Bringing Back South Africa

After going to South Africa this past summer, we fell so in love with the culture that there were a few things I had to bring back and make a part of our own family culture. One main thing was "Tea Time". I tried really hard but found I'm just not a tea person. I love the idea behind it, though, of taking time out of your day no matter what you are doing to sit down and rest or visit with family and friends. The second was the picture below. The restaurants and the Bed and Breakfast we stayed in always had simple white candles on the tables. We would sit down for dinner just before nightfall, got wrapped up in each others company, and before we knew it, candle light was all around. With a little Christmas flare added in, I finally got my candles and I'm looking forward to enjoying family dinners in candle light.

So....

So....Obviously the move threw me for a loop. If you didn't know, we moved to Metairie (about 30 minutes from where we lived before). I love it, love it, love it. I'm only 10 minutes or less away from Target and cute local grocery stores! Of course that is a double edged sword if you know what I mean. We painted the whole house and by that I mean the WHOLE house. Every room and its matching closet. The bathrooms, the laundry room, the hallway, the kitchen. We started attending a new church, trying to meet new people. The boys started yet another new school right down the street. Can I say I love the bus service! All of this newness, though wonderful, has been a lot for me at once. Thank God for His Word, books, family and Jesus that will get us all through!
My heart feels like it's in a place of vulnerability and tenderness. I feel like I'm walking on shaky ground. Will this next step I take cause me to stand strong or crumble and fall? I learned about God's grace in a new way. I always thought of God's grace as the umpf that was gonna help me get through a struggling season of life. Instead, the actual struggle may very well be His grace to expose and free me from my bondage to ME. My dependance on myself. Struggles bring you to the end of yourself, making you realize that your identity, meaning, purpose, and inner sense of well being was in you or in something/someone else.
If you asked me who/what do I trust in, I'd give you a quick "Jesus!" answer. But over the last couple of weeks I've realized my hope for happiness has been in things. God puts us in struggling circumstances we never would have designed for ourselves. Those circumstances cause us to give up, let go, and look for something sustainable to depend on - Jesus.

Psalm 69:1-2
Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can't find a foothold to stand on. I am in deep water and the floods overwhelm me.

Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.