SPRING!!

After the winter, spring has been most welcome!  And even though it is mid-June today, the weather is still most lovely!  I am sitting on the porch swing, watching Silas swing on the hammock as only boys will do, with Sarah at my feet on a sweet pink blanket made my grandma's friend.  And I am most grateful for this life that God has given.  Yet, there is this awareness in my spirit that life may not always be so beautiful (well, the reality is that Silas is on the porch with me because he was being mean to his brother and life is not always as peaceful as this moment happens to be!).  Sickness, death, and evil are always lurking in this fallen world.  Just as the glory of God fills the earth and there is evidence of His goodness around every bend, so there are reminders that this in not our home and the ruler of this age is only out to steal, kill and destroy!  So as I enjoy the peacefulness of my porch in the beautiful Kentucky countryside, others are suffering with disease, hunger, and persecution.  How do I reconcile this?  What should my response be?  I have struggled a bit with this lately.  I can't ignore the suffering of others, nor do I want to.  I also can't refuse to enjoy the gifts given to me just because others do not have them.  Where is the proper place to walk?

I don't think I have come to the right place yet, but I am struggling with it and I think that is a good place to be.  I want to carry others' burdens right to the throne of mercy where we all find grace to help in our time of need.  I want to listen to people's stories and really care about their suffering.  And I want to savor every moment of time that God allows me to soak in these 7 blessings that I call children, even the more difficult ones.  I want to learn to hear God's voice and obey, and see His hand moving all around me.  I want to live with gratitude so that when my own suffering comes, I have a foundation of praise to the Only One Worthy to stand upon.
Well, honestly I didn't even start this post to write about my ponderings.  Maybe they have blessed or challenged or encouraged someone.  I was planning to post some pictures, so now I think I will do it and give you a taste of our spring!

The center one in red is Abby dancing in the spring ballet performance.  This was her first dance en pointe and she was so happy about that!  As always it was a beautiful performance, very worshipful and celebratory!

These are some silly, adventurous boys!  Micah came in asking for some scissors one day with a mischievous grin.  I asked why he needed them and he said, "this time I taped Silas to the pole!"  What else could I do be shake my head, go get my camera, and make sure Silas was willingly taped up!  He was. Bored boys?  Just give them some duct tape! 

What a beauty!  This Amish hat was given to me by my midwife!  I love it and it fits perfectly for the summer!

Spring isn't complete for the Trimbles if there is not camping involved so we squeezed in a camping trip in the midst of school work, Daddy's classes and work, House of Prayer commitments, and the Ecuador mission trip.  We went to Cave Run Lake and had a great time!  It turned out to be a rather eventful experience, which I do not have time to properly tell right now.  Come on over for coffee and I'll tell the now-hilarious stories!  This is the beach where we swam... well, where the kids swam!  The above picture of the oh-so-grown-up girl walking, is Rachel!

This is the camp site the second day.  Just make your guess about the first night's story!

A treat this spring was a visit from a SC friend.  She has a house-full too, but she only brought her two oldest, who are Rachel and Abby's sweet friends, and her youngest, who is just a few weeks younger than Sarah!  They were so cute together!  It was a full, but sweet time together!