A 4th of July Hike

I hope you all had a wonderful 4^th of July weekend. With my husband’s deployment ever getting nearer, this holiday was extra special for us as a family.

Life has so many snapshots. So many moments when you look around you and try to make the memories last. On Saturday, we took our little girl on a 7-mile hike. The woods were beautiful, the mountains magnificent against the clear blue sky. The air was crisp in the early morning hours, but soon the air warmed up to an almost intolerable state. For the first 4 miles or so our daughter was happy to watch the world from her backpack, napping intermittently. Near the end of the hike, though, she stated to get antsy, and demanded attention. We listened to her cry, slightly embarrassed whenever other hikers past by, and then finally gave in and carried her in our arms the rest of the way.

At the time, I was a bit annoyed with her, but in retrospect, it’s only a fading memory. My daughter will only be a baby for so long, so I choose to enjoy the experiences with her, even if some days are less than perfect. I chose to enjoy the time my husband and I get with her, while she’s still young. I’m sure, when my husband is deployed, I will wish for these days once again, the days in which my daughter cries for miles and miles of our hike. It was a less than perfect memory, but over all, God still blessed us with a beautiful hike on a beautiful morning. Oh how thankful I am for such times as this!

My Art

I am my worst critic. I tell myself that my art doesn’t matter. I tell myself that my gift just isn’t good enough. And so I ignore it. I stay busy. I clean the house, talk on the phone with friends, work on crafts and play with my daughter (not that these are necessarily bad things, just stick with me!). I leave my art until the end of my day, when my brain is tired and my words half-hearted. I don’t devote the time I should to writing, because, why does it matter? Who reads this blog anyway. What’s the point? I can thing of a million excuses. But still the open page sits there. Still the opportunity to share my true heart. Still the ability to reach the world for Christ. In my heart of hearts I know that I’m a woman of words. If I deny this art, I am then denying who God created me to be. Writing is my art. I may be less than perfect at it. I may not be the best grammar guru in the world. I may make mistakes. But God speaks to me through words. And I pray that He uses my words to speak to others as well. As I explore different avenues, I still find myself confused by this gift. How, exactly will God use this gift?  I truly don’t know. All I know is that He’s planted a love of writing deep in my heart. As I walk down this road of life I’m doing my best to hone this gift. I’m practicing, I’m experimenting and I’m growing. All I can do is use this gift to glorify my Jesus each and every day and trust Him to care for the rest.

What is the art in your life? Sometimes, in the midst of our busy lives, it’s so hard to find, but it’s there, peeking through the loads of laundry and rainy days. God’s gifts are present and oh so ready to be revealed to you! For more on the art in our daily lives, check out www.chattingatthesky.com.

Babies Don't Keep

There's the mound of laundry, the dishes, the floor that needs to be mopped, a blog to write, and a mile or two to run outside. And, oh wait, a little girl pulling at my pant leg, her toy duck in one hand, a smile on her face.

I pause from the business of life, forget my list of things to accomplish, and sit down on the floor to play with her for a bit. As I sit down a smile lights up her face and she crawls up onto my laugh, content and happy in my arms.

And I know that this is the memory I'll keep. the fact that the laundry isn't done won't matter in the long time sceme of things. No, it will be the time I spent playing with my daughter when she was young that will matter.

Because Babies Don't Keep.

"Song for a Fifth Child" or "Babies Don't Keep"

By Ruth Hulburt Hamilton (Lady's Home Journal in 1958)

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Is there anything you need to re-prioritize in your life today? What is God speaking to your heart?

Take Heart

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD” (Psalm 31:24 NIV).

What is hope? To me, hope is trusting that the Lord always knows best. I say this easily right now, with my husband sitting next to me on the couch, but I have to admit that sometimes hope is a little harder to hold onto. I don’t look forward to the times when my dear spouse is deployed over seas. One day soon I will be experiencing the pain of separation, but I would hope, even then, that God will be my strength and my song.
For me, hope is believing that God will provide. He is the one that sees the beginning, and the end of this tough life we live on earth. There are times when I definitely need strength from him to make it through the day. There are times when my heart is breaking, and I need him to hold onto to it and help me take one step at a time.
What about you, do you need a reminder that God will provide? Do you need a reminder that he is always there, in good times and in bad? Put your hope in him my friends, for he is the only one that will never fail you. He will be your comforter and friend when no one else is around to feel your pain. He will be your salvation, if you let him.
He will take your heart, that feels like it deployed with your spouse, and hold it in his hands. Trust me, there’s no better place to be.
Be strong and take heart in Him.

For more blog posts about hope, check out http://www.incourage.me/