Not too hot or too cold...

When food sits out too long or bakes at too high a degree, it gets hard, it toughens its texture. Cold things also become hardened by too much cold. Stick snow in the freezer, and it will harden quickly to ice. Open frozen dessert to that same frozen air, and it is frost bitten, hard to scoop and enjoy.

The human heart is no different. Too long in trial and a toughening occurs. Too much exposure to the cold reality of this world, and coldness envelopes a once warm-beating organ into an igloo.

Too much time with a single individual, and you are likely to experience a cold outer shell forgetting the soft squishy affection that comes with fresh appreciation. That's probably why Proverb 25:17 was advised, "Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you."

This all begs the question, how do you commit to anything without hating it or hardening to it over time. Marriage? Children? Church? Friends? Career? And if it's all going to have stale-mates and stale moments, how do we regain gratitude for it?

My sons' spicy sass this week begged a similar question. As I single-parented through the week, I became more and more ugly, gaining less and less respect and appreciation in my house. Quality time is part of my love language, but our time together doesn't always feel "quality" even in the best of circumstances.

We had eyes and legs almost gouged out with sticks, scopes and scans undertaken for blood clots, and a heavy hand separating feisty male fighters to the ground, (just a normal boy-mom kind of week right?).

As I felt my heart and attitude cover with snow, God sweetly walked me to Isaiah 30-32. I had forgotten how God “longs to be gracious” to me. He desires rest, peace, and security for me...not just continual discipline and life lessons. I have His spirit willing to speak truth and tell me the way I should go. He is my continual stream in the desert, my undisturbed rest and confidence in peacefulness. Only when I am willing to strip off my “fine clothes,” my “complacency” and my "earthly security" can I live is this “fertile field” with His Spirit poured out on me.

In other words, God may not want us to be worldly "happy," but he longs for us to be constantly "fruitful," and when we are bearing fruit in the middle of a snow storm, we are nothing but joyful. We are tasting, smelling, and picking the choicest fruits of summer while the world is sitting and complaining about being stuck inside. With God's son and spirit, we are dancing through the snowy fields, seeing and singing something new.

As I sit and write, I am taking a much-needed break from my normal care-career. We all need breaks, changes, and a fresh perspective in order to appreciate those soft squishy faces in front of us every day.

As Georgia would have it, we started the week in sand and ended in snow!

Thank God Levi's eye reflex is faster than his other reflexes. He saved his left eye because of it, and only had a large splinter to remove from his leg after our soapy bath.

Bubbles and Popsicles always distract from boo boos.

My sweet curly-head was more than ready for his next bronchial scope...

I wonder if the day will come when Luca will still need scopes but won't distract as easily.

Praise God! This was the first time they found NO blood clot! We are slowly weaning his meds and will rescope this spring and/or summer to check for re-growth.