Birthday Wishes

I just finished writing my birthday post and then headed over to Kelli's blog, feeling pretty satisfied with the start of my birthday...
On Kel's blog I read her blog about her Grandpa and it made me stop...

I hope to never forget the tenderness of life, to never become calloused to the pain others feel as they struggle with jobs, marriages, diseases, starvation, physical fears of things like civil wars and terrorism,etc. etc.

There is a tenderness that cradles my friends.
A tenderness that gives us tears but shows sorrows depth.
Brought to the edge, but held back.

Today I want to remember others...
for if it weren't for the love of others (like Kelli)
I wouldn't be who I am today and enjoying this birthday as I can.

how have i gotten here?

How quickly time has passed,

How quickly it's run it's course.

How fast have the years come and gone...

all of them better than the last.

Some better through hardships and tears,

some better through laughter and the conquering of fears.

How quickly has it all come to greet me and then say goodbye.

You were working something bigger I couldn't quite understand,

There were moments I thought you'd left me,

too many to count.

Your hand was on me... through it all.

Fingerprints and guided choices.

You move the stars and the planets in their orb.

You moved my heart to a place amidst a cornfield,

where I would encounter more grace

than I had ever known.

Eating a bagel and a story of Hosea

and I felt the first affects

of something from of ancient days,

the wooing of my heart.

You are still present. You have not left me.

As you wooed me,

you opened my heart to a country and a people,

to a land where I was Goldilocks,

just right.

There are no more words,

no more rhymes to make.

You are too kind.

You've loved too much.

You've given me the world and

called me Your Delight.

As quickly as time goes,

no fear shall i feel

through it all,

the lies, the truth

the good, the bad

the laughter, the tears

the success and the failures...

runs Your scarlet thread

of grace and love.

You are the Faithful One.

Daye-ly Delight

I'm convinced the best job besides being a mother,

is being an Aunt.

I find pure joy when I hang with my nieces...

this weekend it was, Miss Lenora Daye!!What a sweet smile. I went to Pittsburgh to visit my brother Jonah, my sister (inlaw) Becca, and their daughter Lenora Daye. She is a treasure. She is the most beautiful little thing. She has the cutest little voice and personality. She dances and run around everywhere.
Seeing her for the first time in 11 months... ohhh she's grown into the cutest little girl.
Every morning Lenora wakes up and has a quiet time with her Daddy...

She loves this time... "Read my Bible." she tells Jonah and then they pray together.

Jonah's office at the University of Pittsburgh; he's getting his phd in History and Philosophy of Science (aka he's a smarty pants who wears patches on his sweater near his elbows and possibly could smoke a pipe while conversing with other smarty pants over philosophical inklings)

Becca and Lenora... they dance around the living room together...
"Lenora? What does the lion say?"

"Rawwwwwwwwww"

"I snuggle my monkey."
It was SO great. Jonah and Becca insisted we eat a lot of Japanese food... so we went out and took our time eating different entrees on the menu. The first was sushi... although Lenora was not as excited about the raw fish as i was. I kept saying, "Oh, this is just like Japan" and "oh, this is so yummy" and "Oh, this tastes just like a restaurant i go to with mary" and "ohhh ginger" and so on and so forth.

When they initiated eating the Japanese food, I don't know why exactly but it spoke a lot of love into my heart...
Twins

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city... see the elevated train/trolley thing. It's such a quaint little place.
The Schupbach family

Schupbachs
Pittsburgh
I ate more Asian food this weekend than I have in the last two months. It warmed my heart...

especially to see others enjoy it.
Moral of the story?

Being a sister is amazing.

Eating Asian food makes me smile.

Seeing my family eat Asian food makes me smile even more.

Being an Aunt is the best...

and knowing that Lenora was followed by Waveland...

and they will soon be followed by Eddie in November (Jer and Alaina)

and myster baby in March (Jonah and Becca Take Two) is a joy indescribable!!!

Thank you, Lord for blessing my socks off.
*Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.* Psalm 23:6

Lenora Daye

And I thought I liked chocolate....

Her Example

Hair loose, eyes misty,
she did the thing I yearn to do,
wiped the feet of Jesus
with her tears and her hair,
her crown of glory.

her sins, which are many,
are forgiven, for she loved much.

i run to You,
run to You.
oh refuge and tower of strength.
Spread your arms around me,
Oh, Jesus, spread your arms around me.

Cover me like a child,
Your child.
Your delight.
And you do.

I want you. I need you.
Abba, how can You
be so good?
Sometimes Your goodness
surrounds
fills
and overwhelms the depth of my heart.
Making me fear You.

Fearing You,
I become fearless.
All else fades...

Your goodness...
Your beauty.
I don't deserve You.
I want to love You more
but
You always "out-do" me.
Out love me,
Out grace me...

You overflow and pour,
like hot tears on my cheeks.
She who has much sin...
has been forgiven much...
because she loved much.

Abba...
Abba, truly...
truly You alone.

Surely? Surely? Surely...

This little cutie deserves a space on my blog. My favorite part is when she starts giggling near the beginning.

a father and his daughter

today was a beautiful day... it waivered between rain and sunshine so the clouds were big and fluffy... my dad and i decided the night before that we were going to go out and have a little father/daughter date... it was the best date i've ever had ;) and we did all the things the two of us enjoy doing... love cup? filled. we went to a bakery.... great harvest bread co. gives away free samples...
which my father kept stuffing in my purse... i was so embarassed that my dad kept stuffing my purse full of free samples and then asking for more... the cinnamon muffin was aaaaamazing but we ended up buying my second favorite, apple pie bread... here's my purse stashed with all the goods needed for the second part of our date... the free samples, a good book and my crocheting project...
the second part of our date brought us to BARNES AND NOBLE where I just couldn't sit still for the longest time... i really REALLY enjoy barnes and noble... i know, my dad would shake his head to know that i like this store because he would prefer the local, small town feel of our neighborhood bookstore compared to this giant... (you've got mail, anyone?) but i just got so excited. i like books period, but barnes is like a treasure chest waiting to be opened... think of all the fun things you can learn from their assortment of books...
like calligraphy... you could become a calligrapher.... you could master the art of calligraphy with this book which was ON SALE for 19.98... i was so tempted to buy it because calligraphy is such a lost and beautiful art... but i was distracted... the one thing i like best about barnes and noble....

their journal and sketchbook section... i have yet to meet it's match... i think Jamie Kampman was the first to buy me a journal from barnes and noble (it was beaded, wasn't it Jamie?) and i was completely hooked. you can get lines or no lines, rice paper or regular old white paper, you can get leather bound or fabricy bound... you can get these cutesy little heart ones you see here in the photo or you can get masculine ones... i really REALLY like journals from barnes and noble. i like sketchbooks although I don't necessarily sketch...
i think what i like the most about the store is that i can find so many gifts for so many different people... seriously, you can find pretty stationary to cheer someone...like mary up, books on knitting for mary, books on sudoku for mary, books about csi for mary... basically i wanted to buy everything for mary... :)

...i managed to get out of there without buying a ton of stuff... i may have to go back before i leave america... but it was fun to visit.
my dad and i found some seats where we enjoyed coffee, our free samples and each other... he is currently reading, "Life is a Miracle" by Wendall Berry (his newest favorite) and I am currently reading, "Persuasion" by Jane Austen

(AH!! Kelli... the book just took a twist and I am scared to read the end... what if Fredrick doesn't love Anne after all these years? Ah! I can't stop reading it.)

overall it was a great day and it helped to get out of the house... time with my dad has been precious and most blessed... i remember the day when i felt i was "too old" to go on dates with my dad... now i'm realizing i'll always be the perfect age to spend an afternoon with my dad...

On one of the journals was written this:

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is Love~ Sophocles

and it reminded me of what the Apostle John says, "God is love."

Thank you, Lord, for being the ultimate Father...

weak than you are strong

*We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.* 2 Corinthians 13:9

*But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.* 1 Corinthians 1:27