Five Minute Friday: Wait

Earlier this week, I stood on the curb facing the John Wayne Airport terminal in southern California. With my suitcase in hand, carry-on bag on my right shoulder, and camera bag in my left hand, I stood and watched the bright orange hand blink.  A recorded mechanical voice said,

Wait!  ....   Wait!   ...   Wait!

Taxi cabs, airport shuttles, and passenger vehicles zoomed by from right to left...

Wait!   ....   Wait!   ...   Wait!

My right shoulder was beginning to tingle from the weight of my carry-on, and the camera bag was growing heavier.  I was packed and ready to go, and beginning to grow impatient. Finally the voice bade me...

Walk!

Today's word was a reminder that I need to be listening for His voice.  The auditory system is there for the visually impaired.  From a spiritual standpoint as I travel through life, I am visually impaired. My understanding of the circumstances I see is limited.  He knows the hazards that lie in front of me, and sometimes in my anxiousness to move ahead, I risk encountering problems or setbacks that could have been avoided, had I listened for His voice and waited for His timing.

"for we walk by faith, not by sight."  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

One by One

1326.  (private)

1327.  Sampling Prickly Pear ice cream

1328.  A beautiful outdoor wedding of dear friends...

1329.  ...and being asked to photograph the event

1330.  Chocolate fountains!

1331.  That M took such good care of our son

1332.  That we were home, and at the game when the football accident happened

1333.  Quick access to medical care at a medical facility that is always booked months out

1334.  How well he did with the MRI

1335.  Safe travel through torrential rain

1336.  Safe flight to Maryland

1337.  Being treated to crab cakes (a first!)

1338.  Such warm hospitality shown by her whole family

1339.  French Toast bagels from Panera Bread (another first!)

1340.  Roads with silly names ("Squirrel Level Rd.")

1341,  Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake at Olive Garden (yet another first!)

1342.  Allume Conference 2014

1343.  J and C who delayed their lunch to pray over me

1344.  When He reveals to me something difficult and unexpected...

1345.  ...and brings others alongside to minister to me as I work through it

1346.  Winning a beautiful door prize

1347.  Fun in the Smile Booth!

1348.  My new friends, Amy and Leta

1349.  Safety during the drive back to Maryland

1350.  Cream of Crab soup (yep, another first!!)

One by One

1301.  Finding great deals at garage sales

1302.  Taking photos of a wheat field at sunset

1303.  Watching an intense thunder and lightning storm with my son

1304.  Quiet candlelit conversations on the back patio

1305.  Gazing at the moon

1306.  Family hikes to our favorite waterfalls

1307.  Finding boots that fit her in time for horse camp

1308.  Tall majestic spruce trees

1309.  The stillness of the forest

1310.  Paths strewn with pinecones

1311.  Hiking in the mist

1312.  Picking up happy children from summer camp

1313.  Spur of the moment trips to the beach

1314.  First day of school, 2014

1315.  When he got his football number

1316.  Seeing him in his football uniform

1317.  That he was called in to play...

1318.  ...and that he played well!

1319.  That his very first game was a win!  (40-22)

1320.  Taking pictures of him at the fence

1321.  That his grandparents were there to celebrate with him

1322.  The beautiful red rocks of Sedona, Arizona

1323.  How patient he was when I struggled on the hike

1324.  A fun and informative Pink Jeep tour

1325.  Hanging out by the fire next to the pool

One by One

1276.  Two days in a beautiful vacation home on a lake

1277.  Old wooden boardwalks

1278.  Doing a photo shoot in Rocky Mountain National Park

1279.  Ice cream in a waffle cone

1280.  Serene mountain lakes

1281.  Clouds reflected in still water

1282.  Talking about heaven as we walked in the woods

1283.  Watching a storm roll in over the lake

1284.  Hearing the wind buffet against the windows

1285.  Ducks bobbing on the water

1286.  Pelicans silhouetted in a sunset sky

1287.  Alpine slides

1288.  The view from the chair lift

1289.  Rabbits on the hotel lawn

1290.  Roaming around on the UC Boulder campus...

1291.  ...listening to my son dream about his future

1292.  A day of family fun at Waterworld

1293.  Fiery sunsets that take your breath away

1294.  Watching both children participate in the July 4th parade

1295.  Spending July 4th with my family and friends

1296.  Mother-daughter weekend at the coast

1297.  Horseback riding with her on the beach

1298.  Our new car

1299.  Building Legos with her on the front porch...

1300.  ...on a warm summer evening

One by One

1251.  Watching him graduate from the eighth grade

1252.  Winning an award for volunteering at the school

1253.  Razzleberry pie a la mode

1254.  First day of summer vacation

1255.  That our cat (finally!) likes to spend time on our laps

1256.  Having coffee with my mom

1257.  Discovering a third baby bird in the nest!

1258.  Watching a baby bird try its wings for the first time

1259.  Finding important papers that were "missing" for about a month

1260.  Seeing her paint on the back patio

1261.  Taking him to his first football practice

1262.  Hearing him tell me all about practice

1263.  How hard they worked on a one-day job for a local tree farmer

1264.  Birdsong in the backyard

1265.  Fresh breezes through the screen door

1266.  Her eleventh birthday

1267.  Listening to her talk and laugh with her three best friends

1268.  When the cat burrows in wrapping paper

1269.  Successful dress rehearsals

1270.  Prayer circles before performances

1271.  Watching her dance beautifully while he plays the piano

1272.  When he smiled at her through the open lid of the piano

1273.  When she gets the giggles and can't stop

1274.  Teaching him how to solve a Sudoku puzzle

1275.  Doing a photo shoot in an old historic clock tower

One by One

1221.  All of the different kinds of palm trees

1222.  Hot tubbing under the stars

1223.  Watching him read Scripture to our children on a sunny bench

1224.  Date milkshakes  (a first!)

1225.  A day at the San Diego Zoo

1226.  Koala bears

1227.  "I love Pop" written in the sand

1228.  Father and daughter standing quietly, staring at the ocean

1229.  When you meet someone for the first time, and it feels like you've known them for years

1230.  Winning the table decoration contest at the Spring Tea fundraiser

1231.  Seeing the yearbook come together

1232.  Receiving "Mom, can you come get me?" texts

1233.  The grateful look on his face when I handed my cold, wet, muddy boy his favorite hot decaf mocha

1234.  Best Mother's Day ever!

1235.  The wise counsel my daughter's teacher gave her...

1236.  ...and that she prayed with her...

1237.  ...and spoke words of life and encouragement into her hurting heart

1238.  End of the school year ice cream parties

1239.  Celebrating 25 years of marriage!

1240.  Surprising my "summer birthday girl" with an early birthday party in her classroom

1241.  Balloon bouquets

1242.  How well she danced in the local talent show

1243.  Hay bales dotting the fields

1244.  Watching birds build a nest in the eaves

1245.  How quietly the mama bird sits each day

1246.  How alert and watchful she is over her nest

1247.  Seeing two tiny baby birds peek their heads over the edge!

1248.  Hungry beaks open wide

1249.  My mom, an expert at altering clothes and costumes!

1250.  Photo scavenger hunts

One by One

Hello to my readers, after a very long break!  It has been nearly nine months since my last post. This break in posting was not intentional, but just the result of being a busy mom and living life!  As Christmas approaches, it seems a fitting time to jump back in with counting His gifts, and naming them one by one.  I have quite a backlog to get through, as I continued to count, even though I wasn't blogging.  Won't you join me for a look back at how He has blessed me this year?

1196.  His first smile without braces!

1197.  Buying him a caramel candy bar because he could eat it!

1198.  Waking them up to watch the lunar eclipse

1199.  Bundled up in blankets on the back patio

1200.  That the sky was clear that night!  (not always a given in Oregon!)

1201.  Watching the moon slowly disappear

1202.  The stillness that night brings

1203.  When someone speaks His truth directly into your life...

1204.  ...and they don't even know it

1205.  Words of wisdom scribbled on scraps of paper so they won't be forgotten

1206.  Watching the children wander down the beach together

1207.  Watching them chase the waves...

1208.  ...and the waves chase them!

1209.  Finding a new favorite beach spot

1210.  The drive to Palm Springs

1211.  Hiking on San Jacquinto mountain

1212.  The smell of a Jeffrey pine tree

1213.  Family horse ride

1214.  The different perspective you get when horseback riding

1215.  Riding through the desert...

1216.  ...and into an oasis, complete with palm trees and a stream

1217.  The coolness of shade

1218.  The gurgle of water in a dry and dusty place

1219.  Gourmet milkshakes...

1220.  ...with a mini doughnut around the straw!