Wrap Your Arms Around Him Who Made You

Let us love Him! Let us love Him! He made us, and He is near. He did not make things and then walk away. He remains intimately involved, and all things have their being in Him.
See Him.
There He is, where truth is loved. He can be found within the very heart, even if the heart strays from Him.
Go back into your heart and find him sinners. Wrap your arms around Him who made you and hold tight ....

True Life came down to us and bore our death. By the abundance of His own life, true Life killed death.
And the voice of true Life thundered.
He shouted to us to return at once to Him.
He called us to the secret place from which He came.
His journey took Him first to the virgins womb.
There He took up mortal flesh of human creation.
He adopted mortal flesh, so that it might not be forever mortal. He embarked into life as a bridegroom into his marriage, knowing the joy of freedom that a great distance runner feels to launch out on the course.
For He never slackened his pace. He ran on.
and He shouted on.
His words and deeds clamored.
His death and return to life roared.
His decent from the Father and His ascent back cheered.
The Life cried out to us to return to Him. When He did leave the world where our eyes could see Him, it was so that He might return to us in our heart. He left that we might find Him. He departed, and -surprise!- the heart is where He reappeared.

St. Augustine

i do not have bumper stickers or other accessories on my vehicle. i would end up being a hypocrite of what ever i placed on my vehicle, and i can't risk that. i am just unable to be holy at all times, and especially when driving. however, i do enjoy reading others (most of the time).
if i did have a bumper sticker this is the one i would choose.

Happy Birthday Vava!

Today my g-ma (or Vava as my kids call her) celebrates her 82 birthday.
We celebrated G-ma's birthday with family this last weekend in Modesto.

My g-ma is just over 5 ft tall, perfect g-ma size. She makes the best sweet bread in North America (her sisters in Flores, Azores makes some yummy sweet bread too). She tells me funny stories, recites poems, or sings little songs from our island.
She daily eats sweet potatoes, and oatmeal, she also walks, she says these things "keep her healthy." She loves to garden. She can often be found crocheting or knitting. She loves her family deeply, and desires the best for each one. We speak a couple times a week, I love to answer the phone and hear her say, "oh creda," (oh my child). I am warm in grandma's love.

Pictured here are 4 of my 5 aunts (left to right Violet, Marie, G-ma Josefina, Vicki, and Hilda). I love my aunts!
Aunt Violet is independent,and has a spark to her.
Aunt Marie loves tradition and heritage, she is hard working 'ella nunca pada" (she never stops).
Aunt Vicki is intentional about family, compassionate, and strong.
Aunt Hilda has the greatest laugh. We have many fun memories together from when I was a child living in my grandparent's home (she was still living at home).
My Aunt Vera (not pictured) has a soft voice, and gentle kindness.
All of my aunts are beautiful, sensitive, thoughtful, loving, and care deeply for family. I am blessed to have them!

My 1/2 brother Shus, joined us to celebrate g-ma (No, I did not misspell his name. My dad named him after Confucious, - I am soooo glad my name is Denise). This is a treat as he knows little of his paternal side of the family. I see so much Teodosio in him, and I pray when he is with us he will feel a sense of belonging that he has never had before. Pray for him as he takes healthy steps forward in his life (he is recovering from drug and alcohol abuse).
(left to right- me, Vava, Shus, and my sister Toni)
Finally Aunt Violet got herself some fun wheels. We had fun making g-ma climb in.
Ah, I LOVE HER!

6 and one month!

Remember when they were babies, and every month was a celebration? When my babies were one month i'd bake cakes, and we'd celebrate cooing, head lifting, and good stretches of uninterrupted sleep. For the second, third,and fourth months we'd celebrate smiles (which were not gas), lying on the tummy, rolling over, and again good stretches of uninterrupted sleep. By months five and six we were celebrating a bit of rice cereal and the commando crawl. Months seven, eight, and nine brought a tooth, followed by another, there were also the sounds of "mamamama" (which clearly stated who baby loved best), there was also the ever popular backwards wave, and if teething wasn't too bad longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep. In month ten baby was giving hearty belly laughs, eating all sorts of orange things from jars, and pulling him/herself up to stand. I usually spent month eleven sobbing because it was almost over, thankfully there was a party to plan.

So today Josie is 6 and one month. She has spent this past month excelling in her reading (i think she is ready for college now), perfecting her rollerskating, and learning to ski. Josie expresses her vocal ability while singing the same tune over and over and over and over and ... and again while letting her big sister know she is not so little (yelling, aahhh!). She is also expressing her individuality- she has decided mismatched socks are her thing, and daily surprises us with her take on sock fashion.
If you know me, than you know i can be a bit o.c.d. (obsessive compulsive), mismatched socks are typically prohibited. But i let it go, and i let her be her Josie self. One small step for Mommy, One giant whimsical step for Josie.











Apparently it's an epidemic, look what my mother found for Josie (packages of 3 mismatched socks, these were found at Gottshalks).








When I was One I had just begun
When I was Two I was nearly new
When I was Three I was hardly me
When I was Four I was not much more
When I was Five I was just alive
But now I am Six
I am clever as clever
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever
A.A. Milne

delighting in my weakness

Here is a conversation I had yesterday 

Me: Why am I always the weak one? Why does it always seem others are strong and have it together? I am tired of being weak, vulnerable, broken...
 
Friend: What does God's word say? "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." It is only through your weakness that God is able to display His strength in you. 

Me: Well then God has a lot of opportunity to display His strength with me 
(said with a good bit of sarcasm).
 
Friend: Then praise the Lord!


Me: Yes (no longer feeling sarcastic, but agreeing), Praise the Lord.

Blog Worthy

So here are a few things that are blog worthy (that i am a bit behind posting on).
BLOG WORTHY HAIR
for Valentine's Day (yes, i know that was like weeks ago) i braided Emilie's hair into a heart. i am a very cool mommy like that.

BLOG WORTHY CELEBRATIONS
Recently the kiddos and i went to a ground breaking ceremony for the new Minarets High School. This high school is scheduled to open in fall of 09, and will likely be the high school our children attend. We loved being a part of the celebration, and look forward with anticipation, hope, and prayer for the school, administration, staff, and students. What fun it will be having a photo of them in 6-8 years (when they are in high school) from now with actual buildings behind them.

BLOG WORTHY FRIENDS

We spent some time with good friends Jeff & Kelly Hayes. We enjoyed good food, good company, and good play!

BLOG WORTHY HUSBAND
i love this man! He makes me feel beautiful and loved (when i am being ugly and unlovable). He sees in me what i do not see in myself. i am blessed.

BLOG WORTHY SMORES
What does one do when they have a burn pile??? Make smores! Uh huh, Michael's idea... a good man never lets fire, marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers go to waste.

BLOG WORTHY SKIING
The kiddos have had 2 fun ski days (for school). First with Daddy, Gramps, and Nana. Then another with Uncle Christopher, cousins Luke and Nicholas, and Rick Jackson. Where was i? in a book store, having coffee, browsing through shops, eating good food, at the movies... Where was i not? cleaning the house, teaching school, answering the phone, paying bills, refereeing, driving taxi.


Now i am going to go take a blog worthy nap!