Way too long since I posted.  But I have kept a prayer and dream journal, which includes what I am learning this year, since my word for the year is "learning."

Only in His light do we see light (Psalm 36:9)

Season of Thanks

I love that our nation sets aside one day a year just to be thankful. Since God inhabits the praises of His people, I believe that He draws very near to the USA on Thanksgiving Day.  Since I would love for Him to be near ALL the time I like to thank Him more often than once a year, or once a month, or even once a day.  Here are a few of the items on my Thank You list for God.

 Muffin, Our Godly husband, father, and grandpa.

 Christel, Becky, Joy, and Kathleen, my beautiful gifts from God.

 The Snelsons, a son for whom we prayed and Ruby and Emme, miracles from God.

 The Wilsfords, another son for whom we prayed and Gracie and Jonah, and our wee little punkin on the way, more miracle gifts from God.

 The Varrones, yet another son for whom we prayed and Baby Sebastian who is 3 months old today, although already a lifetime in our hearts.

 Kathleen, our darling Baby, with her Daddy.

 The Nannie, my Mom.

Nana, Muffin's Mom.

Running behind and playing Catch Up

I'm running behind on blogging and several other activities. Playing catch up with photos. 

 At the end of September and first of October the monarchs arrived in town. They were like lovely orange and black snowflakes in my alley. 

 End of September, Muffin surprised me with a new car. He brought it to me between rehearsals for a concert. That sneaky boy! 

 October 8 we drove in our new car to Galveston, stayed in a lovely B&B, the Coppersmith Inn, and sailed away on October 9 to the Caribbean on the Conquest.

 A kiss from God. Beautiful moon rise within the sunset over the ocean.

 We had the best cabin stewards ever! 

 Muffin looking rested with the Jamaican blue mountains as backdrop.   We both got massages that day!

Sailing away from Montego Bay at sunset.

 Seven mile beach, Grand Cayman.

 Mexico! Love the country!

Our catamaran to Passion Island

 Another kiss from God: coral washed into Muffin's hand as he left the water, headed to the sand at the island.

Passion Island was wonderful, even in the rain. 

 Stormy sea as we departed Cozumel.

Amazing food!  Our head waiter was Spitz from India. When he learned that we sponsored a child in India he brought additional food to us, three dinners in a row.  It was delicious Indian food, specially prepared for Carnival guests. Of course we had already ordered our meals each of these nights so we actually ate two meals.  Feeling Fat!

Couldn't wait to catch up with the grands when we checked our email messages.  Later this month we began to get these entertaining photos of Sebastian.  

  How many two month olds have a mustache?

He's awesome!  

 All of these smiling kids just attended the Abilene Philharmonic student concerts. Those four concerts, plus five rehearsals and another classical concert wrapped up last week and the weekend.  I'm tired! 

As you can see in this photo of Mr. Coat, otherwise know as Sebastian, our first cold spell arrived.  Sebastian saw his first snow and we had temperatures in the 30's with rain!  

Just need to write

Lots of thoughts inside my gray haired head today.

• Sebastian is 7 weeks old. He has grown so much and looks cuddlier than ever.  I miss him.
• Muffin is on the upside of recovery from a huge infection in his face from a tooth that cracked when he snapped his jaws, falling on the ice in February. First treated for sinus infection, then a root canal, then several days of antibiotics and reactive to the meds.  Finally feeling better.
• CB & JB are moving from Hill Country to DFW today.  After 13 years in the HC this is a big change for Emme, Ruby, et. al.  I have Maggie and Mo, the border collies, and they finally seem content with me after escaping and being on the lam in the neighborhood for 6 hours the first week we had them.  Scary for us all! God was so good to have a neighbor see them and call us, and CB felt strongly that she should have new tags made for them with our numbers.  

• Nannie had some major problems with a spot on her arm that included pain, stitches, meds, etc. And her pain meds for her back have been increased for greater comfort. 

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• Joy's brother in law, Kevin, was hospitalized with pancreatitis and is scheduled for a whipple procedure in 17 days. Praying this is totally benign and unnecessary for him.  He's so young!
• In my studio one of the Dad's is also hospitalized with pancreatitis, is in ICU, but will not have surgery. Another family lost one grandfather three weeks ago and their last grandparent, a very dear grandmother, last week.  Muffin and I took them a meal and I went to the service yesterday.  

• Monarch butterflies have arrived and are thick in our neighborhood. I see them flying past the window as I teach violin lessons. They are migrating to Mexico.

• My reunion group sisters are experiencing some tough times and difficulties and my spirit wants to pray for them continuously too
• We got great news yesterday that I'm not allowed to share yet!!!!!
• Our opening concert went very well--beautiful music played well.  I felt much pressure from the inside out and the outside in, but it was spiritual in nature.  Muffin and I had a good time of cleansing and freedom on Sunday. 

• One of my adorably sweet teenage students baked pumpkin bread for me. It is deliciouoso!  (A non official musical term.)
• We have a new car!  It's another silver Camry, very quiet, very comfortable, and very safe--just what we needed. 

Life is interesting. It is guaranteed that we will have troubles and challenges, but learning to allow God's Kingdom to fully come to earth and dominate those is my goal.  The "King's Dominion"--my heart, my life, my studio, my family, my relationships, my thoughts, my dreams, my breath!

Eleven Days

   Eleven days since  Sebastian was born. Nine days spent with him and his parents.  Nine days and nights cooking, cleaning, changing, burping, swaddling, loving, rocking, adoring this sweet family.  I feel like I am producing, acting in, and watching a movie--the most informative documentary, the most dramatic drama, the most exciting adventure, the tenderest comedy, the most beautifully creative animation, the most diverse musical to be filmed since Gracie, Ruby, Emme, and Jonah were born, and before that since Christel, Becky, Joy, and Kathleen were born.

   
Father God is tenderly loving us and rejoicing over us, preparing a secure and appropriately nurturing environment for us just as we do for Sebastian.  He feeds us His Word--both written and living--as we come to Him, hungry for more of Him.  He swaddles us when we are overstimulated and too needy for rest to even know that we need Him.  He prepares a table for us always--Jehovah Jireh. He chuckles when we make new discoveries and include Him in our social contacts.

He watches over us as we sleep and as we are awake.  He goes before us to prepare a place for us.

   
   He send us flowers, visitors, and new gifts just because He is happy that we are His.  And His Father-Mother-Grandparent heart is always saying "I love you. You are awesome. You are the best. You are the most wonderful to ever live. You are beautiful. You are perfect. You are mine. You are worthy of a new song. You are worth watching over day and night. You are worth all the work. You are special. You are the reason I sent my only Son.  It was worth it all."