the weekend of us

There are days when I feel like we are as far apart as the east and the west... words thought but not spoken, my insides tied all up in knot.  All for the love of the girl I have such dreams for... dreams of laughter and life as big as she can make it... wanting so much for her to reach out and grab it.  And then a handful of days crop up that are just for us... she and me and sunshine and life.  Those days, and every minute they contain, are lovely strands of spun gold... and I grasp them with all that I am, all that we are, knowing in the moment that they are as precious as the air I breathe. 

This was the weekend of us.
Conversation, laughter, fabric, cheesecake,
fuzzy blankets and bare feet, mod podge and soup.
The best of me, and the best of her... strands spun together instead of apart.

takes my breath away

With a gift like this... how can I resist the peace that He offers again and again?  Examining my heart and soul, I find myself no longer wanting to resist, just eager to drink in His peace... courage a little closer today than yesterday or the day before.    Thank you, God... for chipping away at me, for never giving up...

linking this up to Dayle's Simple Pleasures party...

i trust

I lay quietly grasping his hand, eyes wide open and tears sliding down my face.   With a sigh, he says it will be okay, but even his voice sounds unsteady and I'm sure he only said it because he knew I needed to hear it.  Too close to home. Again.  My heart cries out to lock the doors and draw the drapes and hide from the world.  My mind knows this is no way to live, no way to teach them. 

Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you.

I am jolted awake, surprised that sleep had come at all, and before long I grab for those words again.  I know they are the ones that will get me through the day... the ones that will give me the strength to send her off to school.  School... where who-knows-what is stashed in lockers and backpacks and pockets.  It takes an incident too big to bring the hidden to light, and let me know how false my sense of security really is. 

Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you.

I kiss her goodbye... and hide the tears only long enough for her to walk out the door.  And for the first time, I think of those parents who expected to say hello again at dinner time... never once thinking that dinner time as they knew it would never come again.

Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you.

I don't doubt that the peace that passes all understanding is coming.  In fact, I don't doubt that it is hovering right here within my reach.  Oh, if only I were brave enough to grasp hold.  But I'm not... not just yet anyway. 

Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you... Lord, I trust you.
Life is just too precious, and why-oh-why don't they understand? So I cry a last few tears... for the lives that will never be the same, for parents left behind, for the safety I took for granted, and for the way the sins of the world seem to chip away at faith in mankind.

{virtual coffee}

Storm's a 'comin! The air is heavy and the wind is whipping... but you might still want to stop by for coffee today, since my air might just be a touch warmer than yours. Seventy-seven. I know I should be appreciating it, but I could use a crisp oh-I'm-alive kind of breeze.  It's not been an easy day... tragedy in our neck of the woods.  I'd love the distraction of friends. 

If you were going to stop by for coffee... you would get a sneak peek at my project-in-progress!  I have been bit by the motivation bug and I've been crafting up a storm these past two weekends!  Refashioning tees and spreading Mod Podge... loving that I'm making all sorts of stuff from what I already have!

Hundreds of postcards all puzzle pieced together... on my dining room table.  I am always really thankful for hand-me-down furniture... and once in a while I get brave and decide that whatever I do certainly won't ruin it.  I'm excited to finish it!

If you were really coming for coffee today I hope we'd laugh right through every conversation and maybe gasp about how January is almost over and how life seems to be moving in fast-forward.    And I would let you know that our friend George is on his way home from Afghanistan right now.  Hallelujah!  That was our good news of the day... and I was glad to have some happy tears to mix in with the others...

linking up to Amy at Lucky 13 for {virtual coffee}... come on over and join us!