Outside my window...
The trees and rosebushes are swaying in the wind and dripping with much-needed rain and a welcome 20-degree temperature drop over the last two hours.
I am thinking...
of the people of Oklahoma, especially those in Moore and those who have loved ones there. We are so very sorry for your losses and the trauma of yesterday's tornado! May the Lord comfort and provide as only He can.
(World Magazine Online offers an initial report of Christian organizations' relief efforts and links to some for donations to the Oklahoma disaster recovery funds.)
I'm also thinking of and praying for the Steven Curtis Chapman family on this fifth anniversary of their daughter's death.
I am thankful...
for life, the lives of my loved ones, electricity, clean water, and four walls and a roof under which to shelter. Thanks be to God that none of the recent tragedies is too big for Him to redeem.
In the kitchen...
is a dreamy recipe for black tea cake with honey buttercream frosting (only the recipe so far).
I am wearing...
new hiking boots built for warm weather, denim drawstring pants my sister loathes (but she's not here, is she?), and my Living Proof Live t-shirt from the simulcast 2 years ago. (No hiking is in the forecast, in case you're wondering. Hiking boots are my latest prescription for tendinitis in my ankle.)
I am creating...
the last little bit of the second sock of a pair. All that remains is grafting the toe. I might be procrastinating. A big-boy blanket for a certain nephew is in the planning stage. His baby blanket is reportedly too small for him now and too warm for Texas.
I am going...
nowhere today, Lord willing. I am going to do my physical therapy home exercises, cuddle with Ebony, and perhaps read my new book or the Cliburn newspaper coverage my grandmother sent me.
I am wondering...
what God's provision for a loved one's urgent employment need will look like and how I can help. On a lesser note, I'm wondering what Mezzo will make us for supper Thursday night and whether/which summer online Bible study I should join.
I am reading...
2 Chronicles, John; Joni and Ken, Jane Eyre (audio), The House at Riverton (audio), and And the Mountains Echoed (affiliate links)
I am hoping/praying...
my mother's surgery will be uneventful and yield the best possible outcome; there will be no additional deadly tornadoes this season; and that the pastoral candidate coming to preach in June will indeed be God's man for a church in transition.
I am looking forward to...
listening and viewing as much of the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition livestream as possible over the next few weeks (probably mostly in the background of other tasks, but at least some of it with my mother as she recovers).
I am learning...
Ephesians 4:15-16, NIV1984, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
Around the house...
Ebony sleeping, as usual, in the chair next to my computer; a hand-me-down computer monitor waiting for set-up logistics to be worked out; stacks of books, magazines, and physical therapy gear; and two gifts to be packed and shipped to families with new little ones. Because this evening holds a chance of additional storms, our flashlights, a thick towel to sit upon, and a weather radio are ready in our one interior room.
I am pondering...
the mysterious and sometimes heartbreaking way life turns on a dime, the way we never really know what a day will hold, and the need to love, worship, and obey as fully as possible today.
A favorite quote for today...
"...the sin underneath all sins is the lie that we cannot trust the love and grace of Jesus and that we must take matters into our own hands" (Martin Luther).
One of my favorite things...
is the occasional text message chat about books and Scripture with youngest sister (Terza).
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Mom's surgery happens tomorrow, and a pain injection in my spine comes Thursday, with taking it easy the rest of that day. We'll figure out Friday and Saturday from there. If I'm able, church is the plan for Sunday. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to watch the Webcast of the ShowHope 10th anniversary celebration Sunday evening too.
A peek into my [Sun]day...
Sharing with Peggy Hostetler's The Simple Woman's Daybook today
