From our house to yours...

We hope that your Christmas was as magical and fun as ours!

Wonderful memories were made that will be treasured...even if I never manage to blog about them.  Heh.

God bless you all!

The Long-Awaited Return to Blogging...

Okay, not that anyone noticed, but I haven't been blogging.

I gave myself permission to slow down and enjoy every moment of Anna Beth being a tiny baby and all the joy that this stage of life brings...*snort!*  Yeah, I can't even type this with a straight face.

Being a mom of three is rewarding, but HARD.  I love every minute, but it's more challenging than I dreamed it would be.  I have been exhausted, stressed, overjoyed, delirious, sick, exhausted, grouchy, exhausted, and overextended.  Did I mention exhausted?

Anyhow, I'll stop whining.

We decided to take the family Christmas card picture tonight.  We had been to the local library's Christmas program at the Pastime Theater this afternoon and had pictures made with Santa.  Since everyone was festive and dolled-up, it seemed to be a good time to do the picture.

Luke protested the hat.  Emma was agreeable, but wanted a dog puppet in the picture.  Anna Beth was being a typical 6-month old and not looking and doing baby stuff.  Tootie dog was hovering around everyone, making it obvious that she needed a bath and alternately popping into the background of pictures and teetering on the edge of pictures while licking her nether regions.  *Ahem.*

Take one:

There's a hairy arm invading the shot, a stinky small dog to the right, and Anna Beth is about to snatch off Luke's hat.

Take two:

Anna Beth was trying to forcibly remove Luke's face.

Take three:

 Luke leaves the shot to deal with his face removal incident.

Take four:

 Emma smells the stinky dog.  Luke smiles through his pain.  Anna Beth likely did something in her diaper.

Take five:

Anna Beth has the giant head that eclipses her brother's face. 

Take Six:

Anna Beth realizes no one is holding onto her (notice lack of hairy arm) and decides to make a break for it.  She oozed right out of her chair and dramatically plopped on the floor.

I won't post the final result here right now.  But I also won't wait six months until I post again.

Maybe.

Are You Seeking?

As a child I loved a good game of hide and seek.  As an only child, I didn’t get a lot of opportunities to play, but when I did, I was thrilled.  I was a really great hider.  There was nothing better than finding a super hiding spot when playing with a big group of cousins or friends.

I remember a downside to my favorite game.  There would sometimes come a point when, due to how well I was hidden or lack of interest on the part of “IT” to find the hiders, that the game would be abandoned.  There I’d be, in the World’s Best Hiding Spot, and no one was even looking for me.  I’d wait and wait, until I realized nobody was trying to find me.  I would be so disappointed.

I suppose God probably feels that way sometimes.  When we are most troubled, joyous, or needy, we often forget that God is not hiding, He is there with us.  All we have to do is seek Him in prayer and in His Word.  Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.”  How disappointing we must be to God when He is near and we choose not to seek Him, due to lack of interest or fear that we won’t find Him!

God is not hard to find.  All that He requires is for us to be sincere when we look to Him.  Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Let that be your goal this Christmas season.  Seek Him whole-heartedly in everything this busy time requires.  You’ll be blessed if you do!

Hoarders

Have you ever seen the television program called “Hoarders?”  I am appalled and fascinated by it, all at the same time.  The concept of the show is that a person or family is seeking help for an unbelievable problem.  Their homes have been taken over by stuff.  Sometimes the stuff is as innocuous as piles upon piles of clothing, books, and boxes of belongings.  Other times, the person or family keeps everything in their home, including garbage, animal or human waste, and other unthinkable filth.  The homeowner occasionally has an explanation for why things have gotten to that point, but most of the time, they can’t explain why it happened.

Inevitably, every time I watch the show, I always ask myself:  “How do they let it get so bad?  At what point did they just give up and let the piles of stuff take over?”  The good thing about the show is that the person or family receives help cleaning up and counseling for their problem.  They are given a way out, if they choose to accept it.

I think this show is a pretty good comment on the sin condition in our world.  A person starts out with a little “pet” sin.  That gateway sin leads to other ones.  Eventually, the person finds himself in over his head in the filth of sin.  Sometimes, he says “I’ve let it get too bad.  I’m just going to give up and let this sin lifestyle take over.”

The good news is that this person --and all believers --have a way out, if we choose to accept it.  Jesus Christ spilled his blood so that we may be free from the filth and guilt of our sin.  His blood washes us as white as snow.

God Bless You!--Lianne

On Blogging Hiatus...

...Be back soon!

Goodness

I see her every afternoon as I wait to pick up Emma at school. She comes out before all the other kids, holding on to the arm of a teacher. With some degree of difficulty, she makes her way over to the bench and sits down.

I can't begin to imagine exactly what her disability is, but if I had to guess I would figure it to be muscular dystrophy or something akin. No matter what ails her physically, she never fails to keep on smiling. Even when there's no one paying any attention to her, she sits on her bench and lights up the world with her bright grin. She's a cute little thing.

Then I saw HER yesterday.

She made her way across the parking lot as quickly as three legs would allow.  I'd seen her out there before, but she never ventured all the way across the long lot to where the kids were.  I wondered if the administrators would shoo her away. 

She obviously belonged to someone, seeing how she was looked very well-fed and was wearing a collar.  She looked like some mix of Labrador Retriever and who knows what else.  It appeared that her body had never quite snapped back from having puppies some time back.  (I FEEL YOU, MAMA DOG.  I DO.)

As she quickly ambled her way over, she stopped and scratched as best as three legs would allow her to do.  She made a beeline for the little girl.

I held my breath, wondering what would happen next.

The little girl smiled brightly.  If I'm lying, I'm dying--that dog smiled right back at her.

They greeted each other like old friends.  The dog curled around the little girl's feet (and even though I couldn't hear it, I know she did it), breathed a contented sigh.

The little girl reached down and stroked Mama Dog's head.  Mama Dog looked up into the little girl's eyes.  In that moment, I saw pure joy...bliss...no judgment.

As I blinked back tears, I realized it was a good day.

Hold my hand!

Anna Beth has recently started sleeping through the night, every night (Cue choirs of angels singing the “Hallelujah” chorus here,).  She has developed a little habit that I find endearing and thought-provoking.  She wants me to hold her hand when she goes to sleep.  If I’m holding her, she locks her tiny hands around one of my fingers.  If she’s napping in my bed, I have to lie next to her, holding her hand, until she drifts off to restful sleep.

Anna Beth derives total comfort and peace by knowing that I am there with her.  She feels protected and loved by having someone’s hand to hold on to.  Don’t you feel the same way about your relationship with God?  I know I do.  I know that if I chose to grasp tightly on to God’s hand that I would be less likely to worry and fret over situations that He can handle.

Thinking back to the time I was a little girl, I can remember being scared of the dark.  I found comfort in holding my Daddy’s hand.  I knew there was nothing too big or too scary that he couldn’t handle.  I find that same comfort in my Heavenly Father now.  If I didn’t have the “Everlasting Arms” to “lean on,” I don’t know where I’d be.

When you feel your faith is being stretched and tested, reach out for God’s hand.  Find your rest in Him.  His hands are strong and sure.  In Isaiah 41:10, it is written: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  God’s hand is unfailingly with us in times of trouble and in times of peace.  I praise Him for that.