July 11, 2007

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    BlueberriesandRedBandanaM McCarthy porterfieldsfineart com


    Find Joy In The Ordinary
     ~ Max Lucado, © 2005 ~


    We played every game we knew. We ran up and down the hall. We played “find me” behind the couch. We bounced the beach ball off each other’s heads. We wrestled, played tag, and danced. It was a big evening for Mom, Dad, and little Jenna. We were having so much fun that we ignored the bedtime hour and turned off the T.V. And if the storm hadn’t hit, who knows how late we would have played.

    But then the storm hit. Rain pattered, then tapped, then slapped against the windows. The winds roared in off the Atlantic and gushed through the nearby mountains with such force that all the power went off. The adjacent valley acted as a funnel, hosing wind on the city. We all went into the bedroom and lay on the bed. In the darkness we listened to the divine orchestra. Electricity danced in the sky like a conductor’s baton summoning the deep kettledrums of thunder.

    I sensed it as we were lying on the bed. It blew over me mixed with the sweet fragrance of fresh rain. My wife was lying silently at my side. Jenna was using my stomach for her pillow. She, too, was quiet. Our second child, only a month from birth, rested within the womb of her mother. They must have sensed it, for no one spoke. It entered our presence as if introduced by God himself. And no one dared stir for fear it would leave prematurely.

    What was it? An eternal instant.

    An instant in time that had no time. A picture that froze in mid- frame, demanding to be savored. A minute that refused to die after sixty seconds. A moment that was lifted off the time line and amplified into a forever so all the angels could witness its majesty.

    An eternal instant.

    A moment that reminds you of the treasures surrounding you. Your home. Your peace of mind. Your health. A moment that tenderly rebukes you for spending so much time on temporal preoccupations such as savings accounts, houses, and punctuality. A moment that can bring a mist to the manliest of eyes and perspective to the darkest life.

    Eternal instants have dotted history.

    It was an eternal instant when the Creator smiled and said, “It is good.” It was a timeless moment when Abraham pleaded for mercy from the God of mercy, “But if there are just ten faithful.” I was a moment without time when Noah pushed open the rain-soaked hatch and breathed in the clean air. And it was a moment in the “fullness of time” when a carpenter, some smelly shepherds, and an exhausted, young mother stood in silent awe at the sight of the infant in the manger.

    Eternal instants.

    You’ve had them. We all have. Sharing a porch swing on a summer evening with your grandchild. Seeing her face in the glow of the candle. Putting your arm into your husband’s as you stroll through the golden leaves and breathe the brisk autumn air. Listening to your six-year-old thank God for everything from goldfish to Grandma.

    Such moments are necessary because they remind us that everything is okay. The King is still on the throne and life is still worth living. Eternal instants remind us that love is still the greatest possession and the future is nothing to fear.

    The next time an instant in your life begins to be eternal, let it. Put your head back on the pillow and soak it in. Resist the urge to cut it short. Don’t interrupt the silence or shatter the solemnity. You are, in a very special way, on holy ground.


    Bar Berry Line

    Ian’s Homecoming … Part I

    I am here, enjoying those “eternal instants”, but first of all, I pray that you’ve all had a wonderful, blessed holiday weekend, and a great start to this new week, which is now half over!  Our days have been full, and we’ve been pretty busy since Ian got home from California! 

    Life happens … and it all began when this past Friday dawned warm and beautiful, the birds were singing, I was anxious to get ready and go pick up my son from the airport … so I went to shower, and there was absolutely no water pressure, which put me under pressure, then I went to check the fuse to the well, and water was coming into the basement!  I ran upstairs and I looked out our kitchen window only to find that our well was overflowing … literally!  What a morning for this to happen!  I was like, “well, what do I do now?”  Lewis was unable to go with me to pick up the boys that morning, neither of the dads could, so he had just left for work.  They were working together on one of those jobs that had to get done at a certain time, and unfortunately it landed on the day that the boys were landing in Indiana … and the day our well overflowed! 

    Fortunately, Lewis had not gotten to his job yet, so he made a bee line back home to share in all the excitement 
    … a well overflowing, and not with milk & honey!  It looked as if we had struck oil, bubbling up all over the ground!  Should’a gone swimmin’!  The sump pump was also working overtime, so when Lewis got home he turned everything off … I would have, except I have no idea how things like that work … no telling how many gallons of water we lost by my not knowing that!  I’m seriously thinking of taking a powder puff crash course in well- works!  This is happening more often than I like to think about!  But I’m going to search for the spiritual lesson in all of this!  Water!  I’ve been so busy and I know I need to immerse myself in the water of the Word much more often than I have been doing lately … and God used an overflowing well, with lack of water inside the house, to gently remind me!!  We are “dry” inside when we aren’t flooding our spirits with His Word!  Thank you, Lord! 

    07tagmysoul
    Lewis was here, and as I had no way of getting ready, shower, etc., my sister offered for me to come to her house, but that would make me even later, so I declined … I would just have to pick up my son, as is! 

    Tim’s mom, Linda, along with Elizabeth, Hannah, and Jonathan met me at Bob Evans and we went from there to the airport to pick up our precious cargo!  We got lost on the way to the airport … well, not lost exactly, just got off on the wrong exit!  Had a good laugh about that!  We got a cell phone call from Ian wondering where we were … about 5 minutes away.  He said that Michael, a good friend of theirs had also shown up to welcome them home.  I was thankful that he was there when they got off the plane! 

    When we finally got to see our boys, it was wonderful, I cried!  They both looked so healthy from all that fresh air out there next to the sea!  Hmmm, I think I might go for a couple of weeks!  Now that’s a lot of water to immerse myself in!  He did say that they eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegies, and that everything they eat is grown locally.  He said when you walk into the markets there, they smell so fruity, and fresh!  They go to a Safeway … we used to have those here, but I know that the fruits and vegies weren’t that fresh!  Hearing that, I checked out Daniel’s Biblical diet on the Internet … some good information on just eating fruits and vegies, and I think I’m going to give that one a try for 10 days!  It worked for Daniel … Ian & Tim!  We left from the airport and headed back to Bob Evans where we all had a nice lunch together, and caught up a little.  We said our goodbyes, then decided to go to my sisters so that Ian could get clean, and hope that the “well-man” was home and working at getting our water back on! 

    When we finally got home, the well-man wasn’t doing too well … he had gotten there just before we did!  He told us that it might be 3 to 5 days to fix it!  I had to adjust to that news, and I wasn’t really doing too well with that one!  Ian had just gotten home, and is only home for 7 days, plus we had a wedding to go to the next day!  Ian watched him for awhile … he was alone digging this big hole next to the well casing, then laying on the ground with almost half his body in the hole … had to get a picture of that … then he’d walk around like he was confused, so I called my husband and he called the landlord, and within 1/2 an hour, there were 3 other men out there digging, and working fast!  They had it in full running order within an hour!  Why didn’t they do that in the first place?  The first well-man wasted at least 3 hours of work!  Could we call this an “eternal instant”?  Well, this moment, this trial, reminded me that everything is okay, water, or not!  We are so very blessed! 

    With water flowing into the house now, I ran for the shower!  Ian slept off and on through the evening.  Lewis was really happy to see him when he got home from work.  It was so nice just having him home with us.  This is where I’ll stop, for now, I finally figured out those slide shows, so I’m adding some pictures below this post, from Friday!  I’ll pick up next time in Part II of Ian’s homecoming and all the other things that happened this past weekend! 

    I will be around to see you all as soon as I can … I really miss reading your daily happenings … but having my son home and giving him attention is very important to me!  He’ll be leaving Saturday, and then I’ll be back here to catch up!  You’re all in my thoughts and prayers, and special prayers are going out for Paula
     on the loss of her precious husband!  Hold close to those you love, today!!  Here is a poem I want to share on that very subject that I read awhile back … it touched my heart … how very precious those we love are to us … we are not promised tomorrow … let them know today!  Be blessed!


    Sunflower  IF I KNEW

    If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you fall asleep,
    I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord your soul to keep.

    If I knew it would be the last time that I get to see you walk out the door,
    I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.

    If I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up to praise,
    I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

    If I knew it would be the last time,
    I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say “I love you,”
    instead of assuming that you KNOW I do.

    If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day,
    instead of thinking, “Oh, well, I’m sure we’ll have so many more, so I can let this one slip away.”

    For surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,
    and we always get a second chance to make everything all right.
    There will always be another day to say ” I love you,” and certainly there’s always another chance.

    But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,
    I’d like to say how much I love you and hope we never forget.

    Tomorrow is never promised to anyone, young or old alike,
    and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
    So, if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
    For if tomorrow never comes, you’ll surely regret the day that you didn’t take that extra time for a smile,
    a hug, or kiss, and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their last wish.

    So, hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear.
    Tell them how much you love them, and that you’ll always hold them dear.
    Take the time to say ” I’m sorry,” “please forgive me,” “thank you,” or “it’s ok.”
    And if tomorrow never comes, you’ll have no regrets about today.

    ~Author Unknown


    Tag heartLove & Hugs,
    ~ Deborah <><  

       Bar Heart & ThreadBar Heart & Thread

Comments (14)

  • I love eternal instants.
    Heather

  • :heartbeat:  Good morning Deborah !.   dropping to say hello to you.  (((((( hugs )))))) . May God bless you and family.  Tip 

  • ryc So if I go by that squash plant you will get on a plane?  LOL!!  I think I can do it!!:goodjob:

  • hay deb just thinking of you and im so sorry i havnt been on xanga much due to the pain in my neck and my shoulders and right armim going to the drs today love shelly:lol:

  • I just wanted to stop by and say a quick Hi and let you know I was thinking of you. God bless you.:shysmile:

  • :heartbeat:Hey lady!!

    So glad you got to spend some time with Ian… I will be experiencing this soon when Bethany leaves for college and then comes home for a visit!  Precious times!

    Yes, loved the movie Ratatoulli… we saw it.. great message!

    Have a lovely weekend… I think we are in for more rain!  Ugh!

    Hugs!!!

  • eternal instants…..those moments we remember forever……we had one when we were on the oregon coast a couple weeks ago and  felt compelled to write the word “faith” in the sand on the beach……photo on my xanga :o )

    enjoy your moments………….

  • Deborah ~ I must say it every time that I come her, but I mean it ~ Your site looks so beautiful!! You give glory to God for having it! :heartbeat: I so enjoyed reading your post this evening. What an ordeal you experienced. How exciting that Ian is home safe and sound. Make every moment count. Loved your poem at the end. That Max Lucado is a terrific writer. Blessings to all of you. ~Carolyn :heartbeat:

  • :wave:  thanks for the comments!! 

    I’ve only been on an airplane once when I was 14.  It was FUN!  My dad and Doug both say they will NEVER fly.  I guess I would do it again.  But looking at the plane on the ground I just can’t believe that heavy thing can do that!  Ya know?  LOL  I think you’d be fine :wink:   hey if I can go back out in my garden with that monstrous spider somewhere out there than I think you can get on a plane!  :lol:

    Enjoy your time with Ian!

  • :wave: Deborah!

    That story was nice.  As I’m reading you post I think of things I’ll comment on but by the timr I get down to the comments I forget them all :rolleyes: I need to start doing it when it comes to me I suppose.  I’m so glad they are home safe and sound!  Those things have a funny way of happening when it’s not a good time!  I’m glad you were able to get through it and get it fixed!  Your whole post had me teary from the beggining to the end!  I so love what you came up with “We are “dry” inside when we aren’t flooding our spirits with His Word!” :love:

     I loved the poem at the end too.  Ya know what?  I give ya 2 thumbs up for your whole post!!!  LOL =)

    I can’t wait to hear part II and now I’ll go look at the slide show :yes:

    don’t worry bout us either…. enjoy your time with him while you have him there!! :sunny:

    Hugs & Blessings,

    Theresa 

  • Enjoy your time with Ian. Xanga will still be here when he goes back. One more week before my kids come! :sunny: I am fighting some kind of virus and not getting much from my list done. :(  I have NO energy! I just want to be feeling better when they arrive next Wednesday. I probably won’t be visiting much while they are here, although I will probably continue to post a devotional every other day. Blessings!

  • :sunny:  Thannks be to God that now your son be home.  Its so touched me your story. Thanks for your prayer. (((((hugs))))). Love you in Christ . Tip

  • eternal instant ~ I like that thought!  Enjoyed your newsy post ~ I don’t usually take the time to read long posts, but this one had to be read!  :sunny:

  • :sunny:Glad you got your well working and Ian made it home!………Hope everything at the Dr,s went well………..Have a Wonderful Wednesday!………In Christ’s Love………Monic:heartbeat:

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quote and verse

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.
- Andrew Murray -

God often comes to us,
not in dramatic and the spectacular,
but in quiet, unexpected ways ...
In a still, small voice,
a gentle whisper,
God makes known His love.

In quietness and trust
is your strength.
Isaiah 30:15

Pleasure, possessions, power, and privilege are ultimately worthless in comparison to the indescribable
joy of knowing GOD!!

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5,6

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Psalm 32:8

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