family

for the past few weeks i've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a family. how we are one big, beautiful mess tied together, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part. how god gives us each other to love, and to grow. how we bear each other up in times of weakness.

family is the second best gift god gives us, besides himself. we play out a parable of his love in our love for one another: father and mother to child, husband and wife, sister and brother--each role uniquely reflecting a different aspect of god's own love for us. each family member shapes who we are. when we use that shaping power for ill, it's heartbreaking. when we use that power for good, it's a beautiful sight to behold.

i love my family. so i thought i'd introduce them to you, and honor each of them for the unique role they play in the story of my life. in the upcoming months, i hope to post a series of brief portraits of my family. and whom better to begin with than my mom? let's start at the beginning...a very good place to start... :o)

barbara is shy but spirited. stubborn even. (i come by it naturally on both sides. heehee!) aside from my life itself, i owe to her my great love of words and books and reading, inherited from her. she read to me incessantly from the time i was born, feeding my imagination. thanks, mom! and by the way, do NOT challenge this woman to a game of scrabble unless you're up for a battle royale! she may look innocent enough, but don't be fooled....

her life has never been easy, but god has used it to grow faith in her. she is a faithful prayer warrior. one of my most vivid memories of mom is her waking up every morning before the crack of dawn (WOW!) to quietly begin her day reading god's word and praying on the back porch. sometimes i'd tiptoe to the doorway to secretly watch her, listening to her speaking aloud with god on our behalf.

she has mad skills in the kitchen, and always made sure that we had healthy food and time set aside to have family meals together. my love for cooking and baking is another legacy from mom. i must call her at least once a month to ask her how to make something. and she always patiently explains.

when she was young, she looked a heck of a lot like elizabeth taylor. (though she's definitely aged more gracefully than elizabeth taylor, if you ask me.) ...creamy pale skin, dark hair, hazel green eyes, and perfectly heart-shaped lips. she's quite the beauty!

but what is really beautiful is how she lays down her life for others, in a way that i only hope and pray that someday god will teach me to do. she has brought me up to love god and follow paths of righteousness, and for that i am eternally grateful.

i love you, mom.

uncle rodger

josh got a call late last night, the kind of weeknight, late-night call where you think, "oh no, this can't be good."

this post is in loving memory of our uncle rodger, who died in his atlanta apartment and was found last night.

as a family, we had been gearing up to celebrate diane's (mama d's) one year anniversary of surviving her accident. rodger is her baby brother. it seems he died one year to the day after her accident. the lord gives, and the lord takes away....

rodger bruce jennings was a wickedly funny, sweet, sensitive man. the memory with him that keeps coming to mind is from christmas 2006. i was cooking for about 20 family & friends at josh's house. from the moment uncle rodger arrived, he began asking how he could help. as i worked, he cleaned up behind me. and when he noticed that i was exhausted from mashing (10 lbs.!) of potatoes, he insisted that he take over--all the while cheerfully humming. :o)

one year ago, after mama d's accident, at the hospital, i remember rodger going in with us to see her for the first time in the I.C.U. he kept leaning over and kissing her hand, telling her, "i love you, di."

we will miss you, rodger.

will you please pray for our family as we grieve? pray especially for chad and amber, rodger's two teenage children, who still weren't able to be reached when last i heard late last night....and for diane, who is having a much harder, even than expected, one year anniversary. thank you!

when the spirit moves...

we pray. and that's just what we've been doing for our brother & sister in christ, nathan and tricia lawrenson, and their wee preemie, gwyneth rose. tricia has cystic fibrosis and was preparing for a lung transplant when they found out that they were pregnant and needed to deliver their baby at only 25 weeks. both tricia and gwyneth are now fighting for their lives at duke hospital. god has been so STRONG in the midst of this family's weakness! hundreds if not thousands of people are praying for them as the spirit moves. you can read the story of their incredible faith journey on nathan's blog:

www.cfhusband.blogspot.com

it's a joy to read. will you please join us in praying for a miracle for nathan, tricia, and wee gwyneth? cheers!

the first shall be last

...and so it is in the world of blogs. someday, lord willing, there will be many posts preceeding this one. for now, here are a few favorite photos of the events which inspired the creation of this blog. i'll begin with honeymoon photos, until i can figure out how to link the wedding ones. the last shall be first!

sit back, relax, have a cup of barry's tea and some biccies, and enjoy some photos of the most beautiful place on earth...in my not-so-humble opinion.

(pssst...please bear with me, i'm new at this whole blogging thing.)

josh & em's first morning as husband & wifey

"we are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams...." -arthur o'shaughnessy

hiking to port, county donegal

"how wondrous are your thoughts, o lord!"


yummy lunch at avoca cafe

the lovebirds kissyfacing--hey, it was our honeymoon!