Who Is He?

 Who is he, this King of Glory?  He is the Lord Almighty.
Psalm 24:10

We must first believe in the baby in a manger,

before we can believe in a Savior on the cross. 

Sending Christmas Eve blessings to you.

Love,  Rachel

A Cornucopia of Thoughts For Thanksgiving

Recently, I was introduced to  BloomNation, and was inspired to share my Thanksgiving table decor.

I used a mix of dried hydrangeas and fresh roses along with pumpkins, candles and fresh pine sprigs.

Today it is fun to have a reason to show you the way the table is decorated at the Farmhouse.

You can read about this flower service at the end of this post. 

Thoughts for Thanksgiving:

There I stood, stunned, 

pondering the meaning of the text 

that had come through on my sister's phone. 

"I think she has died," read the text.

Quickly, my siblings and I began our network of communicating,

and yes, 

in fact,  it was true, 

without warning, 

my first sibling of nine, a sister,  was gone. 

These past few years have held deep heartaches, 

dark long silences,

feelings of despair

and hopelessness

 and death for our family. 

Since 2012, Philip and I have lost five precious family members. 

I've ached as Philip's grandmother adjusted to life

 after 75 years of marriage to his grandfather. 

I felt my heart twisting in agony as we received word that

my brother's son had taken his life.

We were stunned with the news that Philip's uncle,  

the strong one, the "party-maker" 

of our family celebrations,

had such a grim diagnosis, 

and three weeks later we told him goodbye.

And then, another brother's son, an avid bicyclist,

his first time in the mountains on a mountain bike, 

gone, quickly. 

And then my sister...

I've grieved as my nieces navigated their own difficulties

 now that both their parents are gone.

And life just goes on. 

There is much more. 

 There has been a lot of change and upheaval.

This isn't about pity or sympathy. 

EVERY ONE

who is living and breathing

is dealing with 

a hard wrestling story of life.

I see it in your eyes too, 

the longing for redemption,

for all wrong to be made right. 

In all the hard wrestling stories of life, 

we have a choice. 

A choice for thankfulness,

for thanksgiving.

My brother shared a story at my nephew's funeral

about a man who was struggling under the weight of a very heavy cross.

 It was gnarled and covered in thistles with rough bark

 making it difficult for his tired and aching hands to hold.

 As blisters began to form and his arms and legs trembled

while struggling to gain foot hold,

he tripped over the rocky path, and began to cry out,

"OH God! This is more than I can bear.

I can't go on.

 I've reached my limit.

I just can't take anymore."

Tears coursed down his cheeks.

His hair and body and clothes reeked with the toil of sweat.

God responded, 
"My son, I love you so much,

and just ahead you will find a little shed

under the shade of a large old oak tree.

 Stop there. Rest. Catch your breath.
Inhale the cool breezes. 

Inside the shed you will find many crosses.

You can trade your cross for one of those. "

With relief,

he reached the cool shade of the old oak tree.

Finding the door to the shed partially open,

 he wedged his worn and sweaty body

 into the small structure which held the other crosses.

 As his weary eyes adjusted to the darkness after the piercing sun,

 he was aghast to realize that those crosses for which he could trade,

 were much larger,

with grotesque and unbalanced shapes

and razor sharp bark and thistles.

In fact,  after looking them over,
he couldn't find a single one,
 for which he was willing to trade.

Actually, he felt his heart strengthen
and as cool breezes fluttered the leaves making the shade of the old oak tree, 
HE FELT THANKFUL, 
yes,  thankful for HIS cross. 
The other crosses looked absolutely
unbearable.

Though his cross was still heavy and the way was still difficult,

he chose to keep his cross.

It even looked slightly beautiful compared to the others, if he held his head at just the right angle while slightly squinting his eyes.

With a heart filled with thankfulness
 he thought, 
"I don't think it's quite as heavy anymore. "

So onward he trudged, faithfully keeping and carrying his very own cross.

I believe joy is a choice.

Hope and faith, love and trust...

  ALL choices.

Choices from deep within
all birthed on the treacherous
path of thankfulness.

Our choices guide us.

In choosing thankfulness,
we become...
what we choose...

...Joy, Hope, Faith, Love, Trust

Today I choose thankfulness
the path that leads to
Joy, Hope, Faith, Love, Trust

YOU ALL mean so much to me.

I desire for each of you to have a

Happy Thanksgiving .

I hope you have one of your most glorious days ever.

Choosing!

Founded in August 2011, BloomNation is a community marketplace for people to list and send unique bouquets from local florists across the county. Whether you are looking for a traditional bouquet of roses or a one of a kind design,  Bloom Nation let's you find and send the perfect floral sentiment from trusted florists in your area.

Four Totally Awesome Pictures of One Anonymous Pup

                                                               "Whatcha doin'?"

                                                             "Oh, just hangin' out.

  

                                                               It's a dog's life,

and someone's gotta live it!"

Think About His Love...thoughts for a quiet time

Think about His love,
Think about His goodness.

Think about His grace
That's brought us through.

For as high as the heavens above,
So great is the measure of  our Father's love,
Great is the measure of our Father's love.

Did You Know That Was There?

The words on this sign

are from

I Corinthians 13,

commonly called

"The Love Chapter."

You've probably seen it,

heard it,

and have it hanging in your bedroom.

So ya know

how you go

down the list

checkin' it twice...

(at least I do anyway)

sayin' "ouch"

OR

"oh yeah, I'VE got this in the bag!"

No?

Really?

You don't do that?

A few months ago

(it hangs where I can read it daily)

I was reading through this

checking

my heart throb

my heart pulse

my heart attitude

my heart adjustment

my heart longing...

...to be

all

I CAN BE...

To love God

and others

as I am shown

to love,

and there it was

plain as day

right at the bottom

I saw. ..

PERSEVERES!

"What?", I thought.

Since when did love start to persevere?

Silly me!

How did I miss that?

After all these years!

I mean I KNOW it does persevere,

but seriously, did you know that

 that word

PERSEVERES

was the last word in this series of verses?

I haven't been able to stop thinking

of all the ways to put that word

into practice.

Life just kind of helps us

 put it into practice too!

Doesn't it?

How do you think love...

PERSEVERES?

If I do not have love,

I am nothing.

So I will continue to

PERSEVERE.

There Is Strength In Pain

How are you standing with just one leg?
Have you just staggered upright from
yet another blow?

You're alone...you think.
You think no one sees you.
No one sees your pain.

You gaze around,
wondering...
"How will I go on,
is it safe here,
will my needs be met?"

You have what you need to soar
beautiful one.
Reach down deep
and flap those strong wings
and soar.

Yes soar.
You are strong.
Stronger because of your pain.
Soar!

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Posting On Social Media. ..or saying anything at all for that matter.

I was leaving my daughter's school last night.

I loved the message of this bulletin board.

Ponder its truth.