Check!

So I had lots of lists in preparation for this time in the States. I've checked off many items, discarded whole lists, and have some yet to go, trusting in the Father to direct my path.

This is by far my favorite item on the lists, put there on recommendation by my mom a year ago: 

Walk thru woods & be amazed and happy seeing wild irises, big ferns, & little vine maples & spring green colors. 

Check! ...Well, pictured is a LaCamas Lily, but I've seen all the above:).

Getting Edgy

You just never know what your life will hold from one day to the next. One day you think you're just going out for pie with friends, then you end up throwing road laws to the wind, even though you're with an 11 year old, and ride back home in the back of a red pickup truck. Another day you think you're just going down the stairs from brushing your teeth, and you end up leaving graffiti in your brother's stairwell. (Not pictured, and slightly more edgy: what might happen when you're wandering past your favorite bench in the park and notice poorly done graffiti)

A moral for the blog post? Something about living in the moment I think, something about seeing the fun and capitalizing on God-given creativity... It has something to do with not worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow has worries of its own. Something in there.

A Lot

I've been meditating on Psalm 16, especially verses 5 & 6: Jehovah is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I looked up the noun "lot" in the dictionary because it's not frequently in my vocabulary. You can see my brainstorming in the photo here...

A lot is a small piece of land that could be used for building something. I thought of how Jesus counseled us to build our house, our life, on a rock, on Him. And I thought of how the apostle Paul called believers in Christ temples of the Holy Spirit. So we're built on Christ and filled with His Spirit, held in the Father's hand. That feels safe.

Also, a lot is a number of units of an article... or a parcel of articles offered as one item. I thought of how each life is made up of a "parcel" of events, people, personality traits, talents, places, messages heard, etc. Right now I'm tied to two countries/communities and I'm considering the talents and messages that the Father has placed in my life as I look to the future. There's so much richness! Then I thought of how Jesus said that we will save our lives if we lose them for His sake. I don't know how exactly, but I let go of my claim to all these gifts and seek His will.

Finally, the use of lots is a means of deciding something. The lot just falls; in a way it's free because you don't earn the outcome. I thought of how James wrote that we're freely given every good and perfect gift from the Father of Lights. That's every mountain, every joy, every meal, everything good. And Jehovah freely gave us His Son to save us from our sins. His Son freely gave His life. We're saved by grace, not works.

So these are my musings on a lot... the lot held by Jehovah who gives us abundant safety in His Son and riches that we can use for His good will. These are good truths to dwell on as I rest.

Carley Cat

I really like it when I come into my room and find a Carley lump under the covers. At first they surprised me and I thought I'd forgot to make my bed, but then I noticed the squishiness and purring.

I've heard it's always good to put a cat on your blog at least once a year, so people keep reading... Cute Appeal I think was the technical term. Or, maybe it's the old axiom, "When in doubt and you haven't posted recently, consider a cat."

Also, I'm learning a lot from this cat. There are no better experts on relaxation than cats, and my focus right now is rest, as I shared on a previous post. Resting isn't natural to the culture around me, so I look to Carley culture... Lay around, eat, lay [your head] on a person, take a bath, eat, lay on a pillow, look out the window, meditate, lay on a bed, watch a squirrel. In short, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)