Making our minds stop thinking all of our own thoughts, and instead filling our minds with His word, praying at all times. And, knowing that in our weaknesses, His strength is made perfect. I want His strength...mine can't get me through my day. Being still has changed my life, and I am so quick to forget all that God has done in me. Lord, I want to remember to be still, "cause that's when my heart, learns to dance to with you."

Still

The more I get alone

The more I see I need to get alone more, more

'Cause just when I think that I'm alone

Your Spirit calls out to me

And even silence has a song

'Cause that's when you come

Sing over me

Still, let me be still

Let me be OK

With the quiet in my heart

Still, I want to be still

I'm so quick to move

Instead of listening to you

Shut my mouth

Crush my pride

Give me the tears

Of a broken life

Still

Oh this world, it falls around me

and flutters all its beauty in my eyes

But let me choose the solitude

Simplicity has always simple changed my life

'Cause even stillness makes me move

'Cause that's when my heart

Learns to dance with you

Still, let me be still

Let me be OK

With the quiet in my heart

Still, I want to be still

I'm so quick to move

Instead of listening to you

I'm your child

Tame my heart

Obedience

To me impart

Still

~Watermark

Hodgepodge of Things: 1000 Gifts

0007 Stillness

0008 Friends who help make things pretty

0009 Music

0010 Mountains that look like they've been sprinkled with powdered sugar

0011 Brother & Nephew

0012 Gracie girl

0013 Early mornings

Pumpkin Carving

Time for Pumpkin carving!!

Dirty Hands

Admiring her Mickey carving

Proud to finally carve herself

Mikey...the Perfectionist

Kathryn's Creation

My carving for Gracie

Mikey's Masterpiece

Runic Plates

Our history lessons have brought us to study the Vikings. Finally, something to excite the bored boy stuck with his sisters! We have all been enthralled actually! So, with much trepidation, (because we all know how much I love to do crafts) we make runic plates in the tradition of the Vikings. Runes are the characters of the Viking alphabet, we have learned. We had a lot of fun...well, most of us. Some of us are much too into perfection and have quit way too early. Oh the joys of motherhood!

The girls and their plates. (maybe I will be able to get mr. perfectionist to finish and put his picture up later!!) They have painted their plates gold and written the Runic alphabet around the edges and their names are written in Runic in the middle.

That is our lesson for the day!! Tomorrow...Attila the Hun!

A Grateful Heart

When I sat down to write today, my heart and mind were tired. My body is tired from all the tasks of the day, and my soul is tired from hearing my children bicker throughout the morning. But, I am determined to remember the things that make my heart most thankful; and slowly, as I start to go through my pictures, a funny thing happens. My heart feels lighter, and my soul is put at ease and I am strengthened by gratitude. And you know, downstairs, almost miraculously, my children begin to serve one another. A home is now at peace. So...

0001 A home at peace.

0002 14400 Seneca Road

0003 An extended family

0004 Time with family in beautiful new surroundings

0005 Hot air balloons right outside my window

0006 A God that is faithful to bring peace when we obey His voice.

We are half way through our Monday, and all I have done is run from one child's need to the next. I am watching and hearing my attitude slowly drift in a downward spiral. I come upstairs to print something out on my computer and I come across a blog that I love to read. I found it through a friend who has this link on her blog. This has become my absolute favorite blog to visit and I visit it daily. Ann Voskamp is the writer of this blog "A Holy Experience" and has challenged me in ways I have not been challenged in a very long time. So, she has challenged her readers to keep a running list of things they are thankful for until they reach 1000 of them. So, I am determined to start this running list of thanks. The other thing I have been challenged to do is similar, but a bit more personal. I am determining to keep a journal of thanks and to write in this journal three times a day. Here is the link of the blog that has spurned me on to this. I cannot put it in better words than she does here. http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/10/dare-to-be-daniel-pilgrimage-in-prayer.html

So, here and there, I hope to share with you the things I am thankful for in hopes that my attitude will be one of thankfulness for the blessings God has given me.

P.S. You will have to pause the music on my page (at the bottom) in order not to have my playlist run on top of her playlist!!

Our first week of school-FINALLY!

Our first week of homeschool has been one of ups and downs. The first two days were spent telling our middle to "sit down", "be quiet"," work diligently son". Mikey has had his challenges this week. He has not slept well, he is fidgety and anxious. But, with much prayer and much counsel from wise friends who have been down this homeschooling path, we are in a better state toward the end of this week. I am learning that schedules are great, but so are happy productive children. I thank God we have been given such the privilege to come to Him with our requests and I am thankful that He gives wisdom when we ask. We are a happy family as this week ends; content with home, school and each other. He is faithful.

Welcome to New Mexico

Well, we have made it across country without any major issues!! What a feat for this family! Our adventure is alive and well and within 10 days of leaving Maryland, we have driven 1900 miles, unpacked and entire house and are settling in just fine. I have to take a moment to say thank you to our wonderful friends the Hooks and the Ellisons who have labored to make this happen so quickly. What a blessing from our loving God to have friends who have welcomed us with open arms, loved our kids, fed us, done our laundry and made us feel so loved. We could not have done this without you dear friends. So, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

So, now our new life begins! We are taking this week to explore our new town, which is very alive at the moment with the balloon fiesta here. And, next week we officially start O'Halloran Academy!!

God has been good to this little family and we look ahead with hearts full and ready for what is to come.

A Jewel of Grace

Acts 17:26 "From one man, he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. For God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."

My precious Kathryn has taken hard to the news of moving, of leaving this wonderful life she has. The friends she has made, the school she adores, the church that God has used so mightily to bring healing to this family. My heart breaks to see her walk through this trial. I have seen God's hand at work throughout this process and I know He is not far from us now. To teach this truth to a broken-hearted nine year old is more than difficult. Even still, God's sovereignty remains. God has used my many trials to call out to Him. This is no different for my children. They will learn to cry out to God in the midst of heartbreak. This is grace in action. As a parent, I can't wait to see the fruit that is sure to come. I have been reading through "To Live the Gospel", a book of devotions written by our pastor Rob Norris. This one from Feb '95 is exactly what God is doing in my Kathryn.

From Weakness to Strength

"There are times when all of us feel oppressed by circumstances that seem to control our destinies and direct our lives. Yet the mighty God can make us stronger than our circumstances. He once promised Jacob a most astounding thing: 'Fear not, thou worm Jacob...Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth...' Isaiah 41:14-15 KJV

Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and a threshing instrument having teeth? The worm is delicate, crushable and easily hurt. An instrument with teeth can break and not be broken; it can leave its mark on a rock. God promises that he can take the man or woman who may be as impotent as a worm and can endow them with strength to make a mark on life.

So take heart, even if you are dispirited by your inability to rule your own destiny, for the mighty God can make us mightier than our circumstances. He can bend all things to our good. He can take hold of a disappointment, break it open and extract from it a jewel of grace. When God gives us wills like iron, we can drive through difficulties as easily as the iron instrument can cut through the toughest soil.

Christ is building his kingdom with earth's broken things. He takes us, even if we are unsuccessful in this world, for he is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filled with earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into an instrument of music for the Lord. He can lift earth's saddest failure up to heaven's glory.

Do not be discouraged by circumstances, for the Lord controls them. He can enable you to triumph over them, and make them serve both you and his purpose."

Rob Norris

Pictures from New Mexico

Chile Season
Mountain View
A Road Runner
Our House

New Beginnings

Chaos. That's what comes to my mind right now. Having to pick up the pieces from years of illness is not easy, especially in light of this new adventure looming before us. I see broken hearts and broken spirits in my children, and now broken hearts in family as we move across country. So much of what I see going on in my children's hearts is a reflection of the sin that I have so needed to repent of over the years, and through illness God was able to show me what that sin was and is. Thank God for His leading and His grace to get through. So, now the pieces that are scattered around me need to be picked up and put back together. Learning just how sovereign God really is is what is holding me together. Nothing is wasted on God. Not even our sinful mistakes. His grace, how amazing it is. Music for me has been a source of calm and healing. Today as I was getting ready, I was listening to Watermark sing Mended. ( I would have it playing, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet!!) I hope the words minister to you as they have to me.

"You repair all that we have torn apart. You unveil a new beginning in our hearts and we stand grateful for all that has been left behind and all that goes before us. You've got all things suspended, all things connected. Nothing was forgotten, 'cause your love is perfect. You are our healer and you know what's broken. We're not a mystery to you. We will dance as you restore the wasted years and you will sing over all our coming fears and we'll stand grateful for all that has been left behind and all that goes before us. You've got all things suspended all things connected. Nothing was forgotten, 'cause your love is perfect. You are our healer and you know what's broken. We're not a mystery to you. Lord, you mend the breech and you break every fetter. You give us your best, for what we thought was better. And you are to be praised." Watermark

Our trip to the fair. Seven kids and hours of fun.

The Great Adventure

Well, I am now a blogger! I really never thought I would do this, but here we go! The news of the day is that our house is officially under contract! No more waiting, no more keeping the house in perfect order. Although, that was nice while it lasted! Our adventure begins. We will start looking for a place to rent in Albuquerque, NM next week, and Lord willing start our new life there the end of September. There are a lot of things going through my mind as we start this new life. For one, how will my kids adjust? But, God has already ordered our steps and knows each and every mile we will ever drive, every house we will ever live in, every friend my kids will ever make. This knowledge keeps my mind at perfect peace as the chaos around me builds. Thank God for His grace. This blog is intended for the family and friends we will leave behind as we follow God's plan for this little family.