Attitude Adjustment

Nothing like reflecting on what Christ did for us on the cross to cause a shift in perspective. Several times today I have had words from songs or hymns pop into my head, and each time I paused to thank God for giving up His son so that I might live. Here are a few of my favorites:

• He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and I'm forgiven; heaven's gates are open wide. He's alive!
  

• Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, he holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives.
  

• Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes. He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
  

• Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering. Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King. But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me. Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

So today I have been reflecting on what Christ did for me and how blessed I am. It is so easy to to pull out the "poor me" card and get bogged down in daily stresses and complain about how tough life is. But the truth of the matter, in my case anyway, is that life is GOOD. God is GREAT. And I have been blessed beyond measure.

Sure, I am away from my husband. But we are still together after 12 years (today is our anniversary, in fact), and I would say that our marriage gets better and better all the time. We have had some amazing experiences together. We have had our share of struggles and doubts, but God has done a mighty work in our hearts and lives, and we recognize that without him we would not have stayed together anywhere near this long.

Yes, I have 3 kids to care for without having their daddy around. But we are living with my parents, and that has allowed me to work on the house to get it ready to sell, and it STAYS clean. They go above and beyond EVERY SINGLE DAY to help me out. They let me sleep in most mornings, and they watch the kids so I can run errands or make it to various appointments. They have essentially allowed us to take over their lives so that we could have a smoother process. Without them I would be a wreck! And so would the house, and the kids...I shudder to think.

We have yet to find a home in Tennessee. But I believe that God is trying to teach us something through this piece of the journey. And I was reminded the other day that God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. He is more interested in knowing that I am trusting in Him to provide for our needs (not necessarily our wants) than He is in making things easy or quick. When he closes a door to something that I REALLY think that I want/need, He is interested in how I'm going to respond. Will I still praise Him and trust in Him? The answer is, yes. Well, if I'm being entirely honest, the answer is, I'm coming around. He is giving me peace that He will provide. Are there obstacles? Sure. But because He lives, I can face tomorrow, and all fear is gone. He knows the future, and life is good because He lives.

Thank you, Lord, for constantly showing me grace, mercy and love. Thank you for forgiving me, even though I make some mistakes again and again. Help me to focus on you consistently and continually. Thank you for blessing me with this life, and for suffering and dying on the cross so that I may be forgiven.

Early Talker

So I got my weekly BabyCenter e-mail and I have decided that Blake is an early talker. BabyCenter says that some early talking babies at this age (14 months) have as many as 20 words in their vocabulary, though it would seem that most have a mere handful. So let's see. Here are the words Blake can say (and understand their meaning):

1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Mamaw
4. Papaw
5. George
6. Josh
7. Doggy
8. Kitty
9. Ball
10. Bubble
11. Choo-choo
12. Bye-bye
13. Brush
14. Eat
15. Drink
16. Up
17. Cheese
18. Cracker
19. Thank You
20. No
21. Fish
22. Turtle
23. Bath
24. Bottle
25. Hi
26. Uh-oh
27. Hello
28. Baby
29. Gucky
30. Nummy
31. Go
32. Keys
33. Poo-poo
34. Teeth
35. Night-night
36. Book

Well, that's not the end of the list, but you get the picture. I believe he qualifies. This kid is scary smart. He picks up on things instantly! He also signs several words that he does not yet speak (light, fan, more, all done, please). We haven't been as diligent about signing with him, but it's probably because he's talking so much already. I was hoping he would ease us into some of these phases of babyhood (mobility, speaking, climbing, getting into things, etc.), but he has decided to take the accelerated route instead. Lord have mercy - we are really in for it with this one.

God's Perfect Timing

Imagine my delight when I showed up at my house today and beheld this fantastic view (and let me put in a plug for my fantastic realtor - she is amazing and I was introduced to her at a chance meeting through a friend at my MOPS table - totally God!) :

It still takes my breath away. We have accepted an offer on our house! After only being on the market for two short weeks, and the day before the Open House was scheduled to take place, we got the offer. We countered, and they accepted, and the Open House was cancelled! Brilliant. If all goes well, we will be closing by no later than May 15th - just two days before Josh & George turn 4! We'll have to have a birthday party before we move.

It's been difficult, having our family separated these past few months. But God has blessed us so immensely, and I am once again reminded how much I need to trust Him in all things.

Now I am tasked with packing everything up (and purging as much as possible), while Chris is focusing on getting a new house lined up for us. We think he may have found just the right place (again, by God's grace and perfect timing) for our family, and we are going to be putting an offer on it tomorrow. Hopefully it will all work out as well. God's timing is always the best, and it never ceases to amaze me when he displays his power and control so directly in my life. It is humbling and overwhelming, to be sure.

So I'm still here, but still busy. I look forward to when I am able to do more regular posting - there are many interesting things going on with the kids and I've already lost SO much by not documenting it all. But I will strive to do better. And soon I will have all kinds of new stuff to post about (and I will HAVE to post more because we'll be away from all of our family then).

A Quick Update

As I wrap things up for tonight, I thought I'd pop on here and post a brief message since it's been SO long.

I have been working like crazy trying to prep my house to be market worthy. There have been MANY obstacles that have cropped up during this ever-so-long process. We all just got over the stomach flu, for instance. But now I am close. I am so close I can taste it!

Tomorrow: Finish up cleaning and move furniture for carpet cleaners.
Wednesday: Carpet cleaners come in the morning, and in the afternoon, arrange furniture and do any touch up cleaning. Also apply carpet protector to major walkways (the self-adhesive stuff that looks like Saran Wrap).
Thursday: House goes on the market!!!!

Please pray that God has the perfect buyer(s) in mind and that they will be shown quickly and decide quickly that this house will perfectly meet their needs, and that it is a great deal! That's not too much to ask, is it?

I have discovered through this laborious journey that I am quite handy. I knew I wasn't half bad with DIY stuff, but I have done several things that I have never tried before. Now I am excited to use my newfound confidence with tools in our next home. I have project ideas swirling in my brain - and with Chris being a consummate handyman, there's no limit to what we can accomplish! Well, except there is the issue of money. And time. Well, and opportunity. It's fun to dream anyway, that someday I will install a beautiful tile backsplash in my kitchen.

So much more I would love to share, but I need to head back over to Mom & Dad's house and get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow is another big day. One step closer to our family being together again!