all is calm...

Nothing feels more like winter in Phoenix than rainy, dreary days. And we've had plenty of them this month. And I am very thankful.

So yesterday as the clouds had me convinced that snow flurries were on the way... I put on a pot of ham & split peas soup, set out a pan of Rhodes rolls to rise near the warm wood stove... and I hunkered down.

But, (she sighs) no snow flurries. Ok, so we rarely get them. But a girl can dream...

My husband and I enjoyed a delicious meal, and then we headed over to Scottsdale to check out a possible Christmas gift for our son, that we found on Craig's List.

And along the way we saw beautiful light displays that calmed my heart.

My heart has needed lots of calming these days, as our future seems so uncertain and I'm not handling it as well as I had hoped. I can easily lose hope and fear the worst.

My husband has been looking for work for over 8 months now, and it has triggered my unresolved issues that seem to rear their ugly heads when I'm faced with trusting God and others with me. Instead I choose to clutch and demand and isolate... and the truth of my identity in Christ goes flying out the window. I know that God is at work. I really do. But I fear the suffering that may go along with God's direction for my life.

An amazing young man recently posted this on facebook ~

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us, we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." ~ C.S.Lewis

The young man that posted that quote is 17 and his Dad's memorial service was Monday.

My heart goes out to this young man and his 16 year old brother as they grieve the loss of their father... and choose daily to believe that God is trustworthy and all-knowing. God is using this wise-beyond-his-years young man to remind me to walk by faith and not by sight, and to rest in God's love for me. And to pray.

It's as simple as that. But the journey is not always easy. 

 On a lighter note ~ I love my Waechtersbach Christmas dishes.

And as you can see from the top pic, we use them daily throughout the month of December.

I wrote about them on this Dec. 2007 post ~

I love displaying my Waechtersbach Christmas dishes every year!! They are truly my pride and joy of all my Christmas collections!
Many, many years ago I found six 'irregular' plates at a Christmas liquidation store for $6.00 each. I never dreamed I would ever add to those six plates. But over the years I found 4 complete place settings at an antique store in Pine, Arizona for $25.00! That is like the cost of one single plate! And then I got several more place settings and the matching wine glasses from my cousin Shelly. She brought them back from Germany many years ago. Can you believe it! I am forever grateful.

And then a few years ago my sister Ginny surprised me with "The Star" baking dish!! She had found it for a song. (retails for over $40.00!) And that big serving bowl was a TJ Max find for $5.00! I occasionally still find the mugs at thrift stores, so I have lots of them.

Thanks for visiting my little blog. Means more to me than you could ever know.