This is our home. The Mil Mar. We are on the last days of Indian Summer. We have spent the last few days enjoying long days.  At each turn of the day – my heart is gripped with all that is wonderful. I hold it close.  With all of the grief that several friends are walking through – I almost feel guilty of where we are as a family. This season I am going through a Bible Study  – A Woman After God’s Own Heart. In it – she encouraged us to keep a prayer journal. I have not written in my prayer journal – as it was a painful reminder of the friendships that have been physically severed this past year. However, this past week I picked it up. Read the entries from 2008 and 2009. I was amazed at how many of those sad longing entries had been answered by our year of living here alone! I began to read eagerly – to see time after time – request fulfilled – through the events of moving here. The changes in our lives. The changes towards each other.

I was on the phone with a friend yesterday – who is facing moving out of our old town – to Pennsylvania. And I felt the overwhelming need to tell her what joy has come from our move. What joy has come to our family. What He has done for us. To endure the hardship – and cry the tears of loss – but be ready to drink from the cup that He is offering to their family. (I pondered about this today at Pebblekeeper’s Ponderings)

I have spent time whining about our move, and I’m unsure who I have talked with to clear it up – that the whining has Stopped. 🙂 The Joy is Full. Especially after seeing the Whale Spouts this week – I just can’t even think of one single thing that I would want more in my life right now to bring me joy. So in the midst of pain of others – I do feel the need to show His Faithfulness to us! And to be Glad. Happy that He works in ways we would not know. 🙂

In school – This Old Schoolhouse has done it again – brought us another product to review that was an exact answer to prayer – I’ll tell more about the details as I have them – but time and time again – we have a need to learn something  and these product reviews have been an answer to prayer – instead of a burden to blog. 🙂

In our Church Building – the family that gathers there has embraced our family – they speak truth in love – in the Scriptures – and share together! In our home – our physical home could not be much closer to what I would desire in Heaven itself.

Boys in death defying fun on swing while mowing the yard. . . . Oh Ya. Life is Good.

We startled up some geese – this is the only shot I could get while pulling the Nikon L22 out of my lifejacket pocket on time.
Can life be so bad when this is the worst shot of the day?

Or when the worst of complaints when on a whale watching tour is that all you get to see is waves? 
The water was too churned to easily see spouts. Bummer right? We did drive down the coast a bit and found 2 whales feeding. 🙂 Bummer Right? 

Or when your son’s new best friend is his Dad. Walking on the beach while on a lunch break. Finding Lizards at the Ocean. This is the third lizard they have found here. An unexpected treat. The Crawdad catching Season is upon us again – They put the traps out yesterday. I’m sure we’ll have some crawdad poems for you in the near future.

Red Sky at Night. Sailors’ Delight.

We have a weather warning – of several storm systems on the way. The boys are joyful and anticipating all that will float up on the beach to discover. To see the sand stripped away. The Agates revealed. New treasures. Huge Waves. Winter.

I want to cry out in Praise of our Father – and of Jesus – who came to die for me. Who Sent a Comforter – The Holy Spirit. So that my life could be more abundant and amazing than I could ever dream. I want ‘Your Joy in Jesus to Overflow on account of Me’ – Phil 1:26 Stop and see that your ‘Momentary troubles are achieving an eternal glory that is more than we can imagine ’ 2 Cor 4:17

^{Ephes 3:14} For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom his whole family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

If you are walking through the mourning period – of grief – if you need prayer – I would consider it an privilege to add you to my prayer journal, if even just your name – to hold you up before the Father. If I know you “in real life” chances are, you are already in there. 🙂