Monday 6 February 2012

Grace Notes - Counting the Gifts 685-697

"You say grace before meals.  All right.  But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink."  ~ G. K. Chesterton

Continuing to count the gifts of His grace . . .
685.  Clematis showing buds ready to burst open
686.  Bulbs breaking the surface of the soil after winter's sleep
687.  A walk down the lane with my camera
688.  A deep settled peace that has remained throughout a long hard season
689.  Beating a deadline
690.  Grandchildren praying for Grandma's knee to bend
691.  Climbing four stairs the normal way (not step together, step together)
692.  I lay down and slept . . . I awoke for the LORD sustained me Psalm 3:5
693.  This cheery little fella singing his heart out
694.  Temperatures rising, days getting longer
695.  Climbing a whole flight of stairs . . . taking it to a new level
696.  Another gorgeous going-down of the sun
697.  An early birthday card from my dad that has me completely undone
"If" for Daughters . . .
 a special Birthday Message by Emily Matthews
"If you find happiness in simple pleasures
And see the rainbow, not the falling rain,
If you have faith to keep right on believing
In miracles that no one can explain . . . 
If you look until you see the good in others
And keep your spirit honest, true and free
Then you'll be not just happy and successful
But the woman only you were meant to be."

Over the years you've grown into an amazing woman
and your birthday is the perfect time to tell you
how much you're loved 
for being the wonderful daughter 
you are.
Happy Birthday

If you knew the full story of my relationship with my father, the wonder of these words to my heart would be clear.  When I was barely a teenager my dad walked away from the LORD and his family.  Daddy's little girl was devastated as were my siblings and my mama.  Though he walked me down the aisle when I married, there then came a long stretch of time when we were estranged  . . . years, many years, more than a decade.

Then as the LORD began to bring healing to my heart, as I did a lot of forgiveness work and breaking of judgments, as revelation came about things he had suffered as a child, compassion welled up in me and I began to see the good in him.  At some point we reconnected and over the last few years He has called nearly every Sunday. As the call ended, I would always say, "I love you, Dad".  He would respond with "yup, g'bye' . . . and after many months, he began to mumble "yup, love you, too".  The subject of faith has remained closed all this time . . . but, hallelujah . . . those words on the card that HE sent me . . . If you have faith to keep right on believing, in miracles that no one can explain . . . and so I keep right on believing . . . 

Linking with the thanks-givers for Multitudes on Mondays . . .

11 comments:

  1. This is a beautiful post, Andrea. I love that Chesterton quotation - have it in my quote book.

    Your father's heart is softening, maybe because you, hard as it has been, have loved him. May he know the love of God that pursues him relentlessly.

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  2. Oh I am so happy with you my dear friend! How we long for our daddy's love...I am thankful for how healing can come and does from our Abba Father's dear hand.
    Your photos of the seasons and its gifts are again beautiful and refreshing.... stunning! A bird's song, a frosty morning, new buds, and a gorgeous going down of the sun! Grace gifts, all of them.

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  3. Dear Andrea Dawn,

    I was smitten by the first pine picture of the cones on the branches. It was so life-life and detailed, a nice macro view and so, invigorated, I skipped gently along the next few pictures and lines until the.birthday.card...

    All of time slowed as I read over and over again the history of you and your father. I was in the midst of the unfolding of a miracle, your father's affirmation acknowledged in your card. This has to be especially wonderful for a genealogist daughter--the affirmation on paper--to hold and keep.

    Thanks for sharing this difficult part of your life and how you walked through it and the joy of this moment. It made my day!

    Dawn

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    1. Dawn... I love your mention of 'affirmation on paper' ... special like your Susanna Rebecca letter... something to hold in the hand and feel it's realness...

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    2. Thank you Dawn . . . it was truly a difficult time, happy that it touched your heart.

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  4. This really touched my heart, my father never calls me even when my husband was out of work for an entire year. When we go home to visit he is always nice and they take my kids and have a great time, but I never get more than that. Yes, at almost 50 this year I long to be something I may never be to him. Thank you for sharing this.....so happy for you! And that sunset, gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you, Kim . . . I will keep on believing for you, too.

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  5. Andrea, God uses you to uplift my soul.
    Linda

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  6. That blesses me so to know that, Linda.

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Thanks for stopping by . . . appreciate your comments.