Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Psalm 27 and the 4th of July

We picked Seth up from the airport Thursday night and I went to bed that night knowing my two babies were in their nest. What a great feeling!

The house was filled with laughter that only big brother can bring!

I've been reading Psalm 27 every morning. This particular Psalm is special to me for a lot of reasons. But this weekend I kept thinking about verses 2 & 3.

"When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident."

There was a time when the enemy came and tried to destroy me and my family. God fought for me. He fought for us. I know whatever comes up against us in the future, He will fight for us.
My confidence is in Him.

Times when the four of us are together are never taken for granted. There was a time when we thought we would never have these times together. So consequently, we squeezed every moment we could get out of the July Fourth holiday.

Friday we decided to forsake the beach and go to the pool out on base. When I read all the rooms at the beach were rented for the holiday, I could only imagine the traffic. Because of the cloudy skies, we basically had the pool to ourselves.

We are very blessed to have access to the base pool. They have a battery-powered lift for Ethan that makes it effortless getting him in and out of the pool. He loves the water and it is such great exercise for him. It is amazing to watch him kick his legs. I hear the hope in his voice when he tells me that his legs work.


Friday night I fried shrimp and Jim boiled some. He also made his famous cocktail sauce. There is a family right up the road that sells shrimp right off their boat. They put a sign out by the road when they have a fresh haul. Don't mean to brag, but, I can sure fry shrimp! And my family can sure eat them!

Dessert was going to be banana pudding, but my aunt dropped off homemade ice-cream and pound cake. What a treat!

After dinner we walked down to the park to see the fireworks our little city sponsors. What an experience! When we lived in Fort Walton, you had to be very discreet about doing fireworks that just happened to be illegal. Not out here. There were probably 100 people in the park and there was no shortage of illegal fireworks. It was some real Americana!!





Saturday we went back to the pool. While there, a lady came up to me and told me that she had been watching us, and that it was a blessing to see how much we loved each other. I had the opportunity to tell her what God had done in our lives. How Ethan is truly a miracle.

This lady noticed that I was reading a book by Philip Yancey. She said that she had gone to Bible college with Yancey. I asked her if she had read this particular book of his. She said she had started it but never finished it. My jaw almost hit the pool deck. I couldn't imagine anyone not finishing a Philip Yancey book. The Jesus I Never Knew, Disappointment With God and Reaching for the Invisible God, are three of my favorite books. I've read them over and over again. Oh well...

Saturday night Seth treated us to dinner at one of Ethan's favorite Mexican restaurants. It's kind of a dive. Jim says it has been flooded by hurricanes one too many times. But somehow the food still tastes good, the same as it did 20 years ago.



Sunday afternoon I had a delightful surprise. Seth asked me if I knew where my old Bon Jovi CD's were. Well, guess what? I put my hands right on them. And , of course, it just seemed right to listen to a few. Livin' on a Prayer, Bad Medicine and a few others. It didn't take me long to realize that he just wanted the CD's. Not to hear me sing the songs.


Then it was back to the airport. The weekend was over. But how thankful we were for the time together. Time with each other is such a gift.

There was a time when "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (Psalms 27 :13) This isn't the way I would have chosen things to be. It hasn't been easy. But God is in it and it is very, very good.

"And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord."

Psalms 27 : 6



picture of baby birds from www.babypicturesphotos.com

3 comments:

  1. Enjoyed your blog as usual. Your blogs are so inspirational. That is one of my favorite Psalms and especially the verse "I would have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (King James) I remember when that verse jumped off the page of the Bible and into my life. It is such a comfort to me. LOVE YOU. MaryLois

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  2. There is nothing like having all your children together. I can't wait for Sara to get back in the USA. Seth and Ethan both look great and I am so very thankful that you all had such a blessed weekend together. So many times I don't know what exactly to pray for all so often my pray is:Please give them joy in theirlives today. I can not begin to imagine the struggles you all go through day by day. I love you and appreciate so much your encouraging words to me. MJN

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  3. Looks like yall had a great time over the 4th. I used to LOVE fireworks at FL park. They were the best especially after a long day of swimming,catching tadpoles, eating and riding in Papa's old boat

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