On This Day in April

For April 18, 2013:

Outside my window...
It's damp and uncharacteristically chilly. 46F after a high of 87F yesterday! I'm not complaining, though. This is Texas. Hundred-degree days are not that far away.

I am thinking...
about a friend whose grandmother is in hospice, another friend who had surgery this morning, and my youngest sister on crutches for her ankle injury that just won't heal.

I am thankful...
for the gift of 26 years of walking with the Lord, and He with me.

In the kitchen...
not much is happening, but the first few small roses of the season sit in bud vases on the table.

I am wearing...
a long-sleeved shirt, cardigan, sweatshirt, and jeans, with the constant of tennis shoes and orthotics.

I am creating...
a new gratitude list, starting over at #1 yesterday.

I am going...
to take photos of the bluebonnets this year, Lord willing, when they finally bloom out. 

I am wondering...
whether acupuncture will really give the extra pain relief I desire and whether my ankle will end up in a cast like my sister's before long.

I am reading...
The True Jewel of Christian Contentment, still and slowly; 1 Kings and Luke; and Jane Eyre and The House at Riverton in audio format.

I am hoping...
my mom's shoulder injury is not as serious as the ER doc believed last night.

I am looking forward to...
beginning the new memoir Joni and Ken soon.

I am learning...
to trust my loved ones to God's providence and care, especially when that doesn't turn out as I'd like.

Around the house...
laundry is in process, candles need replacing, the heater and air conditioner both rest quietly, Ebony naps in "my" chair, and my Bible study things are spread out all over the kitchen table.

I am pondering...
the tragedy of King David's household and Solomon's divided love for the Lord, which we are reading about in Bible study. O Lord, unite my heart to fear Thy name!
I need to be pondering my new memory verses, Ephesians 4:11-13:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (ESV here, but I'm trying to learn the NIV1984 version).

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things...
meeting with my ladies' Bible study Wednesday morning. We are a small group this session, and my introverted self is loving that.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
nothing exciting or out of the ordinary (Lord willing) until a date with my Amore this weekend, church, and potluck afterward. Earlier in the week, I had an acupuncture session, grieved with everyone else over the terrible events in Boston, went to Bible study and lunch with one of those ladies, and celebrated my spiritual birthday with extra quiet and solitude yesterday afternoon.

A peek into my day...

Ebony chasing his lunch in his treat ball

Sharing with Peggy Hostetler's The Simple Woman's Daybook today