A pile of freshly raked leaves beckons my daughter to play, just one more time today. But darkness has come and engulfed our yard. What felt safe only hours before is now too scary to experience alone. I offer to go outside with her...to give her a grace today. I stay on the patio, moving every so often to keep the motion-sensored light on. She's nearby lying with two flashlights in the leaf pile. A pile of leaves makes a cozy bed. Flashlights beam at the leaf-giving tree above. "Mommy, if you weren't here, I'd be so scared I couldn't sleep." Sometimes knowing God is there gives … [Read more...]
Impressions on Paper :: Fulfilling a Wish Another Way
Posted on
My prayer kneeler looks as fresh and new today as it did a half-dozen years ago. No evidence yet of thousands of prayers. Prayers unprayed? Perhaps. Honestly, at times, it could not be denied. While I visit with my Father at my kneeler from time to time, the infrequency makes it clear that my lifetime is not long enough to make the impression that I once wished for. My husband's knees provide assistance to fulfilling my wish, but I know not how often his knees grace the kneeler as it is his habit of stealing quiet moments there when he is alone. And my children need the quietness … [Read more...]
A Wish of My Own
Posted on
My uncle and aunt's home is a very old stone house in the countryside of Ontario. In the doorway between the kitchen and sun porch is a stone threshhold that has a deep impression worn into it, evidence of thousands of footsteps passing through over the course of more than one hundred years. My daughter's wish reminded me of one of my own: I always wished that our prayer kneeler would be worn and indented as evidence of thousands of prayers lifted to heaven over the course of a family's lifetime. When we purchased this prayer kneeler a half-dozen years or so ago, I remember silently … [Read more...]
I Always Wished…
Posted on
A small shopping trip, a small thought shared: "Mommy, I always wished we were the kind of family that decorated for the all of the seasons and not just Christmas." I never knew. Some wishes are too grand for me to give. Some wishes must simply be spoken. Just a few touches here and there and a daughter's wish is fulfilled. It made me wonder: Are there wishes tucked in my heart that God is longing to fulfill, but I have not asked? You want something but don't get it....You do not have, because you do not ask God. - James 4:2 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask … [Read more...]
Sharing the Hope that is in Me
Posted on
When I was laboring over this blog, I was trying to come up with a name that was fairly short and catchy, one that expressed my love for the Lord and the hope that I have in Him and for all that He has promised. My husband, clever as he is, came up with Hopefully Devoted. And so that was it; the name says it all. And that, my friends, is simply what I want this blog to be about: a place where I can share the hope that is in me - the hope that can be found through the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the full blossoming of hope that comes from a relationship with … [Read more...]
In Which I Decided Not to Bury Myself in a Hole
Posted on
Not long ago (okay, it was forever and a day)Â I was conflicted about where to go with my blog. What would be its purpose? What would be its theme? Then after a sleepless night, I knew the answer. And promptly made my first mistake: I opened my big mouth and told everyone {all 10 of you dear ones who stop by here to read - and I thank you for that, by the way!} that the details would be coming soon. Why make a promise like that? Why lead you along, on the edge of your seat, waiting in anxious anticipation? Why put that kind of pressure on myself? What was I thinking? And then. Then. I … [Read more...]
Sweet Identity
Posted on
This week I attended the Open House at my daughter's school, where I expected the usual meet the teacher, here are the rules, sign up for conferences, etc., etc. And so it was. The usual. Except that each year the teachers think up some way to get to know the kids by having them make a little project that they display at their desk for their parents. My daughter's teacher decided to have them write a poem and gave them the first two words (for most of the lines) as prompters. The *usual* about made me cry, because this is what my daughter wrote: Isabelle Shy, kind, artistic, Christian, … [Read more...]
Solitude
Posted on
I know that in many parts of the country, school has been in session for a couple weeks already; but here in Michigan, today is the first day. Due to our state's dependence on tourism, they passed a law a year or two ago that forbids schools to start before Labor Day. It doesn't bother me a bit; since that's how things were when I was growing up, it just seems right. So, around these parts, the number one question for the last week has been: "Are you ready for school to start?" While it is obvious that some moms cannot wait to get the kids out of the house before they go crazy {the … [Read more...]
What I’ve Been Up to Lately
Posted on
So while I'm working, um, procrastinating, on my stated blog purpose, I thought I'd share what I've been up to lately, some of which may interest you as well: BLOOM BOOK CLUB - you may have noticed the new blog button that I put in the sidebar. This book club was started by Angie and Jessica and has its own blog site. In Angie's words: "The name of the book club is Bloom and the tag is Read. Discuss. Grow. Do you love it as much as we do? We think that it has so many cool interpretations. Our prayer is that it will become a vibrant community of believers who can challenge each other and … [Read more...]