December 31, 2005: Looking back - and forward

A new year shall soon begin!

At the end of each year, Merisha and I have a tradition of looking back over the past year, seeing that it was rather uneventful and saying to each other "Well, I wonder what this year will hold?" The coming year remains much the same as the last and we repeat the saga again and again.
This year, though, has been eventful. From January to December, there have been many changes. I shan't bore you with them all...most of you are already familiar with my year and are by now bored of hearing it all :)

I have had new challenges and struggles that come with new circumstances but it is with gratefulness I say that through my weakness, I can see God's manifold and great mercy at work. His strength is made perfect in my weakness and I take heart in the promise that He who began a good work in me will carry that work on to completion until the day of Christ.

The love and grace of God never cease to amaze me. Though as I look back over the year and see the many times that I have failed Him, I am able to breathe a prayer of thanksgiving because I know that He continues to forgive and sanctify me.
Psalm 103 has always amazed me. When I reach verses 8-13, I always stop and marvel at it, trying to grasp the full implications. I can't fathom this kind of unconditional love:

"8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him."

Looking back, I remember many good times. Some of the highlights have been the visits with family, sweet fellowship with old friends, moving to Katy, joining our new church and making new friends here.

At the beginning of the year I began memorizing 1 Peter and there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I've just finished the first couple of verses of chapter four. It has been a wonderful experience, and I have been challenged and convicted by studying this incredible book.
In light of the fact that we are spending so much time interacting with people as waitresses at the tea room, Mom and I have adopted 1 Peter 4:11 as our goal: Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Happy New Year!

~Robin <><

Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas eve, though we are celebrating it as Christmas day. As I sit here typing, I hear Tiffany practicing carols for church tomorrow, smell bacon frying and sticky buns baking, and see a huge amount of gifts piled not only under the tree, but also on the counter, behind the sofa and on the piano. With fifteen of us, you can imagine that there are a lot of gifts to exchange on this day.

Unlike most households, the children do not wake up and run down the stairs to tear open gift after gift. It is 10 o'clock and the gifts remain relatively untouched.
There is a simple reason for this. Though they are a welcome addition to the day, Christmas isn't about the gifts.
First we have a huge Christmas breakfast, which every female in the house has been contributing to while singing carol after carol.
After this, we will all sit around and listen to Mr. McDonald read Luke's account of the birth of the Savior.
Finally, we will each open our gifts.
Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, we are also having Christmas with the with the extended family today. This evening we will be going to Mrs. McDonald's parents' house and celebrating with them.

THEN tomorrow, of course, we will go to church. After church, instead of having our fellowship meal at the church building as we usually do, the whole church is going to the home of one family to have Christmas dinner.

So, in short, we have a very busy couple of days ahead of us. On top of all of this, I am trying to overcome sickness. Usually the only way for me to get better is to spend 2 days or so doing absolutely nothing. Doesn't sound like an option this time! Oh well, I'll just play it as safe as I can.

I shall let you go now...I anticipate having lots of pictures to share in a few days.
Everyone have a wonderful Christmas!

~Robin <><

Thanksmas 2005

Our Thanksmas (Thanksgiving/Christmas combination) celebration this year was held at my Grandparents house in McComb, MS. Here are a few highlights.

Our Thanksmas tree. One of the best parts of Thanksmas...FUDGE!! Emmy enjoying a bit.

Us Girlies...Emily, Merisha, Robin and Jane. These are all of the girls in our generation except one.

Grandpa and Me

A grandkid's tradition in our family: 5,000 games of clue!

Random Pictures 2

Posting pictures is much less time consuming than posting real posts. Since I am short on both time and inspiration, this works for now.
Hopefully soon I'll be able to go back to writing real posts again.

Until then:

Merisha and her new harp. Yeah, I know this picture needs to be rotated, but you know!
Oh well...


Grace and Larry :)
William is loving Christmastime! This will be his first Christmas!

Mom with Emma and Grace on Merisha's birthday

Random Pictures

More pictures!!

The sunset on the way home from Thanksgiving. Ahh! I love sunsets almost as much as I love sunrises!

Me in my new winter garb.Abby and Me modeling our new hats.

Second Peter, the adorable of son of Peter Allison, one of the elders in our church.
Sometimes after church, the young people will gather for a Psalm singing. At the time of this picture, Mr. Allison was joining us (far right)

Mom's Birthday Pictures

The long awaited pictures! It has taken me forever, I know...but hey...better late than never!

Getting ready to cut the cake...



Emma (3) awaiting her piece.

A very rare occurance: Mom saying "Too much chocolate!"



Too much excitement for at least one member of the family.

The Completion of Merisha's Ninteenth Year

Today is the ninteenth birthday of my sister, Merisha.
To celebrate, she has started her own blog! The address is everinjoyfulsong.blogspot.com.
Isn't that lovely? She just posted her first post.
I will let you read her blog to inform you as to the special gift she received from my mother and me this birthday.

Anyway, today has been an interesting one. It ended with a bang when Merisha's birthday cake totally flopped. It looked awful and tasted even worse.
In retrospect, it was actually quite funny. Most of us were in the living room when Jessica came in offering cake. I was curious to see the different reactions of the family, so I observed from my comfy spot on the sofa. Everyone tried to be gracious, but James' reaction was quite humerous.
He took one bite, tried to keep a straight face then stood up and carried his plate into the kitchen. Now, I don't claim to be the brightest person on the planet, but I'm not that stupid. He ate another bite or two then dumped it in the trash.
Christa's reaction wasn't much different. Jessica came up with some strange description of it, which I have blocked out. The little kids licked the frosting off, but left the cake.

After all of this, what else was there to do but dump the thing in the trash? Nothing! So that is exactly what I did.
Several minutes later, Merisha goes in to get a piece of cake. Uh-oh. I had forgotten to give someone a piece. "Um, oops...you didn't get any yet?". "No, I was too full after dinner" came the reply. "Oh. Well, um, I sorta ditched it. It was gross, didn't you see it? Look, I'll make you another one tomorrow, okay?"
Merisha didn't care (and believe me, if she had tasted the thing she would have been on her knees thanking me), and was satisfied by my promise to try again tomorrow.
Everyone else gave me a horrible time about throwing it away, though. Ah well, such is life!

So at the end of this fiasco of a day, I had two choices: Cry or Laugh. I chose the latter.
The way I see it, Merisha is the best sister I could ever ask for. She is always ready to serve and sacrifice, strong in her convictions, kind, loving, and continuously striving towards Christ-likeness. With that kind of sister, how could any day be a flop?
So Merisha, I hope you enjoyed your birthday, despite your sister.
I pray God's blessing for you today and always. I wonder what this next year will hold? ;)
Ti volio bene!

~Robin <><

A Wonderful Day of Thanks!

Since it is Thanksgiving, I decided to post the 5 things that I am most thankful for and some Psalms on giving thanks.

Of course, the first on my list must be the unfathomable grace that God has extended to me. I am eternally grateful to Him for calling me out of darkness and redeeming my soul. If this were the only thing that He ever blessed me with, I would be complete and have no justification to ask for anything more. In His sovereignty, though, He has bestowed me with other wonderful gifts.

Second to my salvation, my family is the greatest blessing in my life.
My mother and sister are two of the most godly women that I know, and I am blessed every day to live in unity with them. Through the hardest of life's trials we have been brought closer, and through the fire we have together been refined.
My extended family are also very dear to me. There is a very special bond in our extended family that I have observed is absent in many others that I know. Though we vary widely on beliefs, lifestyles and ideas, there is something that holds us all together. Of course, that thing that holds us together is our shared love for Christ. Praise to God that we are unified in our faith in Him!
Commenting on my family would not be complete without mentioning my spiritual family: The church universal, as well as the new congregation that we are fellowshipping with.
From Berean, to the Home Chruch With No Name :), to Family Reformation Fellowship, I am always astounded by the love and grace of God shining through in the lives of His children.

My "new family" would have to come in next. Though they fall into the Spiritual Family category of the last paragraph, I think they deserve a number all of their own.
The McDonald family took us in when we were strangers, and with joy met all of our needs. Though times have not been perfect, and we have all seen each other at something approaching our worst's, their love has been unwavering and their commitment to our family solid.
From the sweet fellowship with the girls, to hearing Mr. McDonald say "Rejoice! The body of Christ!" as he offered me the sacrament of communion on Sunday, my soul blessed by this dear family.
May we continue steadfastly in our love for one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. (1 John 4:7)

Another thing for which I am grateful is that God saw fit for me to be born an American! I was thinking the other day about what it must be like to be born royalty. I can't imagine that being normal. Then I got to thinking....from what I understand, most foreign people can't imagine being born an American. They can't imagine what it is like to live in a place where there is freedom of speech, press and state imposed religion. It is definitely a blessing to live in this nation. It has it's faults, granted...many of them grave. But I can't think of a place I'd rather be on earth.
Though I hope to see more of the world, I think America will always be where my earthly allegiance rests!

Lastly (for this list, anyway) are the physical blessings that God has given me. Through my life, God has always provided food, clothing and shelter in abundance (i.e. more than one outfit of clothing, mere crusts of bread and a shack).
With thanks, I echo David in Psalm 37:25: "I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread."
Though we have had seasons of both affluence and poverty, God has always been our provider and has not abandoned us in time of need.

So, there you have my top five. It's actually more than five, now that I think about it because of all of the sub-categories. Oh well! There is no way I could narrow it down any more than what I already have.

Now for the scriptures:

Ps 7:17 - I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Ps 9:1 - I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.
Ps 18:49 - Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, And I will sing praises to Your name.
Ps 30:4 - Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.
Ps 33:2 - Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Ps 57:9 - I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.
Ps 92:1 - It is good to give thanks to the LORD And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
Ps 97:12 - Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.
Ps 105:1 - Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Ps 106:1 - Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Ps 106:47 - Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name And glory in Your praise.
Ps 107:1 -Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Ps 107:8 -Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!

Amen and Amen!

Yes, this has turned out to be a very long post...but what else could I do? Watch Moulin Rouge with the other cousins? I don't think so...

~Robin <><

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it's really not Thanksgiving yet, but it will be in 30 minutes. Close enough!

Tonight I arrived in Mississippi after a ten hour trip, which was supposed to be six hours. The traffic was awful.
Anyway, it has been wonderful getting re-acquainted with my darling cousins and eating fudge. I've taken lots of pictures and I'm not slowing down (much to Emily's dismay)! I know I keep promising to post pictures...BUT...I bought CD's yesterday to load the pictures onto, so I'm one step closer! Hopefully I'll get someone to show me how to post these pictures up so you can all see my wonderful family.

Tomorrow is "Thanks-mass"and we are are very excited! Thanksgiving dinner, plus Christmas gifts. How lovely!

Well, I must go now...I'm abandoning Chelsea and Emily. An awful thing to do, considering we see each other only once a year! Oh well, they're having quite the time talking about movie clips.
Hello to my Texas family...I miss you guys!

~Robin <><

Come Cool Weather, Come!

Yesterday afternoon a lovely cool front came through. It was very exciting. We all took a break from dishes and went out to feel the wind as it blew in.

I was so excited, in fact, that after we got back from the mall I put on my new black velvet skirt, my new warm fuzzy hat and my new soft scarf and sat on the back porch (Mrs. McDonald said that it was too late to go on a walk). There's something charming about being all bundled up in new stuff...especially when it was all 50% off :)...and feeling the chill in the air.
I sat alone for a few minutes until Jessica came and joined me. We spent some time visiting before we were beckoned inside.

Ahh! The feeling of cold is exhilarating! I feel so sorry for James...he is sick of the cold already and it isn't even December yet. Then again, I fear no death of my precious trees by the cold.

~Robin
<><

Random Facts About Me

I've been tagged. Yes, that is right, that random fact thread has made its way to me. For a moment I thought "This will be really boring...I don't think I even HAVE 5 random facts", then I remembered James saying that I might post it and tagging me. What could I do but agree?

Rules of the game: Post 5 Weird and Random facts about yourself, then at the end, list the names of 5 people who are next in line to do this. Also leave a post on their Xanga to let these people know:

1. I don't like history, but my favorite hobby is historical re-enacting
2. I flee fiction books like the plague
3. I make up pet names for people (for example, I call Merisha "Varishka"(va-REESH-ka with a rolled "R")
4. I think that both food and sleep are overrated
5. I don't like tea or tea parties, but I work at a Tea Room and love it.

To quote James (I couldn't say it better myself, and I find myself in the same boat, with only a few variations):
"Ok..now I'm supposed to 'tag' 5 people to carry on this...um...lovely tradition. Do I know 5 other people? Most of them wouldn't even do it. Tiffiany might do it, so might Jessica. Christa probably wouldn't. Caleb might...but I'll do them all anyway.
McDonald's, consider yourself tagged!
Caleb, Jessica, Tiffiany and Christa. I also tag Shelby (since I need 5).

~Robin <><

The First Texas Gig

Tonight we played for King Solomons Royal Tea Tasting here at the tea room. It was the first time that I Merisha and I have played together since arriving here. It was nice to have a chance to play again...I wondered if my fingers would remember the notes there for a minute!
Unfortunately, only two people showed up for the tea tasting. What a bummer. It was supposed to be a "date night" sort of thing. Though we couldn't very well call it "King Solomon's Date Night" for OBVIOUS reasons, I guess women were having a hard time getting their men to go to a tea room. Figures. Maybe next week will be better...we'll have to do some advertising for it.
It was suggested that perhaps our playing might be to blame for the lack of business. How nice.
It was still fun, though, for all that I played for three hours to practically no one. Good practice, I suppose.

Ciao!

~Robin <><

Good Intentions

I had the best of intentions to post a lovely post on my mother's birthday complete with pictures and whole lot. In fact, I still have that good intention, but I find that it takes much longer to write a post with pictures.
For starters, I have to load the pictures onto the computer. This is a feat in itself. I have no computer of my own at this moment, so I have to go buy discs from Best Buy to load the pictures on to before I can do anyting else on the matter.
After this, I must select which pictures to post. How many should one post? Two, three...them all? That is probably what I'll end up doing. If there is any doubt, post them all :)
When these two are accomplished, then I must do the actual posting and captioning.

Only time will tell when I will have this kind of time on my hands (especially when Saks fifth Ave and Koles are having such wonderful sales!).

~Robin <><

Reformation Day

Have any of you ever been to a Reformation Day party? Do you even know what Reformation Day is?
Well, I have known October 31st as Halloween for the past 17 years, but this year I was introduced to Reformation Day.
Of course, I knew that it was on October 31st that Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis to the church door, but I never knew that anyone celebrated it as a holiday.

Complete with a historically accurate meal, historical dress (which we finished up on the way to the party!), dancing, skits, first person interpretation, it was celebrated as much like a holiday as any one I've ever been a part of.
From sitting behind the stage yelling out lines to Jessica when she forgot them, to trying to get everyone to dance on beat ("Can't anyone here count to eight!?!"), it was a blast!

My sister made me a beautiful black velvet dress with an empire waist. I shall have to post pictures of it one day so you can see it. Tiffany made herself and Jessica dresses for the event as well, both of which turned out very nicely.
Mr. McDonald was portraying Martin Luther so he and Caleb got new capes out of the deal.
When it was all said and done, all of us were in historic dress except James VI (though he did carry around Merisha's sword for a while, just for effect).

Well, as always, there is much to do, but I will post very soon (hopefully!)

~Robin <><

Birthdays!

In honor of the 21st birthday of Christa and the 15th birthday of Jessica, I write you the following post.

To my new found sisters: Two of the most woderful, godly young ladies I know.
I pray that God will bless you in this next year and that we will celebrate many more birthdays together!

Happy birthday to you both, my friends. I love you!
~Robin <><

Howdy Y'all!

Fear not, dear friends I didn't turn into salt as I left New Orleans. Of course, I didn't look back (just in case), nor have I acquired a Texas drawl.
The reason that you haven't heard from me is because I have been SOOOO busy.

Since I got here in a nutshell:
Mr McDonald, James VI, Mr. Hildebrandt, and one of the Allison sons came down and packed us up into trailers and moved us here. On the way, we had a blow out. Of course, I (who have been driving since July) was the one driving at the time. Typical, isn't it?
We were traveling with walkie talkies, so we called Mr. McDonald and James to come back and help us. It was a trip, and we didn't get home until 11:30 (and had a very late dinner).

Just a few days after we got here, the family who was running the tea room resigned. We now are at the tea room sometimes until in the wee hours of the morning getting prepared because there is just so much to do. It's getting better as we are learning the systems better etc., and we are still so grateful to be here.
The McDonald family is full of very wonderful and very distinct people and personalities. Here is my take on the oldest 5:
James VI - well, I really don't know him personally at all, but he does a great job on the magazine! :)
Christa is sweet and quiet. She's sensitive, and very loving
Tiffany is JUST like me (yeah, I know you're terrified now) but we get along great
Melissa is quiet and loves to be at home caring for the children and house
Jessica is a TRIP! Quite the Drama Queen. She's always smiling and spreading good cheer!
The younger ones are too young to really have much differentiation.

Anyway, this hasn't turned out how we expected (because of the resignation etc) but we're still thrilled to be here and settling in to our new home.

Later,
~Robin <><

PS The Astro's won and are going to some kind of big baseball thing. Everyone's thrilled. Go figure.

"Remember Lot's Wife"

Well, today is the day! The men will be here this evening to load up our stuff, and tomorrow we will head across to Texas.

As we draw so near to the day when we will be gone from New Orleans, I have really worked up an understanding for Lot's Wife. Here I am living in a city that is well known across the country for it's wickedness and perversion, but yet, there is something about it that I know will want to make me look back as we leave.

I always wondered "Why in the world did she look back? That place was so evil!"
The Bible doesn't tell us why she looked back, but if it's anything like my attachment to New Orleans, she looked back because it was home. Because the city was captivating and interesting. Because she had friends there that she was leaving behind. They were wicked, no doubt, but a certain portion of her life was spent in this place with these people.

Of course, an angel didn't come to my house and tell me to leave New Orleans and never look back, and I'll not pretend to think that it's as bad as Sodom (though some would disagree with me), but I've always known that whenever we got out of this place, it would be a deliverance.

So, we are being delivered tomorrow :)
I wonder what the next year will hold?

~Robin <><

What does the Bible have to say about us?

Matt 5:13
I am the salt of the earth
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

Matt 5:14
I am the light of the earth
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

John 1:12
I am God's child
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

John 15:1,5
I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15:16
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

1 Cor 3:16
I am God's temple
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

1 Cor 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

2 Cor 5:17,18
I am a minister of reconciliation for God
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Eph 1:1
I am a saint
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus

Eph 2:6
I have been raised up and I am seated with Christ
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

Eph 2:10
I am God's workmanship
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Phil 3:20
I am a citizen of heaven
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

Rom 5:1
I have been justified
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

1 Cor 6:17
I am joined to the Lord and I am one spirit with Him
But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

1 Cor 6:20
I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.
You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1 Cor 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

2 Cor 5:21
I have been made righteous
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Eph 1:5
I have been adopted as God's child
He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

Eph 2:18
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Eph 2:19
I am of God's household
I am a fellow citizen with the rest of the saints
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household

Eph 3:12
I may approach God with boldness and confidence
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Col 1:14
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins
In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Col 2:10
I am complete in Christ
And you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

John 1:12
I am a child of God
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Rom 8:28
I am assured that all things work together for good
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Rom 8:35
I cannot be separated from the love of God
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Rom 8:1
I am free forever from condemnation
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Rom 8:33
I am free from any condemning charges against me
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

2 Cor 1:21
I have been established, annointed & sealed by God
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us

Eph 1:13,14
I have been given the Holy Spirit as a pledge, guaranteeing my inheritance to come.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

Col 1:13
I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Christ.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves

Col 3:3
I am hidden with Christ in God
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Phil 1:6
I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:13
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

2 Tim 1:7
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Heb 4:16
I can find grace and mercy in time of need
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 John 5:18
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.

The Sad Days of Farewell

For the last two days we have had many hard goodbyes to say. It has been quite emotionally draining. Yesterday we said goodbye to our very dear friends with whom we go back many years. Today - our church family. First at Berean, the church where I grew up, and second, our home church. I shall miss my dear brothers and sisters very much.

At the home church, we had one final theology discussion (debate?). It all started when my friend, Christian, said: "So, Leah says you're becoming a Presbyterian. How in the world could anyone be a Calvinist?" And so it began. This is the only theology discussion he and I had ever had, so I was surprised that he ever brought it up in the first place. We are usually the ones who walk out when the conversation makes the turn towards this subject. We talked for some time, he and I, then others started gathering around and adding their two cents. This was fine, but it did change the dynamic of the conversation. We ended up all agreeing to disagree and acknowledging that we're all still going to heaven, even though we disagree on the subject (which is how every theological conversation on this Calvinistic vs. Armenian theology has ended up for our church). It was a typical Sunday, an apt farewell.

When I told him "Well Christian, I shall miss arguing with you" he replied (with his usual quick wit) "Hey, there's always e-mail debates". He always makes me laugh, then wonders what I'm laughing about. Though 5 years my junior, we got along nicely. I wonder what he shall grow into?

Monday is fast approaching...and the men will be here to move us on Friday! Everything is happening so very quickly!
In the midst of it all, I was reminded today of the hurting, broken city that we live in as we drove further into the areas with the most destruction from Katrina. So much despair, darkness and hopelessness looms for most. I can't imagine going through something of this magnitude without the grace and peace of our Savior.
With this I leave you:

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace! Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, harmony. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sorrow, joy. Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

Goodnight, dear readers!

~Robin <><

Ahh, the feeling of autumn!

Autumn is definitely in the air today, Ladies and Gentlemen!
I woke up at 3:30 this morning sneezing, sniffling and stuffed up...a sure sign of weather change. After two big glasses of water and two cups of steaming Echinacea tea, I felt infinitely better and decided to go back to sleep. When I woke up, lo and behold, it was cool outside! And not just slightly cool, mind you; it was cool enough for me to have to go inside and put on a sweater before returning back outdoors. It's quite heavenly.
God was so kind to give me some coolness during my last days in New Orleans...this shall be a wonderful way to remember my last week in Cajun Country.

Did I say one week? Ah yes, I had almost forgotten. The wonderful families from our new church in Texas are coming to move us on the fourteenth. That is very soon.
We have gotten rid of a TON of stuff, though. We're just about finished with the de-cluttering stage, which is the hardest part, so packing should be easy riding from here.

Saluti!
~Robin <><
The-cool-calm-and-collected-soon-to-be-Texan.

Sold?

On Saturday, the day after we returned home from Mississippi, before most people knew we were moving, before most people even knew we were home, and long before we had a chance to put a "For Sale" sign in our front yard: someone found out through the grapevine that our house might be getting ready to be up for sale.
That person came to look at our house as soon as we gave them the okay. Today we found out that they definitely want it.

Could it be? Before it was even on the market, the first person we've ever shown it to wants it. And they not only want it, but they have the resources (because of some newly acquired inheritance money) to pay for it cash. No going through realtors, no going through mortgage companies...

It's not definite yet, mind you, but if they back out, we've got at least 1 other person who is really interested. If they fall through as well, the realtors are calling wanting us to list with them.
When I said that the house market was really hot right now, I didn't know it was quite this hot!

So, if this one goes through, they want it at the latest by the end of the month!
The pressure is on! I think I'll get back to packing up the Library now.

~Robin <><

Back to Belle Chasse...(to pack!)

Finally - it's final! We are back in Belle Chasse to pack. As soon as I entered what is home, at least for the next few weeks, I began preparing to leave it again - this time forever.
Forever is a very long time. To think of being out of this place which has been a my home for my entire life forever seems so final, so abrupt, and yes, though exciting, still a bit scary.
Being out of the house itself isn't what I find so difficult to imagine...it's leaving New Orleans.
I can hear all of you saying "How can it be difficult to leave New Orleans?!?"
Simple: It's home. I was born here, raised here, have been through all of my major joys and struggles here, and I was beginning to think that I'd die here.
The city itself is intriguing, the history is fascinating, there is no comparison to the food anywhere else on the planet (Begniets and Cafe au Lait aren't the same anywhere but Cafe du Monde!)

The friends we have here are very dear. Our church families from Berean - the church I have attended since I was six, and from the Home church in Franklinton. Also our re-enacting and musical friends. These I shall be sad to leave.

Though in one sense it shall be hard to leave, on others it shall be quite easy.
First on my list would be the wonderful families in the Houston area who have taken us in and treated us as their own. The love that they have shown to us is incredible, and their love of Christ is contagious! They truly live out what Christ said when he told his followers: "They will know you are Christians by the love you have one for another."
I am looking forward to getting to know my newly met sisters and brothers even better in the time to come.

Besides the wonderful fellowship and fun, the opportunities for studies, working as a family and being closer to extended family are also big draws.
Yes, I hear Texas calling my name! It must be in the blood...

We'll be de-cluttering and packing for the next few weeks and the plan is to be at our new home by mid to late October. The mixed emotions run strong, but trusting that this is God's will for our lives, I begin to abstain from worry and resign myself to peace!

And now I am off to bed, dear readers...unless I can't help but pack up another box!

~Robin <><
The Louisianan for a bit longer

The Calm Before the Storm

Stocking up on water...















...and on homemade bread!















The fort in the back yard where we rode out some of Rita.





































Merisha and Grace. (above this picture: Emma at sunset)

Random Ramblings on Rita...

On the day of the storm, we swam all afternoon with the McDonald girls and Caleb (8) at their neighborhood pool. It was quite fun, especially when we started getting mellow gusts.
After dinner, the winds started getting stronger. Several of us went out to the fort to experiance the beginnings of Hurricane Rita. When the gusts strengthened more, we enjoyed the winds from the back porch.

Other than the winds and rain, the only thing remotely interesting that happened was when the lights flickered and the house alarm started howling. I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs into the living room. It wasn't until I reached the bottom that I questioned the wisdom of such a dicision. With Mr. McDonald and his 22 year old son in the house, me (of all people) going to check out why the alarm went off must have seemed strange.
How embarrising! They must have thouht that I was such an idiot...the 17 yr old guest frolicking down the stairs when the security alarm went off!

"It'll go East"

My favorite statement whenever a hurricane is coming is: "Don't worry; it'll go east...they always do." So far, this has been true. Even Hurricane Katrina did veer east, away from home, at the last moment. It wasn't far enough east to keep 80% of New Orleans from flooding, but my statement still stands true. I am now in Houston, and it looks like this one will go east from us as well.

Tonight we watched Master and Commander with the McDonald family (Mr. McDonald wanted to watch something with weird weather in it). I slept through it. Not that it wasn't a good movie, but I had seen it before and knew that I wanted to stay up and watch the hurricane come in tonight.
Now the whole house is asleep except me and Mom. There wasn't enough weather action to keep anyone awake.

We bought lots of stuff to sew while we're here, dresses, aprons for the store etc.
Perhaps I shall learn to sew. Who knows?

(30 minute interlude)

I have just returned from coaxing Emma (almost 3) back into bed. She woke up and realized that she was no longer in her mommy's bed. Poor thing, she's afraid of the hurricane.
She was quite easy to bed back down, though. All I had to say was "Would you like me to lay down with you?" Ah-ha! I have found the golden ticket. I was a bit surprised that she was so easily comforted...usually when kid's want their mommy, nothing else will appease them.

Anyway, perhaps tomorrow (er, later today might be more accurate) I will post some pictures. Won't that be exciting! Jessica has said that I can use the pictures that they have been taking of our families and that she will show me how to put them on my blog! Yay!

If this post is incoherent in places, notice the time and remember that I am not typically a night owl :)

Until next time,

~Robin <><

Blogging on the Road...

After returning home at 4:00 pm on the day of the last post, we emptied two VERY repulsive refrigerators, packed up some of our things, got a few hours of sleep and jumped in the car early the next morning to check out rather or not we should move to Houston.

We stayed with one family for about a week or so (it's hard to keep track of days at this point), then headed off to stay with the McDonald's.We have been having a great time with their wonderful family. Their daughters are quite delightful, but are also REAL PEOPLE, which I wasn't sure at first if that would be the case. I guess since they're pretty well known (at least in the Homeschool community), I figured they must be snobs who never broke a smile. Quite the opposite, I assure you! They even do historical dancing...a typical Townsend Ladies' favorite.

We've worked at their store, Books on the Path (http://www.booksonthepath.com), almost every day to try out working there. It's a very nice store, and the tea room is coming along quite nicely – it’s getting busier and busier!

Anyway, we're considering this as a possibility and continuing to pray for dierction and guidance in this very large decision.

Saluti!

~Robin <><

Home Sweet Home

Today we will return home to see what damage we might have sustained and to pack up some of our things (it's a good thing home is where the heart is...I'm never at my house!).
We are going out of town again, this time we will be searching out a job that has been offered to us in the Houston area. It looks pretty promising, but not by any means definite yet.
Your prayers for rather or not this is the direction for us to go in would be appreciated.

Hopefully I will see most of my readers in a few weeks when we return - hopefully with some answers on what our future holds.

Saluti!
~Robin <><

Katrina makes a visit to my Parish...

When I made my last post stating that I would never forget this summer, I had no idea just how true that statement would be.

Though from what I understand, our little town in the New Orleans suburbs seems to have sustained minimal damage, we are unsure how long it will be before we can reenter to gather our things (much less reenter for good).

Everyone is more than welcome to pray for us! Wisdom and guidance will be needed to determine what to do for the few months before we can go home and if we should relocate or not.

Thanks everybody!

~Robin <><

The Wonderful Summer Vacation

This summer is one that I will look back on with a smile for the rest of my life.
A strong statement, you say? Indeed, it is.
This is the summer that I spent 5 ½ weeks away from home visiting family in Texas.
Yes, you read correctly…5 ½ weeks. It seems like a long time when I see it in writing, but while there, it really seemed quite short.

One might ask what induced me to spend 5 ½ weeks away from my Dear Mother and all that is familiar and march off to Texas.
I shall tell you now what it was: A new baby in the family.
Seven days after my sister and I arrived in Texas, our Cousin’s wife gave birth to her sixth baby boy. With two mothering sisters, six curious brothers, two doting cousins and two thrilled parents in the house, you can imagine that our new bundle of joy lacked none for love and attention.
They say that it is impossible to spoil an infant, but if it is, we managed it in the weeks after his birth.

I forgot to mention a small detail. The night that we arrived, the mommy-to-be went in to false labor and decided to drive 2 hours to her hospital, just in case. Well, if you were paying attention above, you will remember that baby did not arrive until day seven of our stay. They waited near the hospital for that entire time. Therefore, my sister and I watched the other seven children while Mommy and Daddy waited for Baby to make his grand appearance. Keeping that many children who we don’t know all that well (we haven’t seen them in a year) for such a long period of time was a bit intimidating at first, but we quickly enforced a routine and settled into what would be “normal” for the next several weeks.

I learned many things while I was there, though “learned” might not be the best choice of words…perhaps “realized in a whole new light” or “learned by heart” would be more accurate.

1) A baby is always a blessing.
2) Almost everyone disagrees with the above statement.
3) Disciplined children are happy children.
4) Routines are a homemaker’s best friend.
5) You can never hug or tell a child “I Love You” too many times.
6) The mother (or the mother stand in) sets the tune of the home
7) We can do no great tasks, only small tasks with much love. (yes, I stole that)
8) Children learn by example (“Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t fly)
9) If there is unity in the marriage, the children sense it.
10) If there is tension in the marriage, the children sense it.
11) Boys play rough but naturally want to protect their sisters (and cousins!) from other boys.
12) Children ask profound questions and are often curious about God.
13) There is a special, unbreakable bond in our family.
14) Patience is a virtue.
15) The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD!

The last one might seem like a strange thing to say that I learned-by-heart while I was away.
But it’s not odd at all when you consider that we had a much unexpected death in the family on this trip.
My cousin lost his only brother and gained his eighth child on the same day.
It was hard to know how to feel at first. Elated by the birth, or grieved by the death?
It was a hard time, but number 15 - the quote by Job ­– came very alive to me.

After we returned from the funeral, we slowly trickled back into routine and normalcy. The children wanted to do a unit study on the Middle Ages. So, we went to the library and got as many children’s books on the Middle Ages as we could find. They seemed to much enjoy it.
Unfortunately, we ran out of time and weren’t able to pull off a Medieval feast before we had to go back home. Perhaps next time…

The weeks flew by and as I sit at my computer now, I miss the children that, if I were there, would be flocking around me and climbing onto my lap asking “wacha doin?, what’s it say?” And the others who would interrupt asking for a “dink a wota” (drink of water). Still more, I miss hearing the baby softly cry, and running to pick him up and comfort him. If I were there now, I’d probably be returning to the computer after picking up the baby only to find 4 or 5 children gathered around the computer, editing this post with gibberish.

But alas, I am alone in our library, wondering when I will return to the wonderful land with children…

~Robin <><

Summer Evacuations!

Well, though Dennis looks as if he'll head to Alabama we decided that it was better safe than sorry and came up to Mississippi to Grandparents' house.
I told my Mom yesterday, "We evacuate 5 times every summer and nothing EVER hits! Doesn't this seem insane to anyone else?"
I haven't been alive long enough to remember the two major hurricanes that devastated New Orleans in the 60's, so I guess in a large sense I don't take hurricanes seriously.
To me, hurricane season (known as "summer" to some people) consists of watching the weather station, seeing that New Orleans is in the "likely to hit" zone, evacuating, hurricane turning east, and coming home. Repeat this scenario 5 times. After all of those false alarms, I have stopped believing that hurricanes can really hit New Orleans. This is ridiculous, of course. Anyone who remembers hurricane Betsy can attest to that.

I made an interesting "discovery" yesterday which I have discovered and rediscovered several times in the past few years: Believing something doesn't make it true.
We all know this, but it's interesting to hear people's reasoning so foundationally based on "Well, I don't believe it, therefore it's not true."

I have a wonderful friend who was in from California. She was telling me yesterday that she doesn't believe that there is a hell. My first thought was "well, that's interesting, but that doesn't lower the tempature down there one degree!"

Instead of saying "What says the scripture on this subject?" I tend to try to find an answer that pleases me and makes me feel secure and happy and make myself believe it.
Now, this is different from misinterpreting a scripture or holding a different view on it. That is not what I'm referring to. What I mean is convincing myself of a doctrine that is unbiblical without ever really looking into it simply because it would make me uncomfortable to do so.

So anyway, though I believe that a hurricane will never hit New Orleans as long as I live there, I am still evacuated to Mississippi. ;)
Oh well, in a few days I shall be off to Texas for a month...out of any projected path of any hurricane.
Speaking of which, has anyone ever had to pack for a whole month?? Talk about scary! Anticipating what you'll be doing, who you'll be seeing for that long of a period of time can be frustrating. So, my solution was: BRING IT ALL!! haha, never know when you might need 5 thousand sermon tapes, the vision forum library, lots of arts and crafts (what I have the sudden urge to knit??? must be prepared by bringing knitting needles and extra yarn...) and a million sets of cloths (two sets for every possible scenario)!

For those that I won't see until I return: farewell, dear friends!
Be nice to my mother while I'm away and drop her a line (or drop in!)

Saluti!
~Robin <><

The Psalmist on Mornings!

David penned some beautiful works which refer to the morning. I chose my favorites to post here.

Ps 5:3

In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my

prayer to You and eagerly watch.

Ps 30:5
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Ps 46:5
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Ps 59:16
But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress.

Ps 90:14
O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Ps 92:2
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night,

Ps 130:6
My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
Ps 143:8
Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.

Thoughts on myself and others...

I went to a party last night.
I had a nice time and was happy to be reunited with a few acquaintances.
While there, though, I made several interesting observations.

#1 People (especially teenagers) treat me differently when I’m wearing a dress as opposed to jeans.
Not that I am treated badly, mind you, just differently. Everyone was still amiable and cordial, but there was a sort of underlying sense of not completely fitting in with the rest of the girls. I suppose it’s rather hard to explain, and I shan’t attempt it any further.
#2 I have nervous eating habits.
When I’m a little nervous, I snack a lot. When I’m very nervous, I totally lose my appetite.
#3 People think that I’m different.
Since not everyone at the party knew each other, the hostess went around the room and said everyone’s names and something about them. There was the “ghetto, preppy” guy, the girl “who screams a lot” etc. etc. When she got around to me, she said “Robin! She –” a look of shock crossed her face “- she – well…” her face went from shock to confusion. She searched for the right description for what seemed like a very long time. Finally - “Uh….she has brown hair.” “Wow, thanks…what a complement!” I said in mock distain. I was completely un-offended, but wondered at the fact that my hair color is the only thing there was to be said for me. Lovely!
#4 I think that other people are different
I shan’t blame anyone for thinking that I’m different, because it is mutual. Difference is not a bad thing, but it is still an undeniable and unmistakable development.
I look around the room of a dozen or more teenagers and thought “Dissimilar. That’s what we are.”
My suspicions were confirmed when they announced that one of the games would be rolling people up in toilet paper and sending them frolicking about the front lawn. “Mummy”, I believe the game was called. Curiouser and curiouser.

Anyway, even though age was the only thing I had in common with most people there, it was a nice evening. Celebrating birthdays are almost always such.

I have been told that my blog is too serious, and what can I say in my defense? Nothing, I suppose. I did think for a fleeting moment about attempting a humorous post, but quickly dismissed the idea. There is nothing so unfunny than someone trying to be so. So, I have resigned myself to continuing as I always have…
I have a few drafts on different subjects, so it shouldn't be quite as long between this post and the next.

So long everyone!
~Robin
<><

Morning Has Broken!

I love mornings.
A few weeks ago, I started getting up at what most people would call "ridiculously early." I have to admit that even for me, early bird that I am, 4:30 seemed very, very early.
This all started because I started walking in the mornings and I found that after a certin time it was just too hot for me to enjoy walking.
My solution: 1) Wake up as early as possible 2) do a few things around the house, 3) wake up walking companion(s) 4) wait for walking companion(s) 5) go for a walk.
After doing such for a few days I thought "Perhaps I should do something more productive with my time while I'm waiting for the companions". Then I remembered when Jesus told his disciples "Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Luke 22:46
I meditated on biblical prayer for a bit and decided that a garden would be the perfect place to pray. Unfortionately, the closest thing to a garden that I have is a deck with a few potted plants. Oh well, close enough.
It still seems strange to get up, go outside and admire the stars and moon. But I think I'm beginning to grasp what the songwriter was referring to when he wrote the song Morning Has Broken. There's somehthing about getting up before dawn and watching morning break, I'm not sure exactly how to discribe it. As I sit there, I hear a single bird call out in the distance. Then I hear another. Then another. Soon, their music fills my ears as I watch the sky lighten up in anticipation of sunrise.
Heavenly. That's what mornings are to me.

Since I've been quoting "Morning Has Broken", I decided to post the lyrics as well here.
Enjoy!

"Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day"

Graduation

Mom and I decided that a good goal for me to strive towards before I officially graduate is to make a handwritten copy of the New Testament.
Anyone who heard Jonathan Lindvall speak a few weeks ago will not wonder where this idea came from. His children will do the entire Bible though (wow!).
I thought about trying to do the whole Bible, but discarded the thought after 5 seconds of meditation. I can hardly read through the Bible in a year, much less write it all out.
With that said, I hope that I will one day write the Old Testament as well.

We decided that I should do this for numerous reasons, a few of which I will list here:
1) It would be a wonderful and educational discipline
2) I would like to be able to pass it down in my family (how cool would that be?!)
3) I like having a goal to strive towards. When people say, "When do you graduate?" I can say "As soon as I finish the rest of my work" and state how much time it will take to finish from where I am at that point.

Well, I miss James and Christian in blog-world. I will forgive James though because I understand that he is very busy and has much on his plate.
Christian, however...well...I'll assume that he is using his time more efficiently than posting on a blog and forgive him as well :)

Saluti!
~Robin <><

Homeschooled and I'm glad!

Well, dear friends, earlier this week I returned from our annual CHEF of Louisiana Homeschool Convention. I heard some wonderful teaching and have been inspired and challenged in a lot of my ways of thinking.
You know, just when I say "Okay, I'm pretty comfortable with where I am in life" WHAM! People come along and challenge my thinking. I start to ask earth shattering questions such as "why?".

"Why?" is one of my favorite questions to ask myself. Strange, it may very well be. I mainly ask "Why am I doing this?". If my answer is not "because God wants me to" I must rethink my action. Why do I read what I read, listen to what I listen to, say what I say, meditate on what I meditate on, write what I write and watch what I watch? If my answer is anything other than "To bring me closer to God", "To bring someone else closer to God", or something frighteningly similar, I wonder if I should pursue it. For me "to broaden my mind", "to entertain me" and "because I have nothing better to do" (along with many others) are unacceptable answers.

I saw a car commercial once that really made me think (yes, you heard me correctly: I did say that a commercial had a big impact on my life). This guy was driving down the road and at every turn, every stop light and along the road side were people holding up signs that said "Seize the Moment!" Now, their point was to hurry up because the sale on this wonderful car would be ending soon, but it made me think. I had heard the phrase "Seize the Moment" before, but had never really considered it. It made me think of the scripture that says that whatever we do, we are to work at it with all of our might and that all that we do is to be done to the glory of God. I purposed at that point that God would be the focus of everything I did, from what I read, to what I watched, to what I think about, and the list goes on.
I have failed miserably at this, but am determined to press forward, forgetting what is behind and striving towards to goal. That goal, of course, is Holiness and Perfection. The "Be perfect as I, your God am perfect" mandate seems like it could take a bit of surrendering.

Edification in every word I speak is part of that mandate of perfection. Now, I don't usually make a habit of being harsh and cruel in my speech, but I wouldn't say that I only edify either. After the conference, we had the privilege of spending a good bit of time with one of the main speakers. I was very impressed on how he used his tongue. Before he would answer a question, or even say anything at all, he would pause. Now, at first, I thought it was just aggravating "Can't this guy answer any faster?! He's leaving me hanging!" But then I realized what he was doing. He was deciding what to say before he said it. Novel idea...I try to remember to implement it.

Cinderella

After getting on for the past several days and checking all of my favorite blogs and seeing nothing much new, I decided that I shall be the first to put up a new post, and hopefully, everyone will follow my wonderful example.

Anyway, from the title, I'm sure you are expecting me to talk about something besides people posting on blogs, and I shall not disappoint you.
I have now seen 4 performances of the play Cinderella in the past few days, and will see two more before it's all said and done. I have been going around bursting into song "THE PRINCE IS GIVING A BALL!!!" and "Do I love you because you're wonderful, or are you wonderful because I love you?" for obvious reasons. Needless to say, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Musical, Cinderella, has - against my will - been perminately engraved on my mind.
Doubtlessly, you shall all be interested to note that my mom has made a complete turn in her view of the story. She very much disliked Cinderella, but now absolutely loves her. She has even figured out a way to make the romance between Cinderella and Prince Charming biblical. At first I though she had lost her mind, but after considering it, they really are some interesting observations.
For one thing, the Prince expressed discomfort with the idea of dancing with "all of those candidates, all of which think that they would be a perfect princess for me". He said that whoever he married, it definitely would not be one of those girls. He refused to dance with anyone at the ball, and was completely uninterested in anyone in the room...until Cinderella came in. When he saw her, he knew that she was "the one" and wasted no time marrying her. Though I think that 10 minute courtship is a tad short, it was interesting that he didn't want to get to know her for 2 years before he married her.
Of course, since their relationship was based on "love at first sight", I had to quickly object. After discussing it for a little while, I discovered that I do, in fact, believe in love at first sight...though I hasten to add that I in no way think that it always works out that way. I think that you can know very quickly (dare I say instantly?), rather or not this is a person that God would have you marry. So maybe that isn't exactly considered "love" at first sight, but it sounds better than "knowledge at first sight".
Anyway, I also think that, often, we do not know for quite some time rather or not we are suited for someone.
Though this is only a fairy tale and had no religious agenda, it was interesting to note some key points. Cinderella was different from the other girls because she gentle, kind, yet hardworking as opposed to the flirtacious and aggressive other girls.
So, even though a dear friend told me on Sunday that she didn't think that people are "meant" for each other, being a good Calvinist (and not to mention, a hopeless romantic), I think I believe otherwise. I think that just as Adam and Eve were meant for each other, Joseph and Mary were meant for each other. Just as Christ and the Church (which human marriage represents) are meant for each other, each of us have someone that God has designed us to marry.

Of course, I know that many, if not all of my readers totally disagree with me, but I figured "oh well, it's my blog...it wouldn't be mine if it weren't at least a little bit controversial"

Saluti!
~Robin
<><

Home at last!

Well, my dear readers, I have returned home-sweet-home this evening.

I had an absolutely splendid time. There are not many things I enjoy more than visiting with my cousins. They have a unique way of impressing me and uplifting me even though we see things very differently. I still get along surprisingly well with all of them.

I am occasionally annoyed and disheartened by some of their choices but there is something about the fact that we're family that makes me extend more grace to them and not want to judge them, just help them.

What made it most wonderful is the one-on-one time I had with each of them. Usually, we see each other only at Thanksgiving. There are TONS of people and you only get around to small talk and surface conversations (which I can't stand). Only at around midnight, if me and one of them can stay up until everyone else in the room is asleep, can we get any deep conversation in.

This trip, I could sleep, and still get awesome conversation time in! It was very exciting to see how the schedules worked out to where I had at least a couple of hours, if not more, with each of them individually to have some time to get to know them better. I prayed for opportunities to be blessings to my cousins and to get to deepen our relationships, and I felt like I had some of that going on, at least with a couple of them.

So, anyway, it was a very exciting trip and I didn't want to come home (at all), though it was good to see my mom and sister again.

Well, I hope that I shall see all of you again very soon. It shall be nice to see everyone again...even James, which I thought I should mention because Merisha just told me that both James and Leah told her on Sunday that they didn't think I liked him. All I could do was sigh and lift my eyes towards heaven and think "what can I do to be a better friend?" I decided that the more I make it a point to be nice, the more people think I can't stand him (though I insist that there was never any insincerity in my niceness), but since that seems ineffective, I shall try being very mean to him for a while and see if that remedies the situation. Haha, never know...it could work! Just kidding (this has reached exasperating-to-the-point-of-humorous to me), I shall just keep trying to prove my sincerity. I keep telling myself that eventually everyone will understand me, though it's looking like it'll most likely be heaven before that time. Ahhhhh, the woes of being misunderstood!

My cousins understand me though...yet another reason to adore them! :D

Ciao everybody!

~Robin <><

My Sister

As Robin is not here, and cannot prevent me from saying what I will on her blog, I am taking the opportunity (that her modesty would prevent) of telling all the wonderful things about her that she will never tell you about herself.

I am of the opinion that my sister is the single most fascinating person in the world.
Most obvious is her ability to relate to anyone, anywhere. Okay, perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration. Let us say that those that she does not easily relate to are the exception. In any case, she can always find common ground, from the 2 year-old, to the cousin with Palsy, to the cool relative or friend that I can find close to nothing to say to, to the sad-eyed old man in the nursing home. People that most would shrink away from, she embraces and loves.

She had the ability from a young age to relate to children, (a much envied gift by yours truly). She is going to be a wonderful mother, for one because (obviously) she loves children, and thinks them a great blessing. When everyone else is saying “go away and leave us alone” she wants to see what fascinates them, and has the ability to share the wonder that they find. At the same time she posses a will of iron that no 2-year-old will ever over ride, yet for some maddening reason the just love her all the more.

Something else about that will. You may as well forget compromise, she stands for what she believes in. Yet somehow (don’t ask me how) she doesn’t come across as self-righteous.

I think that I may have pin-pointed my love of Jane Austin. Her books are like a commentary on life by Robin. Witty, discerning and fun. Though I must say that Robin has a little more compassion than Miss Austen seems to have possessed. Robin is all that is charming in Elisabeth Bennet. (but she won’t fall for Mr. Wickem)

All in all, let it suffice to say that she is practically faultless, unless she happens to do something that annoys me, in which case it is all her fault. In honesty, she does so well with the faults that are native to her personality (as Mr. Darcy says, every disposition has a tendency to some particular evil) that they rarely plague even those to whom she has the most opportunity to show them. (translation: me) She even is a good enough sport to reenact and listen my long-winded theories on why the South was right.

She is my dearest confidant, my truest friend, and my favorite companion. She is a jewel of great price, and I am more than thankful that I have the privilege to be the person who hitherto knows her best. (or so I flatter myself)

Merisha <><

The Guest Blogger

Hello everyone. Robin is in Alabama and has graciously given me permission to post on her blog while she is gone.

Every once in a while I will think "if I had a blog I would post on (fill in the blank) but I'm not doing a great job remembering any of it so.... hum. I am debating whether to be profound or to be frivolous.

I have decided. I shall take the middle road (you know, the one that tries to please everyone and in the end pleases no one).

Mom and I are watching Pride and Prejudice this week while Robin is gone, because Robin is heartily sick of it, and I'm not. I was struck anew with the quality of conversation that Jane Austin gives her characters. (I am always delighted by deep conversation) The utter civility expressed on every occasion (even the occasion of having a proposal refused) also impresses me. I shall insert here for your enjoyment one of my favorite classic Jane Austin conversations:

Alas, it is too long to copy and paste, so I shall post the link: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Chapter 10

If anyone cares they can go read it, and if not, it will be no loss.

Perhaps I should say more on the subject, but I shan't, because I have other things to do, and time, cruel time, flies on, headless of my attempts at blogging. Besides, I have no more to say

Fare thee well, good friends,

Merisha <><

And I'm off....again!!

Leaving tomorrow to go out of town again. This time I'm going to Alabama for a week. I leave you with this wonderful scripture to encourage you while I'm away:

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Blessings!

~Robin <><

Terri Schiavo

I have rarely (if ever) had a bad word to say about my country.

When it comes to the USA, my optimistic nature comes forth more than in normal circumstances. I'm always ready to put in the most excellent of words for our "land of the free, home of the brave." As far as I was concerned, America was just a little taste of heaven on earth....okay, so maybe not quite heaven, but everyone's got their problems, right?

But after twelve long days cruel and brutal treatment, worse than most prisoner of war treatment, when the soul of Terri Schiavo left this world, I felt as if I was the only sane person in an insane world.

She is not the first person to die by forced starvation and dehydration, nor is she the last. She is not the only one to die because she is an inconvenience, untold millions of babies can attest to that.

The holocaust of the unborn has been going on for some time, but now, it has come to the handicapped, elderly, and anyone else who is in the way.

How far we have come in 200 years...and seeing our history in extreemly fast decline of morality, I are forced to conclude that this is only the beginning

I pray for God's mercy on this country.

Easter, Simplicity, and Building Relationships

I will start by saying that I hope everyone had an Easter that was at least half as wonderful as mine was. My family spent Easter in Texas with some very dear friends who were kind enough to open their home to us. We had some wonderful visiting time with them, along with some great conversation.

For the week prior to Easter, we were with some distant cousins whom we have grown rather close to. It was not a vacation or anything (they are in the midst of moving), but we had a good time nonetheless. Since they had only a very short time to be out of their house and as they are expecting their eighth child, we decided to go spend a week helping out. It was a very enlightening in many ways. For one thing, they live very simple, frugal lives and are none the worse for it. Upon asking most of the 9 people in their household if they wanted to move back to the city, I got a surprising response...a resounding "NO WAY!" Intrigued by this answer, I set forth to find out why that was. How could it be that they could actually prefer living the "hard life"? They milk cows, gather eggs, slaughter pigs, will soon be living with little or no electricity, have no Internet (gasp!), didn't even have a land line phone for a year, have no central air or heat, have 7 children sharing everything, including beds, have to feed a million animals (well, not a million, but it sure seems like it when you're trying to feed them all)....and yet, they wouldn't trade it for anything!

My cousin (actually, she's my 2nd cousin's daughter, but who's counting?) who is 13 stated that one of the reasons that she didn't want to move back to the city was because of the peer influences there. Since they are homeschooled, I was a little surprised by this answer. She said that her neighbors and other friends in the city were mostly horrid, and that the youth at her church were not at all better. This was a sad statement, that the "Christian" youth at church were no different from the world, even a worse influence in many cases than the non-Christians. An interesting note: my friend Matt (with who's family we spent Easter) made a statement in passing that I thought interesting. When my mom mentioned something about not being involved in youth group, Matt said "That's a good thing." "Why?" asked his younger brother. "Because! It's horrible!" And that was the end of the conversation on youth groups. Coming from a 17 year old, that wasn't the response I would have expected. But then again, considering some other conversation we've had with him on the subject of youth in general, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised...we have had the "all the reasons we hate teenagers" (though we are all considered such) discussion on more than one occasion.

Anyway, back to simplicity: Since I have never lived a simple life, it was nice to be involved in one for a week. Actually, I think I could get used to it. It's a lot of work, granted, but we worked together, therefore building relationships. I have observed that it is a true statement that striving together brings people closer. When you go through hardships with people, you get to see who people really are and learn to love them anyway. I got to know my cousin more while out milking the cows than I ever got to know people at church by being on the music team with them every week. I became close the other family we saw by going through very hard times emotionally and spiritually with them at the time of my parents divorce than I have with most people on the planet. Even though we don't see either family very often, we still have a connection and closeness that enables us to, more or less, pick up right where we left off on our previous visit. Interesting.

Well, we've been at home for almost 15 hours now (though most of them were spent sleeping) so we must be going again! We're off to Mississippi to visit more family.

Pax Christi,

~Robin <><

Sing to the Lord, All the Earth!!

"Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright." Ps 33:1.

Here are some interesting Biblical statistics:
The word "Sing" is used 102 times in the Bible.
"Song" and "sang" combined equals out to 54 times.
We are admonished 19 times to "Sing to the Lord" , ("Love thy Neighbor" was, at most, admonished only 7 times)
specific forms of music mentioned are, Hymns (2), Psalms (6), and Shouts of Joy (7).
Horn, harp, strings, tambourine and dancing, along with others are mentioned repeatedly.
The word "Praise" is used 214 times.
(I happened to be watching a 13 yr old at the time of doing the research for this post. He got quite interested in seeing what other words were in the bible. In case you ever wondered, the word "God" is mentioned 3,892 times, "dog" is mentioned 25 times, the word "His" is said 12,233 times, and last but not least, the name "Linus", from the comic strip Peanuts, is indeed mentioned once).

Anyway, back to music. While reading through the Bible, and looking up the scriptures from the above scriptures, you and I will be forced to come to the same conclusions on the subject of music. Music unto the Lord is not only smiled upon, but according to the Psalms, it is a command.

I began teaching piano lessons yesterday. My main desire is to see these children learn to love music and to use it to glorify God. I'm not big on drills and boring, ridiculous pieces. If I do nothing else as a teacher, I want to teach my students to see music as God sees music. I'm not sure exactly as He see's it, of course, but the Bible gives me a pretty good clue.

Now, the question has arisen many times in my own mind, "What kind of music pleases God?" Before I attempt to answer the above question (put forth by myself), I shall quote my friend, J.S. Bach:
"Music should be none other than for the Glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."
I think that pretty much sums it up. The word "Jesus" doesn't have to be every other word for God to be glorified by it. Some classical music is very soothing and, I believe, glorifying to God. He created music, for crying out loud! He must absolutely love it. On the other hand, many "Christian" songs are purely worldly, even lyrically.
I am very fond of other types of music, to many people's dismay. I like the feel of Country music, some classical vocal pieces, even (dare I say it?) some soft rock and pop songs. No doubt, in all of these fields of music, there is some complete trash, but much of it takes me feel refreshed and reminds me of our Father. My rule for myself (which I sometimes have a hard time enforcing) is to objectively listen to a song or piece of music and say "Lord, does this please you? Would this be playing on your radio?" If not, sadly, I must bid the song farewell.

While thinking about musical standards, I was thinking that I have heard many of the same rationalizations for music as I have for art (though it's much easier for me to rationalize music than art because I like it so much more). "Music is neutral, neither good nor bad." And to a point, this is true. But one way to think of it is this: Snakes, in and of themselves, are neither good nor bad. A rattlesnake or anaconda are no "worse" than a small garden snake. They have no will to sin, therefore they are neutral. But it would be totally foolish to curl up and cuddle with a poisonous snake. Just because the rattlesnake, in and of itself is not bad, having no sin nature, it can still be dangerous.
Music, in and of itself is not bad, having no sin nature, but it can still be dangerous. Granted, there are some very big differences between snakes and music, but an analogy worth considering.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about on the subject of music lately.

Saluti!
~Robin

Josh Groban Live in New Orleans!

Last night I went with some friends to see the Josh Groban concert. It was wonderful!
The guy plays piano exquisitely, sings like an absolute angel and plays drums like he was born sitting at them.

I must admit though, that as I sit there amongst the screams of "I love you Josh" and things of the sort, I began to question the wisdom in the apparent idolizing of him. It hardly seems wise, and I began to feel quite a bit of compassion for this 24 year old singer. Josh Groban is a fad in the teenage girl realm right now, there is no doubt about that. But as all fads go out of style, in a couple of years, so will he. The fame that he now sees (and obviously enjoys) will soon be only a memory. I find myself wondering "What will this fame do to him between now and then?" Between the time he was "discovered" and the time someone else bigger and better (dare I say "better looking"?) comes along, how will he change as a person, as a Jew, as a son, as a brother and as a friend? I can't imagine that walking into a huge arena with literally thousands of girls screaming at the top of their lungs how much they love you, how cute you are, etc. could be good for ones self. Fame is a strange thing like that, I suppose.

Anyway, I hope that from this post you have not been led to think that it was not wonderful or that I did not have a good time. I can only say how much about how great it was before I would begin to sound like (heaven forbid!) a teenage girl.
Allow me to reiterate though, his voice sounded as if it had come straight out of heaven. Hearing someone on a recording is one thing, but hearing them live makes all of the difference. It is my prayer that amidst the fame, he will somehow discover that his voice did come from heaven, and that it is a gift to be used for the Giver.

~Robin