Time captured...

Morocco 2008

This picture reminds me of all the different ways we traveled through the country of Morocco. We took planes, trains, buses, chicken buses, boats, donkey carts, pick-up trucks, taxis, motorbikes, jeeps and of course your feet got you most places. In this photo we were making our weekly journey to the market to buy some groceries. We succeeded in fitting eight people and a baby in this cart contraption. A bumpy ride and 20 minutes later we arrived at the shook. Our sides hurt way more than our bums because we had just about laughed the whole way there. We had a saying, that if you didn't laugh you'd cry...so it was just better to laugh! I am thankful here all I have to do is walk about a half block to get my groceries but I am sad to say I don't laugh half as much as I did in Morocco. Good times. Oh and on the way back home that day, we took a horse and cart...crazy!

What makes a house a home...

Pillows....

Pillows are the little things in a home that we often take for granted. Both sleeping pillows and deco pillows. I remember during my time in Morocco there were some nights when we didn't have pillows. And let me tell you that sleeping on your arm is not a productive way to getting a good night's sleep. Boy, was I happy to finally have a big fluffy pillow to sleep on. Being in Germany we have pillows of course...but when we first moved in we only had our two sleeping pillows. Our coach looked so sad without any color or pillows to lay on. So I brought some of my pillows from the States and recently made this pretty orange one to add some spunk to the big white coaches. I think it's lovely...

Other things I would like to add to the list in a more practical way, ovens and dryers. 1) Ovens are amazing and you shouldn't take them for granted. 2) You see here in Germany it is still very popular to line dry your clothes. I don't really understand why since its pretty cold and rainy most of the year. Dryers are expensive to buy and to run, thus Paul and I also line dry our clothes. And since we have had two days of sunshine in the last month, I am trying my hardest to get all the laundry washed and dried before the rain comes. I think God is trying to really teach me to be thankful for even the little things in life...happy laundry day!

Devotional musings...

Something I'm learning...


“And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings” (Ezekiel 1:25)

That is the letting down of the wings? People so often say, “How do you get the voice of the Lord?” Here is the secret. They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.

We have seen a bird with fluttering wings; though standing still, its wings are fluttering. But here we are told they heard the voice when they stood and had let down their wings.

Do we not sometimes kneel or sit before the Lord and yet feel conscious of a fluttering of our spirits? Not a real stillness in His presence.A dear one told me several days ago of a certain thing she prayed about, “But,” said she, “I did not wait until the answer came.”

She did not get still enough to hear Him speak, but went away and followed her own thought in the matter. And the result proved disastrous and she had to retrace her steps.Oh, how much energy is wasted! How much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before Him! Oh, the calm, the rest, the peace which come as we wait In His presence until we hear from Him!

Then, ah then, we can go like lightning, and turn not as we go but go straight forward whithersoever the Spirit goes. (Ezek. 1:1, 20)

“Be still! Just now be still!

Something thy soul hath never heard,

Something unknown to any song of bird,

Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,

A message from the Fatherland afar,

That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,

Cometh to thee if thou canst but be still.

“Be still! Just now be still!

There comes a presence very mild and sweet;

White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.

It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent

To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.

The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.

If thou would’st hear His message,

Dear soul, be still!”

-Streams in the desert

Time captured...

"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill." Psalm 137:5


I love this photo...I remember this morning very well. A few of us decided to rise early and have devos together on the Temple Mount.  We were younger then, living abroad in the great city of Jerusalem. We were close, still are. We were real, passionate and loved every minute of the adventure we were on.  If there was ever a season in my life where I felt like time stood still it was fall of 2007. We laughed, we cried, we traveled, we shared each others burdens and spurred each other on. We had our jokes, our sayings, our reenactments of ridiculous things that had happened while on our journeys. We also had our serious moments too. Moments when tears would not be held back. Moments that overwhelmed you. We were only there 5 months yet it felt like years and then all of sudden it was over. Just like that. God did a work in our lives that was so deep and radical, it is hard to put into words. I know that every one of us left Israel changed, and for many of us longing to return. I had the blessing of returning in 2009 with my husband. It was another amazing season in my life. And now both of our heart's ache to return to the Land. 


Now we say along with all the Jews, בשנה הבאה בירושלים (next year in Jerusalem...)

What makes a house a home...

Quilts...

I have always loved quilts. Especially those old worn ones.You know...the ones that feel like you're being hugged by the arms of an old friend. Nothing is better than snuggling down in one of those. I love it that quilts see so much life. They are used over and over again and yet that warm feeling of an old friend never gets old.

My family has a few quilts that have been circulation of our home for many years. My parents have one that was made by an Amish women in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She hand stitched every piece. It is truly a work of art. Beautiful colors, tight stitches, lovely lines. Running my hands over the top of it, I can feel how much work went into making this cover. Paul and I don't have an handmade Amish quilt yet, we will have to save up some money for a "real" one. But we bought this cozy quilt when we were in the States. I like it because it has these big beautiful medallions of bright colors. It is kind of a Mexican inspired pattern. Which of course Paul loves! I do too.

I love that there is so much history and creativity behind the making of quilts. You could read for hours on all the different patterns and the story behind America's Quilt History. I remember growing up I was in a girl's quilting club. We would read literature on women and the making of quilts. We even started sewing our own quilts (which I never finished mine lol) as part of the class. I think I really gained an appreciation for quilts during that time. It was amazing!

I hope to collect some beautiful quilts for our family to use over and over again in the many years to come...