Simple Gifts

Tis a gift to be simple

tis the gift to be free

tis a gift to come down where we ought to be

and when we find ourselves in the place just right,

twill be in the valley of love and delight. ~Quaker Hymn

Until Next Year...

Teatime 2:30.
Well cocoa really.
And apple crisp, with drawn pictures.
To say farewell for another year.


Uncle Joe's "bon voyage."

Distances explained.

The ears are open, the minds and hearts listen, and appreciate and listen to their good friend and Uncle.

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God has led him across the ocean again.


Numbers 6: ²⁴ "May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
²⁵ May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
²⁶ May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace."

Thank you Bannon.

Bannon and Abby burst through the door. Bouquets of colorful leaves.

Aren't we so blessed to have the leaves make such a beautiful picture for us in this season of fall?

"Here Mom!"
"Come here, I want to show them to you. Look at this one. It feels just like a pumpkin. "


We looked at them one by one. Bannon laying them out on the steps so we could really look at them.


We talked about why these leaves must die.
But really, they seemed to be more satisfied with the answer, "God makes it happen."

^{Psalm 24:1} The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
² For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.

Raindrops on Roses and that sort of thing.

Just a couple things that make the sun shine.

~French toast fixins with Daddy. These girls are helpers! and Daddy is sure patient!

~Young man and little man dreaming about their chances to give the bad guys a stomp

~"Who wants to volunteer to do the dishes?" said Jeremy, and these two stepped up to the plate.

~my honest and true Red Riding Hood off to the "big rock" near the woods for a lemonade and peanut butter and jelly picnic.

Number 70

It's not always about the cheers, the flash in the pan, the statistics.

It's about the hours of devotion. The cheering, the encouragement, the job well done.

Giving your all.

It's about the game that lives in the heart of the player.




There he is. Number 70. Took down some men on his own for his team. Cheering them on, an equal part of the team even when he's not tackling.

He earned it. I am so proud of him.

What the rest of the world doesn't see...

is the heart of this older brother, does the same

for this one.

^{1 Thessalonians 5:11} Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven

Bannon came down with a sore throat and fever. The closets are getting cleaned and thick sweaters are being hung. Turtlenecks replace the sundresses, and darker materials have replaced the lighter pastels. Chipmunks and chickadees are bombarding the bird feeders, but the kids still have plenty of seed to shake out so that the ducks come to call and they get up close and personal to give the feathers a nice pet.

It's hard to believe the weather has really and truly changed. So summer is gone, and snow is even being mentioned in the forecast. The fire has been going and the kids all snuggle under my Gram's afghans in the morning hours.

Early good mornings to the deer. Please take the ticks with you.

Branch circles

Bannon cutting the yarn

Weaving

My Mom and Abby. Without her, the craft would have been very difficult :)


trees

It's all good. It's all right. There are surprises in the todays that I expect, some that I don't. I'm continually grateful to know I am forgiven, I'm loved, I'm called, I'm carried. I'm simply resting in that Goodness that yes, seems too good to be true. And it is. True.

Happiness today:

~being loved and sharing time with people you love

~Helping and watching the popcorn pop on the stove and getting excited to have your own little bowl full

~Being able to look out the back door and see a flock of turkeys and feel like you have stepped into the book Farmer Boy (right K? :)

~Holding a little bunchkin who is almost like the real Pooh

~Fall colors
~A fuzzy whir of cute
~The autumn moon above the tall pines

~Ducks who waddle

~backyard games

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

^{Jeremiah 31: 12 (NLT)} They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone.

vs.33 (AMP) But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

"The Leaf Storm"

Stormy Meditations:

Matthew 7:
²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

The Day After a Really Rough Day

I tumbled, rolled my ankle, with a child in my arms. I'm thankful it didn't turn out worse, when it certainly could have been.

And the day was me on the couch with preschool TV on.

When I roughly had to go to another level of the house
Bellie emptied the water jug again on the floor like a lake.
And the bread bag was retrieved and the bread was mushed and eaten like an apple.
Well meaning hands spilled the milk.

I slowly watched helplessly the house turn upside down.

Able to hobble the next day, I am gathering the bits of my thoughts leftover from that day.
I step out on the tall porch and smile, because I watch this. It's from a distance, but it was so lovely and beautiful, I had to take a picture and pictures. God is doing a good work in all our hearts around here even in the mess. That is what His faithful love does.

In moments like these, I'm refreshed, and I whisper Thank you Lord. Please keep working and talking to us.

A boy who cares for his little sister who is always a princess.


And on the inside of the house, I have left my little helper to proudly continue the job of cake making for her family.

And these silly birds. The ones I DON'T NAME because I don't want to feel the hurt if they get hurt, but I really love them all the same.

And may my "building of a home" always stay centered on the Love that will last, The Rock.