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Planting Seeds

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Seeds That You Plant | Stevenson Art Quote | Hand Lettering | Hope InkDon’t judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds that you plant. -Robert Louis Stevenson

Hi Friends!

Maybe you’ve noticed that it’s been rather quiet around Hope Ink lately. I’ve missed connecting with you, and pray that this little note finds you well. This year has definitely been a time of growth and “seed-planting” for me –even if fruit isn’t usually visible. Can you relate?

Along with family, parenting, ministry, and the daily-ness of life, I’ve been asking the Lord to help me be more faithful with my time and health. I don’t know about you, but those are some of the first things to suffer when life gets too busy and I start feeling overwhelmed.

So, I started by making some simple changes (simple, yes -but definitely not easy). One of those is saying “yes” less often. I realized that I was saying yes to too many (good) things, and not leaving enough room for the best things.

summer smiles | Hope Ink

Along with simplifying my schedule, I decided to be more intentional about how I was taking care of my health. As with any major change, there’s been stops and starts, ups and downs, but overall I’m in a much better place physically than I was last year. And I’m also significantly lighter, weight-wise (hallelujah!).

I’m planning to share more about the details of what’s worked for me, for those of you who have asked, so stay tuned! I know I’m always encouraged to hear others’ stories of overcoming challenges and what made the difference.

At the moment, I pretty much love everything Wardee from Traditional Cooking does – including the great tips & recipes she shares for my new favorite kitchen tool, the magical Instant Pot.

Anyway, feel free to let me know in the comments if you have questions about the changes I’ve been making – and if there’s a specific area you need encouragement in.

One thing I continue to be reminded of is that no matter what challenges we face in this life, there is always, always hope!

 

Anchor For The Soul | Hope Ink Art

We have this HOPE
as an anchor for the soul,
firm and secure.

-Hebrews 6:19

 

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Miracles, Moving, and Organization

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log cabin california

We used to live in a log cabin. This one, in fact.

I wrote about it a few years ago, with a bit of a home tour, when we realized it was time for us to leave the beautiful foothills and move back into town.

Even though we were certain it was the best thing for our family, we were sad at the prospect of giving up our rustic, one of a kind cabin with its rainbow of wildflowers and beautiful lake view. And that tire swing.

But, after making the gut-wrenching decision to sell … it didn’t. When almost a year had gone by, we decided to take it off the market and try again after the lake filled back up (which had gone dry for the first time in 25 years, during one of the worst droughts in California history). We agreed to call our realtor the next morning and cancel the listing.

Except that night, on a whim, I shared my blog post about the house on my personal Facebook page thinking, “let’s just give it just one more chance.”

Of course, you can probably guess what happened.

God, in His perfect timing, had just the right family (friends of friends) see the post and fall in love with our mountain cabin and decide to buy it –even though they hadn’t even been thinking of moving, let alone looking for a house. What?

Okay, but that’s not all. There’s more.

They asked if we would be willing to wait to finalize the sale until they could sell their house in town. At which point, I jokingly said, “Well, maybe we should just buy yours.”

So we did.

Seriously, how amazing is God?

We traded houses. And moved in on the same day.

Miracle. Plain and simple.

 

Moving Truck

They met us in the driveway of the new-to-us house. Yep, as we were pulling in with our moving truck, they were pulling out. It still makes me want to cry thinking about how God orchestrated all the details.

 

Welcome Home Banner

And this is what greeted us in our new home from this dear family who gave us their house and inherited ours. All because of God.

So, while we grieved over leaving the mountains, all of these things only emphatically confirmed that the Lord was going before us. And that even though we couldn’t see the big picture (and still don’t), He is beyond trustworthy.

 

Honeysuckle

We’ve traded our wildflowers for honeysuckle and roses. And our mountain lake (now brimming over after the record rainfall last year) for a backyard swimming pool, usually filled with friends during the hot summer months.

 

It truly is a home sweet home.

Whew! So that’s it. That’s our moving story. I know I promised to share it a loooong time ago (it’s been more than year since we moved) … but life. My husband has continued to struggle with health issues, which is the main reason we needed to move. Although being in town has absolutely been the best thing for him. Without a doubt. So even though I traded my ginormous art studio for a corner of the living room, it’s more than worth it.

One thing the Lord has taught me through this moving adventure, maybe more than anything else, is that there is no perfect home. Not here anyway. Heaven is our dream home. That is what my heart should be set on. Seeing Him face to face. Being really, truly home forever.

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Be At Rest

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Be At Rest O My Soul

Be at rest once more
O my soul.

For the Lord has been good
to you.

Psalm 116:7

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Those Who Mourn

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Blessed are those who mourn handlettered scripture art hope ink

Blessed
are those who mourn
for they will be
comforted.

matthew 5:4

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