breathe

it's been a pretty wild ride around here. 

and then again, it's been pretty tame. 

depends on the perspective, i guess, and who you ask.

if you asked my friends whose son is 150 miles away undergoing a stem cell transplant how my life looks right now, they'd probably jump at the chance to be in a disheveled house with new housemember and a constant, steady stream of teenagers in and out the front door.

and i'm soooo not complaining.

just a little overwhelmed.

i've moved my office upstairs (alas, i can no longer "affectionately" call my office the cave. i'll have to come up with another name.) and now am the proud owner of a window. allbeit a dirty one, but i can see the american flag waving by my window on breezy days. ahhhhhh. that's something to behold! the freedom to fly a flag AND have dirty windows. i love it!

we had a lovely fourth of july at our former next-door-neighbor's home out by the lake. my sister and her husband were in town from wisconsin as they did a veritable "drive-by" in dropping their daughter off to live with us. in friday afternoon, out first thing on sunday morning. we took a little breather in between setting up checking accounts, purchasing a vehicle for said daughter, and all the other myriad setting up residency things one must do to enjoy a little relaxing afternoon with friends. the weather was ridiculously cooperative as it was not 99% humidity and sticky hot. it was surprisingly pleasant and we all had a great time. no one was injured in the pyro fest so it was a successful holiday!

so in the midst of moving my office (read: mass chaos and still trying to work) and sheparding a new little tennessee transplant into the community, it's been a little wacky around here. i am thrilled to have our niece living with us as it's exactly what i did 28 years ago (yikes, i just choked on that number) when i uprooted my life to follow a dream. i'm just so glad that we have a place where this little chick can land for a year or two.

i'm processing a bunch of thoughts, some light, some rather dense. i feel the Lord's hand upon me. . . really, and i'm trying to remember to be still. . . 

He is the air i breathe. . . 

let me not be so caught up in the static of my life that i don't take time to breathe.

deeply.