This Is Love

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Nail pierced hands, a wounded side

This is Love. This is Love

The Holy Heart was sacrificed

This is Love. This is Love

I bow down to the Holy One

I bow down to the Lamb

I bow down to the Worthy One

I bow down to the Lamb

The Son of God died for us

This is Love. This is Love.

He walked the hill and bore the cross.

This is Love. This is Love.

(Terry Butler & Mike Young)

This is from Beth Moore's Breaking Free devotional for yesterday:

"God had only one arrow in His quiver. The most perfect arrow ever to exist - a masterpiece, priceless to Him. Cherished far above all the hosts of Heaven. Nothing could compare. His only heritage. His only Son.

But, as God looked on a lost world - desperate and needy and in the clutches of the enemy - His heart was overwhelmed. Though they had sinned miserably against Him and few sought Him, God had created them in love and could not love them less. So Love reached sacrificially into the quiver and pulled forth the solitary arrow. Yes, God so loved the world."

Happy Happy Birthday, Baby!

Happy birthday to my true love, Michael! I adore you, Hausie! Nothing is sweeter than sharing life with you. You are the whole world to me. I'm so glad that the Lord chose me to be your helpmate. You are one in a billion, my darling, and I love you with all that I am.

"O magnify the Lord with me

And let us exalt His Name together."

Psalm 34:3

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

(Shakespeare's Sonnet 116)


How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,
I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!
And, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

(E.B. Browning's Sonnet XLIII)

(He'll kill me when he sees this, but wasn't he just so darling at 14?)

Lucky Me

I'm feeling extra generous on this very lucky day, so I'll share this little bit of embarrassment with you. Don't worry about laughing at my expense because I'm quite accustomed to it. You see, behind this glamorous exterior lies the heart of a doofus. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm really incredibly klutzy and dorky. It's a good thing my darling finds it endearing!

While I was away on vacation I spent a long day at the beach and came back to the hotel feeling grubby and starving. I thought I'd take a quick shower, then get something for supper from the restaurant downstairs, and curl up with a good book for the evening. Fresh out of the shower I thought, "Even though I don't need to I might as well dry my hair and put on some face." I walked to the elevator feeling pretty fine... hair lookin' cute, makeup on, not bad if I do say so myself.

And, then these two STUNNING women dressed to kill and with legs up to here jumped straight out of Vogue and into my elevator. I said, "WOW, you two look gorgeous!" They rolled their eyes and simpered a tiny thanks before proceeding to enjoy their reflections in the mirror a little longer. I tried chatting amicably to no avail. They still looked at me like I was dirt.

As the elevator doors opened I thought, "How sad! These poor girls are so conceited. They couldn't think higher of themselves, or lower of me..."

And then...

(Those of you who know me in person know exactly where this is going.)


I tripped.


And, not just a little stumble, but one of those carpet-burn-on-your-cheek-splayed-out-spread-eagle-on-the-ground-like-you-fell-from-a-five-story-building kind of falls. Yep. That's me. Always making a big impression.

When I finally made it to my feet I did a little ta-da curtsey for the dozen or so people in the lobby who were giving me a kind ovation and waved goodbye to the supermodels who were embarrassed to have been anyway near the disaster that is me. And I thought laughing to myself, "You know, Lord, I know You love me, but You could have made me just a tiny bit cool."

No luck there.


Anyway, YAHOO, it's Easter vacation! We had a very severe case of Spring Fever in our schoolhaus, folks. It was getting desperate. Who wants to think about algebra, or memorizing the order of the Presidents, or the history of Rome when it's so beautiful out?!

Yesterday we celebrated brother Mark's (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARKUS!), sister Lisa's (tomorrow) and Michael's (Wednesday) birthdays with a traditional Irish brunch of corned beef, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and soda bread, with Guinness of course. And today we're headed to the LA Zoo to play!

I hope you enjoyed my story, friends, even though it may have shattered your illusions of my fabulousness. :) Happy St. Patty's Day!

Pismo With Ricker

I'm finally getting around to going through the photos of our vacation with Ricker a couple of weeks ago. That will go down as one of the sweetest memories of my life. Spending time with our boy, having a ton of fun together, and talking about life, the Lord, and his hopes and dreams was absolutely precious to me!

Something Beautiful

It's just an ordinary moment... no flashy smiles, no picturesque background. But, this photo made me break down and weep with joy and thanksgiving. Dear Susan and Randy have their precious babies in their arms. Elijah and Sophia have a Forever Family now. Praise You, Lord Jesus!

(This shot was taken by their brother-in-law, Mark Jacobs, a television and film director in LA who is with them in Ethiopia filming a documentary about the Clarks' Ethiopian adoption journey. How incredible!)

Home Again

I just walked in the door a few minutes ago from my long Mama-Needs-a-Vacation Weekend with enough salt water up my nose, enough sand in my hair, and sufficiently sunburnt to feel fully relaxed! God is so good.

On the way home I drove through the hills that just a little while ago were scorched and black after the horrendous Southern California wildfires. Now they are as green as Ireland and blanketed in shocking wildflowers. Purple lupine, golden California poppies, and white snowdrops paint the hills in proclamation of the wonder of the Lord's redeeming power of life after death!

And, that's how I feel, too! After several days alone with Jesus giving Him my every complaint and praise, every worry and joy, and walking on the beach with seaspray in my face, my brittle voice now sings, and my dry bones dance!

Many thanks to the sweet friends who were praying for me while I was gone. You bless my heart!

"I Love You. Now, Go Away."

What kind of husband says that to his bride? A wonderful one!

I'm taking off for a Mama Weekend Away! Woo hoo! I'm planning on doing nothing but walk on the beach, read my Bible and a couple of lit classics, sit in the jacuzzi, nap, and spend the whole time with the Lord. I'm so excited! Thank you, my darling Michael!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, too.

Rapunzel Has Left the Building... And Gone to the Beach

Ta-DA! The new look. I had 16 inches of hair lopped off yesterday!

Years ago I whimsically said, "I'll wait to cut my hair until such-and-such happens." HA! I think the Lord laughed at me.

Fat lot of good it did me anyway! As Emily said, it's NOT that I believed that not cutting my hair would somehow bend the universe to my will, or the Lord's will to my wishes. It just seemed like a good way to mark time and remember to be in prayer. But, my timing is most decidely not His timing. So, I finally threw in the towel and chopped it all off!

Now Haus says I have "college hair" (the same style I had all those years ago when we met)! Poor guy is a little sulky that he can't have college hair again, too.

So, how heavy is hair anyway? I wonder how much that will register on the scale??? Does that count towards my health-conscious resolution??? I guess not since it doesn't help me fit into my skinny jeans. Phooey!

Now it's your turn, Emily, if you're game!

Then, after schoolwork, we hit the beach because it was just way too pretty outside. Poor Ray Ray got smacked by an errant wave, though, so we drove home with a very sad babysicle, but here are a few photos of happier times.

Jackie

How gorgeous is this?

Margot

Ray Ray just before disaster struck

Evangeline saying, "No NO, wave!" So cute.

A Couple of Party Pics

The Year of Living Thankfully (Part 2)

I will exalt You, my God the King;

I will praise Your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise You

and extol Your Name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

His greatness no one can fathom.

Psalm 145:1-3

1. I'm so thankful for the Lord's grace on me, a great sinner. Today I was reminded afresh of how great a gift it is that mercy and salvation are mine through Christ Jesus. Unmerited favor is such a shocking thing. Thank You, Lord, for not giving me what I deserve.
2. Our little cousin, Baby Coco, who is on the way! Today we celebrated our cousin Coco (the mama) who is alright with being called absolutely anything as long as it's not "Big Coco"!
3. A super Superbowl XLII Extravaganza at Uncle John & Auntie Marilyn's
4. Making plans for this summer's Union in Hermosa Beach! We are going to have so much FUN!
5. A sweet evening in front of the fireplace with Michael watching a Jane Austen chick flick with a glass of wine. I'm so grateful that my burly man loves art, English literature, poetry, and girl movies, too!
6. Playing tennis with the kids and getting completely stomped by Jackie!
7. An incredible conversation with my friend Susan who humbles me with her dogged pursuit of joyous Christ-likeness no matter what her circumstances
8. Our OCEAN We Heart Ethiopia supper. Michael and I are tremendously grateful for all of you! One of the unexpected blessings of adopting Ray Ray has been all the precious friendships we've made along the way.
9. Junior High winter camp with tons and tons of SNOW!
10. Birthday party for Mother & Ray Ray. Time with our family is the sweetest treasure!
11. Getting a little one-on-one time on a long walk with Jackie this morning.
12. Mother. Happy 60th birthday to our dear Mother who models grace, loving kindness, and others-centeredness (Is that a word?) on a daily basis. She's also a really terrific friend!
13. Hung & Hue Tran, longtime friends
14. Lovin' that man of mine!
15. A sweet email from a long-lost friend
16. A wonderful Girl Day with Marg
17. Our church family
18. My sister, Lisa, and the hours and hours we spend on the phone
19. A delightful trip to the bookstore and lots of new books! Hooray!
20. The Clarks' successful adoptions of little Elijah & Sophia! Thank You, Lord Jesus!
21. Horseback riding with Marg
22. Rickerman! Our big boy is becoming a man! Thanks, Lord, for a fun day at Knott's riding rollercoasters and for a wild supper & show at the Pirate Dinner Theatre.
23. Dinner party with the Adamses
24. Leading worship with Chris Lizotte and celebrating Poppy & Ricker's birthday after church
25. Potty training. The Word says to rejoice always and then keep on rejoicing, so I'm learning to rejoice through potty training! Actually, Evangeline is doing really great and any time spent with my little angel is truly a joy... even sitting on the pot!
26. A wonderful time with my friend, Chloe, talking about the joys and struggles of homeschooling, and the hard and yet worthwhile walk that Christian life is.
27. Poppy. Happy 63rd to our Poppy whom we love, and admire, and respect so much. Our Pops is the most encouraging, enthusiastic, and whole-hearted friend in the world!
28. A very special vacation to Pismo Beach with Ricker... Driving up the coast today, listening to his favorite music, walking on the beach at sunset talking about what a great God we serve, and later sitting in the jacuzzi just being together made priceless memories!
29. Riding ATVs on the beach until we were 100% exhausted and in need of a good chiropractor! I'm also SO thankful for my fantastic Spa afternoon... oh, the luxury was straight from Heaven!

God is so good! Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings that are too many to list!

(Private note to Betsy: Please email me again. I haven't been able to reach you by the email address I have. I miss you, my friend, and all the Kikstras!)