Soaking

I love good "soaking" music.  The kind you put on and welcome the presence of Jesus.  The kind you have playing in the background and it feels like it is centering your work space, home, vehicle ride, etc.  I found this soaking music this past year and when I first started listening to it, I would get wrecked in the presence of God.  It quickly became my favorite instrumental worship music ever.  This morning, as it was playing over my home from the wee hours of the morning before the light started peeking over the desert I had a thought . . . why don't you share this with your blog friends.  So, dear blogger community, maybe there is someone out there who this music will minister to and set an atmosphere in your life for the King of Kings to ride in.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb3T0V8ZUhIdWnvsqO73zkQ

SOAKING IN HIS PRESENCE Instrumental Worship

An Uncommon Love

Today I celebrate twenty-two years of marriage with this guy.  You, my blogger friends, have been on this journey with us and know the heartache and the joys of the last twenty-two years.  God has been incredibly faithful. Today I celebrate this union.  I found this poem and felt like it captured my heart for what I share with my John, my soul mate and best friend.

An Uncommon Love

May you have the love only two can know.  May you go where only two as one may go.  May the sun rise and set in your bonded hearts and the moon never find you too long apart.

May you cherish each other’s dreams as your own and turn stumbling blocks into steppingstones.

May you brave life’s mountains and miles together.

May there be no storm your love cannot weather.

May you be lovers and allies and friends.

May your soul’s conversation never end.

May you capture on earth what’s in heaven above.

May your hearts know the rapture of an uncommon love.

By Terah Cox

Photography compliments of http://www.lisatrenaryphotography.com/

Simplicity

Simplicity ~ is loving intent upon Jesus alone, seeking no other person or thing. 

The Move Back Home

We are THRILLED to have moved "home" this past month.  Due to some events beyond our control a year and a half ago, we had to  move out of our country home and into town.  To make a super long story, way short, God gave our house back!  We had a beautiful God story unfold and what we call a "suddenly" in moving back into the country.

The Weldon Man "Crew"

Girlfriends Moving Nita's "Breakables"

The Piano Crew

Finally "Home"

These gems in photos above, were our moving crew, along with a couple hired hands.  After a sudden phone call out of the blue, asking if we wanted to buy our country house back, we scrambled to put our town house on the market and it sold in two days (https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Real-Estate-Agent/Jasa-Suiter-Realtor-957299504443048/).  Yippee!  We didn't want to tax our friends with  moving us in the heat, as we had to move everything first into storage and then everything back out and into the country.  So we hired some help and had a few friends help towards the end, but my son Simeon and John kicked it!  Working day in and day out in the middle of the Arizona summer heat - they made an amazing crew!

The hwy to our house

The dirt road in front of our house

Our Lane

Nita's moving truck . . . We had more than one. :-)

Front Door

I can't begin to express how it felt as I drove this big U-haul truck through the country hwy and down the remote cactus lined lane to our home. I felt like I was in a daze.  I was crying and thanking Jesus for giving our land and house back. I don't know if  you have ever carried a geographical region and home, in your heart, and then had to leave it, but this was our region and to return to the dreams and prayers of our hearts was priceless.

True Friends

The Fam

I know this is a lot of pictures, and I don't really feel like I can go into the bigger story on this blog surrounding our transition, but we are super thankful for this "suddenly" and are settling in and can't wait to celebrate with friends.

The sun rising this morning

Sunrise on the mountain and cactus in our yard

Quiet-time with Jesus - Living the Dream

 This is the sun rising over the desert this morning.  I will watch many mornings as all at once the desert begins to glow and come alive and the sun peaks over the horizon.  The acres have a lot of work to be done on them, but as John and I look over the land we sigh deep and with thankful hearts roll our sleeves up and dig in . . .

Summer 2019

Johnny, Julie, Gabby, Destiny & Simeon

Summer is coming to a close and WOW, what a great one!  This summer we spent between Oregon and Arizona. Many of our family, friends and foster babes, live in Oregon and Washington, as that is where I grew up.  What a delight.  I think I took 2,000 pictures but I will just share a few highlights of family with you.

The kids were all together again (Johnny, Julie, Gabby, Destiny & Simeon). This was a HUGE highlight.  We have not had time with Gabby like this in years, since she was adopted out of our home and it touched our hearts deeply.  We spent time at the ocean and drank in the Pacific Northwest beauty and loved being together for a weekend.

Johnny, Gabby, Julie & Simeon

The Sunset

We celebrated my Niece Petra's Graduation and Nephew Josiah's wedding while there.  Josiah's wedding was such a beautiful event.  So full of love and covenant to Jesus as well as each other.  

The Wenger Men

We were able to spend Father's Day with both our dads and families.  

What a gift!   

The Weldon Men

  

The Weldon's

We cherished our family moments with the Wenger's and the Weldon's.  Got to hug on our new baby niece. 

Nita, Parents & Brother Tim

Celebrated Julie's Sweet 16 at the Oregon Coast

With Ju Ju (sweet 16)

Nita & Brother Andrew

  

Cousin Time

We had meaningful moments of re-connection with so many of our dear friends (could not begin to post them on my blog or it would go on forever.  smile.  Got to spend time with nephews and nieces.  (Too many pictures to post, but I put a few more of our friend pics on facebook)  It was perfect to spend the hot Arizona months in Oregon and make it back to Arizona in time for the kids to start school and the beautiful summer sunsets over the golf course.  

Husband and I felt the tenderness of God towards us, in re-connecting us with those we love and giving us quality time with both our parents.  We felt the best of both worlds - we love our home and friends in Arizona, yet were able to treasure what God has given us in Oregon/Washington.  A sweet summer! 

Cousie

Tara & Nita

Simeon, Tara & Destiny

On Monday, my cousin Tara, passed away from cancer and went to be with Jesus.  I probably should have written this post while she was still with us, but I guess I just continually pushed into the Hope that she would be healed on this side of eternity and we would not be facing her death.

Nita & Tara Floating on a Log

Tara and I were only 4-5 years a part in age and I would always call her "cousie".  She had a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that I loved and we had so much fun bantering back and forth.  I loved Tara's laugh.  It would start as a smile and warm into a sort of giggle/laugh as if she was saying, "I can't believe I'm laughing at you, your seriously the weirdest!"  Ha!  :-)

I would often tease Tara about her baby face and how she would be asked if she was old enough to sit in an exit row on the airplane when she was close to 40 years old and would not be allowed to wait in the bar area of a restaurant in her late 30's as staff were not convinced she was 21.
These pictures of us in the lake are some of my favorites.  I forgot I had them until the other day.  We were camping a few years ago and Tara came to join us for the day,  and her and I found this log and we attached ourselves to it and just talked and laughed at the kids as we floated in the middle of the lake.  Was such a fun memory.

Tara moved from Boston to Washington in 2006 and lived with us for a little over a year before she found her own place.  Our kids were young in those years and we would often find her laughing at the children when they would do silly things.  She was one of their favorite audiences and babysitter!

Simeon, Tara & Destiny

She had a special bond with my son, he would climb up on her lap and ask her for treats and show off.  Tara loved it when he would sing “Jesus loves me” because he would sing with such enthusiasm and end it with “the Bible tells me SOAP” (instead of so) as his little mind thought that was how the song went.  Tara would laugh and laugh and try to get him to sing it again.

Simeon & Tara

At the time Tara worked at Target and when we would get out of the car to shop at Target, he would get all excited sitting in his little car seat and start exclaiming "Tara Target, Tara Target and search for her in the store until he found her!!”

In April this year, some of our extended family  had a Celebration of Life for Tara, while she was still living.  We all gathered in Iowa and spent two days together, playing games, singing, eating Tara's favorite food and spending time with Tara.  It was very special. She was one loved woman.  This was the last time I saw her.



This past year almost every night before bed, during the night or as I was waking up in the morning, I would pray for Tara and for peace, freedom from pain, healing, etc. As I began to drift off to sleep the other night, I began to pray for Tara and the realized she was no longer with us and no longer in need of healing.  It was a comfort to know she was with Jesus but at the same

time the loss was deeply felt.  During the early hours of the morning  I had a good cry, while everyone else was sleeping.     I know my kids were disappointed and hurting because they did not get to say goodbye to Tara.  I was feeling regrets and I just asked Jesus to show me a picture of Him and Tara in heaven.  As I surrendered my imagination to the Lordship of Jesus, I saw

Tara sitting on the back of a pick-up truck with Jesus and they were laughing and at a drive-in movie, talking and eating popcorn.  They were so enjoying each other's company.  Immediately my heart was filled with peace and a sense of joy, as I know Tara is out of pain and spending time with the one who loves her beyond anything we could imagine.

Tara's Celebration of Life