stopping by to say hello...

I can't believe that I've been blogging here for twelve years. Hundreds of posts, millions of readers, and best of all, the commenters! And the best thing about the commenters, they're almost all positive and very kind. So I consider them (you) my friends.

Being alive during this age of communication, social media, ect., is a beautiful thing, when used rightly. I know "online" stuff can be bad, but it can also be really really good.

Anyway, life has been busy. We had our church summer conference, and oh my it was fantastic. Day after day of warm sunshine, activities for the kids, encouraging meetings, friends and family coming to the campsite. We had a little splash pool set up, for little ones and big ones too.

It was tiring, to be honest. Once I deemed the camper unsafe to sleep in, the kids were upset, so I promised to stay as long as they wanted to in the evenings. Turns out this was easier said than done, ha. We got to bed around 1.a.m every night, then got up in the mornings and went out there again. It's less than twenty minutes away, thankfully. We also had to leave a few times during the day for physical therapy for Sonja, and to stock up on ice, and get the propane tank filled. We celebrated my son-in-law Adrian's 26th birthday. Benjamin and Ashley brought everything for tacos, and THREE birthday cakes!

(isn't Wulf cute? (Margaret and Adrian's son))


Margaret Cheryl with my sister Cheryl...


Sweet granddaughter Anya at the campsite.


Granddaughter Elise...(Anya's little sister, Ben and Ashley's kids)...my mother would have loved this red hair, as she herself was a redhead...


Little Anne (the sweetie I babysit for), she LOVED the horses.


Grace (Anne's big sister, Davian is in between them), with Anne.


Wulf, Wulf with his mama, Margaret...he likes to stay up late.


Paul got to go on a fishing trip on Lake Ontario!


I tried to get Mr. Wulf to go to sleep...

Anyway...today, more fun! We are heading to the Adirondacks in a few hours! Paul and I in the truck with the fishing kayak and all the bags and food. Then Mirielle is heading up after she's done with work, with Evelyn, Sonja K., Charlotte, Camille, and cousin Danielle.

We're staying in a pretty sweet little cabin, it's only a few years old, right on the water, Lake Algonquin. Two bathrooms (that's always nice), and one of the bedrooms has bunkbeds with a trundle bed, and a big screen tv. The girls will have fun in there. The cabin comes with a rowboat, a canoe, and three kayaks. We're bringing beef brisket, burgers, bacon and eggs, and popcorn, along with lots of snacks.

I have not yet packed, yet here I sit.

The weather is beautiful. Warm and humid, in the low nineties today. The weekend forecast looks amazing, some rain tomorrow but sunny and warm Sunday and Monday.

Life is interesting. There are so many things that clamor for my anxiety-attention. Worry about your headache! Worry about your daughter! Worry about this:

(okay, that one is a little worrisome)

I am tempted to just be bogged down in worry. But this is a battle that is worth fighting. Either I trust God, or I don't.
Trusting that He sends all things for my very best doesn't mean that I am automatically calm and serene, and filled with patience. No, it means that I fight the sin in my flesh, I fight and resist giving in to those thoughts of panic, and pray for patience and strength and to be free from the weight of worry.

Here's something to really chew on, don't just skim it, thinking, ugh, the Bible! It's living and real and amazing:

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the right time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares for you. Be sober;, be on the alert. Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith because you know the same sufferings are being accomplished by your brethren in the world. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered for a short time, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." (1Pet. 6-10)

Just think, he himself will restore and strengthen you! What could be better than that? Or is better just to worry and fret?

Oh, life is good. My knees are not good, I have a headache today (going away, though, with the help from one magical migraine relief pill!), and it's too hot for my liking. I have to pack, want to go to the library (those pesky books are overdue!), and oh the pool is calling me! The floors need sweeping, the dishes are piling up, and and and. But we have such a hope, and this life here is really just one big test...or rather, a series of very small ones, interspersed with a few biggies along the way...all weighed and measured exactly for us by a loving Father.