Monday, April 28, 2014

Sprung Spring

FOR April 28, 2014

Outside my window... 
spring has sprung in earnest. Green grass and weeds reach for sunlight, pink primroses and my Nonni's roses burgeon with new blooms, a few larkspur add purple to all the pink, the blackberry bush overflows with promises of fruit in another month or so, and Amore's vegetables and herbs leaf out and sport a few blooms.

I am thinking...
about whether to have my hair cut short (pixie-cut short) again for surgery and summer.

I am thankful that...
God gives such beauty and variety in His creation, even just in birds and blooms alone;
God has granted enough ankle healing to walk 2/3 mile most days lately;
my nephews won their baseball game yesterday;
my mother's broken bones in each foot only require walking boots and won't cancel her upcoming travel plans;
today I can use both hands and enjoy the greater dexterity of my right;
today I can enjoy journaling, list-making, and writing notes by hand;
connections with two dear friends have been renewed in recent weeks;
Amore stayed home from something Saturday afternoon to spend extra time with me on a dinner date and visit to an unfamiliar coffee shop (which even had live music that night);
my church is so full of kind, compassionate, praying friends;
the worship music the last two weeks has brought uncharacteristic tears;
my bone density results showed stability and slight improvement, against all medical odds;
two other labs unexpectedly returned abnormal but under God's control;
it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in anyone or anything else (Ps. 118:8);
He is so kind and gracious as to pull away the other props I lean on in wrong ways.
(2014 gratitude journal #1173-1186)

In the kitchen...
Madge the dishwasher is helping out with my chores and, happily, leftovers await consumption as our supper tonight.


I am wearing...
a navy polo dress and testing out my walking shoes instead of hiking boots.

I am creating...
do lists count??
 am going...
I am going...
nowhere today, and I'm happy about that.

I am wondering...
if trust will ever again be my default response over worry. God granted tremendous progress in that, once upon a time, but I think I have lost all the ground I've gained and more in recent years. The level of difficulty has increased, but so has my experience of God and His Word.

I am slowly reading...
Leviticus, Isaiah, Ephesians, and Psalms; the memoir An Unquiet Mind; A.W. Tozer's The Crucified Life; North and South (audio, just one chapter a week with CraftLit); and Church History in Plain Language (audio)


I am hoping...
family members have a wonderful, joyful trip to Walt Disney World next week.


I am looking forward to...
several weeks of few chores, no driving, and an excuse for no makeup when my right/dominant arm is in a sling after surgery. Oh, and probably no hiking boots if I can find an adequate lace-free substitute to accommodate my ankle brace and orthotics for those weeks.


I am learning...
to say and try to live the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6. And to write my name and attempt a signature with my left hand.


Around the house...
white laundry awaits folding and stowing, colored laundry sits in Rose the washing machine soaking until I run it later today, my list keeps growing faster than I can cross things off (and yet, here I sit), and Easter lilies bloom on the kitchen table while roses cheer my computer desk.


I am pondering...
the power and beauty of a college athlete's kindness to a dying little girl and her courage in suffering. Why is this such a moving tale? This story of strength helping weakness and receiving strength in return brought me to tears and reminded me that the way I endure (and fail to) affects more than just me. May the Lord comfort the Holsworth family, A.P., and Lacey's many other friends in their loss and draw them close to Himself.


A favorite quote for today...
"A thirsting and a longing for the cool water [of fellowship with Jesus Christ] drove these men and women [heroes of the Christian faith]. When they found Him, they sought Him again. What a tragedy it has been that in our time, we are taught to believe in Him and accept Him, and to seek Him no more" (A.W. Tozer).


One of my favorite things...
my automatic tea maker and the wonderful thoughtfulness of the husband who gave it to me.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
two appointments with doctors and one trip to the hospital for a pre-operative EKG,
going to Bible study with my mom (and chauffeuring her) Wednesday,
laundry, laundry, and laundry again ;) ,
endeavoring to keep the National Day of Prayer Thursday at home,
seeking to chip away at the surgery preparation list,
and possibly attending a choir concert at which Mezzo is the mezzo soprano soloist Sunday.
For me, this is a busy week.

A peek into my day...



Sharing with Peggy Hostetler's The Simple Woman's Daybook, Ann's A Holy Experience, and Laura's Playdates with God today

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