Watch them sleep

"The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done alittle less." author un-none

memorize their smile

Today enjoy them, breathe them in and remember that this

moment in time will pass.

Take lots of pictures, write down your memories

and don't get caught up in just doing the next thing.

Do this moment well ...

 

Getting lost in the waters

 I can hear the sounds of the waves as my family runs along her borders.

She, the ocean, is almost talking to me as each wave makes its way closer and closer.

The Sheshels as Channie calls them can be found everywhere along her front yard.

They bring the ocean's gifts to me as I sit and wonder and am in awe at her beauty.

We're all together here and the real world seems so far away.

For right now the ocean is doing her job, covering us with the undeserved joy of

"forgetfulness"

The father of my children and the man I share my life with

is busy about his real work building high castles in the sand, holding the hands of little

ones who haven't decided if the waves scare them or delight them.

 It really doesn't matter, he is there, whichever way they decide.

Taylor pulling brothers on boogie boards as she borrows the oceans floor.

Tucker always on "watch" as he stands on her front porch.

The ocean lets us borrow her for the hours, days that we're here

and my mind mentally taking pictures of their feet in her surf. 

The way she brings out their play,

and the way their shadows look on her floor reminds

me to play more and watch more because their

shadows are getting bigger. 



and she reminds me to watch his smile as she leans heavy into him.

because one day the waves will never make him

go Crazy like they do when he's 6.. 

This one moment in time when the ocean helps you forget

all that's not right..

Your thoughts drowned out by the sound of the crashing of her doors.

You lose yourself.

You laugh

and

cry.

 I open her gift slowly and I take her waters and they

flood me and cleanse me and renew me. 

I'm thankful for this time that I have to remember the people

who God wants me to enjoy and delight in.

He knows how worked up we all get

but the ocean reminds you to slow down,

and remember who the Redeemer is. 



Who taught the moon where to stand till evening.

Who told the ocean she could only come this far?

My redeemer

and

My redeemer lives.

  

 St Augustine, Florida

May 2011

Warming up

Their feet have barely touched the ground. They have "us" and their need for others is, and has been, very small.  This weekend they actually slid their way down and their feet touched the ground at our church. It seemed almost strange to me to see them walking around the church family we love so much. They belong and they are loved here and to see them running and laughing and giving Mr. Jeff high fives and Elder Keith hugs made my heart do little flips. I don't want to let them down, out of the safety of our arms until they're ready and for a brief ten mins this weekend they flew....Scott and I got to watch them and we looked at each other and smiled, our arms strangely light with them not in them. It wasn't long though until they found their way back to us and found their way back to their daddy and felt the safety of his arms...and they slept.

The Lord has been so gracious to us.

Giving us the pleasure of raising these two

beautiful girls. A little shy, a little spoilt,

a lot loved and we're soaking in every

day with them and remembering that God is so good.

The sweet smell of honeysuckle on the farm

 The smell of the honeysuckle hits you hard here on the farm. The flowering bush is all around me. The smell drawing me closer until at last I have pulled one of the kids down to the edge and showed them how to drink the honeysuckle juice. God always provides ways we can be thankful for small things like the smell of honeysuckles and little farm girls who love putting on daddy's hat. It's been a slow start to our summer here. With the devastation of the high winds it's almost as if your own life is put on hold because your heart is so heavy for your friends. There seems to almost be a standing still of time that is so slight that you can't put your finger on it but as we know time does not still herself. The weeds are still coming up in my little box gardens and the sun blanket is covering the farm, the heat already has the kids eating Popsicles, and begging to go swimming, time goes on. The clock always giving her minutes away and the honeysuckle blooms, and as I look out across our land I see it everywhere and I'm thankful for the routine of the Lord. The way He sets things in their time and how He knows that just a smell will remind me to look for Him and I do look. I know He is there. I see Him, I smell His love, I feel His presence and thus feel hope that He that can make the blooming honeysuckle can heal the broken hearted and continue to pour out grace and peace.
   

Romans 15v 13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy

and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may

overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit 

Tom's spirit was caught..

She stood silently crying at the Amish casket that held her beloved. Her "boss man", as

she lovingly called him. The tears were marked with such sadness but she leaned in close

as Cooper went to hug her and she looked at him and said,

"Coop, we will see him again"

 The older ones holding on to the little ones.

 A family who has lost everything and in the midst they cling 

to the one thing their earthly father passed down that the tornado couldn't take away.

A heavenly Fathers love. 

 A heavenly Fathers purpose for such a time as this.

An earthly Fathers spirit.

Their father taught them how to stand.

They knew what he would expect and they did not fail

to show each and everyone of the thousand people there

that they caught their fathers spirit.

His finger prints are deeply embedded in each of his children..

the gentleness that marked Tom Lee

is also the gentleness that marks this Lee Family.

His wife, Sherry who lovingly rubs Judsons hair over

and over as he pulls at her skirt and she gently pulls

 him closer to her, looking over at Tom just to make sure

she's not dreaming. Just to make sure this is all "real"

Her gentleness still intact, but her heart still clinging

to the unbelief of it all. 

Friends and family pour into a service.

At least a thousand come to say good-bye.

One of our dear friends, Jeff Brodock,

was recognized at church by the whole

church body for his dedication to getting to our friends

the night the tornado happened. To say he is a hard worker

under stressful times would be an injustice of words.

It took three hours for Jeff to make a path to get to the Lees

but when he knew they were trapped, he would not stop.

( he would do no less for your family)

He got help to this family.

Thank you, Jeff for always being

the first on the scene and for always loving "our children"

and for all the times you've helped our family.

  

 My dear friends and I all together at last since the tornado.

Kelly and her family lost their house but the Lord spared

every one of their 9 children. The Lord blessed them beyond words.

They are truly an example of holding open hands and saying,

"it's all yours Lord"...

Kathy is Jeff's wife and she should be a firefighter as well because

she was one of the first women on the scene. She drove into a disaster area

because our friends were there and she ended up at the Lee's house as well.

Emotions over take her if you bring up that night.

She recalls the kids all huddled up together in wet blankets.

Eyes staring up at her and each child standing that night
and thanking her for coming.

My church family never ceases to amaze me.

They are our family. Every man in our church

has taken off work, has helped carry the burden that each of these families

have had to walk under.
  We are not alone during our difficult times,

the Lord provides a church family to drive into the darkness.
In the words of our Elder Ted Phillips, "When I drove into that dark valley, I knew I wasn't leaving without my family"

That's just what he did the night of the tornado.

He and his sons drove into the darkness of Shoal Creek Valley

and would not come out until the next morning and piled in

his eight passenger van were the Crawford family (10 people),

and the King family (6 people).
He would not leave them there though.

The oldest son of Tom Lee 

Jordan Lee stood in front of the thousands of people
and said,

"The Lords gives and the Lord takes away..

Blessed be the name of the Lord."
"We do not ask why God took our Father we just Thank God
that He gave us a Godly Father for as long as He did."

While on a campout with the Lee's, I noticed him

sitting there. Looking into the fire. I noticed his boots.

Wet from the dew, a little worn but a "good worn."

A comfortable worn.

That was Tom Lee.