Gravel Road Musings

For those of you who read my blog reviews, you know that I was impressed with the last book I read on love. Dave Willis had some good things to say and some hard things for me to hear. I want to write people off if they don't conform after a certain period of time, but that isn't how it works. I want God to release me from the pressure of loving the people around me because it's hard. I want to curl up in a corner on the edge of my sofa and read a light thrilling novel. I want to hide out in my house and do my grocery shopping at midnight when nobody else is out and about in town. I went to Walmart yesterday morning (this was written on Tuesday) at 9 AM and it was full of Mennonites!!  I mean, I thought all good Mennonites stayed at home and did laundry and organized the house after the weekend. Wait, good Mennonites probably never let their house get disorganized over the weekend. I wanted to hide. I didn't want to smile or even be nice. I can go to town for weeks an...

I was looking through the Book Look Bloggers for a book that looked interesting and something I would enjoy and agree with. I saw this book, but I just had this feeling like, "Really, what can this book tell me? Is it just a do-good, God is love kind of book? I don't know the author." I read a few comments on it and decided, why not try it? Guess what? That was a good decision. I've been reading this book and I keep toying with the idea of doing some extended blog posts on the principles that he gives in the book. I'm worried that I would just end up copying the book though and that would run me into some problems with the author, though it would also give him an excellent opportunity to practice his seven laws of love. I might do a few more posts on this book, I'm not sure yet. It was really good. Dave started by saying what he considers the seven laws of love to be: Commitment Sacrifice Truth Conquering Fear Offering Grace Healing Living Forever...

I've been reading in the Psalms lately in my journey through the Bible and there is so much in there. This morning one word grabbed my attention, "Truly my soul silently waits for my God." Psalm 62:1. The word silently is what struck me. How often do I do that? I'll wait all right, but you can guarantee I will be telling people about it and complaining and asking the age old question, "Are we there yet? or done yet?" What does it mean to silently wait? I think of this word as a quiet, a calm, a trust, a dependence on God. I don't think it means to do nothing, but I do think it means to be quiet and not complain about the wait. This is hard. I have this idea that if I have to wait, others should know about it, they should know that I'm not just sitting around doing nothing, but I am still waiting. Why is this so hard? Why do I worry about what people will say about the journey God has called me to? It's my journey and it's going to look diff...

I have become a huge fan of Chris Fabry's books and this one did not disappoint. When you read one of his books, you never know how the end will turn out and often it is not at all like you expected it to and this one is no exception there. It's the story of two boys and a girl who spend a summer roaming the hills of Dogwood, West Virginia. It's an unlikely trio, a half African-American, half white boy who is unaccepted because of his color, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who has an alcoholic father and a mother who dies young, and a preacher's boy. The theme of the book, in part at least, is keeping promises. The preacher's boy, Matt, falls in love with Jesse, the girl and tries to help her take care of her little sister, but makes her promise to marry him. Matt's parents don't like the two spending time together so... I can't tell you more or it will ruin the suspense of the book.  Matt comes back to "rescue" Jesse from making...

When this post goes public, I will be gone on a trip. A trip with my mom, my daughter, my niece for half the time and my aunt for half the time. Doesn't this sound brave? If this is the last post you ever see from me, you know the trip just simply did me in and I am now traumatized beyond cognition. No really, I'm looking forward to this trip, minus the fact that Amber has not proved herself to be very good about sleeping in strange places and we will be staying in a lot of different places in the 8 days we are gone. But this is supposed to be about the things I'm loving right now. Well, obviously my little girl, but I've posted recent pics of her, so no pics this time. This came in the mail the other day. It is a Pilot Parallel pen. I realized there is a whole world and language of calligraphy style pens out there and I am a novice. I thought I understood that these pens were really cool because they had ink cartridges that you could pop in and out at will and c...

So I like to sew quilts and had a goal for 2016 to sew one a month. In April, I was already a month behind and got this crazy idea to sew four log cabins at once, thinking that I could iron when Amber was sleeping and it would be more efficient. It turns out ironing was easier to do while she was awake than sewing and while it scared me a little to do it (my hand kept a pretty strong grasp on the iron handle), it worked and I know am caught up on my quilt a month and I think I might be one ahead even. It's a shame if you can't remember if you sewed one or two quilts already. I think I will say I am caught up until the end of June. I have 4 more here to finish,  And in the middle, we celebrated 8 years since our first date. I thought we should celebrate and in the midst of quilts and calorie counting, we should go out for pie!!!  There is no place to get a good piece of pie in Hayward after 7 in the evening!! 7, I mean who closes before 7? Yes, Norske Nook, the p...

This was the first book I've read by Suzanne and it was worth reading. The book is calling the readers to walk more closely with Jesus, to say yes when He says come even if it feels scary and uncomfortable. "Where you are going is not as important as who you go with." says the back cover. On a frame on my kitchen table are these words, "What can I do?" Those words are written there because I was reading this book and the challenge is to find the task that God wants me to accomplish. "It's not about the size of the serve. It's the willingness to do what He asks", says Suzanne. And I believe her. Right now, I do feel my calling is to be a mom and a wife, but I also think that calling is so much greater than I often make it. God wants me to be the best wife and mom I know how to be and this can call greater things from me than I want to willingly give. It requires sacrifice and a giving up of my lazy tendencies or selfish ambitions for the ...

I'll let the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. We went on a Memorial Day picnic and A was delighted to wonder around, getting dirty and helping where ever she could. She liked sitting beside D and "holding" the fishing pole.  It was fun to go on a picnic together. I always think we should do these things, you know make memories, etc. but we never get around to is, so apparently spur of the moment is the better option.