:. new life .:

My friend Pretty Pretty Sharol received a new kidney over the weekend. She's been a pretty sick girl for quite some time, and has been waiting for her chance at a transplant. (She really needs a pancreas, too, but this kidney will give her a new lease on life.)
After months of fighting with the insurance company, all the while undergoing dialysis, just last week she was finally okayed for a transplant and put at the top of the list.
Two days later, she received word that there was a suitable donor. The surgery went well, and so far she shows no signs of rejecting her new organ.
All she knows of the donor is that they were young, healthy, and an accident victim.

Wow. Imagine how it feels to know someone had to die to give you life.

"He was pierced for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by His wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5

Yes, imagine how it feels.

:. amen .:

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

~ Margaret Atwood ~

:. it's here! it's here! .:

This is what you get when you google 'spring'.
Happy First Day of, everyone!!

:. playground mentality .:

I have had the express pleasure lately of accompanying Mr. Gavin to the park on a few of these lovely spring afternoons. (Sshhh . . . . don't tell Liam! We go while he is napping.)
I have noticed something wonderful:
children of a certain age (usually under six years old) are very accepting, kind, and democratic.
Yes, there is always the exception; the one bratty kid who doesn't take turns, or whines and complains or what have you. But for the most part, kids are very willing to make an instant friend, wait patiently for their turn at the slide, and just enjoy a day at the park.
Brown, black, white, Gavin has made some new friends lately, simply by virtue of sharing a love of the Big Slide.

When does all that change? When do we start noticing that a person is 'different' from us? When do we start having a me-first mentality? When do we start worrying about impressing others, rather than just enjoying their company?

It's too bad, isn't it?

:. snatches of life .:

The other day I saw an amazing thing. It was one of those lovely, warm days we've been enjoying recently, and a mom and her three little ducklings walked past my house.

[Ed. note: Just to be clear, these were not actual ducklings; it's just the way I talk.]

The kids, all under the age of six, were each carrying a plastic grocery bag. They were running, laughing, having a great time . . . and they were picking up trash. It had been really windy a few days before, and yes, there was litter scattered hither and yon. Some of it in my own yard, and I was too lazy to go pick it up.

These children were having a wonderful time; seriously, you would have thought they were on an Easter egg hunt, they were that excited.

Kudos to that mom for teaching her children servanthood. Kudos to her for teaching them to do something without being asked. To see a need and do something about it. Kudos to her for teaching them to take care of the earth. To take pride in their neighborhood.

Either that, or it was one of those kiddie work-release chain gangs that you hear about sometimes. It could've been that.

And here's something:

I bought a bubble machine last week . . . . just getting ready for spring, you know.

I love things made in China. Love it when the translation is just a little off:

'Up to 10 Thousand of Bubbles in Minutes!"

And the warning: "Play only under competent adult supervision."

Competent? How competent do you have to be to fill it up and push the button?

Hhhhmmmm . . . . I wonder what adults I know that should be barred from using my bubble machine?

:. everything that hinders .:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Hebrews 12:1

That verse gets me every time. It follows the famous 'faith' chapter (which I would encourage you to read . . . that's some good stuff!)

We are not alone in this walk; there are many who have gone before us, as well as many following behind. I picture the saints who have already passed through this life crowded around some portal in heaven, cheering us on as we run our race.

So how exactly do we run with perseverance?

Obviously, we are to disentangle ourselves from the sin that trips us up. That's a no-brainer, though not always easy to do. Sin can have an iron grip on us; it can be comfortable; it can be fun; sin can even seem like a friend.

But if we're really honest with ourselves, sin isn't that hard to spot. Get rid of the sin, and you'll find you've a lot more energy for the race.

It's the other part that really gets me. The throwing off of "everything that hinders".

Have you ever stopped and thought, really thought, about your day-to-day life? The way you spend your time? The things you spend your money on? What your mind dwells on? What you put into your mouth? What comes out of your mouth? What you expend energy on? What things you're hoping for?

There are a lot of things that aren't sin per se, yet still hinder us in walking closely with our God. And since these things are not actually wrong, it's harder to discern that they are harmful.

And yet we're told to throw these things off.

Like a jacket on a warm day, some things we're just better off without.

We need to search ourselves, figure out what our personal hindrances are, and throw them off.

Oh, and the next verse pretty much sums up the only way we can be sure of finishing the race:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus".

Yes, let's.

:. the wonderboys .:

Well, those LoveBoys are spending the night at grandma's house tonight! I'm happy to give Josh and Emily a night to themselves. And of course I'm waaaaay excited to have those boys around all evening and into the morning. I LOVE waking up (early!) to sleepy-eyed, pajamed boys!!
I'm ready! Got some new cool cars to play with. . . stocked up on Rice Chex . . . practiced my cartwheels.
Yep, I'm ready!

:. jehovah jireh .:

Jehovah Jireh - "the LORD who sees"

And if He sees, you can be sure He knows.

And if He knows, you can be sure He cares.

And if He cares, you can be sure He's doing something about it.

In His own time.

In His own way.

For your good.

And for His glory.

:. if wishes were horses .:

I've always thought life should come with a soundtrack.
You would know when to really be afraid, and the happy times would seem even happier with the right background music.
Well, after playing with Photoshop, I've decided life should also come with an airbrush.

That's just a no-brainer.

:. spring ahead .:

so excited to turn our clocks ahead this weekend!

Here's a peek at what is just around the corner:
flowers and blue skies

and baby animals

and spring trees bursting with bloom

and baby birds

and flowers and baby birds together

and lilacs. musn't forget the lilacs

aaaahhhhh, spring!

:. for the record .:

1. baby bee lambie pie naked yarn is SO HARD to work with . . . yet perfect. Only for you, Liam, only for you.
2. for those of you who've asked (NO ONE), Mozart seems to be just fine. Not sure what his little asthmatic episode was all about.
3. I am so happy that spring is sneaking up on us. Mmmmm, I can feel the sunshine already.
4. all that honking that geese do when they fly overhead is one of my favorite sounds. It just makes me laugh.
5. I really should never order the large coffee. Stick with the medium; that's plenty o' caffeine.
6. flags at half-staff are melancholy and beautiful at the same time. They always make me choke up just a little.
7. I am a sucker for cello music. Seriously, if you stuck a cello in gangsta rap, I would probably think it hauntingly wonderful.
8. finding out the sex of your baby through an ultra-sound is like finding out what you're getting for Christmas . . . . in August.
9. I'm sorry that the Losties are stuck in the 70's. Never cared for the 70's the first time around; I really don't like TV shows set in that time period. (Well, except for That 70's Show. That's pretty hilarious, so . . . never mind.)
10. I pretty much have the greatest family in the world.