Looking at life through Rose Colored (cups) :-)

I love this kid! He's already looking on the 'bright' side :-)

Circle of Life

Well, here is another faint attempt to continue to blog-- I am inspired by reading some of my friend's blogs and I think it's a great way to get some thoughts down, so here we go! :-)
It seems like so much has been happening lately:

- A few weeks ago my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We flew out to see him and say our "goodbye until heaven". It was such a wonderful trip and it brought tears to my eyes to see him play with my son (who doesn't have his own grandpas). Two weeks ago he passed away and we are flying back out for the services. My heart is getting heavy knowing the sadness that surrounds death and knowing that my grandmother is heartbroken. And although it doesn't look like there is much of a silver lining here, we were able to pray with him and I am fairly certain that he accepted Christ into his heart and will be spending eternity with the Lord. Amen! The best silver lining of all!!

- Also, my brother has been back in the hospital and in rehab and we have had the chance to visit with him about once a week. Just for the record, his willing spirit just blows my mind. He manages to have a smile on his face and enjoy our times together. Mind you, he has had over 70 surgeries and his ongoing health issues remind me of Job. Yet, I still believe that he loves Christ - again, the greatest sliver lining of all! Love ya bro!

- I celebrated my first mother's day on Sunday. My, what a blessing to be able to share my time with my boys! Being a mother has truly changed my heart. My selfishness is quickly fading and I realize more and more the importance of "shepherding my child's heart". God has been so faithful in giving us our daily bread so that I can be home with him and for this I am so blessed! Although my grandfather passed away, I can hold tight to the life lessons that he taught me and focus on teaching them to my own son.

- As we embark on our next trip west, I will tip toe around the mess that our kitchen is (they are ripping out my ceiling), try to get the little one to nap in between hammer banging, do laundry and pack, and relish in the fact that Noah just started blowing kisses and will successfully play on his own for 10-20 minutes at a time so I can do things such a post on this blog :-) (or a million other things).

Praying that God will show you the silver lining today. Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Marianne

Here I am Lord...

So I am not doing too well with updating this blog and wondering if I will continue. But for now, here is a little inspiration...

I have always had a heart for older people. I really enjoy spending time with people who are so seasoned in life and who have learned so much about the world and humanity. Thus, I always have a need to reach out to older people who cross my path.

I met a wonderful woman when I was in college and attending a seniors Bible study (yes, I signed up for the wrong one, but loved it so much that the 60+ year-old women allowed me to join). She has an incredible life story and is originally from Pakistan but she and he family had to flee to Lebanon when she was a child. She has lived in numerous countries during her lifetime and speaks in a heavy accent.

I kept in touch with her during our years in Annville and now that we are back in the area I make it a point to visit with her once a month or so. A year ago her son passed away and her faith in God was shattered. She is so brokenhearted that she says she doesn't believe in God at all anymore. Her only living child lives a few hours away and she does not seem to have too many friends. But, for some reason she allows me into her home for afternoon visits and enjoys my company. I visited with her last year but, after I had Noah, our visits changed drastically.

The first time I brought the little two month old to her home, she wept. As she held him in her arms she wept for the loss of her own son. Our visits since then have been full of healing and recently, joy. Yesterday on our visit she was playing with Noah and making funny faces. Noah started laughing hysterically and soon enough she followed suit. I have not heard her laugh in over a year. She was overjoyed with him and held/played with him for over an hour.

Every now and then I try to talk with her about God, but mostly I just listen to her sorrow. At one point in our visit, I watched the two of them play and thought "God you are so at work right now... please use us show her your Grace". Our visit ended and she began to tear up when it was time for us to go. I believe in my heart that she felt the presence of God though Noah's love and joy.

My prayer is that we can minister to her during her time of doubt and pain. Isn't that what God does? He loves us and holds us no matter what our feelings are about Him...no matter how much we squirm and fuss... His strong hands hold us closer until we eventually realize that it's by His grace we are saved.

If God can use an 8 month old to show others His love, God surely can use us!

The "small" offerings...pass it on.

This week we have been blessed.

Things are a bit different in our lives now that I am at home full-time and our times of going out are few and far between. We are making sacrifices financially, but gaining so much more in the fact that we are able to spend time with and shape Noah. The more I think about it, I wouldn't even call it a sacrifice, but a change of lifestyle. God has continued to bless us each day, by continually providing us with "our daily bread" and then some! I spent yesterday truly counting our blessings and thinking that my life is amazing. The closer I get to the heart of God the more I am able to understand how He has carried me to this point in my life and He is nothing short of indescribable! There have been some many times in my life when I stepped out in faith and God has provided me with the means to continue on His path.

This weekend Nate and I were able to go out on a date for the second time in eight months! To make it even better, God provided us with free babysitting and dinner. Ironically, it was provided by friends and a family member who are probably in a more stringent financial state than we are. The fact that they gave what they had to encourage our time out and in-turn support our marriage, truly touched me.

Their acts of kindness reminded me that no matter how difficult one's situation is, we are called to continue giving, loving, encouraging, and supporting one another. Immediately, I thought about the story in Luke 21 of the widow who gave all she had- although to the rest of the world it seemed so small, to her it was huge. Her heart followed God and her acts were done in obedience. She trusted the Lord with all of her heart, even after she lost the love of her life.

I am in awe of the blessings that God bestows on us and forever grateful for all of the many people who have touched our lives in special ways. I pray that my heart would grow closer to God so that I too can have the same faith as the giving widow. Moreover, I hope to encourage and impact others in ways that glorify the Lord.

Be Still...

Again, we get a huge snowstorm that forces us to stop. To stop running around, to stop working, to stop doing errands, to stop going places. I think it's God's way of telling us to "Be still". For some, it's annoying but for some of us it's a reminder of peace.
Although this weather frightens me because some people need to be out in it, I pray that I will be able to find peace in this time of being home with my family. This morning as I sat with Nate and talked and watched Noah attempting to crawl, I realized that I am more blessed than ever! To have an amazing husband, a beautiful son, and a Savior that cares for me, - there is nothing more that my heart could desire. Today I count my blessings in the stillness of our world and encourage you to do the same! Happy Snow Day to you! :)

Snow Snow Snow.. It won't be long...

Okay, so every time that it snows I think of White Christmas... and have a strong desire to watch it! We are expected to get quite a bit of snow this weekend and I am very excited! I love getting snow and the peaceful feeling that comes with the pure blanket of snow covering the world around us. We happen to have an apartment that overlooks not one, but TWO beautiful lakes and big strong trees. When it snows- the view is incredible! Looking forward to spending the weekend being "still" and enjoying the simplicity of staying home all day and enjoying my beautiful husband and baby (I won't be able to say that too much longer!). It will also probably include crock pot chili, working on taxes, watching Anne of Green Gables, giving my cat some much needed brushing, and lots of hot cocoa!!

On a side note, I made bacon last night and our apartment smells so strong of bacon that I have all of the windows open in the house while Noah is upstairs taking his nap- thus, there may be numerous typos in this blog entry because my hands are numb... :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, spend some time with God, and enjoy the beauty of nature that surrounds us!

Consider it pure joy...

When was the last time you laughed so hard you felt like you were going to burst? Every time I have one of those wonderful laughs I feel awesome. Before having Noah, I averaged extreme laughing episodes a few times a week. However, I currently average these fits of extreme joy a few times a day. Watching Noah crack up because the cat walks by, I drop his bib on his highchair tray, someone knocks on the door, etc. is enough to set me off.

I spend every waking moment with my child and often spend time trying to get him to laugh, but he looks at me as though I just stepped off a spaceship from Saturn. Yet, when I drop a carrot on the floor while making lunch, hysteria explodes as Noah finds humor in my mishaps. Our little one is always ready for a good laugh. His lack of grudges, stress, embarrassment, and foul moods allow his heart to overflow with joy. His excitement knows no bounds (especially while eating as sweet potatoes spew from his giggling cheeks).

The lesson I learned today- eliminating baggage from my own heart allows much more room for God to fill it with his joy. The sporadic joy that I find in life these days keeps me going. I encourage you to have a good laugh today and allow God to fill you with His joy!

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.