What inspires me?
Well friends...
And I'm grateful to be able to live it.
What about you?
loads of love,
Hannah
Well friends...
Life
inspires me.And I'm grateful to be able to live it.
What about you?
loads of love,
Hannah
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Collaboration # 4 - Wonder
Labels:
Lovely
Bottom - Abigail Grace
Little Boy Blue
Little boy blue with your eyes so wide,
come and stay awhile, come and stay awhile,
little boy blue with your hair so fair,
come and dream awhile, dream if you dare,
I wonder what you're thinking,
little boy of mine,
dreaming of what could be,
dreaming dreams so fine,
but you'll always be my little boy,
little boy blue,
eyes full of wonder,
dreaming like you do,
little boy, little boy blue,
precious, wonder child,
I love you.
As soon as I began writing this post, I thought of a short song I had written for Samuel awhile ago. The song is basically saying that even though he'll grow up, I'll still remember my little boy; my sweet Samuel. I love how when you're really little, you still remember to dream -- to wonder. You can see it in their eyes; you know that in the midst of all the growing up, they're still dreaming. Perhaps it's not that as we grow older, we stop dreaming, but it's that we forget what it was like to wonder without worry. Instead of dreaming about childlike whims, we dream of more whole, real things. It's not a bad thing, but just a part of growing up.I took a video with my web cam this morning, so my voice isn't warmed up, per se. ;) Have a wonderful and blessed Monday, friends! Make sure to head over to Abigail's blog and read her words on Wonder -- and remember to wish her a lovely Monday, as well!
Loads of love,
Hannah
Saturday, May 14, 2011
when it hails...
either:
1. run outside
2. hide under the overhanging on the deck
3. gather hail
4. hide under a table
5. stare longingly outside
6. stay inside and take photos
What would you do?
loads of love,
Hannah
1. run outside
2. hide under the overhanging on the deck
3. gather hail
4. hide under a table
5. stare longingly outside
6. stay inside and take photos
What would you do?
loads of love,
Hannah
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
rediscovery.
Lately I feel perhaps constrained by my blog. Unsure of what to say. Lacking the words to voice my thoughts. You see...when I first started blogging, it was for the sake of having a blog. However, through the past few years, I've really come to enjoy and love this arena -- this world of blogging. I love the fact that I can write about what's on my heart. I love being able to share bits and pieces of my life. I love having this creative outlet. And I love this community of friends. I've cried, laughed, prayed, been silly and then downright serious, rambled, photographed my family to the point of bribery (chocolate is a favorite in our house), and enjoyed these years of blogging.
More than ever, I'm realizing that I have a voice. I have something to say. The Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to speak. But too often, I'm afraid to write. Because what if it's not good enough? Or what if it's too silly? Or what if it's not what people want to hear?
This isn't however, about writing to please people. It's writing because I love writing -- because I love being able to plunk myself down on the couch and tap a few keys to create something. It's writing because something is on my heart; writing because I have a story to share; writing because I have photos that I love; writing because it's a journey. A journal.
I will not allow myself to be defined by fears and what-ifs. The keyboard is my pen, posts my pages. Ink seeps through the screen in form of pixels and words swirl in thoughts, past pictures and through bits of dreams. Scattered across the site.
I'm going through a season of growth in my life, and part of that includes my blog. Rediscovery. Pruning, snipping, growing, blossoming, blooming. My blog is not meant to be a site plastered with tepid posts and silly phrases. It's about life -- real, vivid, whole life. And I intend to celebrate it.
Join me, friends?
Loads of love,
Hannah
More than ever, I'm realizing that I have a voice. I have something to say. The Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to speak. But too often, I'm afraid to write. Because what if it's not good enough? Or what if it's too silly? Or what if it's not what people want to hear?
This isn't however, about writing to please people. It's writing because I love writing -- because I love being able to plunk myself down on the couch and tap a few keys to create something. It's writing because something is on my heart; writing because I have a story to share; writing because I have photos that I love; writing because it's a journey. A journal.
I will not allow myself to be defined by fears and what-ifs. The keyboard is my pen, posts my pages. Ink seeps through the screen in form of pixels and words swirl in thoughts, past pictures and through bits of dreams. Scattered across the site.
I'm going through a season of growth in my life, and part of that includes my blog. Rediscovery. Pruning, snipping, growing, blossoming, blooming. My blog is not meant to be a site plastered with tepid posts and silly phrases. It's about life -- real, vivid, whole life. And I intend to celebrate it.
Join me, friends?
Loads of love,
Hannah
Friday, May 6, 2011
I will not be silent.
Labels:
celiac disease
,
Family
May is Celiac disease awareness month.
This is my brother Sam.
And he has Celiac Disease.
He was diagnosed at 16 mo. and it's completely changed the way I look at so many things. Food. Family. Life.
His system is unable to handle anything with gluten and the amount of everyday, ordinary, items that contain gluten is disheartening. Salami. Salad Dressing. Soy Sauce.
We purchase food that he can eat. We try to eat meals gluten free. But we still eat gluten-filled foods. Sam sees that. He knows that he's not eating what we are. And it bugs him. He cries for it. He knows that something is different with Him and us.
Celiac Disease is not something that can be taken lightly. This is a life-threatening disease that if not treated, can be fatal. Why? Because for an individual with Celiac Disease their intestinal system becomes unable to absorb nutrients from food. Undiagnosed and untreated cases can lead to diabetes, cancers and other auto-immune diseases.
The only cure is to not eat gluten.
Sam can't go out to eat. Even "gluten-free" menu items can be contaminated. If you put a piece of gluten-free meat on the grill where something with gluten was just placed, it is now contaminated. Just that little contact can cause damage and pain to Sam's system.
I support 1 in 133.
This is for Samuel. It's for all those out there who have undiagnosed or unrecognized cases. It's for the people who live daily with this disease called Celiac.
I will not be silent.
This is too important.
This is too near.
Would you consider signing the pledge to support gluten-free food labeling? I can't count how many times we've gone shopping and have come back frustrated at the lack of clarity regarding gluten it may-or-may-not contain. Clarity that we need to have. If the food is contaminated, we need to know.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Love,
Hannah
For more information about Celiac Disease, click here.
What is Celiac? (info about what it really is)
Interested in Samuel's story? (and part two -- both on my mom's blog)
This is my brother Sam.
And he has Celiac Disease.
He was diagnosed at 16 mo. and it's completely changed the way I look at so many things. Food. Family. Life.
His system is unable to handle anything with gluten and the amount of everyday, ordinary, items that contain gluten is disheartening. Salami. Salad Dressing. Soy Sauce.
We purchase food that he can eat. We try to eat meals gluten free. But we still eat gluten-filled foods. Sam sees that. He knows that he's not eating what we are. And it bugs him. He cries for it. He knows that something is different with Him and us.
Celiac Disease is not something that can be taken lightly. This is a life-threatening disease that if not treated, can be fatal. Why? Because for an individual with Celiac Disease their intestinal system becomes unable to absorb nutrients from food. Undiagnosed and untreated cases can lead to diabetes, cancers and other auto-immune diseases.
The only cure is to not eat gluten.
Sam can't go out to eat. Even "gluten-free" menu items can be contaminated. If you put a piece of gluten-free meat on the grill where something with gluten was just placed, it is now contaminated. Just that little contact can cause damage and pain to Sam's system.
I support 1 in 133.
This is for Samuel. It's for all those out there who have undiagnosed or unrecognized cases. It's for the people who live daily with this disease called Celiac.
I will not be silent.
This is too important.
This is too near.
Would you consider signing the pledge to support gluten-free food labeling? I can't count how many times we've gone shopping and have come back frustrated at the lack of clarity regarding gluten it may-or-may-not contain. Clarity that we need to have. If the food is contaminated, we need to know.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Love,
Hannah
What is Celiac? (info about what it really is)
Interested in Samuel's story? (and part two -- both on my mom's blog)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
more than a grain of wheat.
Labels:
faith
Right now, I feel like just a grain of wheat. Trapped in the endless daily cycles of routine and rigamarole; not at all embracing and living to the fullest. I'm stuck on top of the soil, desperately trying to burrow into it. But I have no strength -- I cannot climb into it myself.
I have so many dreams for my life that I want to say are unfolding. But at the culmination of my hopes, doors are closed and I wonder, why?
Lord, is my faith not enough? Is this not your will? Why, oh God, am I waiting? I want to be used mightily for your kingdom -- why is this not what you have given?
Too often I try to impress my own plans on God. I'm in a season in life of growing right now. My character is being cultivated, my hopes sharpened, and my life seemingly stretching endlessly in front of me. But the paths that I thought were the right trails end up being dead-ends -- they're not where I am meant to travel. Yet I stubbornly persist in trying to walk through the walls in order to achieve my goals. I have my own agenda and I'm constantly bashing headfirst into brick, trying to figure out the way through stone. Places I thought were doors but instead, are just walls.
Just grain.
I don't want to live a life of being just grain.
Die to self. Die to self. Die to self.
I refuse to hold onto life just as it is; Jesus, help me to die to this world. Help me become fully alive in your glory. Refuel my light (Romans 12:12).
In my quest of searching for God's will, I've really been asking the Lord if he'll make my will His own. When doors close, I refuse to admit that they were nothing more than walls. "But Lord, that's what I want! That's what I'm dreaming of! Please, can't I do that?"
Surrendering my will to His own is hard and painful and it hurts. Because it means change; it means recognizing that my carefully-planted garden was really nothing more than a dream; a mirage shimmering on the distance. Yet I refuse to look and see His plan for my life, blooming on the horizon. Thriving. Abundant. Lush and verdant. Full of His glory.
I ignore it and try to coax life out of what has no substance. "Are you sure, Lord? Really? This isn't what you want? I believe you, God! I believe you, I really do. But...this is what I want. Don't you want the best for me?"
And there's the trigger. In my search for self, while wearing a mask of complete surrender, I've become blind and numb to the truth.
His will is the best for me. His no's are always a better yes. The Lord has marvelous, incredible, amazing plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11), yet if I keep trying to walk through walls, I'm going to miss them. I need to let go of the dreams I thought were doors, and instead, look for his path. Surrender completely. Jesus, take all of me -- all I am is yours. Let that be my heart, o precious King.
I will not just be a grain of wheat.
Die to self. Let me not hold onto life just as it is.
Lord, help me to turn from brick-walls and evanescent plans of my own, and instead, get off that fence. Help me to die to self and plant me, water me, prune me and my dreams, even though it hurts, so that I will blossom with fruit for your glory. Let me live a life of abundant joy, reckless in love, authentic in complete surrender. Use me mightily for your kingdom! Wipe me clean of smudges and let me be a mirror to reflect your glory.
Jesus, I don't want to be just a grain of wheat.
Show me your path, direct my stumbling feet. Sanctify me in truth -- your word is truth (John 17:17). Reveal to me that your will is perfect. Cleanse the crud of culture and worldly expectations from my mind and fill my eyes with you.
I want to see you, completely. I want to live for you, wholly.
I want to bloom where I'm planted.
You may have closed doors, but Lord, place me by a window.
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal." - John 12:24
In my weakness, He is perfect strength; His grace is sufficient. (2nd Corinthians 12:9).I have so many dreams for my life that I want to say are unfolding. But at the culmination of my hopes, doors are closed and I wonder, why?
Lord, is my faith not enough? Is this not your will? Why, oh God, am I waiting? I want to be used mightily for your kingdom -- why is this not what you have given?
Too often I try to impress my own plans on God. I'm in a season in life of growing right now. My character is being cultivated, my hopes sharpened, and my life seemingly stretching endlessly in front of me. But the paths that I thought were the right trails end up being dead-ends -- they're not where I am meant to travel. Yet I stubbornly persist in trying to walk through the walls in order to achieve my goals. I have my own agenda and I'm constantly bashing headfirst into brick, trying to figure out the way through stone. Places I thought were doors but instead, are just walls.
Just grain.
I don't want to live a life of being just grain.
Die to self. Die to self. Die to self.
I refuse to hold onto life just as it is; Jesus, help me to die to this world. Help me become fully alive in your glory. Refuel my light (Romans 12:12).
In my quest of searching for God's will, I've really been asking the Lord if he'll make my will His own. When doors close, I refuse to admit that they were nothing more than walls. "But Lord, that's what I want! That's what I'm dreaming of! Please, can't I do that?"
Surrendering my will to His own is hard and painful and it hurts. Because it means change; it means recognizing that my carefully-planted garden was really nothing more than a dream; a mirage shimmering on the distance. Yet I refuse to look and see His plan for my life, blooming on the horizon. Thriving. Abundant. Lush and verdant. Full of His glory.
I ignore it and try to coax life out of what has no substance. "Are you sure, Lord? Really? This isn't what you want? I believe you, God! I believe you, I really do. But...this is what I want. Don't you want the best for me?"
And there's the trigger. In my search for self, while wearing a mask of complete surrender, I've become blind and numb to the truth.
His will is the best for me. His no's are always a better yes. The Lord has marvelous, incredible, amazing plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11), yet if I keep trying to walk through walls, I'm going to miss them. I need to let go of the dreams I thought were doors, and instead, look for his path. Surrender completely. Jesus, take all of me -- all I am is yours. Let that be my heart, o precious King.
I will not just be a grain of wheat.
Die to self. Let me not hold onto life just as it is.
Lord, help me to turn from brick-walls and evanescent plans of my own, and instead, get off that fence. Help me to die to self and plant me, water me, prune me and my dreams, even though it hurts, so that I will blossom with fruit for your glory. Let me live a life of abundant joy, reckless in love, authentic in complete surrender. Use me mightily for your kingdom! Wipe me clean of smudges and let me be a mirror to reflect your glory.
Jesus, I don't want to be just a grain of wheat.
Show me your path, direct my stumbling feet. Sanctify me in truth -- your word is truth (John 17:17). Reveal to me that your will is perfect. Cleanse the crud of culture and worldly expectations from my mind and fill my eyes with you.
I want to see you, completely. I want to live for you, wholly.
I want to bloom where I'm planted.
You may have closed doors, but Lord, place me by a window.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Collaboration # 3 - Wisdom
Labels:
Lovely
Bottom - Abigail Kraft
Our word this week was wisdom. I love how Abigail depicted wisdom by a photo of her mom. I know that my own momma has blessed my life exponentially by her Godly example of wisdom. Her insight has shaped my own life in ways that I couldn't pen and I'm deeply blessed that she's my mother. My photo is perhaps a bit more abstract when you look at it. The other day I had an early morning bible study and wanted to take a photo of my whole setup: ESV Bible, Message Bible, Feta and Spinach Scrambled Eggs, Snapple, Journal, and several pens. I can safely say that Jesus is the wisest man who ever lived -- and we're blessed to be able to read and study His words in the Bible. All scripture is God-breathed; we have direct access to the Word of God! That's something, friends.
Have a wonderful Monday, friends! Any special plans for this week?
Love,
Hannah
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
