Spring So Far

Just realized I have not posted anything in almost two months... We have been busy soaking up this beautiful weather, working on some projects around the house, and spending some much-needed time with family.

First, a trip to Dothan to celebrate Nana's birthday... Sarah Ann is two months old, and little girls are everywhere at Granny's!















Mary Hollis is at a really fun age, she was busy picking flowers and keeping track of Jasper. Here she is giving him a serious talking-to, making sure he stays outside. Katie (my nine-year-old niece) took these pictures and was very proud of her photography skills!





We spent Easter in Eustis which was long overdue and worth every minute of that midnight drive. We came back with new shoes, the first suntan of the season, and several bags of Tangelos.







I laugh out loud every time I see this picture because it captured the moment perfectly. My mom and my grandma just can't hide their true emotions about Jasper, and my dad snapped the picture at just the perfect time to show it!



There we go, now everyone is smiling...



Today our hearts are heavy with all the families in Alabama who were affected by the tornadoes this week. It is unfathomable to think of what the victims and survivors of these storms are going through, just right down the street from us. It has given us a new sense of thankfulness for another normal day, and was yet another reminder of how quickly this life can change. Are we truly storing up treasures in Heaven rather than on Earth? How attached are we to our homes, cars, and belongings here? I got a pretty rude awakening to the situation in my own heart as this was happening. It was yet another reminder to all of us that this Earth is NOT our home... thankfully, we have so much more to look forward to.

I know that God is sovereign and His plans are perfect, even though it is hard to understand some of the things that we are asked to endure on this Earth. Of course, we are all walking through separate valleys, and I am certainly not meaning to compare our experiences. I just pray that He would give us our daily bread, strength for each day, and a sense of His presence as we go through our days here. Even though sometimes we all feel like we are surrounded by darkness and looking down a tunnel that has no end, He promises us throughout scripture that He is right here with us, He will not leave us or forsake us, and He is using these difficult times to mold us into the people He wants us to be. He uses the hard days to teach us to depend on Him, and ultimately, to make us more like Him.

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering Him, for the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land." Deuteronomy 8:3, 5-7

"Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him." Job 13:15

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." Psalm 34:18-19

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

"He will have no fear of bad news; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7

"God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:27-28

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"And the God of all grace, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10