Best and Dearest

" 'Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen.'

Oh! say not so, thou who art walking in darkness.

The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood;

the dearest of His children must bear the cross.

No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity;

no believer can always keep his harp from the willows.  

Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path,

because you were weak and timid.  He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb,

but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper

and rougher experience of God's full-grown children.

We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith,

to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ.  

The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope." 

Quoted from Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" ~
April 29 Morning Reading 

May the Lord bless each of you with His peace and presence
as you walk the path He has called you to.
He is forever faithful and will daily give the needed grace and strength
to make it through whatever situation you may be facing.  

These precious promises belong to God's people alone.  Are you His?
If not, prayerfully consider this article and cast yourself upon Him.
He will not turn you away if you come.  He is merciful and mighty to save. 

With Love,
Camille  

**Image in this post courtesy of one of my first blogging friends, Christa ~
Thank you, sweet friend, for long ago sharing this photo with me!  XO 

The Quotidian (18. 4. 16)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;
everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

A Tradition.

I made them stop for a photo.

A wonderful surprise!

Abandoned.

A contribution.

They accumulate so quickly these days. 

(The permanently silent dishwasher just keeps the space filled.)

Emma's ongoing project.

Off on an adventure!

We were taken....and subsequently worried.

Have you ever??

At the Ballard Locks.
(If you go, park in the regular parking...don't say I didn't warn you!)

Nineteen!

Happy Monday, Y'all!

With Love, Camille 

**Last four images in this post courtesy of Emma ~

Thank you my love XO

Twenty-One Years Ago...

Twenty-one years ago, our Austin took us from *couple* to

*family-of-three*.  He stole our hearts and wound his way into our lives.

We would never be the same.  And, we were never happier not to be.

Since he was called home to heaven nearly three years ago,

his birthday is the most significant of all the dates that need acknowledgment.

We cannot let the day pass without remembering his life and what it means to ours.

We make it a practice to remember him on this day as a family.

It feels like the right thing to do, so, it is what we do.

All our children are special.  None of them are forgotten.

Austin is no exception.    

We are amazed at all the Lord allowed us to experience

together as a family of six.  We look back with thankful hearts.

Austin was planning to become an architect.

We loved to watch as he put pencil to paper.
God had blessed him with talents that could not be taught.

He was a diligent student and persevered with his

studies even in the midst of the health challenges he faced.
His strength of character was never more evident than in those times.
But, he would have told you that the strength we saw came from the Lord. 

When I take photos of the three we have here

with us, I always miss Austin's presence with them.
It hurts my Mama heart that he is absent from our home.
He is never far from our thoughts.  His memory lives on in our hearts.

Family photos just do not feel complete.

He is missed by us all.  Excruciatingly so.

One day, however, we will be together once again.

What a precious hope we have because of our Lord!

By God's great grace, we continually fill our hearts and minds

with the reality of what lies ahead.  What is to come. 

This is not where the story ends.

So, we remember.  And, we are grateful.

We also look forward with anticipation and joy.

The Lord truly is good and does all things well.

We are seeking always to rest our hearts in Him.

With Love, Camille