When a child is born...

 

 

 

 

Jayden Michael Alarid
Feb. 5th, 2011
7 lbs. 15 oz.
20-1/2 inches

Out of Focus?

When I am trying to get that special shot... that one precious photo... I want a nice, clear focus. What good is that picture if it is all blurry? (Unless we want the blur for art purposes, I suppose) If I thought I had taken that photo and captured it “just right”, then developed it to find that it was blurred, I'd be disappointed! My days are like those photos. If my life is out of focus, my day isn't what I had hoped for. I need time with God in prayer and reading His Word in order to bring my day into focus. I need to put in place what God wants in my life... His Spirit... and the Spirit's fruit: peace, joy, love, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. You cannot fake that fruit. It is either there or it isn't. If I am not pursuing God and striving for the Spirit's fruit, my daily life is both fruitless and out of focus.

A couple weeks before Christmas I misplaced my glasses. I remember seeing them in the center console of the car. Then they just weren't there. Scott detailed the inside of the car and still no glasses. I thought they would turn up around the house. They didn't. These are tri-focals and quite necessary for reading. They also greatly improve my basic vision and I miss them every day! I had not realized how important those glasses were... how details are now missing... edges are blurred... I can see “okay”, but, life is definitely out of focus.

Yesterday I got to thinking about how out of focus my spiritual life has been. Some very “big” things have been going on in the parenting arena, requiring a lot of energy and attention. I have become quite distracted and irritated. I have resented having to take so much time to deal with parenting. I have been angry, have held onto that anger and have been unforgiving. And that has had an impact on who I am. Instead of being a mom with a soft answer, I have been easily bothered and routinely frustrated... short and snappy. Instead of taking all these cares to God, I kept doing the next thing. Life has been out of focus externally and internally. I knew all along that I was choosing to stay frustrated. I knew all along that I needed to forgive my child and turn on the love. I knew that I was ignoring more meaningful time with God because I didn't want to be loving. And I knew that God would lead me straight to forgiveness and love. Because I've wandered on this path before...

“God? He keeps doing the same wrong things over and over!” And I feel the answer... as if God is saying, “And you don't?” Ouch. “Yes, God. I do wrong things over and over.” And I know what is next... God lets me know, “I forgive you every time.” And I know that I need to forgive. Like I have been forgiven.

I suppose I resist this because there's that part of me that wants justice... it wants payment... it wants to be compensated for being wronged! And that works out fine a lot of the time when parents teach their child that they have a consequence. But, deeper than that is my attitude... “He's just going to do this again...” And, yes, he very well might. But, what about me? Am I so different than that?

Isn't it just incredible to realize that man wronged God and God did require justice and a payment... and provided that for us, instead of requiring us to pay for our own justification?  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned...” John 3:16-18a

After confessing the anger and receiving encouragement from others to get back on track and put God first in my day, life looks a bit more focused. I still have some challenging things to work through, but with God's help and the self-discipline of prayer and devotion I can be the person I know I should be... the kind mom... the soft answer mom... the fun mom... I was extremely blessed to be able to order another pair of glasses yesterday. Now I eagerly wait for both the physical and the spiritual to get in focus! It's been a bit blurry lately up here... seven steps up...

The Wonder of Weekends!

So... I was bored.  Really restless.  And I decided that I needed to go on a beauty hunt with my camera.  There was still a bit of day light, so I grabbed my camera and set out to see what I could see.
 (I didn't go far... in fact, I just stayed in my own yard... I guess I wasn't too adventurous... but, it is cold outside, baby!)

I was going to head out back... but, I got distracted. Then, we were hungry.  And it was Friday night.  I talked my dear one into taking us to one of my favorite places.... Skipolinis!  I particularly like it here because there's so much "scope for the imagination" (Anne of Green Gables).  Really.  There is.  Take this, for example: (you need to click on it to enlarge it to get the sparkling lights effect)

Night time... outside.. under heat lamps... music playing...
This place boasts a Prego Pizza,

which is supposed to encourage labor, so we were interested for Shasta's sake, because about now she is looking like this:

Anyway, we had a lovely evening and I was ever-so-thankful that I remembered to bring my camera!

(That's saw dust on the floor... something about it absorbing grease when food is dropped... some such nonsense... but, it's fun to walk on!  I've been getting ideas for my kitchen!)


 
And with all the inspiration of flowers and sparkling lights, we were motivated to take couples photos:




So, to wrap it all up... yes, my dear one did buy me a lovely rose and flower... no, my daughter did not go into labor for having eaten the Prego Pizza.  Drats.

Then, Sunday came and I had a beautiful time at Bible study and enjoyed the church service very much, ate a quick lunch and drove my 16 year old girl back to Santa Cruz and picked up two of my boys at the same time, then drove back home to feed us delightful home-made sub sandwiches, followed by Bible time and internet research to discuss why what they are being taught about evolution isn't necessarily truth... and now after blogging a bit, it's time for some sleep.  Blessings to you and your families...

How To Live - 2010

This video says so much... It shows what it means to me to take life's hurts and choose to grasp each bit of beauty anyway... It represents such a tugging in my heart when I see the faces of my children... It speaks of love and acceptance that occur over time... These are the highlights... some of my favorite photos of 2010. 

Work, Play, and play some more!

Saturday was beautiful and warm... sunny and clear... a day of work and play.  The guys were busy trimming trees and hauling brush.

Most of the photos that I share are just "ooc" (out of camera) (wow, how's that for camera terminology!)  I rarely play too much with them at photo sites, but I fell in love with this one and goofing around with it... Here is is OOC and then "messed with" at Picnik...

Because there was no wind in the evening, they were rewarded with bon-fire time. 
I was amazed at what my camera caught... I had it on night shooting because I don't know enough about manual settings in the dark with sparks to capture just the right shot.  I am impressed at what the camera did all on it's own.  In one of them you see each speck of ash floating in the air!!

 
Now I am off to relax a bit on this day of rest... being thankful for all the blessings in life... and patiently waiting for my grandson to make his grand arrival (soon... very soon... we hope... I think... !)