Monthly Archives: May 2011

Long Walks in the Sunset

Uncategorized

One of the goals on my personal mission statement is to:

Seize every opportunity to teach my children about the goodness and power of God, to impart Godly values to them, create joyful memories and to ensure that they know they are loved.

Now that the weather has warmed up, I have been ending most of my days with long sunset walks on a nearby trail with my three-year-old son, Aaron.  These walks have been such a blessing for both of us, so I wanted to capture this joyful memory.

Everyday Aaron requests to “walk to the big bridge with Mommy.”  The “big bridge” is nothing more than an overpass where we can see cars whiz under us, and boy is that exciting, especially if a truck or a bus passes by! 

This is a beautiful place to live, and I appreciate having this trail so close to our home.  After the long, hard winter we just endured, I really love being outside and seeing everything coming back to life; however, I’m not looking forward to the mosquitoes that I know will infiltrate in the coming weeks.  Right now, the weather is perfect and it’s bug free!

At the other end of the overpass is a foot bridge where we can “say hi to the creek.”  Aaron knows to be careful about rubbing his hands along the wood fence so he doesn’t “hurt his hands.”
This is usually the pace where we turn around and head back home; although, he tries his best to convince me to keep going.  There’s always so much to see, and it’s really fun to be outside.

Walking with a three-year-old is quite an experience.  I don’t get to walk as fast as I normally would like.  It’s not quite as much of a work-out as it is when I walk by myself, but there’s so much more that I notice when I walk with Aaron.  He finds interest in what I think is mundane.  He needs to stop and look at the grass, the “fuzzies” (i.e. dandelions), and the pretty rocks.  He likes to stop to listen to the birdies sing, and of course, he stops to smell the flowers.  And it’s really fun to bring a magnifying glass and make things bigger.

My favorite times are when we’re on the return journey home.  There is usually a moment when Aaron reaches over to hold my hand.  It is so precious to me, and I don’t take it for granted knowing that there will come a time when he won’t.  One time he reached out for my hand and used it to wipe his nose, “Ew.  Ick!”  and then we laughed about it the rest of the way home!  We talk about which jammies he’s going to wear.  Should he wear the star jammies or the monkey jammies?  Most of the time we are quiet as we walk along enjoying the breeze and saying hello to the people we pass.  My prayer is that these special times will create special memories for him (as they have for me), and that Aaron will walk in the glory and the beauty of the Lord for the rest of his life.





In the Shadow of His Wing

Uncategorized

As I was praying Sunday morning, I saw the LORD’s outstretched wing.  Beneath the wing was an entrance into another world.  There it was lush and green and peaceful with a waterfall.  People were resting and enjoying the beauty, being refreshed, in the shadow of His wing.  While He was covering people with one arm/wing, the other was engaged in a battle, a “fight for the fulfillment of His word.”  Then I saw a person come out from under the shadow and join the LORD in battle.  It was as if that person was sufficiently rested/strengthened, had matured, and was ready to partner with the LORD to fight for the fulfillment of His purposes.

Last night I was impressed to turn to Psalm 57.  (Sometimes these impressions to turn to certain Scriptures are the LORD, sometimes my own imagination, but I laughed when I read the first two verses.)

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
      I look to you for protection.
   I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
      until the danger passes by.
 2 I cry out to God Most High,[a]
      to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.