I raise my eyebrow at date of my last post.

Much like I raised my brow at the last date in my journal earlier. And as generally happens when I don't keep up with my written life in that long, I begin by trying to write it all and end by shooting bird shot. Only hitting a zillion topics by chance and not delving in at all.

It has been a poignant month. I would say bittersweet but that term seems overused.

Granma passed away on the 17th. But her leaving brought almost the whole family together. Excluding one brother, my sister from Scotland and little nephew made it, and my sister from Texas and then my brother and his wife from California. Along with countless aunts and uncles and extended family.

I even made it to the emergency room the night before the funeral. My charming brother and his wife and two of my sisters and of course my parents joined in my excursion. I don't think I've ever been in so much pain in my entire life and my sense of humor was out. I sure hope God granted extra mercy to the people that dealt with me that night because I'm afraid I didn't. My pain was all due to a cyst..

And so, I am thinking that perhaps God is teaching me to Cherish Life.

I love life. I remember when I was 2 and 3 racing around the house breathing, "faster, faster, faster than a butterfly, faster than a motorcycle." For me, life has always meant movement. This method of life has cost me many mishaps and hard knocks. And a tendency to not always think things through.

I'm not declaring myself an invalid. I am far from that. But I have been restricted in the last year and more intensely in the last month of being quite as free and careless as I once was.

Funny how God seems to be forcing me to give up my independent spirit that so many times has refused help even when I needed it. I'm sure it is only the independence that kept me from depending on Him.

And so, now that I have time to sit I realize just how much I cherish life. My granma was 90 years old when she died. 90! That seems so far away. And yet, she often said how quickly time slipped away. And how many of us live to 90?

And it also reminds me to cherish new life. The fact that over 3700 lives are suffocated every day in America alone is sobering.

I have survived Roe V. Wade.

I have been given a fighting chance.

Life is a gift and once taken away it is never returns.

Guard this gift. But use it or it becomes useless.

Cherish Life.

Thanks to the recommendation I have come across this passage:

"All experiences of suffering in the path of Christian obedience, whether from persecution of sickness or accident, have this in common: They all threaten our faith in the goodness of God and tempt us to leave the path of obedience. Therefore, every triumph of faith and all perseverance in obedience are testimonies to the goodness of God and the preciousness of Christ--whether the enemy is sickness, Satan, sin, or sabotage.

Therefore, all suffering, of every kind, that we endure in the path of our Christian calling is a suffering "with Christ" and "for Christ." With Him in the sense that the suffering comes to us as we are walking with Him by faith and in the sense that it is endured in the strength He supplies through His sympathizing high-priestly ministry (Hebrews 4:15). For Him in the sense that the suffering tests and proves our allegiance to His goodness and power and in the sense that it reveals His worth as an all-sufficient compensation and prize."

Desiring God - John Piper

A glorious day.

The weather has that beginning chill of Fall and yet the sun still shined and the breeze still blew in a delicious fashion.

This morning my two youngest brothers were confirmed by Bp. Sutton.






This afternoon we went for a family drive. To the little town of Hankinson to get ice-cream. I had curly fries. A scrumptious substitute.

There was this old lady sitting at the picnic table crowing with laughter over Esther's antics and chatter.

Daddy wanted to drive through the Sand Hills just a few miles from there and so we headed out....we were in the fifteen passenger van of course..and dad turned off onto a road. In moments the lovely road turned into a frightening death trail. The trail was very sandy and we nearly got stuck a few times. Trees crowded on every side and gully's and gulches made us lurch from side to side. All the lovely ice-cream cones were quickly turning into shakes and everyone was laughing, screaming, and directing dad how to drive.

The trees parted and we found ourselves in the middle of a pasture. The road drizzled to a nothingness in the midst of a group of cows.

So back again we went. Up and down and finally out again.

and on to the park and a discussion about Chuggles. A most interesting topic.

I love Fall.

It truly is so much easier to say than to do.

How many times have I begged God to prepare me for whatever purpose He desires me for?

Many.

And now, perhaps I am waking up to the realization that perhaps I have been whining and rejecting His preparation.

We say, whatever it takes, Lord.

Little realizing just what this may include.

And so, up until this very evening I have rejected and scorned being sick. I have been so frustrated by it. Every time I think it's gone away I either come down with something else or the same symptoms return.

Since last winter, I have been plagued by some sickness or another. Then, being sick from Brazil morphed into being sick with allergies, followed by a sty, a cold, and now a flu. Including my eczema breaking out from eating one dairy product.

It is so hard not to ask, "why me??"

It is so easy when not feeling well and being extraordinarily tired to be out of temper, to complain, to not trust God for His healing and strength.

How crushing it is to realize how many times I turn down the opportunity to glorify God. To accept this cheerfully, with the knowledge that, He will never leave me nor forsake me. We are to praise God in sickness and in health. Not just when we see He has fulfilled our wishes.

Perhaps it humors God too, when he sees just how often he has to employ means to humble us.

Esther (6): "...and I like pigs, I love pigs, 'cause they're so cute and fat and they're pink!"

Mom: "we ate pig last night for dinner."

Talitha (3) following dad downstairs: "...and mom said we ate pig for dinner last night but we didn't!"




(picture courtesy of Havilah)

I couldn't upload two into one posts so here the the continuation

Traditional Apurina March into Church

The Apurina men prepare for church outside and then come marching and singing praise to God.

I'm so happy this video uploaded. It was truly amazing to be so separated by language and yet be able to glorify the same God in oneness. Their language is beautiful.