On This Day in December 2013

FOR December 6, 2013

Outside my window...
The world is white and glittery with the ice and sleet that blew through yesterday afternoon and evening. The dark-eyed juncoes, cardinals, sparrows, and white-winged doves have been feasting all day on the birdseed I cast out onto the patio. Two limbs of our live oak have broken so far, and one of our crape myrtles has parted down the middle from the weight of the ice.

I am thinking...
about loved ones nearby, affected by the storm, and loved ones traveling many miles away, possibly also affected by the storm as it regards their return Sunday morning. I am also thinking about the weakest and most vulnerable, always most severely affected by harsh weather like this, the thousands in our region without electricity today, and those areas farther north, even harder hit by winter storms.

I am thankful...
Our electricity has remained on without interruption;
Amore's employer sent him and his colleagues home early with their work computers yesterday;
my sisters and brother-in-law were also able to stay inside and off the roads today;
my Nonni is in a safe place and no longer alone and responsible for an aging house and her own pipes and trees;
the Lord kept me safe driving myself home from a doctor's appointment at dusk yesterday in sleet and freezing rain;
Amore had tea ready and waiting for me when I arrived;
I have a new medication change ahead (when we can get to the pharmacy) which may allow my tendinitis to heal;
the Lord prompted me to take my lunch outside Wednesday when the temperature approached 80F;
ears to hear the woodpecker and eyes to see the baby sparrow eating her lunch three feet from me;
my side of the family had a lovely Thanksgiving last week;
the youngest nephews had a great time raking my parents' leaves, hiding in them, jumping in them, making leaf angels in them, and so forth;
we were able to see a movie at the theater on Black Friday;
my parents are enjoying a relaxing vacation in warm Hawaii this week;
our times (and the weather) are in God's hands;
for the security that comes in knowing, "He gives snow like wool; He scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He hurls down His crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? He sends out His word, and melts them; He makes His wind blow and the waters flow" (Psalm 147:16-18).

In the kitchen...
two cookie sheets full of peppermint candy are cooling, the coffeemaker and tea kettle have been busy all day, and preparations will soon be under way for pasta and tilapia baked in tomato sauce for supper.

I am wearing...
black fleece pants, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, a blue hooded sweatshirt, wool socks, and hiking boots/ankle brace/orthotics.

I am creating...
a prayer shawl for a friend undergoing radiation treatments for breast cancer.

I am going...
hmmm, it's been a busy week with a quiet weekend ahead. I might go with some Bible study friends to sing carols and take cookies to a retirement home Wednesday, but right now I'm just happy to stay put.

I am wondering...
whether my parents will be able to return as scheduled Sunday and whether my new medication will bring any improvement.

I am reading...
The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp, Wonderstruck by Margaret Feinberg, All Things for Good by Thomas Watson, assorted devotionals, Daniel, and the letters of John.

I am hoping...
to visit my grandmother next weekend or the following one
and eventually to complete learning Ephesians by heart (I'm apparently a very slow study.).

I am looking forward to...
studying 1 Peter with Terza while we're on break from our church Bible studies.

I am learning...
Ephesians 5:20, NIV1984: "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Around the house...
Ebony has been snuggling all day long, the Christmas tree lights are glowing, the heater is hard at work, Amore has been in his home office logged into work until recently, I've chipped away at my usual task list, and there are stacks of presents waiting to be wrapped. The rest of the decorations and the creche await unpacking, maybe tomorrow.

I am pondering...
God's redemption of difficult seasons of life and how our circumstances can turn on a dime, even when things seem worst.

A favorite quote for today...
"He is always to be found in the thickest part of the battle. When the wind blows cold he always takes the bleak side of the hill. The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on his shoulders. If he bids us carry a burden, he carries it also. If there is anything that is gracious, generous, kind, and tender, yea lavish and superabundant in love, you always find it in him." Charles Spurgeon

One of my favorite things...
The Sound of Music.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
not to leave our property if I can help it,
to set the Nativity out,
to make the second batch of toffee for the year,
a stay-home date with my honey.

A peek into my day...
Wednesday:

That's my adult hand peeking out from the leaf's edges.

Today:

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