Thanksgiving Praise

          We gathered together, the bunch of us, for the first time in several years, but like we used to, on the Thanksgivings that came before. My parents, Aunt and Uncle in from Virginia, a cousin and her daughter, another cousin and her music-making husband. I wish I’d taken pictures, but by the time I remembered, the day was nearly done, and my batteries needed replacing. Who can ever find batteries when you need them on an average day, much less Thanksgiving?

          There was so much eating and even though we’d tried to cook lighter, there was too much in the end. No-one minded. There was a walk after dinner, and catching up, a flock of geese flying overhead as we walked off the turkey in the crisp fall air. After, there was dessert in the kitchen, sitting and standing and laughing and talking, and then the boys took out their guitars.

 

 

     Cousin M, who plays on a worship team, led the little group, and shared music notes with the guys later.

 

 

 

     What a blessing, on Thanksgiving evening, to be led in worship to our King in our living room.

          I’ve been quiet here in this little space, but needed to pop in to say I am grateful, so very, very grateful, for all the richness we’ve been blessed with. For family and friends, near and far; warmth of home; plenty of food; job; sons, big and small, who love much, work hard together, and teach me every day. For oldest, home for a few days, cooking alongside me on Thanksgiving morning and playing with his little brothers; for daughter, who laughs, checks outfits and shares life with me. For parents nearby, whose lives are intertwined with ours. For kind husband with servant’s heart, and most of all, for Jesus, who did for us what we could never do for ourselves – made us right before God so that we can enjoy Him forever. To God be the glory.

Giving Thanks, and

Trusting in Him,
Aimee

To a young birthmother

To a young birthmother:

 

          Thank you so much for allowing me to come see you in the hospital last week. Your wee one is just beautiful. I know you will cherish forever those hours and days you spent with her in your arms, and I count it great privilege to have been allowed a bit of time to hold her in mine. I was so moved to meet her adoptive father and grandmother, and to see the great love both awaiting her, and being sent along with her. It felt like a very holy moment, like sacred ground.

 

 

          I’m sure this was the hardest thing you have ever done, and your bravery moves me. Seeing you walk out this hard choice these past nine months has been powerful. I know this has not been easy, being in your community, being so young and perhaps feeling judged, but I want you to know, you are a hero. You made a difficult choice, an unpopular choice, perhaps, to put your life on hold to give this little one a chance to have one. You knew you had the support of your parents, and they are heroes too, for standing with and beside you throughout. Seeing your courage and sacrifice has given me a new appreciation for our children’s birthparents. Having birthed long-awaited babies, I can imagine the depths of your sacrifice and how very difficult this parting must be.

         
 I’m imagining these next days and months will be painful and there will be adjustments, and maybe relief too. Please know you are prayed for, you are precious, you are loved. On behalf of adoptive parents everywhere, thank you, friend.

 

Giving thanks for this beautiful young woman and new little life, and

Trusting in Him,

Aimee

Thoughts for Planning the School Year

      I spent the weekend away at a Charlotte Mason education retreat, a weekend of beauty and liturgy and much to ponder as I plan the coming school year. I am generally, at this time of year, pouring over curriculum catalogs and weighing the benefits of one program over another, but this year I am stopped in my tracks by thoughts that go so much deeper than curriculum.  I stumbled today upon a quote seemingly tandem to those percolating in my thoughts, and thought it worth sharing.

"Train with this thought continually before your eyes -
that the soul of your child is the first thing to be considered.
Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes;
but if you love them, think often of their souls.
No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests.
No part of them should be so dear to you as that part which will never die....
This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind
in all you do for your children.
In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme,
and arrangement that concerns them,
do not leave out that mighty question,
"How will this affect their souls?"
~ JC Ryle

     During the retreat, I was much affected by a prayer shared by the presenters, and plan to print it out large, to keep in my sight and conciousness.

     "O God make the door of this school wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and strife. Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter's lower. God, make the door of this school a gateway to thine eternal kingdom." - Origin unknown

Amen.

Trusting in Him,
Aimee

Hello from Summerville

          How quickly this summer is flying by, and how seldom I've written here! Has everyone else found their summers moving more quickly than the school year? I believe I've tried to squeeze in every appointment I didn't want to schedule during the school year, and we're trying to enjoy every drop of sunshine and summer goodness. We've had fun swimming almost daily at the pond, watching the New York City Ballet perform Romeo and Juliet, and visiting with friends. We've had a broken leg...

...scared you, didn't I? It was easily fixed by Husband, who can seriously fix most anything. We've enjoyed the annual Fourth of July parade in the small village in which I grew up,

The candy- throwers along with my dad and his Morgan - pretty cool, right?

Uncle M, Aunt J and Pa's TR3, along with some cute passengers

We've taken walks or bike rides after dinner most nights,

Speed!

And enjoyed picnicking by the river, and ice cream in the park.

          God is good, and we are blessed with such sweetness on these beautiful summer days and nights. Looking to the weeks ahead, I hope to carve out more time to slow down, and as Pollyanna said, "to just be."  William Davies puts it well:


Leisure
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Wishing you much summer fun with those you love, and time to stand and stare.

Trusting in Him,

Aimee

The Age-Long Minute

“Hold us quiet through the age-long minute

While Thou art silent, and the wind is shrill;

Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, are in it?

Can the heart faint, that waiteth on Thy will?"

Amy Carmichael

          My prayers are peopled with friends in that age-long minute right now. There are those recovering from life-threatening health issues, facing fear and even despair at a changed future – and some helplessly watching their child in that spot; some waiting for test results and hearing frightening words and predictions for themselves or their child; and there is the mother watching her child trade safety and goodness for a life on the streets and a quick fix.

          I know the age-long minute well; I know the lying awake, staring into blackness, heart pounding, spirit crying out in terror. I know jumping at every phone call or siren, waiting for results or for that thing which I fear to come to pass.

          And that – fear – is at the core of the age long minute; the terror that the thing we most fear may come, and we dwell on it, chew on it, and though we hate it, we savor it and taste every bitter swallow. A friend reaches out with wise words when I find myself in that place, and reminds me to think only on that which I know to be TRUE.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

          And so, each time, I weeded through thoughts. Many times, situations seemed bleak, but paring down, there was what I knew to be true. Symptoms? Yes. Someone making bad choices? Yes. A lifetime of suffering? That was predicting the worst. A future destroyed? Again, fear running away, taking hope and joy captive. I learned as I went – and am still learning – to take the truth, accept it, and do what I can when there is something to be done. And then the rest – those things most feared – they must be left at the nail-scarred feet of the only One wise and strong enough to handle them, turned over and given with hands now open to clutch the hem of His robe.

          And even in the darkest times, there were things that were right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy, and thinking on them and giving thanks brought peace, pushed away fears, made a subtle shift and allowed God’s light to shine in. I know this is the medicine most needed, even when the first swallow is hard to take.

          Do not fear, for I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

Isaiah 43:2

          In that age-long minute, clutching tight to Jesus in the boat with us, He gives good gifts. My mother, a cancer survivor, reflects that she would not trade the cancer if it meant trading the peace she felt during that time; it was that precious. I have grown and changed through those minutes and would not go back to being the unscarred, self-confident 30-year-old I once was. I pray for ease, but I know that I hear His voice most when I am hard-pressed and I press in.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9; 16-18

          “Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, are in it?” In the boat, in that minute, we are not alone. I pray to remember, and am thankful for those who remind me.

Trusting in Him,

Aimee

The Clean-up Game, and Many Thanks

      Recently, we enjoyed visiting with good friends - an evening of nine kids running around, fellowship and fun. At the end of the visit, the room was strewn with matchbox cars and trains (not an unusual state, actually). Tom, the dad, taught us the "game" he'd been using with his kids to make cleaning up quick and fun. We've since tried it twice after busy mornings, when the house was strewn with not just toys, but books, curriculum, and clothes (where do they come from - especially the socks???). It gets the job done so beautifully that I had to share!

       Here's how it went. I set the timer for two minutes, and each child had to scurry about as quickly as possible, picking things up, putting them where they belonged, and keeping count of the number of items they'd cleaned. I had to be very clear that the items were to be put in their proper places - not on the hearth or coffee tables or counters - in order to count. At the end of two minutes, each child gave me their total, and the child who'd put away the most items was now excused from the game. The timer was set for another two minutes, and at the end of that time, the next child with the winning total was excused. Another two minutes of cleaning followed, and the last guy left had the timer set for just one more minute, to finish the job. I kept myself busy during this time too, and it was amazing to see, at the end of 7 minutes, just how much we'd gotten done!

      It was so much nicer to do our afternoon reading in a clean living room - could it have attracted the hummingbird spotted outside the bay window as we read, or the sparrows scolding there a bit later? Perhaps not, but still, the game is a keeper.

      I'm off to bake for a picnic. How blessed we are to have the kinds of freedoms we do, to enjoy this Memorial Day weekend and worship as we see fit. My thoughts and prayers are with those mourning loved ones who've made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and with those who are serving now.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Thank you doesn't seem like enough.

Trusting in Him,
Aimee

On Amy Carmichael and Thorns

          For the past few weeks, the kids have been immersed in the story of Amy Carmichael, Rescuer of Precious Gems, and they were sad to read the last chapter yesterday. Their daily narrations piqued my interest in her story yet again, and I pulled out my copy of Amy Carmichael, God’s Missionary, a slim but meaty little volume she wrote in 1939 while ministering in India, to set a standard for missionaries. It was as challenging then as it is now.

          “For our calling, by its very nature, calls us apart from everything else; it has for its object nothing less than this: the knowing of Christ, the living of Christ, among those who do not know Him. The love of our God must shine through us unhindered if we would live to Him here. Surely, whatever makes for holiness of life, for the clearing of the glass through which the light shines, this is for us and nothing else.”

                                     Amy Carmichael, God’s Missionary

          And I know I am not a missionary like Katie or Summer, some of today's versions of Carmichael, and yet I think, here in my home, educating young ones and guiding young adults, this is my own little mission field. In any case, I know what is needed for this job and this life, and it is more of Him, and less of me.

          “The love of our God must shine through us unhindered if we would live to Him here. Surely, whatever makes for holiness of life, for the clearing of the glass through which the light shines, this is for us and nothing else.”

          What hinders, keeps that love of God from shining through – what clouds the glass?  Surely, distractions and worries cloud my thoughts and fill my mind, and out come snappish answers and curt responses. Seeking escape from concerns, I become mindlessly busy. Can any light shine through the spiritual dullness that ensues?

          “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”   Matthew 13:22

          The cares of this world choke out the word…. and then these choking cares – worries or things I care about more than God or those around me -  keep His love from shining through. We have this precious gift, this word, and I wonder how often I fill up with it, only to have it choked, midday, with thorns of fear, confusion, or mind-numbing distraction.

          I’d never consider going to the filling station to fill my car’s tank with that costly, precious gas, and then go home to fill the tank with sugar. I’d surely not travel far after that. And yet I fill up with this word, and so quickly let it become choked out.

        Amy finishes the first chapter of her little book with St. Paul’s life as an example of giving ones-self wholly to their calling.

          “He stood forth in the midst of his shipmates and said, ‘God, whose I am, and whom I serve,…’  Can we imagine him frittering away his time in aimless trifles, matters which had not as their end the salvation of the people on board or how own preparation for the battle before him? Could our attitude of life on board ship be always described as that single sentence: ‘God, whose I am, and who I serve.”

          Convicting. Challenging. Praying today for thorns to be weeded out and cast aside, and for His wonderful light to shine through.  

Trusting in Him,
Aimee