Archive | Uncategorized

It’s been almost a decade since I last wrote a book report in high school.  Writing a book review now somehow seems just as daunting.  This time though it’s for much different reasons that I hesitate to lay down words about a piece of literature.  I’m not afraid of the writing itself.  Neither of the grade.  Mainly I feel the inadequacy of expressing my musings about this book.  Recently I finished reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas.  To say that it is an excellent read would be far from adequate.  It is well written and several times I had to reach for a dictionary.  While that is all very well and good the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is what left me amazed.  My mind was stimulated while reading this book like few things have done for me.  Yet where do I start?  True he was intellectually brilliant but that was balanced by his generous, caring, and humorous personality.  He was well read and purposeful with his time.  It is astonishing how much he did at such a young age.  I’m not quite sure if he ever slept.  Getting his doctorate in theology at the age of twenty one was only one of the many things he was doing at that time.  Did I mention that he also had the honor of graduating summa cum laude?  He lived a life of purpose and conviction.  I was repeatedly intrigued and challenged by the way he chose to live his life.  He wrote profusely and I now want to go read everything he ever wrote.  Even in his imprisonment he had the same grace and character that characterized his life.  He didn’t shrink back from what he felt to be right and he loved God above all else.  I encourage you to read this book.  It will be time well spent.  Not only is his life worth reading about but the history lesson alone that the book lays out is highly enlightening.  It helped me understand what was happening in Germany prior to World War II.  This post can never adequately do the book justice.  It doesn’t even come close…  I’ll leave you with this quote from Bonhoeffer himself:

“Who stands fast?  Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God–the responsible man, who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God.”  ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The other night I hosted a clothing exchange (that’s another post…) and we had a wonderful time finding “new to you” clothing.  I got this skirt, shoes (they have a cute heel but it’s getting lost in the grass), and cardigan!  One of the enjoyable parts about having these parties is the commentary that occurs.  Everyone was laughing about this skirt and how frumpy it was.  At the end of the night when it still didn’t have a home I grabbed it and decided to figure out how to make it work…and fit.  It was rather large.  But what would you know?!  A huge safety pin saved the skirt from humiliation.  I just created one box pleat in the front, pinned it, and viola! Instant problem fixer.  Very grateful for safety pins…  Anyways by pinning it I took the waist in and up which also fixed the length problem.  I really like wearing high waisted skirts because they are incredible flattering.  So that’s just a quick trick if you need to adjust a skirt. 🙂  And I don’t mind if I look like a librarian.  I rather like my librarians. 😉  Plus I hope to blog later about a book I recently finished reading and this is just to help set the tone.  Oh dear, I just went there.  Into the realm of themed dressing!  Have any quick tips for adjusting clothing that you care to share with us?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

I’m not really a ruffle person.  And I don’t usually wear crazy prints.  Yet, when I saw this tunic/dress (half of a dress?!?) for only $1 I knew that if I didn’t end up wearing it then that was okay since it hardly cost anything.  Well I put it on and now I love it.  Those ruffles have a life of their own when I walk.  They have sass.  The unexpected color scheme is perfect for the transition from summer to fall and if you see me walking with a little pep in my step well…it might just be those flounces having a bit of fun. 😉  Do you have a piece of clothing that makes you feel sassy and happy?

I’m not sure how to write this post.  I’m hopeful but my heart is also breaking.  One of “my” kiddos in India is sick.  Very, very sick.  He has leukemia.  My sweet Hosanna, my heart aches for you.  When I read the email that my dear friend Paige sent me from India the water works started.  I couldn’t help but cry.  I long to be there to comfort Hosanna but I know that Jesus is there with him and holding him close.  If you are the praying type will you please pray with me for Hosanna?  It would mean so much to my momma heart.  Please pray for a quick and full recovery.  He’s not even quite ten.  Here is some of the email that Paige sent to me:

Hosanna had Leukemia.  When he got Dengue Fever early this year they were able to get his counts up and release him from the hospital.  Children with normal blood levels should have only taken 4-5 days to recover with the treatment that he was receiving.  After he was released, he got sick again and they took him to the hospital and checked his blood counts again.  He was low on platelets and white blood cells but didn’t have Dengue Fever.  So they tested his blood for Leukemia, which has similar symptoms to Dengue, and he tested positive for it.  I have been unable to get a straight answer from the doctor he was with for 14 days when he had Dengue as to why this wasn’t looked into and why we didn’t know it from all the blood tests that were being done.  He has sorta stopped answering our phone calls.  So, we have sent him to HYD to work with the best Cancer Treatment Facility in Southern India.  He has a government card that allows him to receive free treatment.

He is in the 5th month of a 6th month Chemotherapy session.  I have not actually met this doctor but I have a friend in HYD who goes and visits Hosanna and his mom on a weekly basis.  She gives me updates.  After the 6th months of treatment he is done for a little while and I am not sure what the next steps are.  We have heard that if the cancer is not gone in the 6 months then the child will die.  Does that mean that he can only get 6 months of care for free?  Does that mean that Chemo is only allowed for 6 months at a time/year?  I have lots of questions and we will be asking those questions the next time we are in HYD.

This is all I know as of now.  Sean and I have been using some of our money we have set aside for giving to help with transportation costs, eggs, chicken, and Pediasure.  Other than that the government is paying for the treatment.

We are believing for complete healing!  He is not going to school this year but we did not fill his spot in the home.  We want him to know that he has a place when he gets better.  We gave him his uniform and shoes and socks, just so he could still feel a part of the things happening in the home.

One concern that I have is when he gets out of the hospital his mom wants him to live with her which is in a hut and in a really rural village.  This is a concern because I am not sure that it is the healthiest place for him to live.  We would love to have him and his mom move into the home.  She could help out with the kids.  Please pray that she would do this.  It would guarantee that he was getting 3 good meals per day, have some schooling because the other boys could bring home his studies from school and he could keep up, even if he didn’t take the exams.

These are all the things I am thinking about with regards to him and would love some prayers as we decide what is best for him once he is done with his 6 months of treatment.

Hosanna needs a miracle.  Please pray for him!  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Have a wonderful day and please go hug the ones that you love.  Life is precious and short.

I realized that I needed to do an outfit post since it’s been a little while.  My hair is naturally really straight, especially the day that I wash it, and I never do a middle part but I was inspired by Ali MacGraw’s hair.  To be honest I don’t know anything about her but there’s a classic black and white picture that I’ve seen a few times that I couldn’t get out of my head.  This skirt was a gift for my birthday this year and I’m thrilled with how versatile it is.  You’ll be seeing it again. 🙂  And the sweater is my mom’s from the late 80’s.  (I love stealing clothes from my mum!).  I wasn’t sure how if I liked it with or without the necklace though.  I think I like it better without.  What do you think?  Happy Thursday to you all!

P.S.  Do you have naturally curly or straight hair and do you wear it natural? 🙂  I’m a half and half type of girl.  I like mine straight or curly.  Although when I’m being lazy I go with my naturally straight. 😉

Peaking from the behind the broad green canopy of leaves deep purple morsels hung collectively from gnarly branches.  Separating the leaves I reached out and plucked the fruit.  I placed one of the grapes into my mouth and as the tight skins burst, sweet nectar danced on my tongue.  The tart seeds made for a pleasant surprise and I marveled at how perfect and beautiful the fruit was.  I’ve talked about some thoughts that fruit has caused me to reflect on here but today’s thought is different.  What came to mind was the scripture in John chapter 15 verses one through five.

“‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.‘” (emphasis added)

For the past two weeks I have been contemplating even more whether or not my life is abiding in the vine as I was intended to be.  Am I drawing my strength and my everything from Jesus?  I say I want more of him but am I actively seeking to spend time with him?  To grow any relationship takes time and effort.  My relationship with Jesus isn’t any different.  It is vital.  While looking at the picture of these grapes I took I was reminded of how C.S. Lewis brilliantly talks about miracles in his book God in the Dock.

“God creates the vine and teaches it to draw up water by its roots and, with the aid of the sun, to turn that water into juice which will ferment and take on certain qualities. Thus ever year, from Noah’s time till ours, God turns water into wine. That, men fail to see. Either like the Pagans they refer the process to some finite spirit, Bacchus or Dionysus: or else, like the moderns, they attribute real and ultimate causality to the chemical and other material phenomena which are all that our senses can discover in it. But when Christ at Cana makes water into wine, the mask is off. [John 2:1-11] The miracle has only half its effect if it only convinces us that Christ is God: it will have its full effect whenever we see a vineyard or drink a glass of wine we remember that here works He who sat at the wedding party in Cana.” (emphasis added)

I want to see miracles.  The incredible thing is that I can.  Like Lewis says they are everywhere.  I just need eyes to see them.  How do I do that?  We can’t see unless we are intimately connected to the vine, Jesus.  Relish in the gift yes, but more than that delight in the Giver of the gift.  I want to experience the sweetness that comes from being with Jesus and the more I’m with him the more I can see him and hear him.  And I will see water turned to wine.  The amazing part is that I will begin to see something even more incredible than the miracle.  I will glimpse the One who creates them.

I couldn’t resist it.  There is hardly a time I ever can.  I ran over to the rubber seat and jumped up.  The chains clinked and pulled tight their interlocking arms as I sat down.  My toes stretched to touch the ground and push off.  Then in and out my legs extended.  Quickly my body began to lift higher and higher and the ground pulled away only to come whooshing close again once more.  Back and forth until I soared.  The sunshine streamed down on me and the breeziness of my swinging motion left me feeling light and had me laughing.  With my head thrown back, and a smile that rivaled the pendulum curve the swing was making in the air, I felt joy.  I was so caught up in the delight of the experience that I forgot about the swing itself.  I trusted the swing.  Without a thought I had perched myself on the seat and allowed myself to go higher and higher with complete abandon.  Had I been on that swing before?  No, in fact I hadn’t even seen other people I know on that swing.  It didn’t matter though because I had been on other swings and I knew how they worked.  And so I felt free and safe.  It makes me stop and wonder why I don’t trust Jesus more.  You see because he has proved himself faithful again and again and he’s certainly nothing like a swing.  He’s infinitely better.  So much so that there is no comparison.  Yet so often I don’t trust Him.  I run up to him and then doubt whether or not he will hold me and not let me fall.  And sometimes I feel like I’m falling but he has me the whole time.  He’s saying come up higher.  With him I’m not having to push and strive to go higher and deeper.  He’s gently pushing me and giving me the momentum that I need.  May Jesus give me faith like a child to trust him.  To live with abandon in who he is.  Full of joy and utter delight because I’m trusting completely.

UPDATE! $59,265.04 😀  How fast do you think we can get it to $60K?!  Wanna donate 5 dollars to push it a little closer and ultimately bless one of the sweet kiddos in India?  🙂

I’m convinced.  I have some of the most incredible readers! YOU!  Thank you for making this blogging experience more enjoyable.  I’m so grateful.  On that note one of my amazing readers, Hannah, saw from a post a while back that the reason I wasn’t posting outfit pictures is because I was sorta running out of new clothes to post.  She kindly offered to make me one of her darling skirts from her shop!  Isn’t that so sweet?!  Thank you so much Hannah. 🙂  When I was trying to style this lovely piece I was having a hard time because there are just so many options due to its versatile style.  Not a bad problem to have. 🙂  I decided that since it was fall and the air has turned a bit chill here that a back to school feel was calling my name.  I love that this look is a little bit glamor and a little bit schoolgirl charm with a dose of Zooey Deschanel inspiration.  What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?

You can check out Hannah’s shop Hannah Everly Designs here.  Don’t miss seeing the other adorable styles she has!

P.S.  I love twirling but it makes me super dizzy very quickly!

Something happened through this blog that I never expected would happen when I first started out.  Along this journey I have had the immense blessing of making new friends from all over the world.  We keep in touch through all sorts of media outlets.  Some of them/you are very dear to me.  On Monday I got to see Paige and Sean!  You may remember them from here. 🙂  My mom and I had a mini road trip (four hours total) to go up and spend the afternoon with them.  It was delightful to say the least.  I’m so grateful that Paige and Sean are dedicated to taking care of all those precious kiddos in India.  By God’s grace they do an excellent job of it too!  Altogether I’ve only been able to spend about 5 hours actually with Paige and Sean in the time that I have known them, I love them.  Seeing them was such a gift and hearing stories about the kids and how they are doing made me so happy.  Paige and Sean thank you for being involved in my life and for loving those precious darlings the way that you do.  I’m so grateful for you both and yes it’s true that I really do love you.  And miss you already.

P.S.  The reason that Paige and Sean are back in the states for a short while is to raise funds for the kiddos.  Would you consider giving just $5 today?  It makes a difference!