Beloved...

[Years ago Christ reminded me of His UNCONDITIONAL LOVE as I sat in front of Him in Adoration...May these words that flowed from His grace to my pen be a comfort and reminder if you should ever find yourself tempted to think you've strayed too far to seek His face...]
You have brushed my hair and anointed me with Your oils. You have groomed me with Your most experienced talents. You have called me forth and called me beloved...

At one time fires raged around me and I was drowning in stupidity, blindness, and drudgery from Your enemy's hand. It only took a moment of "guard down" and he was upon me. Delighting in the destruction of Your precious, prized possessions, he mutilated them until they fear they are too ugly to return to You in such disarray.

Slowly, with great pain, I heard You still calling out for me. Urgency and longing in Your voice. Desperate for sign of life You searched the darkness with Your lantern in hand. Daily, You set out food and signs of welcome on the chance would be alive and return to You. Your messengers hunted and did Your Will. You NEVER stopped calling. Finding me... You waited until I was ready.

Bedraggled, I have come forth. Disgusting in appearance I have shamefacedly approached Your courts. Summoning a last ounce of abused strength I raise my hand to the door.

You sense that I am near...
Rushing the remaining span of distance You throw open the heavy doors that are separating us.

I am in Your arms and You are cherishing the beauty of my cracked and disheveled face. You are smoothing my knotted, filthy hair that used to shine gloriously and crown Your creation. You are crooning LOVE and I am HOME. I am ashamed to cause You hurt and You are happy I am back. Tears are brushed from Your eyes to wipe the filth surrounding mine.

Beloved...

Who am I?

This is ridiculous... I am nervously sitting here, stress eating a Kit Kat bar while I ponder what to write in the Meet Susan/Bio section of this blog.  "Who am I"? How does one sum up their personality and productive qualities in a few "simple" lines?

  Here goes... I love God. I love my husband and children. I love the creative spark that God instilled in my soul. It is this spark that has consistently brought this very endeavor of a website to mind... and I mean to the point that if I knew where to file harassment charges for these persistent ideas~ I just might do it. Yet, persistence paid off and here I am... opening my life before the world in the hopes that God might touch a soul through something read here. A person just might be moved enough to really look closely at the gifts and talents they've been given (and possibly hidden), and follow the inspiration to actually use them!

This world NEEDS people to do what they love! Those talents and desires weren't just thrown into their DNA by random ingredient selection.  Our Creator had a definite plan for the overall grand design while He blew His breath of Life into each of us.  It was within that design that a mission was created to reveal a particular aspect or dimension of God's own character. His word states that we were created in His own image. Each of us were given a unique aspect of His image (another way to look at how we all make up the one Body of Christ). We need one another to be faithful to sharing that individual "element" of God with the world. It's like fitting puzzle pieces together to see the bigger picture.

How exciting is this!?  The world would be a better, more beautiful, place if people actually did what they loved and loved what they did.  Why?  Because we would be contributing to the world as God intended.  I understand the need to be responsible.  This could be a small start if need be.  Open your heart to the possibility and begin to take notice if doors open or supplies find their way to you.  Always ask God to reveal His Will to you and to provide the way that His will be done. 

You know what I'm writing about if you've ever had an idea that produces a burning deep down and seems a bit silly to discuss~ yet intrigues you with possibility.  Perhaps, just for this moment you could take these words "as a sign" that you are to follow through on that idea.  Maybe you are being called to live out your talent...why not?  Only you have everything necessary to be you...and we need to see and experience what God would reveal about Himself through you!

I recently heard someone say "NEVER GIVE UP ON SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T GO A DAY WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT."  (I apologize I don't know who to give credit to for that quote.. it's awesome though, isn't it?) 

Let's do this together!  It's obvious my site is under major construction...I'm just beginning.  So start this journey with me.  Let me know what ideas have been percolating (or persistently pestering) you.  I will try to get a message board going so we can inspire and support one another in these efforts.  In the meantime shoot me a comment about your dreams.  You never know what new beginning or exciting addition to your life is awaiting your decision to move in that direction...

 Ok... so the "Short bio" section will have to wait a little longer... maybe you've gotten to know a little about me through this post anyway~ such as I am frequently given to tangents... and I follow them. 

All Will Be Well

“All will be well. All will be well” … the song plays to me from memory…

This past Good Friday we celebrated the second birthday of our seventh child. This child, our son John Michael, was born with a genetic disorder affecting the 18th chromosome (Trisomy 18). Though this condition proved fatal, we were so very blessed to be able to cuddle and sing to our sweet baby boy for two miraculous days of life . I’ve been in the process of writing a book about this experience. I try to quiet my mind so that I can go back in time and write from memory. Sometimes this process is excruciatingly painful… always, it is healing.

Shortly after my son’s death, a friend gave me a CD with various meditative songs. These songs were composed to help people experience Christ as they sit in adoration of Him. I clearly recall those days of heavy sadness as I lay there with empty arms so hungry for my baby. I was heartbroken without his soft fuzzy hair to bury my nose in. My tears would flow without ceasing as I would listen to this music over and over. The one song that I clung to repeated the words, “All will be well…all will be well”. Those words stirred my faith to believe that I would one day have the strength to smile again. Those words enabled me to pull through the darkness that I’m sure would be similar to the loss and immense grief the apostles must have felt during that second day Christ lay in the tomb.

On Good Friday. My husband, sister, and I stood by our little boy’s grave singing Happy Birthday as our tears mingled with the pouring rain. It seemed the whole world was crying. Next came Holy Saturday… I still missed my son. Jesus still would have been in the grave. And then came Resurrection Sunday. This year we celebrated the second anniversary of John Michael’s death on Easter.

I had originally felt the timing was backwards. Good Friday seemed a better fit for the sadness of John Michael’s death. And the Joy of Easter seemed a better time to remember the elation of his being born alive as we relished his every breath. Yet, God revealed His perfect timing to me as I sat in the solemn church on Good Friday and thought of the sadness Blessed Mother must have felt at her Son’s death. I realized that both she and I knew our sons were born to die. I had learned that Trisomy 18 is a condition that occurs during conception. John Michael was conceived with this disorder that doctors had termed “incompatible with life”…(more on that another day!) We knew he would not have long with us yet we were certain he was here to share God’s love with all who learned of him. And though the connection of our son’s death with Easter may have been very clear to others it was slow to dawn on me. I now know that this Easter Sunday, we not only can remember the sadness of John Michael’s tiny body falling prey to the sting of death but we can also celebrate his soul’s rising to God’s presence.

Thank You Father for the gift of my son. Thank You Father for the gift of YOUR Son. Because of Your Son’s death and resurrection, John Michael can rest in Your arms and I can rest assured, knowing that “ALL WILL BE WELL”.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Welcome World! Here it is...the very first (ever) blog launched by Harborlily Creative! I couldn't be any more excited to begin this journey with you!

And just like any new "parent" this birthing process has tired me out... and so I bid you a good night (or morning, depending on where you live). Can't wait to see what new adventures await us together!

Peace and Joy,

Susan