Scripture of the Month:

“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” –Zechariah 14:9

Quote of the Month:

“O, posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it.”

 –John Adams

It’s only natural during this time of fireworks, patriotic celebrations and family time to think about the cost of all of it. And because of the recovery and clean-up still going on in Joplin, my thoughts have turned to the day when everything will be made perfect. Every wrong righted. Every injustice soothed. Every hurt erased. Every question explained.

Like many of you, I’ve contemplated how quickly life can change, and lamented about its pace. Truly we are a breath, a mist, a vapor. The piles of debris are neater and are slowly disappearing. There is still work to be done. There are still welcome pies to bring to those who are settling into new, and sometimes temporary homes as they wait for theirs to be rebuilt. There are still meals to bring for those who are grieving. Cards to be sent. Prayers to be offered. Long, empty spaces for those whose loved ones are gone; those who face the daily obscenity of just one fork, one plate, one glass, where once there was a noisy family.

 For every complaint and concern I have, I’ve tried to remember that I am blessed to be alive to do those things. I’ve made more of an effort to sit poolside with my girls every day possible and when I’ve grown so hot I could hardly stand it, jumped in with them to play and savor their squeals and giggles as they stand poised on the line between childhood and girlhood.

These days, sultry and languid, lived by the back drop of the ice cream truck’s tinny songs, church camp days and CIY conferences, and the soundtrack of cicada concerts accompanied by lightning bug strobes will not come again, not even next summer, when the season rolls around.

So soak up summer until the laughter and presence of those you love emanates from your very skin, meshed with the scent of coconut sunscreen and the thousands of little memories that make up our lives.

 

 The porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, is 660 feet – the longest porch in the world!!

From Our House to Yours

When this reaches you, we will be just 3 weeks short of the one year anniversary of Greg’s kidney transplant. Although complications can always arise, there’s just something exciting – a big “whew!”– about getting to that mark. Daily, we marvel at the contrast between this time last year, when we were barely hanging on, trying not to worry about what the future held, and this one – each day Greg is blessed with normal energy and what we’ve laughingly come to call “regular tired.”

Our youngest three all have milestone birthdays this summer: Emmy, 15 with a legitimate learner’s permit in hand- make that “in wallet” (I will have to save for more frequent natural hair color attacks); Ellie will become a teenager; Elexa reached double digits! There is something surreal about having your baby reach a decade of age. As always, I have pulled each on my lap and leafed through their baby books and told them again about how the day they were born and how very much they are loved. Our oldest, Eden, lost all of her furniture during the tornado, as it was in a storage unit until she finds an apartment that will take both her and the puppy. As we talked about what all had been in there, we suddenly realized that the wooden chest I’d had made for her first Christmas was in there too, along with her baby book and her special childhood Barbies. Although most of her other sentimental stuff and school papers were in safe keeping at her house, this news hurt my heart. I’m  going to figure out how to recreate something to share with her on her birthday this September. We were struck again with how easily things we take for granted in life can become “last times.”

Emmy made the unwelcome pronouncement just a few days ago that there are only 43 days left until school begins! Her sisters shushed her and refused to even contemplate an end to summer. There’s still lots to come.

Ellie and I embark on our very own 2-day purity retreat and I refuse to think about only having this privilege one more time. I look forward to time with just her and would love your prayers for our time to be honored with God’s presence and blessed with the sweet kind of memories that will last a lifetime, even as I seek to instill in her God’s astounding plan for her.

May God touch you through every summer song, night breeze and shooting star!

Cindy

 

Book of the Month-biography

 

 

Contest

Send us an item on your “Bucket List” under the comment section of the newsletter on the website — www.cindydagnan.com – and be entered into a drawing for a Summer Perks Prize!

F.Y.I – Summer Safety

*Sparklers burn at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so beware of letting tiny hands hold them!

*9,400 children are injured in lawn mowing related accidents every year; 25% of them are younger than 5.  [Parents, 38, 7/11]

*Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury for ALL kids 14 and under. [Parents, 32, 7/11]

On Our Table   -Family Night Favorite Bread Bowl Dip

1 lb. sourdough bread round                           2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

¾ lb. crisp fried bacon                                    ½ yellow onion sautéed in 1 T. butter

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese                                1 ½ c. sour cream

Hollow out bread, forming bowl.  Mix all ingredients and fill bowl. Wrap in foil and place on baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve with sourdough bread chunks, crackers and raw carrots and celery.