Beautiful Quilts

Since my grandmother is an expert with needle and thread and a genius at putting scrap pieces of fabric together to create artful masterpieces, I've almost always had a handmade quilt on my bed; however, last summer, I replaced my queen-size mattress with a full-size. The quilts that I had been using now piled up on the floor instead of draping nicely over the sides of the bed. Grandmother quickly came to the rescue again, finding in her cedar chest a full-size comforter top that my late great-grandmother had pieced. She found batting and fabric in her collection for the back and put it together, placing beautiful decorative hand-stitching between each of the blocks. Throughout the winter, it provided warmth, but as summer approached, I needed something a little lighter to snuggle under at night.

My mother offered a beautiful quilt that she made when she was 18, a lovely hand-embroidered piece of art. For once in my life, I'm glad I'm the only daughter so that there wasn't a fight over who got to sleep under the beauty of this fabric and thread. Now when I make my bed in the morning and when I retire for the night, I treasure this delicate quilt which involved so many hours of precise work. THANKS, Mom!

even though...

...I'm overwhelmed and don't know what the future holds:

"yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places."
Habakkuk 3:18-19

And this is the verse I think of every day, over and over again:

"I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Job 42:2

Significant Dates

Here's my schedule for the next few months:

Monday, July 2: Start my job
Monday - Wednesday, July 2-4: Move
Friday, July 13: CPA Exam - Auditing and Attestation (4.5 hours)
Monday, July 23: CPA Exam - Business Environment Concepts (2.5 hours)
Monday, July 30: CPA Exam - Regulation (3 hours)
Monday, August 13: CPA Exam - Financial Accounting and Reporting (4 hours)

I ask for your prayers during this hectic time. Specific requests include that I will have energy throughout moving, working, studying and testing and the ability to focus and think clearly. Also, pray that it will be an easy transition...sometimes little details can be the most frustrating; for example, my current phone/DSL provider doesn't provide service at my new address, which means that I'll have to find a new provider which will mean interrupted service and new email address, etc. Not really that bad, but just one more thing to add to my "to do" list. And sometimes that process can take hours!

Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Moving

Well, the lease has been signed and mailed...it's off to a new city and a new job in a little over a week. I still can't believe how quickly everything fell into place. God has a hand in even the smallest details of life.

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

--Robert Frost

Enjoying the Present

Yesterday a conversation with someone brought these thoughts to my mind: What motivates one to be successful? Why do we make the choices that we do? What is the difference between ambition and discontentment?

Webster's dictionary defines ambition as "an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as wealth or fame, and the willingness to strive for it." A definition of discontent is "a restless craving for what one does not have." A fine line between the two in my opinion. For the last day, I have been processing this over and over in my mind...are my actions motivated by ambition or discontentment? Eight years ago, I set out on a journey in the world of academia, which began by taking one accounting class just to further my knowledge to improve job skills. One semester wasn't enough so I registered for two more classes the next semester, and then I set my sights on getting an associate degree, but then I decided that, no, I wanted more than that...I was going for a bachelor's degree...and then a master's degree...all so that I could become a CPA. Now that I have almost reached that goal, I wonder...what goal will I be setting next? How quickly will I return to school for another degree or just to take classes for fun? Already I am wishing that I could have taken more literature classes in college. Also, I want to know more about music, and art, and history...it's as if I have this insatiable desire to be learning...but at what point, do I step back enjoy the present moment rather than looking for satisfaction in the future. Once I start my job, will I be happy in the everyday routine, being completely focused on my job for the sake of doing my job well, or will I be consumed with the desire for promotion and recognition? What is the difference between amibition and discontentment?

Unfortunately, days go by when I am so concerned about what I need to accomplish in the next weeks or months that I fail to consider the present minute or hour. One of my friends once told me to live in the present...when with someone, be totally in the moment with that person, focusing on the conversation and listening completely. When taking time to relax, relax and stop thinking about everything that needs to be done.

We miss so much by living our lives focused on the next event or milestone, taking the menial tasks and daily conversations for granted. Each moment is precious and should be enjoyed to the fullest. I want to be present in each moment, even when it is doing something as menial as washing the dishes or folding laundry or footing general ledger balances. Each task is a calling and is something to be treasured instead of wishing it away.

May we say as the Apostle Paul did: "For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." Phil. 4:11b ESV May our discontentment (i.e. restless craving) come from our sincere desire to know God more fully and have a better knowledge of His Word. And may our ambition be motivated completely by "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead...press[ing] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:13b-14

Be present. Be content. Be here, right now.

Treasures

One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most,
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.

And I walked earth's highways, grieving,
In my rags and poverty.
Till I heard His voice inviting,
"Lift your empty hands to Me!"

So I held my hands toward heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
Till they could contain no more.

And at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God COULD not pour out His riches
Into hands already full.

--Martha Snell Nicholson

from What is So Rare as a Day in June?...

...
Now is the high tide of the year,
And whatever of life hath ebbed away
Comes flooding back with a ripply cheer
Into every bare inlet and creek and bay;
Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it;
We are happy because God wills it;
No matter how barren the past may have been,
'Tis enough for us to know that the leaves are green;
We sit in the warm shade and feel right well
How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;
We may shut our eyes, but we cannot help knowing
That skies are clear and grass is growing.

--James Russell Lowell

Today is a significant day of memories...one of the happiest days of my life...and one of the saddest, ironically...but I am "happy because God wills it...skies are clear and grass is growing."

Pulling up roots

As the roots of a tree reach deep into the soil as years pass, my roots grow deep in this Valley. My ancestors were some of the first immigrants to settle this gorgeous region I call home. To me, the thought of leaving this area, which has been home to my family for hundreds of years, is like tearing a tree up from its roots. Yes, it is painful to think of moving away from my family, from this land, from this view of the majestic mountains, and from the familiarity that is HOME to me. Moving away nine years ago was initially exciting, due to the happy circumstances which took me away, but when I came back six years ago, I distinctly remember taking a deep breath, looking to the mountains and saying, "I'm home again. I'll never leave."

But my Heavenly Father seems to have other plans...little by little, He's been having me to let go of everything I've dreamed of for my life, possibly because He has a greater plan than I can see. Maybe He wants me to realize that my life is not about my pleasure...it is for His glory. I am just a stranger on this earth... For whatever reason, He is calling me away from what is home to me. And possibly it is just for a season, or perhaps, I'll never live here again. I don't know, but I rest assured that He is in control...He has a plan.

The tears will flow, and my heart will ache for home, but in the end, where is my home? Not here...I have an eternal home waiting for me. One that He has prepared and is waiting until the right time to bring me home to be with Him forever. And while I'm on this earth waiting, I want to be faithful in serving wherever He places me.

And so I take the next step...I do the next thing...and I trust that He will amend the soil, protect the tender roots, and provide the sun and the rain for all of the transplants that He has planned for my future. For if I become root-bound and refuse to be transplanted, how will I ever grow?

little things

Simple pleasures treasured today...a brilliant red geranium bloom nestled among variegated hosta leaves and ivy in a muted yellow pitcher, centered on my coffee table....relaxing strains of piano melodies intertwined with the sounds of seagulls and lapping waves...the soft scent of lavender...the taste of freshly picked basil on vine-ripened tomatoes...emails from loving friends...the soft brown eyes of my adoring dog...aroma of coffee brewing...the exquisite melt of chocolate as I savor a Lindt dark chocolate truffle...brightly-colored petunia blossoms against earthen terra cotta...the miniature pink blossom of "great-grandmother's geranium," a descendant of the plant which she gave to us in that blue refrigerator box on her ninetieth birthday twenty-three years ago...framed pictures of tea cups drawn by little hands...a beautiful card with touching and memorable inscriptions...simple, precious, little things...that make life so lovely...

gluttony...and fitness foods

This evening, Evan, Judith, Eric, Dad, and Mom took me to the Wood Grill Buffet to celebrate. Mom and Dad were out of town until late last night so we couldn't have a party yesterday. The food was good...but buffets provide such a temptation to overindulge on food. At the end of the meal, I was holding Eric, my almost 11-month old nephew, when Evan, his dad, left the table to go get the van. Eric lunged toward Grammy and said his first sentence, "I need da-da." Our mouths dropped open. So far his only words have been da-da, ma-ma, tractor, yuck, and uh-oh. Of course, I think the child is a genius...I mean with genes like his...what else could he be. :)

After dinner, I went to the gym to work out. While I was on the elliptical trainer, I browsed through an issue of Fitness magazine. As I skimmed the article "The 10 Best Foods for Flat Abs," I was really happy to see that I had all 10 items in my pantry, 'fridge, or freezer: almonds, eggs, soy, leafy greens, berries, apples, veggie soup, salmon, yogurt, and this is why I hate exams, I can't remember the tenth item...but I just looked up the article online...and the the tenth item was quinoa. I knew that it was something I had in my pantry! I should have great abs...oh wait, I guess that would mean staying away from the all-you-can-eat buffets...

Explanation

So why did I choose the title "Everything Beautiful" for this site? Here's the explanation...seven years ago, my life fell apart. All of my hopes and dreams and plans for my life began to crumble. A year later, my Heavenly Father began the restoration process in my life and started putting the broken pieces back together but into a very different form than the one that I had been creating...I had been molding my life based on perfectionism and superficial pursuits. I believed that I was self-sufficient and that I could conquer the world on my own. How wrong I was! Unfortunately, it took some pretty tragic events in my life for me to see the error of my ways.

About five years ago, I still did not believe that my life would ever be beautiful again, but a friend of mine quoted Isaiah 61:3 to me: "...grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified." See Isaiah 61 for full context.

I definitely believe that God is making everything beautiful again. I am overwhelmed by His goodness...He deserves all the credit for whatever is good and lovely in my life and for making me who I am today.

S'mores and...Skunks!

Sitting by the coals of a dying fire in Evan and Judith's yard, we enjoyed the gooey sweetness of marshmallows, melted chocolate, and peanut butter, along with the crisp crunch of graham crackers. Thunder crashed in the background and lightening flashed, but the storm was several miles away, and so we chatted. All of the sudden, Evan said, "Look!" I looked up to see a family of skunks out for an evening stroll...or maybe they were having a wake for the one whose life ended abruptly this morning by the will of the farmer. Soon the raindrops started falling fast, and we had to give up watching the skunks as we ran for cover.

Special Day

A few of my cousins, Erica, 13, Lorna, 9, Kelsie, 6, and Corina, 4, and I watched Finding Nemo at the Court Square Theater this morning. Afterward, we enjoyed a picnic lunch of PBJ sandwiches, popcorn, cheese, grapes, and maple oatmeal cookies at the arboretum. It was a lovely day except that Cara, 4, decided to stay home (serious separation anxiety), and Corina got a nasty splinter in her finger at the arboretum. What a brave little girl! She just held her finger and said "it hurts" occasionally. She was as good as an angel the whole day, the only time she talked during the movie was when Bruce, the shark, smelled Dory's blood and started to crave fish. Corina's take on that: "Uh-oh."

The girls kept thanking me for taking them today...I don't think they had any idea how special it was for me to have the privilege of spending my birthday with them.