Verse for today

Occasionally during his quiet time, Kevin finds a verse that is particularly impactful and this is the one he read to me today...

Наше же жителство - на небесах, откуда мы ожидаем и Спасителя, Господа нашего Иисуса Христа!!
- к Филиппийцам 3:20

Don't worry, if that text looks like who-knows-what on your screen. I typed it in russian because it is just so moving to the heart...but only if you understand russian! :) In english it goes like this...

"Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

~ Philippians 3:20

It makes me think of the words to a russian hymn that is one of our favorites...

Heaven waits for me.

Unearthly joy waits for me.

There will be a meeting with Jesus Christ,

Holy Spirit, and Father of Heaven.

And a crown!  Of course, a crown!

That which the Father has prepared for me!!

May we live each day with that perspective.  As Pastor Todd says - look up!  I add to that, Heaven waits for us!  Let us live and love and serve one another with that in mind.

Our own Sherwood Forest

Our kids have recently fallen in love with the BBC's Robin Hood series. They've watched an entire season so far, and it has set their imaginations aflight. I decided to inaugerate my new vintage sewing machine this week on remnant pieces of fleece for them. Here is the grand result...

I received a card in the mail this week with the most wonderful scripture inside. My dear friend, J, had been waiting to bless me with those verses when the time was right. The passage is Isaiah 38:10-20...

You restored me to health and let me live.

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.

In your love, you kept me from the pit of destruction, you have put all my sins behind your back.  For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise, those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

The living, the living - they praise you as I am doing today!

Fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.

The Lord will save me and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord!

J was right... the sheer joy and celebration of this passage are wonderful!  Even more resonant to me, though, is the quote she wrote on the back of the card:

In the midst of winter

I found in me an

invincible summer.

~Camus

Twins' Game

On Tuesday of this week, we went up to celebrate "E-Free Night at the 'Dome". We had such a great time, especially the kids since they had never been inside the metrodome. Gracie & I shared some cotton candy, and the boys shared a sno-cone. Kev & Sasha tried to invoke the power of the rally cap; but it didn't come through and the Twins lost. Bummer... oh well, it was a great memory making evening. Special thanks to the O family who gave this family gift to us.

Kitchen Nesting

Last week I basically moved into my kitchen all over again. I felt like I had never really settled in and made it feel like MINE. Now I'm actually cooking again most of the time, so I used one of my energy bursts nesting...
These are some pictures of one little spot that looks like home to me...

glimpses of today

My hair is in fact growing back. It's all about perspective, though, because I feel like I've already got "SO MUCH" hair; but then I realize that it doesn't seem that way to anyone else. Hmmmm...

Blogging again...

Wow, it's been so long since I did this, I'm not sure if I remember how! I'm also not sure how much of what I have to say will be unique from what I would put on my caring bridge? Hmmm... we'll see. At least on this page I'll be able to post more personal, everyday, homeschool, kid stuff.

I'm thinking about my blog title, though, and I wonder if I need to change it for now? It reads "Thoughts from Abroad"... and it is a play on words, right? I'm wondering if I should use the other side of that pun and call it "Thoughts from a Broad"... Funny? Yes; but I don't really think of myself as a broad and I hope I don't come off that way. Maybe I'll leave it be for now and change it in the future if I have to.

Cancer killing treatments are over for now and although I continue preventative treatments for a while, I am returning somewhat to normal life - whatever that is. I actually printed out a calendar lastnight and began to plan meals for our family for the next couple of weeks... no kidding! My hair is coming back for real. I'm not quite ready to be out and about without a scarf yet; but it's there... it's visible, and it's DARK!

Speaking of normal life, I think I'm burning the potatoes... see you later.