How To Measure The Span Of A Life

"Today you are you!  That is truer than true!  There is no one alive who is you-er than you!"  Dr. Suess

 I wonder if Mr. Suess realized he nailed the truth each one of us needs to hear, especially as we celebrate another birthday.

Friday marked the twenty-eighth anniversary of my twenty-fifth birthday! For those of you that don't want to take the time to add, that's fifty-three candles! My sweet, loving and thoughtful daughter-in-law knew so many candles were NOT necessary, and instead gave my granddaughter a #9 to push down into this rich, chocolate covered cake!  No regrets here.  It was so moist and delicious.

The Rain Came Down And The Floods Came Up

Do you remember that song?  We used to sing it with our kids when they were little because it taught them about the house on the rock standing firm amidst the storm...and it was a fun song!

Monday, beautiful Monday!

Oh, to jump right in with my list of gifts of Gratitude...

#72~ the beauty of Mother's day flowers unfolding for an entire week.  Glorious. 

#73~Crinkleroot:  the mountain man, guarding the entrance to the garden.  Also a gift from my first born son. 

#74~one single pea growing...from the death of the flower, the fruit is born.  So, too, we bring forth much fruit as we die to ourselves. 

#75~pedals stretching heavenward, longing to be nearer to the Sun, or perhaps the Son. 

#76~Bert's discovery of chimes in the Garden of Eden...He loves to go to the garden with me, then he'll turn and give me that, 'May I touch it, please' look.  When I smile, he knows he has the go ahead.  Brings me much joy to share this place with him.

#77~

#78~my sister, Karyn Walker and her daughter, Emily, creating as only they can, a French wedding shower menu and decorations for my future daughter-in-law. This world truly is a better place because they simply...are!  (She is a local artist, who's dedicating some or her sales to go for an orphanage in Haiti!  Check out her website by clicking her name.) 

#79~only six days before my girls arrive, along with their parents and we spend a week together, me basking in the love of God by the touch of pudgy fingers, giggles and tea parties.

Just look at those precious faces...go ahead, cry with me...they're priceless. 

I cannot wait.

They're driving from Dallas, where her hubby's sisters live.  Please pray for safe travels for them.  They arrive on our son, Daniel-Paul's, twenty seventh birthday.

Party time!~

As I prepare for their arrival, I am reminded over and over that this life is a breath.  Each moment counts, and for those of us that call Jesus our Lord, we are living in eternity right now.

Make the day count. 

Find that place where you can hide away from all distractions (even if it's only a few minutes at a time!) and drink deeply of His love.  He is your portion.  He'll fill the empty places with Himself and then you can leave there, ready to be poured out as wine to make those around you happy!

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After all these years

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”  Abraham Lincoln

********************************* 

I turned fifty yesterday. 

For some reason, fifty isn't that old anymore.  It's almost young again. 

Sunday afternoon, Love blindfolded me and drove over to our son's home.  As the front door opened, I heard, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" 

It's an understatement to say that I was overwhelmed by the all the different people he secretly invited to celebrate me.  I could tell you of the many gifts I received:  my son, Daniel-Paul wrote me a song about living on the farm in NY...made me cry!  My daughter and her family made me a video you can watch and laugh at here, I think.  My son, Josh made another video and brought over, in the middle of the night, paver stones and flowers that greeted me when I walked out the back door yesterday morning.  My future daughter-in-law gave me cushions for my swing; there were more flowers, a homemade cake, hand-made beautiful magnets bought in the hills of Tennessee, and the list goes on.  Of course, dad outdid himself with gifts daily! But then my Love asked each one to write me a note or to speak out in front of everyone, answering the question: 

'What has Daune meant to you?'

He even called my dearest faraway friends and asked them to write him the note and then he read one at the party and another one on my birthday after dinner. 

Sweet sneak that he is!

One never knows the depth their life affects others until hearts open and love-words spill out.  There was a flood of affirmation that night that kept me drinking from the fountain of His love and awake half the night!  I seriously could not stop thinking about how much Jesus is alive in my life and the truth of His word:

 

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."  Proverbs 4:23 

 And yet, even if I didn't have a relationship with Jesus, I am certain that, though there may have been kind words spoken about me, they wouldn't have had eternal significance.  What good is it to gain the whole world (i.e.- their approval, acceptance and love) and lose one's soul?

Now, at fifty, I am even more convinced of His grace and keeping of me, despite my flaws, weaknesses and shortcomings.  He has remained faithful and He will perfect that which concerns me until the day He comes back to take me home.

All praise, glory and accolades to the One who designed me, loves me, has given me friendships and uses me to further His kingdom.

I am who I am today because of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Counting my gifts

Gifts given can bring delight, and sometimes they can undo the emotions...in a good way.

Like yesterday morning before church, sitting in my garden, talking to Daddy and listening and then, there it was, suspended right in front of me--
#53~ a hummingbird.  Made me cry.  There was no time to grab the camera.  He flew away too quickly.  A gift that felt like a kiss on my cheek, unexpected.

#54~And then the night before that:  walking around the amphitheater at Sea World, snapping pictures of Jeremy Camp and shuffling to the music (even though I'm not a Jeremy Camp fan--I went for Shane and Shane!) when my heart, for the first time in my life, truly ached to be in heaven.  That, too, made me cry.  I longed for home.  REALLY longed. 

#55~answered prayers almost forgotten about

#56~bees

#57~climbing back into bed and warm sheets still!

#58~the sound of ticking clocks









#59~laughter when my son decides to work at my desk and I look up to see this:

I named him Edward for the day!

#60~

#61~ blueberry muffins on steroids

 #62~good graffiti-is there such a thing?  The gift was that I was just snapping things on our way down the road and didn't see what I got until I uploaded it.

#63~spotting this small, yet huge gift tucked behind the petunias.  The new seeds are a bonus.

#64~pretzels and Bananagrams with Caleb

#65~ science experiments from treetops

#66~my best friend and his love for me.

In community with Ann over here: