Happy Thanksgiving One and All

Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be
And bless these gifts
Bestowed by Thee.
And bless our loved ones everywhere,
And keep them in Your loving care.

~Moravian blessing

Thoughts to ponder

Back in July when Mark and I toured the Parliament building in Victoria, British Columbia, we took pictures of the stained glass windows inside that beautiful, massive old structure. It seemed like each one offered some sage advice, and I thought I might share a few of them with you today. Some of the sayings made my brain hurt as I tried to figure them out. Anyway, food for thought!
"Discretion is the perfection of reason and a guide to win all the duties of life"
"The virtue of prosperity is temperance"
"Great effects come of industry and perseverance"
"Industry hath annexed thereto the fairest fruits and richest rewards"
"The virtue of adversity is fortitude"
"Without economy none can be rich, with it none can be poor"

Back in the day

I ran across this picture of Mark and me today, taken May 31, 1970 at our high school baccalaureate. It made me smile.

Beautiful

Have you ever been anywhere where the beauty is so breathtaking that it literally does take your breath away? Cape Perpetua, my favorite spot on the Oregon coast, is that place for me. I have blogged about it in the past; and yet, after our visit there again today, I must say it once again: the majestic, inspiring view from the top reduced me to tears once more. As I gaze upon the waves crashing on the shore far below (800+ feet down), the trees reaching down from the heavens in their attempts to touch the water, and the vastness of the ocean stretching beyond the horizon, I simply cannot speak. To talk would be to shatter the sweet exquisiteness of the moment. And so I cry. Every time. And as the tears course down my cheeks, I stand in awe of the One who created such beauty. He is bigger than anything and everything. We have faced some difficult days in the past two weeks, but HE CAN HANDLE it. Thanks, Mark, for taking us on this journey today. I needed that time with you. I needed to see the ocean. I needed to see God.
After leaving the Cape, we headed south to Florence. Mark pulled over at a random lookout point so we could look north along the coast route we had just traveled. And to see what we saw, you must click on the picture above. There were hundreds and hundreds of seals and sea lions - some in the water, but most of them on shore. Each black speck and each light brown speck is one of the beautiful creatures. And they were NOISY! So fun to see and to hear. And whereas at the Cape I cried at God's creative power, here we laughed aloud at God's sense of humor. For what could be more delightful than hearing all those beasts calling out to each other.
The heron above was beneath the pier that Mo's restaurant in Florence is built upon. All these pictures were taken on my cell phone, so not the best quality, but it was fun to see the beautiful bird just hanging out. And our fish and chips and clam chowder at Mo's were amazing.
My sweet hubby. I know Mark was tired today, having spent the night last night at the Benton County Museum with twenty 8th-grade boys. Every year his students spend the night there (the girls have their turn next weekend), learning about local history, having a scavenger hunt finding information among the various exhibits, and watching (what else) Night at the Museum. Thanks, honey, for making today happen for us. I love you.

Showering Baby Dorr with lots of love

Yesterday we gathered to celebrate Baby Dorr by honoring him and his mommy with a baby shower. Many friends and family members joyfully gave Baby Dorr all those fun little necessities that he will need when Jake and Beka are finally able to bring him home.

In lieu of playing the typical shower games we women usually subject ourselves to, we instead made bead bracelets. These bracelets will be taken to Ethiopia by Jake and Beka when they travel there, and will be given to some of the children. It was very fun to make the bracelets and package them together with other small treats in gift bags ready to be given out in love. Above, Beka's mom Fiona and two dear friends of Beka's family, Janet and Mary, string their beads together.
Above, Beka's twin sister Alison puts together her original creation. Really concentrating!
Amanda
Stephanie

Ruby



Jill and Sharon

Marci
Hannah and Sarah, Baby Dorr's aunties-to-be
Hannah and me

Beka and the wonderful stroller she received from John and Barbara
Beka with the afghan I crocheted for our grandson
Here I am holding a sweet little stuffed doll, a gift that was obviously one of Beka's favorites. Love you, Beka! We are so excited for you guys, and can't wait to cuddle up with Baby Dorr.
Three silly girls

Three babies

Most of you know that Mark and I have been eagerly expecting our first three grandchildren: from Sarah and Chris, Jake and Beka, and David and Nikki. Today I went to the Hallmark store to look at cards. I wanted two specific cards, and I found them.

One I will happily give to Jake and Beka at Beka's baby shower this coming weekend, the other I mailed to Sarah and Chris. One expresses great joy as we celebrate an impending adoption, the other expresses deep sorrow as we mourn another miscarriage for Sarah.

Three babies, three much-anticipated grandchildren, and all so immeasurably precious. One we will hopefully cuddle very soon, another we will cuddle in April. But the third little one we must now wait longingly to cuddle until we arrive in Heaven. All three babies so longed for, so prayed for, so wanted. SO LOVED.

We rejoiced and cried with happiness for Jake and Beka when they announced their plan to adopt a tiny little guy in Ethiopia, and we rejoiced and cried with equal happiness when David and Nikki, and then Sarah and Chris, announced they were pregnant and were also expecting our grandchildren.

And then we cried again this past weekend, this time with grief, when we learned that the sweet precious baby Sarah was carrying was no longer living within her body.

Three dear, dear babies. And so today, I bought cards for two of our kids and their spouses. One celebrating new life, the other mourning a death. Both cards tucked neatly together in the same envelope as I left the store. And I sat in my car and I cried.