Still Waters

I have been struck afresh at how fascinating it is that a dog can love us.  Our puppy's abject devotion is so freely given--where does she get it?  She is a creation of God and thus is part of the Kingdom of Love, designed to both give and receive love.  When we love her back in the ways she needs it--food, affection, recognition, praise, play and interaction--her happiness and contentment knows no bounds.  Her angst and tension disappear and with her cup full, she's off to chew a bone, take a nap, whatever.
It's an amazing thought to follow through.  How different are we?  Not at all.  We were designed by Love to be loved and give love, which gives both us and others the wholeness we need.  Giving love, in all its forms and manifestations, really, is our fundamental purpose in life.  We give a smile, an encouraging word, we meet a need, listen (truly listen!), or share a gift and so are giving a piece of the daily wholeness someone else needs.  Isn't this what our wond…

Well, our first snow appeared last night, just in time for some holiday fun.  SweetPea had a ball sledding with friends and came home bubbling with the excitement of wet and fun and hot chocolate.  It was hilarious to watch the puppy explore the new white world outside--gingerly stepping one paw at a time in the fluff, then suddenly tearing around the whole yard in circles as fast as she could, panting, pausing to eat it or roll in it, then off again.  We forget that so many experiences are 'firsts' for her.
We had such a great day yesterday...had a walk with Hubby in the crisp, storm-coming air, then the three of us spent hours in front of the fireplace wrapping Christmas presents and watching The Sound of Music.  Holidays are often so busy that it was wonderful to just be together and savor the moments.
And I'm praising the Lord for sending my laptop back to me fixed and in perfect running order!  Wow, I feel like I have my wings back.
It's been a beautiful long weekend…

Well, I've been fussing with my blog and experimenting with the HTML stuff--certainly a learning experience!  It's still not the way I want it but an improvement I think.  For my regular readers, bear with me...it might go through a few more morphs before I'm done!

Well, it's been too long since I posted but honestly, I do have some great excuses!  Start with a dragged-out cold, add an unusual number of outside activities, throw in some early panic that Christmas is closer than you think, and for a grand finale, pour a mug of hot tea all over your open, running laptop and voila!--there you have a recipe for Neglect the Blog.  (Really, I didn't pour the tea on purpose, you know--I tripped and the tea did the rest.  )  Anyway, said computer is on it's way to a hospital in Texas where I hope they will be able to doctor it up and send it home well.  (Oh, Lord, please!)

In the midst of our jam-packed schedule, we have been able to stay steadily at school, SweetPea and I, albeit not as thoroughly as I would wish.  I was getting frustrated at the big bite Saxon math was taking out of our day, sometimes as much as two hours, so I made the executive decision to limit math to one hour a day during our busy times--just work at whatever and not …