"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes."
-- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

(and thanks for the shout out for my mama, Tam! :) )

In Memory of Lori's Mother

Of all the earthly things God gives
There's one above all others;
It's the precious priceless gift
Of loving Christian mothers. ---Anon

Thank you, God!

"OH, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deedsamong the peoples! Sing to Him, sing songs to Him; talk of all Hiswondrous works ! Glory in His Holy Name; let the hearts of those rejoicewho seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His faceevermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wondersand the judgments of His mouth." 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 NKJV

on hope...

"Expect to have hope rekindled.
Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.
The dry seasons in life do not last.
The spring rains will come again."
-- Sarah Ban Breathnach

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:6-9

Rest...

The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 (NLT)

O start anew!
You are the One who has brought our Lord Jesus Christ
again to life from the dead;
You are the One who by your summoning imperative
has caused the worlds to be;
You are the One who by your faithfulness
has given a son to our vexed mother Hannah;
You are the One who has the will and power to begin again,
to start anew.
You are the only self-starter whose name we know.
And so we bid you, start again,
start here, start now,
start with us and with our school (church, city, country. . . .),
start with your mercy,
and with your justice,
and with your compassion,
and with your peace.
Make the world new again,
and young again, and innocent again. . .Start. . . before it is too late.
Amen.
On reading I Samuel 1 on Feb. 4, 1999
Brueggemann, Walter. Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann. Ed. Edwin Searcy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003. 111.