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