“Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.”     ~ William Butler Yeats

I read this quote recently and I love its simple truth. It expresses something I’ve always known, but been completely unaware of knowing. Do you ever feel like that?

After returning home from the pumpkin patch a few weeks back and noticing the happy problem of having too many cute pictures for a blog post, I knew it was time to stretch myself and learn to make a video — time to grow.

I’ve been working on it for weeks. Though it’s not the HD clarity my perfectionist nature craves, seeing it here makes me happy. Enjoy my first attempt at telling a story on vimeo…

If the video above does not work try clicking video.

…with special thanks to my dear husband for providing more technical assistance than I’d like to admit. I have just enough creativity to begin a multitude of projects, but (being the professional Project Engineer that he is) he has the patience, persistence and know-how to see them to completion.

We dedicated Lily on Orphan Sunday, November 4th. This was a joyful opportunity to publicly recognize her as a gift from God and to commit to raise her up for Him, as He gives us grace. It was a special service and we reveled in the magnificence of our Lord and His works.

In the weeks leading up to Orphan Sunday, I reflected on how much we’ve been blessed in our decision to bring an orphan home and adopt her as our own child. Never could we have imagined how much we would love her, how much joy she would bring into our lives, or the perfect fit she would be for our family. What started as an altruistic effort to make a tiny difference in the orphan crisis has ended up being one of the greatest blessings of our lives.

I borrowed the following words from a John Piper post I recently read,

“Only a few things have gripped me with greater joy than the truth that God loves to show his God-ness by working for me, and that his working for me is always before and under and in any working I do for him.”

Copied below are some of the scriptures referenced on Piper’s post that illustrate this truth.

• “No eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 64:4)
• “God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything, but he himself gives life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25)
• “The eyes of the LORD run through the earth, to show himself strong for those who trust him.” (2 Chronicles. 16:9)
• “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) (This one’s engraved in our wedding rings. Just another example of how I believe He’s been preparing us for Lily for a long time.)

It sprinkled rain later that Sunday afternoon. After Lily’s nap, Whitney did something I’ve never known him to do. He helped Lily get her boots on and took her outside to play in the rain. I was already outside washing the car. For some reason, we looked up just in time to see the pale hues of a beautiful fading rainbow. I raced inside to get the camera.

What a perfect blessing for our day! I felt like it was put there just for us. To think that God would choose this day to send a rainbow — to remember His covenant and show us a glimpse of His glory…

Yes, God set His bow in the cloud on Orphan Sunday, November 4th to remind us

He keeps His promises!

 

 

Right about the time the leaves were supposed to be at their peak of autumn color (or as Olivia, the English major says, “autumnal color”), we packed the car and headed up the Appalachian Mountains to my dad’s farm in rural Virginia, formerly my old home place. The trip is always an adventure for us, more so this time because Whitney, Jr. drove down from Pittsburgh to meet us. It was the first time we’d seen him since August and this mama was past ready to lay eyes on him and see how he was doing for herself.

The farm is lovely this time of year but the autumn color was a little past its peak.

Still, it was fun being together, enjoying the great outdoors, and spending time with my dad. The weather was perfect, if a little chilly, and Lovey enjoyed being outside much of the weekend. It was good for her to get a taste of life down on the farm.

One of the highlights of our visit was seeing Granddaddy’s new baby calves. All six were born within ten days of each other. Just a few weeks old and thriving, they presented a rare pleasure for me, a wonderful experience for Lovey, and a simplified winter for Granddaddy…

There are a few more pix in the gallery. Just click on any picture to go there…

Happy fall, y’all! Enjoy the seasonal beauty where ever life finds you today.