a pinch of crazy is all that's necessary:)

ah, what fun it is to check in with your grown children, enjoy holiday break time and sit back a bit as you enjoy the new little ones (and some not so little ones...) try to create new traditions and throw them up against the wall (the traditions of course) and see what actually sticks in this crazy, busy world...

our world, as so many are pointing out recently, is compiled of technology, lights, sounds, and busyness...when you have a moment to observe it all, you can literally, audibly hear the WOOSH as it passes by... it can be quite amazing to ponder that gravity actually does its job... how we manage to stay on this planet and not be literally turned upside down is completely a God thing:)...

in this past week... a break from work i might add... (i love the school system's furlough days? hey, we may not get paid in money, but we DO get paid in a lot less guilt by taking a much needed break, in the long run, SO much better for your health...) we have attended some necessary doctor appointments, acquired a long overdue furnace, spent time with our youngest daughter, her husband and our new granddaughter... of course the latter half of this week was the highlight, due to emily, jeff and eiley visiting and staying with us...what a thrill to see a little face that reflects genuine adoration for her hardworking, adoring parents, and to be able to see a glimmer in eiley's eyes as she looks at her grandparents like they're a bit strange, but mildly amusing:)...

more joy (and busyness) to be had as we made the rounds to great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and any other eiley stalkers out there (hi karen) that had the chance to stop in and see the east coast group as they enjoyed their west coast roots...

now, as i sit here quietly writing this little blog, i can only smile because timmy and i can now close our eyes and imagine that cute little baby girl actually talking to us, cooing away at her parents and attempting to snag sweetpea's tongue (she was successful at one point..)...we can enjoy and revel in the fact that we are familiar with her compact 14 pound person and know what it's like to hold such a precious package... yes, it's hard to wave goodbye at an airport as we watch the little family pack up all their carryons, but we also know that God is first in their lives and we'll be seeing them so soon (thank you skype!!)...

and now the new crazyness will ensue, clean up, get in the holiday spirit (maybe a bit wistfully, i must admit...) but get ready for our oldest jenna and her wonderful husband andrew to come enjoy christmas with us... yep, a pinch of crazy is all that's necessary, and we thank God for that gift:)

confusion with a side of clarification please:)

once again i come up with confusion and asking God for clarification...what's funny is that on a daily basis He DOES confirm my very existence by nudging the little things that are relevant to my person...yes, maybe they are relevant to others as well? but i find it interesting that He cares to confirm what i'm learning about Him right now...

timmy and i are in a thursday night bible study group where we are wading through the research and reasonings of lee strobel and "the case for the creator"...goodness it's technical and more than a bit mind-blowing, and on a weekly basis i procrastinate in reading the full pages that our group has agreed upon... my mind struggles with wrapping around scientific, mathematical and cosmological explanations that justify the existence of God... last night , one dear member, (and i might add pretty brilliant) member of our group related a story of how einstein's "theory of relativity" is actually based on genesis 1:1 "in the beginning"...she explained very clearly, how this brilliant man's life work was all about proving time... it's existence, how it came to "be" or rather "begin"... although so much of this is way over my head, i must admit when it comes to einstein and the obscure concept of time, those two in tandem make a nice little mental sandwich...i am fascinated by this man's life but i am also intrigued with ALL things related to time:)... so last nights discussion wielded many moments of sparked conversation...

of course, since my realm in this world tends to be about thoughts and feelings, emotions and how we handle them? part of the reason for me struggling with my current reading is the lack of humanity, or rather the lack of discussion regarding the human need/desire for God... no, this is not a measurable concept, we are incapable of measuring need, want, desire through mathematics or quantum physics... but our nature, the very nature that is in the image of God, is not measurable...hence my struggle... but i come back to earth when our study group reminds me that this book is attempting to be logical and scientific, and to drop the "human" variable into the equation would probably deviate the whole emphasis of what we are attempting to digest... therefore i will persevere and get my studying done (maybe on a less procrastinatory level...) and open my mind to the level-headed world of numbers instead of warm fuzzy feelings...

and just for fun, to demonstrate God's sense of humor in tipping his celestial hat to my confusion? this morning i brewed myself a cup of good earth tea...this is not necessarily a daily practice for me, due to time constraints, but we were enjoying a relaxing breakfast and tea always seems to be representative of relaxation and the aaaahhhhhh factor;)... anyway, i opened the little tea bag and good earth always has a thought for the day or quote on the little tea bag "tab"... ahem

"when God made time, he made enough of it" ~celtic saying.... :)

i read this little quote to timmy and we both had to smile, because once again God showed us that he cares for us exactly where we are... confused or clarified it's all good when we realize who's in charge...