A broken journey...

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, 

continue to live your lives in him, 

rooted and built up in him, 

strengthened in the faith as you were taught, 

and overflowing with thankfulness.

~ Colossian 2:6-7 NIV

I was heartbroken.

I'd long admired Ann's Way of Light Wreath, so I was thrilled when her gifted son Caleb crafted more wreaths and donates all proceeds to Compassion. I thought about it for less than five seconds before placing an order. I'd earned just enough money in November to buy a Way of Light Wreath and cover my Compassion child sponsorship. The timing could not have been more perfect.

The rich aroma of linseed oil rose from the package as I opened the end flap and removed the contents. I knew the wreath had been crafted in three connecting pieces - a center spiral with 25 candle slots for Advent and two extensions for increasing the candle slots to 40 for Lent, but there were six spiral pieces in the envelope. The Lent extensions were in two perfect pieces but the center Advent spiral was broken in three places, and in my hand I held the Lenten cross, broken in two.

Quite confident that every piece had been perfectly intact when it left Caleb's hands, I had no intentions of requesting a replacement. The pieces seemed to fit together like a puzzle. A little glue overnight and it will be good as new, I thought. Even if  it isn't, it's all for Compassion, and that's good enough for me.*

Hiding my disappointment from my family, I began the work of fitting the pieces together as though it was a perfectly normal thing to do. The house was a mess. Nearly every table and countertop was covered with the Christmas decorations we'd taken out of storage but not yet put in its proper place. Pain and fatigue had forced me to move slowly, and there was much unfinished decorating to accomplish, but this wreath was a priority. I cleared a space on the dining room table, placed the broken pieces on a flat surface, and carefully super-glued them together.

It's a broken journey to the manger, I thought. Much like me. I smiled.

And I will lead the blind

in a way that they do not know,

in paths that they have not known

I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,

the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do,

and I do not forsake them.

 ~ Isaiah 42:16 ESV

The ESV Study Bible says this about that verse in Isaiah...

No human incapacity can defeat God's purpose of grace. His ways are so counterintuitive to human understanding that those he delivers might as well be blind, in darkness and on rough terrain, but God leads them through.

Incapacitated is an accurate description of me these days....and on a broken path with a few rough places. It's a journey with daily challenges that I do not know...except for the grace that takes me to the manger and the God who will lead me through. And like the candles on that broken wreath, darkness gives way to light.

I treasure this gift of a broken, super-glued wreath. Honest. I wouldn't replace it for the world. It is a daily personal encouragement that there is more light and more grace for this journey I'm on.

I privately and quietly joined "one thousand gifts" here, to "overflow with thankfulness" with 1000 gifts in 25 days - a decision I made before I knew just how rough this 25 day journey would be.

But God knew and I wouldn't be surprised if He isn't responsible for the broken wreath and the 25 day challenge, for it is impossible to simultaneously wallow in self pity and overflow with thankfulness.

~ ~ ~

One year later, I remain incapacitated - more so than last year. As I prepare this beautiful broken wreath for this year's Advent journey, this edited repost and photos from 2010, remind me to do so with a heart overflowing with thankfulness. 

*Ann offered to have Caleb contact me about the broken pieces, but I believe this broken wreath was a gift just like it is and I wouldn't trade it for a new one for anything.

Linking with Charity and The High Calling Advent Writing Project

What I might have missed...

I'm thrilled to be the blogging guest of the beautiful Deidra Riggs at Jumping Tandem today. Won't you please click on over to Deidra's, read my post What I Might Have Missed and leave a little comment to let us know you stopped by?

While you are visiting Deidra, you simply must look around. You'll thank me, I promise. This and this are two of my recent favorites from Deidra. Isn't she lovely?

But wait. Before you hop over to Deidra's, PLEASE read my post from yesterday and share your opinion with us - either in a comment or by taking the simple on-line survey. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

{photo} as the sun rose yesterday on dew-sparkled Pollywog Creek

It's a good day when...

For several months, my friend Robbi Cary and I have been working on a book project that we are very close to debuting in a first offering to family and friends.

"No Matter What, It's a Good Day When..." is a gift book of photos (from Pollywog Creek) and inspirational prose (by Robbi) supported by promises from Scripture.

It's a book of encouragement to find hope, strength and an assurance of God's love and goodness that's meant for all of us, but particularly for those facing difficult and confusing circumstances - or even every day doubts and struggles.

"No Matter What, It's a Good Day When..." is our working title, but we'd love to know what you think.

In addition to that working title, other choices we are considering include:

"Tough Days Are Good Days When"

"Even on a Tough Day, It's a Good Day When"

"Our Tough Days are Good Days When…"

To give you an idea of what the book will look like so you can help us, here's a small sample from our current draft:

We would greatly appreciate it if you would either share your opinion and/or ideas with us in a comment here or by answering an anonymous survey and help us choose the best title for our book.

Thank you!

{I LOVE} Sunday::to shout for joy...

"...so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy."
Psalm 65.8

Linking with Diedra's Sunday community...

{I LOVE} SATURDAYS...

It's a Hunter family tradition: we buy our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and decorate it over the weekend.

Louis and Emily brought a tree home yesterday morning, but we stayed busy all day with Gavin and Addisyn while Nick and Kristin had a day alone to shop, the tree stayed in the garage overnight.

I do love a Saturday to decorate a Christmas tree.

Linking up with the lovely Kelly's Saturday community...




{Photo} our Christmas tree in the garage in this Saturday morning light

Weekend wanderings::it was a beary good thanksgiving on Pollywog Creek...

Weekends {are for} Wanderings on Pollywog Creek
...looking back and {trying to} catch up

"There's a fire in the kitchen," Emily thought when she heard me screaming for Louis.

Drama on Thanksgiving Day comes as no surprise to my family, and considering the fact that I've started a fire in the oven while roasting a large turkey on at least two Thanksgivings, Emily's assumption was a valid one. Little did she know that the source of my panic was a full grown black bear meandering along the thickets by the creek.

My first thought when I saw the bear - not fifty feet from where I was setting the table on the porch - was that Louis was outside and I feared he would unknowingly wander into the bear's path. I also considered racing around the house closing the doors and windows. My only encounter with a bear not in a zoo was when we camped in the Smokey Mountains and a bear destroyed the topper on a truck parked next to our tent trying to get to the food inside. Was this Thanksgiving Day bear attracted to our yard by the aroma of roasting turkey, and would he tear through the screen porch or an open window to get to it?

So I started screaming for Louis. By the time I found him and both he and Emily responded to my hysteria, the bear had wandered to the far northeast corner of the property and then disappeared into the thickets. 

Did I get a picture? No. Some photographer I am. It wasn't my first thought. When I did think maybe I should get a camera, I picked up the Sony point and shoot, and between my shaking and the distance the bear had traveled away from the porch, the bear in that photo was only a dark blur.

If Louis and Emily had to rely on that blurry photo for proof, they probably wouldn't have believed me, but they saw the bear for themselves before he disappeared and knew I wasn't just being hysterical.

Trying to reach someone in authority on a holiday was nearly impossible. Eventually, a dispatcher from the sheriff's office reached a wildlife officer who said he would patrol the area throughout the day.

While we were on bear alert, over at Nick's house Kristin (near the end of her first trimester) was throwing up and Gavin slipped off a bar stool and hit his head on the edge of the counter, leaving a stitch-worthy gash on his scalp. To avoid the ER (an hour away), Nick brought him to me. I suggested that we try shaving the hair around the gash and applying a butterfly to close it, but Gavin's response was nothing short of hysterical. In the end, he stayed with us the rest of the morning, we kept the wound clean and dry, and he'll just have one more little boy "battle scar" to add to his growing collection.

By late-afternoon, seventeen of us had feasted on fried gator tail, roasted turkey, baked ham, dressing and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, squash and broccoli casseroles, mandarin orange salad, apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin bread.  The kitchen had been cleaned, food put away, our lovely family guests had scattered for other gatherings, and the garbage can wheeled to the road to be picked up the next morning.

We'd more or less forgotten about the bear until the dog started barking, and Emily thought she should see what all the excitement was about, and sure enough - it was the bear. Guess he was just waiting for the leftovers.

He sauntered around the pond, tried to climb a tree when he was startled by the neighbor's barking dogs, and then galloped up to the fence along the road where he picked up the garbage can, emptied it in the road and then carried the bags into the woods across the street where he spent the next hour enjoying its tasty-to-him contents before dusk fell and the game officer arrived.

And what did the game officer do? Nothing. The bear is tagged and the officer thinks he is the same one who has been getting into garbage cans on the other side of the creek, but he can't do anything without a biologist and no biologist could be found on Thanksgiving Day. All he could do was scare the bear away from the garbage so Louis could pick it up and store the can in the garage overnight.

The bear climbed a tree and the game officer thought he would stay there for the night and we should hear from a biologist the next day. Two days later, we haven't seen the bear again, but we also haven't heard from a biologist. The bear - and the biologist - are still out there. Somewhere.

Needless to say, we look both ways when we walk outside, and it will be a while before I wander about Pollywog Creek with my camera without an armed escort.

So how was your Thanksgiving? I really would love to know.

{Photos} a day after Thanksgiving blue heron along the creek and my Pollywog Creek backyard, and the bear, of course.  My "i love saturday" photo/post will go up later.

A month of gratitude::day twenty-three::Thanksgiving Day Eve...

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1 ESV
...for a grandlittle to play with and to cuddle on my lap
...for grace for the day, if not for the moment
...for the abundance of comfort measures - from heating pads to prayer
...for ceiling fans
...for the opportunity to serve in my church from home
...for God's steadfast love that endures forever!

I've both loved and struggled with the discipline of counting gifts every day this month of November while overcoming the temptation to publish more commentary. It's been a necessary respite that's allowed me to focus my energies on important projects that have needed my attention.

Though my daily gratitude counting online is coming to a close for this thanksgiving, thanksliving season, it's a discipline that continues on the pages of my journals.

{photos}recent Pollywog Creek fall colors in a collage of some of my favorites

A month of gratitude::day twenty-two...

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1 ESV

...for a delightful and productive day with Robbi {can't wait to show y'all what we've been working on}
...for two Gavinator days in a row
...for Thanksgiving memories tucked between the pages of a paper bag Thanksgiving book
...for the 1,000 gifts we are counting together
...for $5 pizza
...for the many ways God shows His love

A month of gratitude::day twenty-one...

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1 ESV

Grateful this Monday before Thanksgiving in community with Ann for...

...my javaprayer sisters just one click away
...those who encourage
...the colors of fall on a summery Sunday afternoon
...God's life-breathing words
...His amazing love - how He loves you and me
...a fridge and pantry ready for Thanksgiving
...yellow mums in a mason jar

{photos} near dusk in my summery Sunday backyard

A month of gratitude::day twenty::a day of rest...

Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
Psalm 107:21-22 ESV

A month of gratitude::day nineteen...

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1 ESV

...for fresh brewed coffee
...for "fall"ing leaves in the tropical south
...for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies warm out of the oven
...for wise godly women I call my friends
...for a wise beyond-her-years godly daughter
...for the gift of planning a big family Thanksgiving

Linking up with the lovely Kelly's new Saturday community...





and the delightful Diedra's new Sunday community...

{photos} Saturday in my Pollywog Creek backyard

{Veterans Day} Weekend wanderings to the US Navy SEAL Museum...

Last Saturday, we traveled to the United States Navy SEAL Museum on North Hutchinson Island near Ft. Pierce for their annual Veterans Day weekend muster. The Museum is located on the beach where in 1943, SEALS - known then as Scouts and Raiders - began training combat and underwater demolition teams to be deployed to the beaches of Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, and where ever their combat and underwater abilities were needed. In 1962, During the Vietnam War, the unit became known as SEALs for their skills at sea, on land and in the air.

Because of recent actions in the war on terrorism and the tragic deaths of 17 SEALs this past August, this year's Veterans Day muster attracted over 15,000 visitors - the largest crowd ever. Though I was able to walk through portions of the museum, it is relatively small and packed as it was last weekend, it was difficult to see and fully appreciate the exhibits. I hope to return on a day when it's not so crowded and I can more leisurely enjoy the exhibits.

Most of the time we were there I sat in a chair waiting for the speeches and demonstrations to begin. The program began when five Navy Frogmen - "Leap Frogs" - jumped out of a C-130 from 6,000 feet and landed in the center of the small field in front of us. I think I held my breath, praying, most of the approximately 5 minutes it took for the first frogman to land. As we stood for the singing of the National Anthem, the last "leaping" frogman landed carrying the American Flag.

Before the ground demonstrations, we heard several speeches, including U.S. Navy Academy graduate and former presidential candidate, 81 year old Ross Perot. Speaking to the large number of past and current SEALs present, Perot said, "What you do for our country makes all the difference in the world in the lives of every citizen. Your service and sacrifices have given us the freedom we have today....you are the guardians at the gates of freedom."

Perot praised the SEAL team responsible for the killing of Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and showed us bin Laden's walking cane - a gift to Perot from the special forces that had recovered it from a cave in Afghanistan. {Unfortunately, at the moment Perot held up the cane for us to see, Gavin was sitting in my lap trying to braid my hair and I couldn't get to my camera fast enough, but a photo captured by Reuters can be seen here.}

Following Perot's speech, SEAL units demonstrated how they might respond on the ground. The ground team emerged from a purple fog in Vietnam era fatigues. After moving through the field, they were greeted by men who had been members of SEAL Team One, the first SEAL team from WWII. These older gentlemen helped the ground team exchange their Vietnam clothing and arsenal with what they might use today.

As the ground team returned to the demonstration and headed for a mock Al Qaida hideout, a sniper rose up out of the ground from under a piece of cardboard. When a member of the Al Qaida ran out of the hideout, they were forced to the ground by a canine member of the SEAL time.

In a final show of force, SEAL manned vehicles arrived, gathered the SEALs that had been engaged in "battle" on the ground, as well as their "prisoners", and blew up the Al Qaida hideout as they sped away.

At the conclusion of the program, all past and present members of a SEAL team were asked to move into the center of the field for a photo. I managed to capture a few photos of the group as they concluded the official photography setting. Those photos, as well as other photos from last Saturday, can be seen here.

Today's "A month of gratitude" post will go up later.