Winter Wonderland Bliss

On Tuesday, I heard murmurings in the hall at work that schools were closing at 11:00am in response to the winter vortex that was approaching Knoxville faster than first predicted by local meteorologists. Leaving the church I made my way over Agnes Hill, across the railroad tracks and through the stoplight to my familiar parking spot in front of the girls' elementary school. I decided to go ahead and get the girls before the 11:00am dismissal hour and made my way into the school. After scurrying down to the car and getting buckled into our seats, Emma-Caroline, Sophie and I were off to make a couple of stops to local mercantile shops and Chick-Fil-A before heading home. I was surprised that in less than an hour of getting the girls, some of the roads were already starting to become icy and impassible.

We made it home and I parked the car on the curb in front of our house as my non four wheel drive vehicle was unable to ascend our snow covered hilly driveway. In checking Facebook, there was a firestorm of words between friends about the call for early dismissal of schools. As the snow continued to come down in sheets and temperatures rapidly fell, I was thankful to be snug in our toasty home, safe and sound. Howie arrived home around 4:30pm and also parked his car on the curb. The girls were itching to get outside and play, so Howie bundled himself up as best he could and took the girls to the neighborhood mega hill to enjoy some super sledding fun. I stayed behind due to a back problem that I am still recovering from. After a couple of hours of sledding and enjoying the snow, Howie and the girls returned home, pink faced, exhausted and ready for some hot cocoa.

 The next morning, Sophie awoke before the sun had risen fully in the sky, donned her purple and pink snow gear and requested an early morning tromp in the snow.

 Emma-Caroline and Howie followed soon after and I was able to venture out for a few snapshots of our winter wonderland fun in the snow.

 Our 18 year old dog Lucy was not very pleased to be out in this wintry white stuff.

  Even though she's seen it time and time before, this old gal had had enough and was looking to get indoors.

 The girls formed their own bobsled team and made efforts to perfect their sledding journey down our driveway into the neighbor's yard.

 At 4 degrees, it was quite chilly out there and I was wishing I had some snow gear like that of Emma-Caroline's and Sophie's which was purchased last year on super clearance at Target.

 Emma-Caroline gave Sophie instructions on how to improve their attempts at sliding down the hill faster and farther. Sophie listened with great intent.

After another couple of hours of snow fun, Howie and the girls returned inside to spend most of the rest of the day enjoying the warmth of the indoors. It's always fun to have a little winter wonderland fun. The girls have had three snow days due to this weather, so we are hoping now for more warm temperatures so that we may return to our previously scheduled programs. I hope you all have enjoyed some fun times of your own in this winter vortex we've experienced.

 



The Servant Song

My dear friends,

      I am sharing with you an image that is very dear to my heart. Although this image is one that is similar in many situations of others caring for loved ones who are in transition from this life to the next, this one in particular is of my own father caring for my Uncle Tracy in these last days that he will be here on earth.

I share this photo because it embodies all I have learned about love and service that my dad has taught to me through his example time and time again. To me, my own father has been a living example of the hands, feet, and heart of Christ to not only those whom he is related to but also to everyone he has ever known. My dad is one of my earthly heros and one who has inspired me to live and love as God's servant here on earth. I want to thank you for the prayers that you have said and are saying for my Uncle Tracy as he lives out his final moments here on earth surrounded by those who love him. Thank you too for prayers for my dad as he spends this sacred time caring for his best friend and brother. I leave you with these familiar words from The Servant Song:

 

Brother, let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you Pray that I may have the grace To let you be my servant, too We are pilgrims on a journey We are brothers on the road We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load I will hold the Christlight for you In the night-time of your fear I will hold my hand out to you Speak the peace you long to hear I will weep when you are weeping When you laugh I'll laugh with you I will share your joy and sorrow Till we've seen this journey through

When we sing to God in heaven We shall find such harmony Born of all we've known together Of Christ's love and agony Brother, let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you Pray that I may have the grace To let you be my servant, too

God's Peace and love,

Amy

 

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Servant+Song+Hymn&Form=VQFRVP#view=detail&mid=C531D98A78B468990AF9C531D98A78B468990AF9

A Lesson in Loving Thy Neighbor

In my years of working with children as a teacher as well as through my current role at Ascension in Children’s Ministries, I have been privy to children’s thoughts about God and his kingdom as well as witnessing their own spiritual relationship with God blossom and grow as they have come to know him through not only scripture but also through their interaction with others and the world around them. It is a blessing and privilege to be able to watch a child experience God and to see them know and understand God’s love for them in very real ways. In my teaching of young children, I too have become the student and often find myself leaning new lessons from these young stewards of God’s love.  Recently, I again became a student of God’s love from a young child whom I had only just met.

In early January of this year, our family had the opportunity to help prepare and to serve a meal to the families who were guests at our church as part of the Family Promise program. These families are just like you and me and just want a chance to feel “normal” with regular interactions with others such as a conversation at dinner and play dates for their children with other kids. Family Promise gives these families the opportunity to have as much “normalcy” as possible while they are going through homelessness and the process of finding work and homes again.  For whatever reason, I always feel a bit nervous when I come to serve our Family Promise guests. I am afraid I will not say the right thing or that they will perceive me in the wrong way. Although I knew that my fears would soon disappear after meeting the guests, I still felt a bit nervous as we waited for the families to arrive for dinner.

After serving dinner to our Family Promise guests and finding a place at the table, I looked up and realized that my 8 year old daughter was not sitting with us. Emma-Caroline is a very shy child and it takes her some time to warm up and actually talk with others. In my mind, however, I was mortified that she had chosen not to join the families and volunteers for dinner. I mentioned to the guests that she was shy to which a mother smiled and replied, “We noticed when she came in here earlier.” My fear of offending our Family Promise guests was on hyper alert and I immediately set out to find her. On looking for Emma-Caroline, I discovered she was sitting alone and eating on the stage in the Parish Hall. I immediately asked her why she didn’t want to eat with the families and heard myself saying inside my head, “this is rude behavior!” Before those words actually came out of my mouth, a young boy in third grade joined me. Jared sat down next to Emma-Caroline, asked her name and sincerely said, “It’s OK if you’re shy. I’ll sit here and eat with you if you’d like!” Emma-Caroline smiled and accepted his invitation.  Jared smiled back and replied, “And now you have one more friend, me!” As I stood speechless beside these two children, I felt tears in my eyes as I witnessed this loving exchange between two third grade children. This young boy of nine years old offered to my daughter the gift of acceptance and love.  In one simple gesture, Jared taught both of us what it means to truly love your neighbor.

It would be easy to think that the families and children of Family Promise would be the only ones that are the receivers of God’s love through the hands and feet of the volunteers serving them; however, I have found through my involvement with these families that it is more likely that I am the one receiving the greater gift.  This past opportunity to be with our guests of Family Promise left me humbled and in  in awe of God’s love and the ways in which he teaches us to love through one another. This past January, I received the gift of being witness to Jesus incarnate as a child of nine years, with no home for himself and his family to call their own gave the truest and most valuable gift that anyone will ever receive to my very own daughter, the gift of Jesus’ love.  It is a gift I know she will never forget and a gift and lesson I will always cherish.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

           I had never heard the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow" until this past year, and now the melody of that beloved old hymn plays through my head with almost every breath I take. I once heard that the Old Testament Hebrew name for God "Yahweh" when spoken correctly was like the inhale and exhale of one complete breath. In essence, that the name of God is on each breath we take. How comforting to know that God's name is in every single breath we all take! The sparrow song is like that for me. It is a constant reminder that God is always watching me and that He is in every breath I take.

 The comfort I found in the sparrow song began earlier in the spring when we encountered a baby sparrow who had taken a tumble from her nest and was mortally wounded. She knew she wanted to live this life and struggled to fly away. I wanted to help her, but I soon realized her life was near it's end. I made a comfortable nest for her and placed her in it. She was fully aware and continued her struggle to live this life she so desperately wanted. Her struggles soon gave way to shallow breathing, slow breath in . . . slow breath out. I stroked her feathers to let her know she was not alone and I prayed that God would take her soon. The sparrow, however, would not lose this life without a fight. Soon she closed her eyes, slow breath in . . . slow breath out. My own salty tears streamed down my face as I watched this sweet little creature in her final moments on earth. I continued to pray and I gave thanks for the gift of this little bird's life.  I also gave thanks for the gift of being able to be with the sparrow in her final moments. Although the day had been previously calm, I was suddenly caught by surprise by a huge gust of wind swirling around me and blowing through the trees. In that same instant the sparrow lifted her wings and flapped them while her final breath exhaled out of her body. I knew at that moment that God himself had taken her spirit home and that the sparrow had a new life with her Creator. It was a holy moment that I will never forget and it is one that leaves my eyes still brimming with tears as I recall that very special memory of God's love for all of his creation.

   In comparison to the life of the sparrow, so it is with us. God loves us with such a love that we can't even begin to fathom it's depth or extremity. We struggle to hold on to this life, and yes, we were meant to lead this life, but God has a plan for our lives that is far greater than we could ever imagine or dream of. We worry and we fret over the smallest of details. We try to measure up to expectations  that are of this world and we fear that we may never meet the mark. We struggle to lead this life not the life that God intended for us. We fight to keep what we have here instead of throwing caution to the winds of trust and faith and allowing ourselves to soar into the life that God really intended for us to lead. But first we have to let go, and let God.
   In verbally sharing my story of the baby sparrow, I was asked if I had ever heard of the song "His Eye is On the Sparrow."  Although I had not heard of the song, I looked up the lyrics and found them very comforting.

Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

 

What is so comforting to me in these lyrics and what we can all find peace in is that God watches over all of us just as he watches over all of his creation. In Matthew Jesus says, "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26) and "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29–31).

I have recently started upon a new path that God is calling me to. This new call has been wrought with my own feelings of uncertainty, unworthiness, and fear. As I have tried to place fear, worry and uncertainty aside, and as I have trusted God, he has been there, holding my hand, showing me that he is watching over me as he leads me into this new life. Although I have always known that God loves me, and although it is not necessary to have symbols of God's love, God gives them to us anyway and wants us to enjoy them and find them as a source of encouragement. Throughout this past year, the sparrow has been a very big symbol of God's love for me and has brought me great encouragement and peace as I begin a new journey in my life.  For each of us, God indeed watches over  us and wants to lead us on the path he has planned for us.  As much as we may worry over our lives and what paths we are to follow, we have only to remember that "his eye is on the sparrow," and know and trust that he is watching over each of us too. May you see your own symbols of God's love and encouragement surrounding you in your lives  and know that he is always with you, watching you and leading you to the life you were always meant to lead.

 ***Photos taken this January 2014 after our recent snow***

A*Very New Name

I have been blogging now for almost six years. When I first became a blogger, I did not know that I could pick my own name on Blogger for the blog spot. I just let the Blogger site pick a name for me and they selected averytnfamily.blogspot.com. When I first set up a blog, I chose to call it "The Avery House" as it was mostly about our family and our everyday happenings.

 I still chronicle our family life here, but I also use my blog as an online journal of my own thoughts and ponderings. This past summer in marking the 5 year anniversary of my blog, I chose to change the name of our blog to "A*Very Cottage Home" playing off of our own name Avery and wanting to be more focused on cottage style living.

 I soon realized, however, that my blog posts are not truly geared to cottage living only and actually take on a more holistic or 'lifestyle" approach focusing on every day living and seeing life and the daily living of life as sacred.

  In beginning a new year, I have decided to once again rename the blog to fit the way in which we live and view life around our home. So welcome to "A*very Blessed Home: finding the sacred in day to day living." As always, it is my hope that who ever visits my blog that he or she will find it a warm and inviting place to come to,  and that my blog offers encouragement and food for thought about everyday living.

Your Inner Fire, the Authentic You

      Last evening as I sat in my bed watching the first episode of Downton Abbey season 4, the winds knocked upon my windows and howled a very eerie cry. About the time I had convinced myself that I was a bit frightened, someone in the neighborhood shot off fireworks. Strange as it may be to shoot off fireworks, in a wind storm no less, I was actually calmed by the added familiar noise of someone shooting off the remainder of their New' Year's  celebratory fireworks. I settled back into watching Lady Mary gain an upper hand and imagined my world covered in a thick blanket of snow when I awoke in the morning.

      My predictions for more than a dusting of snow were proved incorrect when I looked out the window and saw that the streets were clear. We did receive snow last evening but not near what they had predicted on the local weather stations. Somehow, I am not surprised.

        I always love snow even if it is just a dusting. Snow highlights things in our world that may have gone overlooked or forgotten. It also affords time to slow down for the moment, to prepare and to reflect. Yesterday as I heard news of the grocery stores going down to their last loaves of bread and final bottles of milk and watched as friends solicited places to purchase wood, I thought I too should make a wood pile outside of my back door in order that we may have a fire on the predicted blizzard day. I gathered a pile from our stash out back and stacked it neatly in anticipation of building a fire this morning and sipping coffee while I gazed upon our winter wonderland.

        The last fire that burned in our fireplace was a Christmas fire that Howie had expertly built and painstakingly attended to all Christmas Day. Howie is a much better fire builder than I am, but when he's not home, I will give it a go. I only placed a couple of logs in the fireplace and lit the kindling to get the fire going. The wood, being somewhat damp immediately began to crackle and the sound of the fire as it flamed up began to delight my ears with it's sweet lullaby.

         As I sat there enjoying my little fire and some wonderful New Orleans French roast coffee given to me by a friend, I began to reflect on an observation that my Aunt Brenda had made about our Christmas fire. As we all sat nestled by the fire enjoying Christmas morning Aunt Brenda said, "There is something so wonderful and appealing about a real wood fire as opposed to a gas log fire. A wood fire comes alive and almost talks to you engaging all of your senses." As I thought on my Aunt Brenda's observation about the wood fire on Christmas Day, I couldn't help but also imagine that it was an analogy for living the life we were meant to lead.
       As humans, we are tempted to chase things that we think we should do with our lives, we put in the energy and time and do all the right things and we appear to have it all together. Like a gas log fire, we burn just like a real fire, we go through the motions of life and it all works out as it was supposed to, that is until we experience a real fire and we realize the life that we thought we were supposed to lead is not authentic. When we experience a moment in our lives when the person that God created us to be is lit up with God's love and grace, we burn with passion for our life's work. We hear our life's work talking to us and engaging every one of our senses. Like a real fire, when we are authentic to who we are created to be, God's light and love shines through us and nourishes others with warmth and life.

         We are all created in God's image with unique gifts and talents. Those gifts that God bestowed upon us were meant to be used authentically in order that his kingdom may come here on earth as it is in heaven. We were not meant to be like a gas log fire and to only go through the motions of life; but rather, we were born to be the real and authentic images of God and to live and love life to it's fullest capacity, to allow his light to shine and bring love to each other in order that we may all experience God's kingdom here together. It is sometimes difficult to know what is truly authentic to our lives and to let go of other ambitions that may seem like the right path to take. But if we allow God to work through the gifts that he has given to each of us and if we put our trust in him, he will lead us and guide us along our life's authentic path. Like a real fire, it takes effort and trust to build a life that truly is authentic to you. But it is so worth the effort, the faith, and trust to allow God's light and love to shine through. "His word is in my heart like a fire..a fire shut up in my bones..I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot" Jer 20:9 ( Scripture reference shared with me by a dear friend after reading this post. Thank you Ellen!)

First Snow of 2014

 Last evening it snowed. . .

  I was not expecting snow, so when it began to come down, I was just as excited as the girls.

 This morning our outdoor world is covered in a blanket of snow.The girls will get up soon and will play in the snow before it melts by the warmth of the sun's rays.

Snow is amazing leveling agent. It covers all with a clean whiteness and provides the perfect blank slate for people of all ages. 

 When it snows, the world pauses from it's normal activities and stops to take notice ,to prepare, to play, to live boldly and fully. The imagination is given the opportunity to soar to new heights, when it snows.To some, snow is a nuisance, a bother, an interrupter of life.

 But perhaps that is the gift of snow.

 Snow causes one to stop, to ponder, to adjust, to be creative, to slow down, to make a new plan.

 Sometimes that moment to stop and allow one's life to be changed by snow is all that is needed in order to embark on a new adventure.

 Whether you are young . . .Or whether you are older .

 I hope that this pause allows you to get snow on your own snow boots.

 And gives you the opportunity to soar to new heights . . .

 to explore new possibilities . . .

 and to ponder new ideas.

 As the day of snow dawns and we venture into a new world, I look forward to the adventure, the experience and the ability to let my imagination soar.

 I hope you have a wonderful adventure too in your winter wonderland.

 And that maybe you'll ask a friend to join you . . .

'Cause life is more fun with friends!

What it Takes to be a Peace Maker

The title of my post would lead you to think that I actually have the answer to what it really takes to be the maker of peace. The simple truth is that I have no idea truly how to be an actual peace maker. All I can really say is that it takes a whole lot of laying down of ones life for another, a whole lot of love and a lot of trust and faith. St. Francis petitioned. "Lord make me an instrument of your peace . . ." An instrument of peace. Truly, is there any greater instrument to strive towards being than that of an instrument of peace? But you see, there's the rub. Francis didn't say, "Lord I am your instrument of peace," but rather, "Make me an instrument of your peace." In order to truly be an instrument of peace, we have to die to self and be made into the person that God created us to truly be. 

 I have thought long and hard about what it takes to be an instrument of peace. I have tried all sorts of ways to be a peaceful person, to strive towards peaceful relationships, to be a champion of the peace, so to speak. But what I have found is that all of my ways of being an instrument of peace fail. And I wonder why. The true answer, of course, lies in the humbling fact that it is not me who can make me an instrument of peace. It is, rather, God, and God alone, who can breathe into me the grace and love that he freely gives to me if only I accept it that will make me into an instrument of his peace.

 Again, the reality of that knowledge seems simple, but this is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus said, "there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for another." I have recently come to understand that this means more than just the literal dying of physical self. In our lives in which we lead, it means a dying to one's own self daily in order to love another truly and in order to allow God's peace to truly reign through us as "instruments of his peace." This is hard, really hard and takes a daily intentional dying to self, of trusting in God,  and allowing him to make you into the instrument of love and peace in which he created you to be. God's true peace is available to us all if only we will accept it.

  In this new year 2014 and in all my years living on this earth, I humbly petition to our Maker, "Lord, make me and instrument of your peace." I know I will fall many times over as I attempt to die to self  in order to make room for God to truly make me into his instrument of peace. What will sustain me is my hope in God who's Grace and unending Love will pick me up and help me along the way as I trust in him and grow in faith and relationship with him on this life journey. My wish for all in this new year and beyond is that you will receive God's peace as you also grow in faith and relationship with God in your own life's journey.