The Tempest is Raging

This past weekend we went to St. Louis to go to the temple.  The temple is a special opportunity because sometimes answers to prayers come so easily there.  There's things I've been praying about and that I hoped to find answers for there, but nothing this time.  Nevertheless, it was so nice to go to the temple.

On the drive home, Chad started singing some hymn and I joined in and shortly after Liam began his chorus along with us (ya, we're weird like that).  Well, the singing of this one hymn turned into a sort of game.  I'd randomly flip to a hymn (thank you iphone hymn app) and if we knew it, we'd sing it.  We made a great trio and we sure could dramatize some of those songs.  (You should of heard us on the chorus of 'Master, the Tempest is Raging'!)  In fact, 'Master, the Tempest is Raging' was the hymn that really stuck with me then and that has stayed with me these past few days.  Not because of our memorable rendition of it.  It was the second verse.  I'd never paid attention to it.

Master, with anguish of spirit

I bow in my grief today.

The depths of my sad heart are troubled. 

Oh, waken and save, I pray!

Torrents of sin and of anguish

Sweep o'er my sinking soul,

And I perish! I perish! dear Master.

Oh, hasten and take control!

Never before had I been able to relate with the disciples on the storm tossed ship.  I've felt so urgent as did they.  Like them, I wondered why the Lord wasn't responding with more earnestness.  

Sunday, the night the tornado hit Joplin, we were under a tornado watch here.  The sky was brewing with storm clouds.  And the lyrics to the song came to my mind again.  And now, as I watch the after effects of this tornado, the chorus echos in my mind once more.

The winds and the waves shall obey they will:

Peace, be still.

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea

Or demons or men or whatever it be,

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean and earth and skies.

They all shall sweetly obey thy will:

Peace, be still; peace, be still.

They all shall sweetly obey thy will:

Peace, peace, be still.

Now, like those disciples of old, I see that the Lord knows all and has the power to still the storm...in his own timing. 

(Below are pictures I took the night of the storm.)

Flowers | I Heart Faces

I started life with a bias.  My eyes are green.  I always thought it made me unique and for that, I liked the color green.  But the real turning point was in my 6th grade art class.  The art room had green vibrant cupboard doors the color of grass lining one wall of the classroom.  It was then that I first remember admiring the color.  It felt so clean, fresh, and simple.  And from then on green has been my favorite color.

'Tis the season of green right now here in Missouri.  I may miss some things from the west, but one thing Missouri has that the west will never have is the color green.  And I love it!

Oh, and if you haven't guessed it, this week's challenge is "May flowers".  These flowers are from a field behind my house.  

Flashlight

Awhile back (you can see I'm catching up on some pictures) we were home alone while Chad was at Young Men's and the power went out.  Liam was fascinated with the light of the flashlight...and I was fascinated with his fascination.

Anything with wheels...

Anything with wheels fascinates him.  Cars, strollers, scooters, vacuums, dishwasher trays...you name it.  So for 30 minutes or so he was in the zone and I was invisible to him...so I had a captive model to practice my new lens on ;)

Mother's Day

We spent the afternoon out on the farm with my family.  We ate homemade cafe rio...Liam got to play with cousins and practice his stair climbing abilities without hands.

Then we made a little excursion in the farm truck to check out the corn my dad planted.  (This dog is usually in front of the truck...I'm still amazed he hasn't gotten himself run over).

Cody drove this and the farm truck...with us in it.  He did pretty good :) Especially for someone who strains to see over the steering wheel.

And Liam got a tractor ride from grandpa.

And I guess this is the part (even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the pictures) where I say how much I love my mom.  I appreciate my mom a lot more now that I am a mother.  I wish I were more like her.  Growing up, I was embarrassed about how messy our house would get and I made a lot of foolish promises to myself about how I'd do this and that different when I was a wife and mother.  But now I see that maybe things weren't always the cleanest, but there sure was a lot of love and fun in our home.  Most of that was because of my mom.  And now I ask myself, 'how did my mom do this?...how did my mom do this with eight kids?!?'  I still don't have all the answers, but I'm thankful for her love and I'm thankful for her example.  

Yard work

Nothing particularly special about this post...just everyday kind of stuff and the light was so beautiful and hazy, so of coarse I had to pull out my camera...that and I'm still trying to master a new lens I got called a lensbaby composer.  (oh, and the beautiful flowers...not ours.  I wish.  They're in our neighbor's side yard.  Aren't they gorgeous!  We can only claim the little lettuce buds.)

Silver Dollar City

First time as a family at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.