the time has come

Thank you for all your prayers, your words of encouragement, your well wishes. They are keenly felt and gratefully received.

No more waiting. No more dreadful anticipation. Scout is settled in the hospital for the night.

Surgery tomorrow.

it's okay for things to be hard

How often are we caught by surprise when something is too hard?

 How often do we let let hard things reduce us to tantrums and tears?

That is where I am now.

Everything is too hard.

Financially we are strained to the point that some daily decisions are difficult. My mother-in-law's health is deteriorating rapidly and we are slowly losing her. I recently suffered a miscarriage. And next week my 11-month old baby girl is scheduled for an intensive 8-hour surgery.

There is no way to go around these hard things; the only way through is through. I hate that. But, it is okay for things to be hard. They can be frustrating, heartbreaking, exhausting, painful, and unfair but hard things are not bad things, just things we don't want to have to do.

 The truth is that we are stubborn and we need some things to be hard because . . .  

When something is too hard we are humbled to our knees because there is nowhere else to go.
When something is too hard we grasp at hands outstretched in love and charity because all we can do is hold on.
When something is too hard we can only see what really matters because nothing else matters.
When something is too hard we strengthen our faith so we can believe that all will be well even when we cannot see through the darkness.
When something is too hard we find that we are stronger, more resilient, and wiser that we imagine we are because we do what we think we cannot do, we walk a path we would not choose to walk, we are stripped of pride so we have room to grow.
When something is too hard we give thanks because it is only in the worst moments when our steps are heavy and our heads are bowed and we can go no further that we find our burdens have become our blessings.

 . .  . without hard things, we cannot see what He wants us to be.

why I blog

 (This shot has nothing to do with the post. I just know there's a story there. I wish I knew what it was.)

Why do I blog? 

That is the question I have been contemplating. The last year has brought changes.Blogging fell off my list of things to do for a while and I've had a hard time restarting. I feel it is important to know why I am investing this time and effort. Here is what I've been thinking:

I blog to find my voice.
      I want to know if I have something to say; put thoughts into words.

I blog for family and friends.
      It's a chance to keep in touch and share our family's stories.

I blog to have a creative outlet.
      I want to share my love of words and photography; my own journey and what inspires me.

Unlike so many wonderful blogs out there, I have nothing to teach. I have no wisdom to offer or tricks of any trade to impart. I have no home business to promote or great ideas to share. I don't have any homeschool downloads or new recipes. What I do have is simply that I blog for myself.

I don't think that's so bad a reason.

Why do you blog?

To-Do List meet the Rule of Three

I love lists.
I write lists for everything.
Long lists.
Lots of lists.

For some things that's okay. My list of house upgrades = evolving.  My list of theater productions I want to see = long list. My lists of books = many, varied, organized.

But what I love most is my To-Do list. I use it daily.  I use it to keep track of my life, stay on top of things, and keep me focused. Lately (the last year or so), my To-Do list has taken on a life of its own. It has become cumbersome and guilt inducing.

So, in the spirit of Less is More,  I am introducing my To-Do List to the Rule of Three. I will decide on up to three things that need to be done each day. Three things that are not already part of my daily routine. Three things that need my attention.

Today those three things are:

go over the weekly budget
 a surprise trip the the Treehouse Museum
fold and put away the laundry

What three things are on your list today?