Blog Category: gratefulness

a promised gift

By admin,

this weekend was for being away and for being out of reach of cell phone signals – a place where refreshment comes easily. we arrived to a lake house full of family and woke saturday to more babies and aunts and pancakes and eggs. 
 
God is a god of gifts and rest, both of which He gave to us abundantly this weekend. because in the mountains, even a day of painting cabin bunks and canvases means an escape.

  Filed under: gratefulness
  Comments: None

By admin,

Happy father’s day to two great dads. We were raised by two men who have their lives for their kids and wives.

From Ian “my dad is the greatest man who ever lived. He lived for only one thing: to make God more in himself. It gives me much hope that he’s in heaven before me.”

From Larissa “my dad makes me laugh even when the only other option is to cry. He’s taught me endurance in suffering and how to live and work hard for your family. I’m so glad he listened to my mom when after having two babies, she said that someone was missing”

We love you both dearly, whether here or with the Lord.

Love
I&L

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  Comments: None

what I want all my girlfriends to have

By admin,

i remember sarah telling me that she was shocked to see ian showing affection to someone – she was used to him being the sarcastic life of the party. willing to talk to anyone, but also not shy to say funny things that may or may not be taken well. but he was in love, and this friend that she had known since she was little and had been homeschooled with was actually outwardly showing his love.
that’s the ian that i fell in love with. and that’s me that he was showing affection to. he would gently hold my hand – as gently as he could considering that he has the fattest fingers in the world. to me it often felt like a vice grip. but it was still so sweet.
but then for a few years, that hand didn’t have life. it couldn’t squeeze when it wanted to or reach out to find mine.
that’s different now.
that same ian seven years ago that shocked sarah is still marked by gentle affection. and he can make that hand move again. since we’ve been married, one of my favorite parts of my day is falling asleep holding my husband’s hand. and one night as i lay there, i realized that this is what i want all of my girlfriend’s to have. a gentle husband who is so happy to fall asleep with hands bound. 
i’m thankful tonight to be married to a tender heart.
love
l

  Filed under: "a disabled life", "marriage", gratefulness
  Comments: None

He followed us

By admin,

she came to visit us, our life photographer, on a warm summer day to take photos to be on the inside flap of a book that was being scripted each evening after dinner.

that day was the first time he could do this,

stand next to me, with just my hand helping him, not with my arm around him, like we needed to in all of the photos from this day

 
where my arm was hidden around his back, helping him, balancing him, and we couldn’t stand and simply hold hands.
this summer came to ian in strength, upgrading to a walker, and then a cane and committing to walking by year 30. he left the house without a wheelchair for the first time and he walked out the front doors of his mom’s house for the first time.
2013 was a big year.
yet, on a day that becomes reflective for so many of us, that’s not what i most see.
what i most see is a hard-fought year, with fears and exposure and costs and crying and days sitting in front of a blank computer screen wondering why we signed a contract- that were all swallowed up by what was following us. by what was behind us and before us. 
it was a year swallowed up in God.
it was a year that He swallowed us up, taking our inadequacies that were asked to put our story into 75,000 words, our legs that were asked to learn to walk again, our hearts that at times wanted out.
He followed us with mercy, and made our hopeless mornings and our sweet, quiet date nights and our laughter at his inappropriate jokes into beautiful life canvases.
He followed us with His goodness, keeping us, with his white-knuckle grip.
He blessed us, with two new nieces and nephews, bring number seven and eight into our hearts that four years ago didn’t know that type of love.
He kept us, in each other, faithful and honorable to our covenant.
And all that we were given in Him will continue to be, so that this coming year that looms with exposure as our feebly written pages will be carried home in shopping bags and delivered with the mailman won’t be faced apart from mercy. Or Himself. Or joy, in the most unexpected places.
He will follow us, and someday, someday hopefully soon, we will dwell in His house, forever.
With love,
I&L

  Filed under: "God Himself", "marriage", gratefulness
  Comments: None

sunday night

By admin,

this weekend was for rest. grateful to have a weekend full of my best friend.

and then a sunday to think about the two best moms in the universe.

  Filed under: gratefulness
  Comments: None

He followed us

By admin,

she came to visit us, our life photographer, on a warm summer day to take photos to be on the inside flap of a book that was being scripted each evening after dinner.

that day was the first time he could do this,

stand next to me, with just my hand helping him, not with my arm around him, like we needed to in all of the photos from this day

 
where my arm was hidden around his back, helping him, balancing him, and we couldn’t stand and simply hold hands.
this summer came to ian in strength, upgrading to a walker, and then a cane and committing to walking by year 30. he left the house without a wheelchair for the first time and he walked out the front doors of his mom’s house for the first time.
2013 was a big year.
yet, on a day that becomes reflective for so many of us, that’s not what i most see.
what i most see is a hard-fought year, with fears and exposure and costs and crying and days sitting in front of a blank computer screen wondering why we signed a contract- that were all swallowed up by what was following us. by what was behind us and before us. 
it was a year swallowed up in God.
it was a year that He swallowed us up, taking our inadequacies that were asked to put our story into 75,000 words, our legs that were asked to learn to walk again, our hearts that at times wanted out.
He followed us with mercy, and made our hopeless mornings and our sweet, quiet date nights and our laughter at his inappropriate jokes into beautiful life canvases.
He followed us with His goodness, keeping us, with his white-knuckle grip.
He blessed us, with two new nieces and nephews, bring number seven and eight into our hearts that four years ago didn’t know that type of love.
He kept us, in each other, faithful and honorable to our covenant.
And all that we were given in Him will continue to be, so that this coming year that looms with exposure as our feebly written pages will be carried home in shopping bags and delivered with the mailman won’t be faced apart from mercy. Or Himself. Or joy, in the most unexpected places.
He will follow us, and someday, someday hopefully soon, we will dwell in His house, forever.
With love,
I&L

  Filed under: "God Himself", "marriage", gratefulness
  Comments: 19

a promised gift

By admin,

this weekend was for being away and for being out of reach of cell phone signals – a place where refreshment comes easily. we arrived to a lake house full of family and woke saturday to more babies and aunts and pancakes and eggs. 
 
God is a god of gifts and rest, both of which He gave to us abundantly this weekend. because in the mountains, even a day of painting cabin bunks and canvases means an escape.

  Filed under: gratefulness
  Comments: None

By admin,

Happy father’s day to two great dads. We were raised by two men who have their lives for their kids and wives.

From Ian “my dad is the greatest man who ever lived. He lived for only one thing: to make God more in himself. It gives me much hope that he’s in heaven before me.”

From Larissa “my dad makes me laugh even when the only other option is to cry. He’s taught me endurance in suffering and how to live and work hard for your family. I’m so glad he listened to my mom when after having two babies, she said that someone was missing”

We love you both dearly, whether here or with the Lord.

Love
I&L

  Filed under: gratefulness
  Comments: None

what I want all my girlfriends to have

By admin,

i remember sarah telling me that she was shocked to see ian showing affection to someone – she was used to him being the sarcastic life of the party. willing to talk to anyone, but also not shy to say funny things that may or may not be taken well. but he was in love, and this friend that she had known since she was little and had been homeschooled with was actually outwardly showing his love.
that’s the ian that i fell in love with. and that’s me that he was showing affection to. he would gently hold my hand – as gently as he could considering that he has the fattest fingers in the world. to me it often felt like a vice grip. but it was still so sweet.
but then for a few years, that hand didn’t have life. it couldn’t squeeze when it wanted to or reach out to find mine.
that’s different now.
that same ian seven years ago that shocked sarah is still marked by gentle affection. and he can make that hand move again. since we’ve been married, one of my favorite parts of my day is falling asleep holding my husband’s hand. and one night as i lay there, i realized that this is what i want all of my girlfriend’s to have. a gentle husband who is so happy to fall asleep with hands bound. 
i’m thankful tonight to be married to a tender heart.
love
l

  Filed under: "a disabled life", "marriage", gratefulness
  Comments: None

sunday night

By admin,

this weekend was for rest. grateful to have a weekend full of my best friend.

and then a sunday to think about the two best moms in the universe.

  Filed under: gratefulness
  Comments: None