...dear friends!
Our Christmas greeting is viewable here.
Love,
Anna and Brent
I feel overwhelmed, in a good way, as I spend some time this afternoon reflecting on what I'm grateful for. It may sound trite, but I mean it from my heart when I say, I am so blessed. No, we don't have a bank account balance with a gazillion zeros, and we may not have designer things, or the best and nicest stuff, but you know what? That doesn't even matter one iota- 'things' aren't what I find contentment and satisfaction in.
Rather it's in the richness of a loving God who's mercies are new every morning, and knowing that I am His delight. It's because of my sweet husband, who lovingly wakes me up with coffee or tea, rubs my tired feet, and shows me in hundreds of ways daily, how much he loves me. I love you so much, Babe! It's in the laughter and close companionship shared between members of our family- I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. It's in the mercy of God who allowed my Grandma to be able to come home after the hospital told us she'd never leave. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity we have to care for her as she has done for us for so many years. It's the joy of seeing my beautiful niece grow and discover her world. It's in the Lord's provision enabling my husband and I to be able to work from home. It's in the lasting friendships we've been blessed with, we love y'all! It's appreciation for health, enough to eat, clothes to wear, a cozy house to call home, peace, and a blessed country where we can worship God freely. Lord, I know I don't deserve all that you've given me, but thank you from the bottom of my heart. You've been good to me and I love You.
And Lord, thank you for pumpkin pie! =)
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.
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I'm snuggling on the couch with my sweetheart, and we are watching Iron Chef America. It's nice to have a little 'chill' time together after an eventful week. My great aunt and her son arrived all the way from Barbados last Saturday and we had such a wonderful time visiting with them. We were sad to see them go this morning. It was so wonderful learning more about the place of my birth and hearing stories of their childhood. My great aunt spoiled us with plenty of Bajan cooking. My mouth waters just thinking about all the delicious dishes she prepared. And Ronald kept us entertained for hours with his jokes and silly antics. =)
There is so much on my mind and my heart is so full- too much to put into words right now. But ultimately I feel content and blessed. God is good. My grandma is home again and making small improvements. She got to see and spend time with her sister and her sister's son, whom she hadn't seen in over 20 years. I treasure this time that we spent with family and all the unforgettable memories we've made. And snuggles with my babe make me happy. <3
Isn't it hard to believe the holidays are nearly here? I noticed that some people already have Christmas lights strung when we were on the road tonight, and that fact really hit me. We've never had a problem with this before as a family, but one thing I think we'll treasure even more this season is the gift of family. You know, when it all boils down to it, your kids won't care that you got them the newest toy or electronic on the block each Christmas, instead they'll reminisce on the times that you spent actually playing with them. My challenge is to forget about trying to give and get what's considered the hottest thing, and give/receive with your heart. Make time this holiday season for memories with your families, realizing that those are everlasting, while material things are not. Be there for each other, through the thick and thin!
Well, I'm starting to get sleepy and should probably head to bed. Blessings, my friends! Talk to you soon.
Love,
Anna
"There is music in the meadows, in the air --
Autumn is here;
Skies are gray, but hearts are mellow,
Leaves are crimson, brown, and yellow;
~ William Stanley Braithwaite, Lyric of Autumn
The last couple of weeks have been somewhat of a roller coaster ride- full of highs, lows, and in-betweens. It seems like when I'm going through alot, I find it harder to write and to put my thoughts down in a logical manner, so unfortunately I've neglected to blog.
~About grandma
We surrounded her bedside, telling her how much we loved her and coming to peace with the fact that God ultimately was in control, and would do what was best for Gran. The 4-hour time frame that the hospital had given for her life went by, and she was still fighting. The hospital staff told us she wouldn't make it through the night, and the next morning she was still with us.
I walk away from this experience feeling like I've witnessed a miracle. The hospital wasn't lying when they said she wouldn't make it- we saw her vitals and they were not good. If you went by statistics, she shouldn't have lived. But as in the lyrics to a song that has meant alot to me during this time, "It doesn't matter what you've heard, impossible is not a word" (Kutless, What Faith Can Do), for our God nothing is impossible! Obviously He plans to bless our lives with my grandma's sweet presence for awhile longer. She still has many hurdles ahead of her - they've discovered that she has MRSA and are treating her for that, but we're praying that she'll be discharged soon and able to live comfortably at home again.
~On his birthday
Brent's birthday was this past Tuesday. I treated my birthday boy to a delicious, autumn breakfast: pumpkin pancakes topped with maple pecan syrup and eggs sunny side up, and coffee, of course, to wash it down. This was a treat because typically we just have cereal and coffee for breakfast- we're not really morning people. :D
We celebrated with a party that evening (and into the night) here at our house, with our dear family and friends. Thanks, Paul and Sarah, for letting us borrow your Wii. Good times! Pictures are still on the camera so I'll have to share them with you another time.
Happy birthday, Sweetheart! Two plus years later, I can still say "I can't help falling in love with you". Each and every day, I'm glad you're the one I wake up to, stand alongside of, hold hands with, and fall asleep next to. You are the love of my life. xoxo
~ On family visits
This weekend, some extended family from Barbados are going to arrive, and I am very excited. I'm looking forward to hearing that island accent again and hearing news and stories from the isle where I was born.
~ On work
Work continues to keep us busy, which is a good thing. On the photography side of things, we are currently running a senior/high school session campaign. We've selected a few high schoolers to model for and represent us in our local high school. Check out our recent sessions on our blog and Facebook fan page. Here are a few pieces of eye candy for you! =)
~ on traffic
This has weighed heavily on my heart since hearing this podcast a few days ago. If you've watched the movie "Taken", you already realize that trafficking exists. What you may not know is how common it is, and how close to home it may be for you. I did a little research and was surprised to find that at one point there had been a brothel just outside of our little town.
Brian shares testimonies from women and young girls who have been through this horrible ordeal (not suitable for young ears) and urges us to pray and get involved in ending this modern day slavery.
If you think this only happens once in awhile, you are so wrong. Like in one of the stories Brian shares, it could happen to your daughter, right here in America! Be informed, know how this degrading system works, and seriously consider financially supporting outreaches that 'buy' these women and children to set them free.
~on being a prophet
I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible today and hearing about Ezekiel, in particular, about when God told him to take on the sins of Israel, and lay on one side for so many days, and the other side for so many days, and shave off his hair, etc. And it really hit me - being a prophet was hard! People in Ezekiel's time probably thought, wow, he's one crazy man! I'm sure he was laughed at and despised. Yet, he was doing what God called Him to do. I began to ask myself, if God called me to do these crazy, uncomfortable things, and to give people a message that wasn't easy to hear or popular, would I do it? One thing God kept telling Ezekiel was to not be afraid. Have I overcome my fear of what others may think of me? Honestly- no, still working on that.
Here is some more sobering food for thought:
"Son of man, I've made you a watchman for the family of Israel. Whenever you hear me say something, warn them for me. If I say to the wicked, 'You are going to die,' and you don't sound the alarm warning them that it's a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I'll hold you responsible. But if you warn the wicked and they keep right on sinning anyway, they'll most certainly die for their sin, but you won't die. You'll have saved your life.
And if the righteous turn back from living righteously and take up with evil when I step in and put them in a hard place, they'll die. If you haven't warned them, they'll die because of their sins, and none of the right things they've done will count for anything—and I'll hold you responsible. But if you warn these righteous people not to sin and they listen to you, they'll live because they took the warning—and again, you'll have saved your life." ~ Ezekiel 3:17-21
Never underestimate the power of speaking into someone's life. They may or may not listen, but at least you'll have a clear conscience and know that you've done the right thing.
Well it's time for me to wrap this up so I can snuggle with my babe. Isn't that one of the most wonderful things about fall nights? <3
Love and hugs,
Anna
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As I was putting on my makeup the other morning, I noticed the smattering of freckles on my face from being in the sun over the weekend and frowned. Don't get me wrong, I think freckles are cute, on everyone else but me! :D Then I remembered a conversation my mom and I had this past weekend as we read the Bible together, Song of Solomon 1:5-6 to be exact.
"Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun."
The love of Solomon's life apparently didn't like the fact that she was dark-skinned. Maybe at that time it was considered more desirable to be fair. Anyway, what jumped out to my mom and I is that in that same line she says, "yet lovely". We'd both never really seen or thought much about this before.
We all have things about us that we don't like, wish we could change, and are self-conscious about. I could give you a whole list! Yet we need to realize despite what we consider flaws, that we really are lovely, beautiful, exactly the way we are. If we could view ourselves the same way that God sees us, we'd see that He's not holding us up to the world's mostly fake standard of beauty. The things that make us unique (that we don't often like) are the signatures He's stamped us with that make us who we are.
So my friends, when you look in the mirror and see something about yourself that you don't like, think: I have (..freckles, or whatever), but I am lovely. Because you really are! =)
I am imperfect
but still You love me
exactly as I am.
All of my flaws
You see as beauty.
You've fashioned me
with Your hand.
Help me to see me
the way that You do,
as beautiful,
one of a kind-
Your captivating bride.
and precious jewel,
the apple of Your eye.
(C) 2009 Anna Deitrich
Until next time, lovelies!
Anna
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"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
~ Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885
The arrival of September has brought deliciously cooler temperatures to our area. Ah, September.. how did you get here so fast? Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating our 2nd anniversary. Speaking of which, here are the promised pictures from our romantic get-away to Ocean Isle, NC.
Ocean View
My handsome husband. I love him!
Our anniversary cake! This is the start of a new anniversary tradition. I whipped this up the night before leaving and adorned it with chocolate sea shells and a message in a bottle for my Sweetie. =)
Some highlights from our anniversary celebration:
~ Wearing the anniversary dress Brent got for me. I love it!
~ Playing in the sand and sea, then dipping in the pool afterwards.
~ Laughing as we took pictures with a tripod and timer! Not the easiest thing to do, but my husband is awesome at it.
~ The never-ceasing wind. See our video below for the wind-swept hairstyles we were sporting after pictures.
~ Dining on fresh, locally-caught flounder and pasta with lemon caper sauce. Amazing! Brent and I have since tried to recreate the same dish and have come pretty close. It was so delicious. *happy sigh*
~ Opening the present from my sweetheart: Two darling rings (for two years), with each of our birthstones.
~ Completing our delightful evening by re-watching our wedding video and reliving happy memories of our special day.
More pics here.
We spent the Labor Day weekend tent camping at the beach with the family and had a wonderful time. Well, except for getting rained out the morning of our departure. We got soaked to the skin as we took down camp! Still, it was so good to be at the ocean again (can you tell we are beach-lovers?) and enjoy it together as a family. I never cease to be amazed when I stand on the ocean's shore of how big and powerful God is. We also saw beautiful sunsets each evening we were there. Pictures and video are still on the camera yet, so I will share them with y'all another time.
Thank you for praying for my Grandma. She is still in the ICU, but is stable and doing much better. The little improvements that she's making are little miracles. Praise God! While so much is still unknown as to what's causing her health issues and what her discharge plans will be, we are confident that God is going to continue what He's begun in her life. She's such an inspiration to me. She lays bedridden and hooked up to equipment, yet the joy of the Lord shines on her face and she is at peace. I know the doctors and nurses don't understand her response, but she is clearly living out this verse: Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. ~ James 1:2 & 3 Lord, give me faith like my dear Grandma's, so that even in uncomfortable circumstances, I keep my eyes focused on you, holding on in faith to your promises.
While visiting Gran in the ICU, we met a pastor who had just lost a loved one in the same unit as Gran. He spoke with us and prayed for Gran right then and there, and then visited my parents' home a few weeks later. He shared some verses that the Lord had placed on his heart with us, and the message of those verses keeps coming to mind and encouraging me.
In the beginning God.. God ordains life's first cry and final breath, and the time in between.
Be still and see the salvation of the Lord. Time to stop kicking and fighting in my own strength to figure out and handle God's plans. Being still is the result of complete surrender. Why do I even *think* I have the capabilities of managing life when the Almighty is the ultimate life-giver and taker? As I surrender and wait, God is going to show up.
The battle is the Lord's. When He shows up, the enemy had better watch out! Time and time again, the Word is filled with examples of battles that were won despite overwhelming odds (i.e. Moses and the Israelites versus the Egyptians, Joshua and the battle of Jericho, David and Goliath). Our God doesn't work based on statistics or human knowledge, His ways are beyond our ways and His thoughts above our own. I can leave the how and when up to Him, He's going to work all things for good and for His glory.
It's not easy. There are some days when I get down. There are some people that don't understand, that think we (as a family) should do things differently. But as Nehemiah went about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in the face of opposition, we also hold on to what we feel the Lord has called us to, no matter what people think. We wait, we hope and we pray, and God IS going to show up. I hope this has been an encouragement to you as I know so many of you are going through difficult times. You are not alone. Keep the faith, locking your eyes on Jesus. You're going to make it through, I promise.
Well, it's time to wrap this up and call it a night. God bless!
Love,
Anna
