Archive for November, 2009

Only Love

Words and music by Carolyn Arends and Brad Crisler
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

No one ever overcomes the dark with darkness
It takes a little light to chase the shadows back
So tell me why I try to fight the hate with hatred
When only love can do that

When I’m in this hole I just keep digging deeper
And when I lose my way I circle ’round this track
Trying to mend my heart with all the things that break it
When only love can do that

Only love, only love
Only love, only love
The more I try to fill me up
The more I lack
‘Cause only love can do that

Well I could swear sometimes it seems like I’m in quicksand
Or like I’m sinking fast in water cold and black
I go deeper down the more I try to save me
Guess only love can do that

Only love, only love
Only love, only love
The more I try to fill me up
The more I lack
‘Cause only love can do that

Well I have heard it said that you might be the answer
And it occurs to me — that could be a fact
‘Cause it was you who gave your life up for another
And only love can do that

Only love, only love
Only love, only love
The more I try to fill me up
The more I lack
‘Cause only love can do that

C 2001 Songs of Peer, Ltd / Mr. Marley’s Music (ASCAP)/EMI/April Music
Inc./Waltztime Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

Over and over again I am blessed by Carolyn Arends music. She is amazingly insightful and blessed with the ability to put such wise concepts into beautiful and easy to understand lyrics.
GOD IS LOVE, Jesus is God and his Holy Spirit lives in me… if I want to live by and in and through the Spirit then I must live by LOVE…
HE, God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, LOVE is the opposite of human nature…

THUS THE BATTLE!

I have a battle in my heart… everyone does… to respond to life and people with LOVE or AGGRESSION (anger, fear, hate all being under the banner of aggression).

The more I think about my God and my people the less I have a selfish pull to respond with aggression. The more I seek to live by the Spirit the less often I find hills to die on. Do I want to win at the cost of others? I am coming to a place where I don’t.

It is not easy to choose love,…there is always a cost…
it is painful to learn selflessness because it requires constant sacrifice, and never stops for it is a continual choice in each and every situation and with each and every person…
it is painful treading water, trying to not sink when those you seek to love repeatedly try to pull you under…

I can’t seem to find the words… I can’t say it as clearly as Carolyn so I include her amazing lyrics… I have been feeling her words in my spirit long before I heard them and so when I listened to this song called ‘Only Love’ I weep in relief and agreement.

There really is no other option!
…for we don’t win if we think only of ourselves
…we don’t win if we live out of an aggressive nature
…we don’t win by force
We win by surrender!
Christ alone can win so let him win in your life!

THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS AND THE VICTORY IS OURS!

p.s. It struck me as I worked on this post how frightening it is to love and live like this because we have to trust that Jesus will have our back… we can’t worry about protecting ourselves! I AM AFRAID but ‘perfect love casts out all fear’ and ‘he has not given us a spirit of fear’!

TTFN

Brandon Heath and Sara Groves Performing

Tea

There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims

I am looking for a book of tea. Anyone have recommendations? Something that is table book style and lovely to look at (hard cover) with plenty of information on all the types of teas and cultural information around them. I took a look on amazon and the list of tea books was terrifying so I am hoping someone can steer me in the right direction! Please let me know if you have a much loved tea book in mind!

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. ~Author Unknown

Another novelty is the tea-party, an extraordinary meal in that, being offered to persons that have already dined well, it supposes neither appetite nor thirst, and has no object but distraction, no basis but delicate enjoyment. ~Jean-Anthelme BrillatSavarin, The Physiology of Taste

TTFN

Unconditionally I Wove My Little Woman!

Not so long ago, when Baby Boy first arrived I remember having to remind Little Woman that I wanted to give her love’n. When ever she would get upset with life and act out I would say ‘Just let me know when you need some love!’ and she would reply ‘I need some wove Mama.’ and then we would hug… well I think it is paying off. She seems to have a simple yet complex understanding of our love…

L.W.–“You wove me when I cry’n, wight Mama?”
MOM–“Yes, when you are happy I love you and when you are sad I love you!”
L.W–“You wove me when I gumpy, wight Mama?”
MOM–“Yes, when you are silly I love you and when you are mad I love you!”
L.W.–” Yup you wove me when I in the tub too!”
MOM–“Ha ha ha, Yes I love you when you are clean and when you are messy!”
L.W.–“When you wove me Mama?”
MOM–“I love my Little Woman always!”
L.W.–“Yup.”

Our conversation while she was having her bath today.

TTFN

Market Mall

I love Market Mall. It is one of the first indoor malls in our city and it has friendliness and community galore, unlike the big flashy malls that are way more popular. It was the perfect place for Big Girl and I to have our first real shopping night together.

We went out to find her something she would really enjoy (and something that she go to pick out all her own) because she has always had hand-me-downs and never has experienced picking things herself. We also went to find Mommy a black sweater… can you believe that is the only color sweater I didn’t have??

We hit ‘hangers’ and spent lots of time picking and trying things on. We really got into a groove in the change rooms and between trips down our imaginary cat walk we both found what we where looking for. We also found a new ability we both have, to help one another shop with honesty and understanding of our very different tastes! It brought back memories of times like that with my mom and so I was very very happy about our trip. We stopped for a root beer and a latte and even found the time to look at some books (Big Girl is so into reading all of a sudden!!!).

This trip was really important to me. I needed to have some honest conversation with my eldest daughter. We go out alone so rarely and I have felt the distance between us lately. She wants to be more cool then cute and is so interested in teens that she hasn’t appreciate my preaching about embracing her childhood as long as she can. After some fun we where able to really talk and I told her how I miss her and I don’t want her to pull away from me. She agreed she doesn’t want that either (phew, big mama sigh!!). I get teary thinking about our perfect evening out because I have so much love and pride wrapped up in that girl and I dream that she will appreciate and value me as much as I did and do my own mother.

I feel like such a winner when I am with Big Girl!

TTFN

Fatigue

Battling fatigue lately… well for ages now… I look back through the summer photos and I just want to jump right into them. We had a great summer, so much relaxing! I really wanted to live out those hot months simply and slowly and I feel like we succeeded even in the midst of moving into our new home. I am hoping for slow days this winter… slow days involving maybe a few dates with my man (it has been waaaaaaaaay to long) and moments with my kids. I see nights, under the park lights, skating on our local rink with my oldest two… lots of walks through the snow and trips up and down the sled hill.

Fatigue is frustrating when it limits the time I can spend doing things with my kids. Like when a man is unemployed and at home getting more and more restless I feel that every day as I look around at all I want to do and will not do because I need to nap some more…

TTFN

Eccentric Jewelry

Went to a necklace making party the other night, in honor of a friends birthday. It was very enjoyable. There was food and conversation but it was most interesting to see how different all our necklaces ended up. I have to say mine was eccentric in comparison. They each had something specific in mind and worked hard at making their necklace just right. They ended up with beautiful pieces of art that they should all be proud of, so lovely:)

I had no ideas but I found a pock-a-dot bead that was one of my favorite colors and everything followed from there. When I found a wooden flower shaped bead I new I was on a roll. I love big and chunky, wood and colorful necklaces. Following my nose I ended up with something without pattern and just my thing… There have been mixed reviews but it is like most pieces I am draw to when purchasing so I am tickled with it.

What a lovely idea for a party! I think this would be great for my daughters and I to get into for girls nights.TTFN