The Life We Don't Yet Know

I was flipping through an old journal tonight and came across an entry dated March 14, 2000 with this quote from Jeff Lucas: "The life we give Jesus is the life we don't yet know."

At the time of that entry, I had been following Christ for about a year and a half---about the same amount of time that I'd been married. Our first child was only 3 months old. My husband and I were both 20 years old.

I don't remember, of course, what went through my mind at the time that I wrote that down---but I'm sure I had no idea really what it even meant.

I was still another three and a half years away from the day when I would cry out to God and ask him to forgive me for my on and off loyalty to him, my husband and my family---the day that really turned my life around for the better. I was still another seven years away from the most horrible day of my life yet---when I screamed into a bath towel at the top of my lungs for half an hour as I delivered my miscarried child at 8 weeks along. I was still ten years away from the day that I would plead with God, with complete peace and belief in his goodness, for the life of the child I was delivering in an emergency procedure---the child who turns one month old tomorrow and is sleeping peacefully and healthily at the other end of the house now.

So many times we are afraid to give God our lives because they are filled with so many things that we don't want to give up. When God was asking me to give my life to him back in the fall of 1998, I was reluctant for several reasons. I knew that by completely laying down my will, I'd no longer be "allowed" certain pleasures: the seemingly innocent flirtations and attentions of men who weren't my husband. The ability to "settle" any dispute with a string of profanities---a slap across the face---maybe even a shove to the ground for whomever I was arguing with. I'd have to be responsible to an earthly authority, my husband, and a heavenly authority, God. I'd have to give up my music, my movies, my mind games and my manipulations. I'd have to be honest. I'd have to be vulnerable.

On one hand, I wish that I could have taken my 19-year-old self on a time travel tour of what life would be like just a decade later...although I have a feeling that the former "me" would not be able to recognize the "present" me---so it would be a wasted trip! What peace and comfort and calm that would have brought to the younger "me".

On the other hand, if I'd had known then what I know now, I wonder how much of it I would have screwed up trying to make sure it happened? And...I wouldn't now have the joy and wouldn't feel such overwhelming thankfulness in looking back to see what a beautiful thing God has made of my life.

God is so faithful. He can be trusted---he loves us! I thought I knew what life I was giving God when I gave him my life 11 and a half years ago. I thought I was giving him the life of a lying, disobedient, unfaithful, hate-filled, and very hurt girl who had grown up way too fast and thought she knew it all.

In reality, God destroyed all that in the transfer. What I was really giving him was a clean, white canvas on which to paint the masterpiece that is, and will be, my life. I was giving him at least 11 years, 10 months, and 20 days of the beautiful marriage of two best friends. I was giving him Lynzie, Michael and Elisha. I was giving him the opportunity to step in and consecrate my life and roles as mother and wife. I was giving him Cainan and Selah. I was giving him the open door to change my heart and draw me close through the loss of Baby Hope. I was giving him Avalon and the chance to show us all his miraculous healing power in Liam.

God, what else have I given you? What are you going to do with the next hours, days or even years of my life? I'm still giving you my life---and I'm still trusting you to make it so much better than I could ever have dreamed to ask you for. Thank you for proving yourself faithful over and over.

"Any one can Bake!" -- Blue Monday

Today I'm linking up with Smiling Sally for Blue Monday! Visit her blog for more Blue Monday participants!

A couple months ago, my mom gave me a box of recipes and cookbooks that belonged to my great-grandmother, Annabelle. We are pretty sure that a good majority of them belonged to her mother, Tresa Baker. Tonight, while looking for something blue to share with you all, I spied this promotional cook book put out by the Royal Baking Powder Co. in 1927. Since Grammy Annabelle was only 12 years old then, I'm assuming this was my great-great grandmother's book.

The book is titled Any one can Bake and the cover features a picture of kitchen items and the words, "Price $2.00" at the bottom. It is in really nice shape with a tight binding and glossy pages---several of them are in color. OldCookbooks.com lists it to sell for $38.50 for an excellent copy and $14.50 for a super beat up copy.

Not only does it feature lots of great recipes, but it also has many, many tips and ideas for table setting, menu planning, entertaining and nutrition (page 42 is titled: "Cookies--Wholesome Sweets for Children").

In the section labeled "Menus and Menu Building", the following sentence is used: "Similar vegetables such as macaroni and white potatoes or macaroni and rice or potatoes and rice should not be served at the same meal." Now who can tell me what is wrong with that sentence? Ha! Also, the following are listed as "combinations to which we have become accustomed": corned beef and cabbage, pig's knuckles and sauerkraut, roast duck or goose and apples, roast pork and applesauce, roast veal and tomatoes, buckwheat cakes and sausage, fish and cucumbers. I can honestly tell you that if buckwheat cakes are what I think they are then that is the only of those combinations that I've heard of or eaten! However, even though I thought we had not one more meal in the house and were in desperate need of a grocery shopping trip, now that I know fish and cucumbers are an acceptable meal, I can unthaw those few salmon patties in my freezer and serve them with the handful of cucumbers I've got in the fridge!

A menu plan "that will interest the 16-Year-Old" on page 87 prefaces it's choices with the following: "Every young girl is anxious to give a party that is different and to be assured that her boy and girl friends are going to have as fine a time at her home as at any other. The kinds of cake or sandwiches or other dishes that the boys like will always be the ones decided upon." Ha! I won't write them all out now but I can say that most of them involve coffee and toast!

My favorite part of the book is the very last page, "Hints for Young Housewives". There were a couple of really great ideas, as well as some that I'd already had to learn from trial and error! I liked this idea for keeping a round, cut cake fresh: "cut the desired number of slices from center of cake. Push the two remaining pieces close together like a whole cake and it will keep moist and soft for several days." Duh...I can't believe I haven't thought of that yet!

All teasing aside, I really think this book will come in handy as I plan to invite the ladies of our church (all but a handful of them are great-grandmothers) over for a get-together now and then. I'm sure it will really bless them to have me make up some of these recipes that they probably remember having as a child or preparing as a young wife.

Enjoy your Blue Monday!

A Grand Day Out: Gratituesday

Today I'm linking up with Laura at Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday. If you get the chance, visit some of the other participants to find out what they're grateful for today!

We've recently moved to northern Washington and have been excited to explore the surroundings.A couple of weeks ago, my husband planned a fun day out for our family.

We began at the Washington State University Discovery Garden in Mount Vernon. What was estimated to be about a 20 minute jaunt around a few paths turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour stroll through garden upon garden! It was beautiful! There are way too many pictures to post and too much to tell so I'll just include a few highlights!  

I thought the most interesting plant was this giant rhubarb. I know it looks big in the picture but I'm telling you...this thing was HUGE! It was seriously three feet tall! I don't think they grow 'em like that in eastern Oregon???

There was a special garden just for children where Selah and Lynzie posed with some favorite story book characters.
Alice, The Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts were all hiding in the bushes.  

Elisha was really excited to find what he thought was a beehive. (Although he called it a "bee hind"). Turns out, it was just a storage box for hoses...but I couldn't convince him so we got a picture in front of the "bee hind".

I thought it was really neat that they had a little bit of everything and that there was something for everyone. There were rose gardens, herb gardens, areas specific to fruit plants and others for vegetables. There was a veteran's memorial and a children's garden. We got a little turned around in a thicket of trees and even saw a frog in a pond in the "native to Washington area".

One part of the garden that I thought was especially useful was a pavilion that featured several gardening ideas for the handicapped. There was a big display that showcased lots of different gardening tools to aid those who need a little help in gardening. There were also displays to show creative ways to allow those with impairments to enjoy the plants and soil too. For instance, there was a little garden planted in a high, table-like planter for the visually impaired:

There was also a display of a garden built into a planter with seating all around it so someone who was not able to stand or bend could sit on the edge and work in his or her garden:  

My favorite display of all was the Espalier trained apple tree!  You can read more about Espalier training here but the picture should give you a pretty good idea what they've done. Can you imagine having your apple tree grow out along your fence? So awesome!  

After an "interesting" lunch in the car (I grabbed the peanut butter and bread but forgot a knife...Jamie had to spread it on with a pocket knife while I was feeding the baby!), we headed out to Whidbey Island to take some pictures.

We eventually ended up in a little town called Coupeville and found a park where Jamie stopped so the kids could play and I could feed the baby. Jamie put flowers in my hair:

Then he found a trail that we walked down to a little beach just the right size for us!

There we found lots of sea shells and skipped some rocks.

It was a really great day and the best part of all was that we spent it together!