Rest in Him

Eleanor's hand is comfortably seated in Papa's hand. She was tired and as she laid her head on my chest and snuggled, she placed her entire hand and arm in Papa's hand.

This is a child at peace and in security. This is where I aim to go today!

Word from the Lord

"This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!" Mark 9:7b

This morning as I was asking the Lord for help to recenter in Him, this verse popped into my mind.

Siren voices surround me which clamor for attention, and a bewildering array of conflicting emotions accompany those voices. The voices are like waves crashing against the shore of my heart, eroding its groundwork.

We got back last night from our trip to Waverly where we celebrated Jim and Jacqie's 40th anniversary. While there, we visited a short time with my Dad and we stayed with Stan and Diann for the night. We went over to Justin and Malissa's to see the progress of their flood repair work. We met Dad, Lois, Amanda and Michael and girls for brunch and then headed for home. I am always thrown out of whack when we return to Iowa and need to regain my equilibrium when coming back home.

When we met for brunch, I was captivated by the tenderness of Frances' and Eleanor's hands in comparison to the size of their Papa's hand. Papa's little finger, alone, is about half the size of Eleanor's entire hand. This picture is of Franny's hand laid in Papa's. It is a hand that is not quite so restful although she obligingly put her hand in Papa's for Mimi to take the picture!

When the words, "This is my beloved Son, listen to Him!" popped into my mind, I immediately thought of these pictures and knew that I needed to combine them with the encouragement the Lord gave me this morning. My place of stability and help will come from Him as I rest my hand in His and trust in Him to lead me in the way that I am to go.

This picture captures the girls so well. Frances, with her droll sense of humor. Ellie and her optimistic love of the moment. These girls are sensational.

The Girls and Their Umbrellas

In June Amanda and the girls came for a visit. When I went to Branson with Amy, I spotted umbrellas at Silver Dollar City which could be personalized! This was just the ticket! I skipped around like a kid at Christmas - so excited I could hardly contain myself. An umbrella is just what Frances wanted for her birthday. I ended up getting umbrellas for both girls. Franny got a glittery white one with pink ruffles on the edge. Her name and "Little One" (her self-designated nickname) was also applied to the surface of the umbrella. For Eleanor, I picked her favorite color, which is yellow and her name was also put on her umbrella. The girls loved them and used them almost every day while they were here for their visit. Frances held her umbrella upright, but Eleanor's would get rather heavy for her and she had a tendency to drag it on the ground.