Seven Quick Takes, vol. 7...

http://www.conversiondiary.com/2009/10/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-53.html - Late as always, but that's better than never!

~~1~~
My heart has been going out to the Lord on behalf of this precious family as they spent their last weeks and days with their beloved husband/father who was dying from MS. It has been a long hard road for them, but God's grace has been so evident in their lives. Their faith has been so strong and tangibly real and I praise the Lord for the testimony they have been to others.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chrisklicka

Upon hearing of Chris' passing my heart immediately turned to Romans 8:18-25...

"...Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)..."

Maranatha! Even so, come Lord Jesus!!!!!!

~~2~~

Really, it's hard to follow that with anything. Yet the fact remains that life goes on after death. The world keeps spinning, and for those left behind life continues to happen. I'm trying to figure out if I can even come up with all seven takes but I'll do my best! I hate death. Really really really hate death. I think of the verse that says "where Oh death is thy sting..." and I don't think it applys to this side of heaven. Even for believers, death still has a sting to it for those left behind. Even when we grieve as those with no hope, we still grieve. When living in the tangible here and now death comes with such finality, as if a door has been slammed shut in our face. More is lost to us than the physical presence of the person. Yes, we will see them again one way or another for we are each made with a unique eternal soul and wherever we spend eternity we will stand in our bodies before Christ. However, that doesn't help us now. When a loved one dies we also lose all of their thoughts, their memories, their feelings and opinons. Simple things that they knew that we need to ask (such as where is...) are just - gone. And yes, it still stings. Thanks be to God for His neverending mercies and for granting us the gift of our eternal souls and the gift of giving those souls to Him for His glory and purpose!!!

~~3~~

I bought the kids carmel apples tonight for the first time I think... ever. I really didn't have a good enough reason to say no and it is nice to get them a special treat once in a while for no other reason than that parents like to give good gifts to their children ("...“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him..." Matthew 7:9-11).

When we got home Sarah found them and brought them to me begging "pwease... pwease.... PWEASE!!!!" Too cute!!!

~~4~~

I almost bought a package of pull ups tonight for Sarah at bed time as she wets the bed once in a while. I've been wanting to get some cloth pull ups for her but haven't had an oppurtunity (read extra money for something I can do ok without). I'll be making that more of a priority now that I'm with child and sometimes too tired to get her up in the night to go pee. I couldn't follow through with the pull ups though. I haven't bought paper diapers in over 9 years and at this point to do so would go against my convictions (yes, I have convictions about such things, no matter how crazy the other moms in the nursery at church think I am.

~~5~~

I have found that gallon sized ziplock bags are the perfect container for reheating food. I'm nuts, I know. If I was a purist I wouldn't even own a microwave (and trust me, I have my doubts about their safety). However the reality of having all these kids combined with not wanting to take the extra time (not to mention extra dishes!) to warm the food on the stove or in the oven entices me to own one and use it daily for reaheating left overs.

~~6~~

We've chosen the name Enoch for this baby if s/he is a boy. The middle name will be either Caleb or Joseph. I think I might want to save the name Caleb for another baby (yes I did just say another baby... only God really knows!). Girls names are not so easy to come by. With our last two pregnancies we were in agreement on the name Hazel (after Super Hubbie's grandmother) but couldn't agree on anything else. Sarah was not a name either of us loved, it was simply the only name we could both agree on! I think this baby will be even more difficult to name! We simply do not have the same taste in names! Emelia suggested the name Glory tonight, which I love. I'll just have to wait and see what Super Hubbie thinks of it!

~~7~~

Sarah tries to sing lately and it is sooooo cute! I have got to find the battery for my video camera!!!!!!