On the Record

Just for the record - I do not wear the same shirt every day. In case you can't tell from the photos...this is a hoodie that the girls brought over last December. We're enjoying fall weather...nippy...but I'm too stubborn to wear the bulky coat until I MUST.....winters are long......

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

The Cape

When we were BRAND NEW to Japan we tried to find Shipwreck beach and ended up at the North Eastern tip of Honshu.....at Cape Shiriya. I've wanted to go back all summer, but for some strange reason the children were sure I'd get us lost. 


Today we head out with a picnic lunch, some snacks and several GPS coordinates....fun day. The coast reminded us of the Oregon coast. 

The noticeable exception being the wild horses.....this gentleman gave me carrots to feed the horses. 

And the shrine on the top of the cliff....

Zander's comment: "Mom, did some bakery dude die here?" 

This one liked the tri-pod....

And my camera!

We left the beaten path in search of a geocache....

I was taking a photo when Arielle noticed movement.....

We came oh so close to claiming a couple of more floats....we DID find sea glass, made fun memories...and made it home again. 

Choosing Joy!

©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Afternoon on the Slope

We had a plan this a.m. I was supposed to get up early and go to the gym and  take a couple of hours to work on the workshop before we went out for fun....but I woke up early....and the house was quiet...so I skipped the gym and spent quite a bit of time working on the workshop for PWOCI conference.   I appreciate prayers for the upcoming conference in general and my part in it specifically....a bit beyond my comfort zone....but a topic I'm passionate about: Delightful Intimacy: Living the Divine Romance. 

After lunch we headed for the Citizen's Forestry Park. The kids have been looking forward to introducing the slide to Michael.  Stacia had a blast. I want her to go down with someone - previously, the others would only go down once...but Michael would go again and again. She loved it. 

We walked on over to the lake. Stacia enjoyed the giant kokechi dolls. 

Mike took a lot of great sunset photos - but I can't begin to decide which one should be posted.....so I'll go with a photo I took of him taking photos. Life is good. 

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Magnificent Collection

Shortly after our arrival in Japan we enjoyed a walk on Momoishi Beach. Beachcombing is a new adventure for our family.  I soon possessed quite a collection of beach trash. My 4 year old brought me a beautiful piece of “something.”  Its smooth, almost transparent blue-green shine caught my eye. On closer inspection, I realized this treasure was yet another piece of trash.  I couldn’t resist; I slipped it into my pocket as I let other pieces of twine, shell, and broken sand dollar fall to the sand. Sea glass is most often found in the midst of debris.

I later learned Stacia had given me my very first piece of sea glass. Sea glass is trash thrown into the ocean, broken and common. Over time, through the pounding of waves, the trash is transformed. It gains a new shape, is polished, washes back on shore and is searched for, found, and saved by eager collectors. Some pieces are thin, some are a bit rough, some still bear the faint imprint of their original use, some shine and some are cloudy. Transformed trash becomes jewelry, key chains, charms… objects of delight to the Collector, all reflecting the colors of the sea.

Simple sea glass speaks to me. I’ve found Satan is pleased to remind me of my insecurities and failures.  God lovingly reminds me where I once saw myself as trash, He sees me as part of a magnificent collection – His church.  The world may find little value in me, but the Master Collector seeks me, chooses me, and lovingly delights in me.

Waves of trials and intimacy with Him transform me into something of value and worth, a piece of His magnificent collection.  I’ve noted Christian women come in as great a variety as sea glass: some smooth and shiny, some a bit rough and bearing the imprint of the past. As you shine, wherever He has given you influence, may you see the varied collection He delights in and joy in our differences. May you rest in the fact you’ve been lovingly collected by the Collector.

My prayer for Asia Region is we realize anew that while “God doesn’t make trash,” He is certainly in the business of transforming what the world calls useless into objects of beauty, value and delight….His daughters. Will we partner with Him even as that transformation is sometimes messy? Will we love Him wholeheartedly and love others deeply (Mark 12:30-31)? May you rest today in the knowledge that the Master Collector is pleased to have you in His magnificent collection.  He finds value, usefulness and delight in you.

This first posted on the Protestant Women of the Chapel, International blog and on the Misawa PWOC Blog.  I'm reposting here as this is the blog that will eventually be printed for a family record. 


Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Tracy M shared these thoughts today which are excellent. 9-4-2013 Sea glass out of the water isn't as beautiful as sea glass in the water. Out of the water we see scratches and there is no reflection. In the water the scratches are covered and the glass reflects the light. WE arelike sea glass. The water is the Holy Spirit. When we separate ourselves from Him, our imperfections show and we do not reflect Christ. But when we allow ourselves to be bathed in His presence, the HS fills in or covers over our imperfections and we reflect the love of Christ to all. We are attractive to those seeking treasure!

Gorgeous Drive

Another great outing. We drove up Oirase Gorge to Towada lake.  This is a beautiful drive at any time of the year. The quip of the day once again comes from Zander, "We don't think, we're Americans, we just DO!" ::snort:: 

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sand Dollar Beach, Self-Care & Game Night

Gym.....Mike saw doctor.....turkey/rice soup in the crock pot....I ran Jared to doctor....somewhere in there I hit my head REALLY, WEALLY hard on the car door-jam....lunch....ready to head out to explore and I was STILL seeing stars and hurting.  I took Naproxen...and lots of it. Michael suggested he take the kids to Sand Dollar Beach and I stay home and nap. 

I did. What a pleasure. I believe that was the FIRST time in 8 months that I've been home alone in the house. I should have worked on the PWOCI workshop - but I slept.....and the pain subsided. Self-care is a beautiful concept. ::snort:: 

The kids and Mike had a great time at  "Sand Dollar" beach. 

Here is the sea glass haul from yesterday....I'm going to be making jewelry shortly and I'm very excited about this new hobby. See the cobalt blue and the red?

Game night tonight....they taught me gin rummy....I drew the line at the bloody knuckle game they're playing now. Meanwhile, Stacia played Knights of Honor. Her strategy....marry all the princes to princesses...and swap them.... an army is coming to attack...is she alarmed? "Oh, look Jared here comes another prince to marry my princess." ::snort::

Looks like they have one more round of bloody knuckles...G'night all.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...