More than a glimpse

Show Me Your Glory

I caught a glimpse of Your splendor
In the corner of my eye
The most beautiful thing I've ever seen
And it was like a flash of lightning
Reflected off the sky
And I know I'll never be the same

Show me Your glory
Send down Your presence
I want to see Your face
Show me Your glory
Majesty shines about You
I can't go on without You, Lord

When I climb down the mountain
And get back to my life
I won't settle for ordinary things
I'm gonna follow You forever
And for all of my days
I won't rest 'til I see You again

Show me Your glory
Show me Your glory
I can't live without You

~ Third Day ~

This is the song that actually inspired my blog name (back then it was 'ours') and seemed to constantly come to mind then. I remember singing these words as I reflected on the joy of being a Nana and having the privilege to share in loving and nurturing God's most precious creation! At the same time I realized how immeasurably more that joy will be when we stand in His presence and behold His majesty! There will be no mortal words to describe it!!

This song once again plays over in my mind since Dad left us. I know he prayed in earnest to meet his redeemer, longing to be absent from his body and free from pain. I imagine now, as my mind relentlessly plays back the images of those last moments - him gasping at the sight of Jesus holding out His hand and saying, "Come to me, my son...I'm taking all your burdens now - don't be afraid!

I don't know when my heart will stop aching, but I'm thankful Dad is experiencing more than just a glimpse...he's beholding unfathomable glory!

Little angels, "Big Grandpa"

It's very late (actually it's early tomorrow) and I should be in bed, but I'm not able to settle my thoughts in order to allow sleep to come...so I'll just try to put down some words.

I had wanted to talk about our little angels since we recently learned that our littlest unborn grandchild needed to go meet Jesus and play with his/her cousins. I just didn't know how to put my thoughts into words (and still don't) and so I put it off. What I do know is it's heartbreaking to watch your children go through such pain...and you pray more than ever for God to bring comfort. My niece commented, "Heaven seems a little closer when a child goes home early". How true.

What I didn't know then was that today would be the day that my Dad would finally be able to meet those little angels. Although we all knew it could be soon, I wasn't quite prepared for this day. I had hoped we'd have time to gather around him as his children, to tell him one last time how much we loved him. I am thankful that I was here and could be with him as he was drawing his last breaths, but it was so painful knowing I couldn't do any more for him. As I desperately tried to help him and get a response from him, I also knew that this was the day he was waiting for. He so longed to be out of the body that was causing him so much pain. He prayed for Jesus to take him home. Now he's there, and it's somehow a comfort knowing our little ones were there to welcome him, unafraid. I say that because our oldest grandchild was sometimes a little afraid of "Big Grandpa". He looked a little 'worn' and wasn't able to get up and play as his other grandpa could...but he would have given anything to be able to, and he so loved the little ones!

I'll just leave you with one of the very few more recent pictures I have of my dad. You can't see them here because they're full of pain, but he had the most striking baby blue eyes!!

Love you and miss you so much already, Dad!! Thanks for taking care of our little angels.

something has to give

I think there may be a few of you who might relate a little with this post. I came home from grocery shopping the other day only to find that there was no room in my fridge. Oh I managed to get a jug of milk in but soon realized I needed to do some serious cleaning before I could even put away my groceries.

Here's what didn't make the cut:
~ left-over donut glaze (couldn't remember when I last made donuts)
~ 1/2 jar of salsa (ever throw something out just because you didn't want to taste and make sure?)
~ a mushy pepper
~ out-dated yogurt (let's just say I've switched loyalties in yogurt)
~ a sandwich bag with a variety of stale cubed cheese (left-overs from a Christmas party)
~ shriveled cranberries (I meant to make one more yummy recipe with these)
~ 3 overly soft apples
~ 1/2 lemon (it was the wrong colour for a lemon)

Wait! There's more...these next items weren't bad at all...just couldn't see a reason to let them take up space anymore:
~ coleslaw dressing (purchased for those rare occasions when I make coleslaw - from now on I'll make my own)
~ raspberry vinaigrette (another item bought for trying a new recipe - poor reviews)
~ 2 opened bottles of Worcestershire sauce (I tried to combine them, but this particular lid is not combiner-friendly)
~ almost empty bottle of Olive Oil Sundried Tomato dressing (yummy, but not enough for one more salad)
~ empty ketchup bottle (but it was a nice size)
~ a beautiful jar of jalapeno jelly (I discovered purchased doesn't hold a candle to homemade)
~ 4 varieties of mustard (the family really didn't take well to these)

So, now I'm ahead of my chores for today - have a nice clean fridge with no surprises (for now!)

Oh, and the jalapeno jelly - the flavour was ok, but it was thick as paste. A good jelly's gotta melt in your mouth - shouldn't have to chew it! Do you understand now? The jar was really cute though (it didn't go into recycling) and you gotta give it points for colour!



The recycling boys are gonna love me this week!

All things good

This post is a little late in coming since we had guests and blogging

wasn't a priority....you understand I'm sure.

Hard to believe Christmas is now past and other than having eaten

way too much good food, we're trying to get back into a routine....
like going to bed at a decent hour again :)
Our house guests have all come and gone... everyone arrived back
to their homes safe and sound. Thank you Lord for journey mercies!!

We tried something new this year... the kids stayed overnight Christmas Eve
(we found room for everyone), and so far the reviews are good!
The babies went down without complaint while the "bigger boys"
decided to make the fun last until well into Christmas morning.

It was fun waking to the sound of happy little ones and
watching them wander around in their pj's, excited to be
at Nana & Papa's still,
surrounded by aunties and uncles, getting their fill of all things good.

Christmas morning brunch was definitely a hit, although
the wonderful smells made it difficult for some of us to wait
until all the goodness was ready!
Liane surprised us with her bruschetta

(here's the recipe)...
and, I almost didn't serve the cranberry scones I made since
they took longer to bake than I realized...but oh my
they were worth waiting for! I'll share that recipe soon.

We enjoyed the various gatherings and visits from out-of-town
friends and family members...played a few new games,
and discovered that watching men do hula hoops is very therapeutic!

Seriously, it was good to see some faces we rarely get to see,
to meet the newest and cutest little grand niece,
and to witness the work of God's hand in people's lives.

Thank you God for blessings more than we deserve, and for allowing
us to see just a glimpse of your handiwork and answers to
the littlest and greatest of prayers :) Thank you for hope!

Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed 2009!!