Stamping, feasting, beaming, and waiting

(I wrote this early this morning and am just now posting it.)

Snowed again last night - always nice to wake up to a smooth layer of snow on the ground. It's snowing right now. I could just sit here and watch it all day, but I have much on the to-do list today.

Just want to spend a few minutes catching up on old business.

Let's see - a few days ago Amy and I went to our first stamping. What's a stamping you say? It's like a Tupperware party only it's for learning how to use and assemble material for making homemade cards. Thank you cards, friendship cards, invitations and such. This party only highlighted the fact that I'm not too creative in the coming-up-with-new-ideas-and-making-them-into-something department. No matter, I like hanging out with other people who are. Maybe some of their creativity will rub off on me - you never can tell.

Last week while I was making my weekly menu and preparing to shop, the girls and I focused on some dishes I haven't cooked in a long time, and from that, a plan for a grand Chinese meal was hatched. We purchased all the ingredients which included many strange items in the fresh produce section of the store and went home to made a mighty meal. The preparation took about an hour and a half with all three of us working feverishly. The jambox played classical pieces for inspiration, the knife keeping rhythm. There were wontons to assemble for the soup and wontons to roll for the deep hot oil. The rice warming in the cooker was dotted with green onions, fried eggs and other colorful fare. The stir fry in the wok somehow changed food that one would never eat into culinary delights - pea pods, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots. The kitchen smelled of freshly grated gingeroot and shrimp from a can. All was ready, including the languishing appetites. The horseradish sauce could have used a little more heat and the sweet and sour sauce could have been a little thicker, but I heard no complaints - only crunching and the occasional appreciative, "Ummm."

Last night was a special night for me. Two of my English students were awarded first and second place in a high school essay contest. The contest was sponsored by the Daughters of American Revolution (DAR). Jamey York, our pastor's son, won first place, and our own, Amy, won second place. They both read their essays in front of the assembly. Beaming with pride for both of them, I enjoyed every moment of it. Well, almost every moment. The meeting for the DAR chapter droned on a little long. But hey, what can I say? We were a part of their meeting. Once again, I got my husband to agree to a late night excursion. We accepted an invitation to dessert with the Yorks AFTER the meeting. We didn't get to the Yorks until 9:15 and arrived home about an hour later. Now you're up to date on the late night report. Hee, hee, hee!

I allowed myself a certain amount of time to blog for this entry and time is almost up, but I want to part with this thought. We always tend to write about the exciting, fun activities - well and good - but I want to end with a reality which is more ever-present in my life and much more profitable than all the activities above. The reality of waiting. The Lord has had me in a holding pattern of late. In certain important areas of my life and in the lives of some very dear to me, I have been made to wait. Oh, this is hard. It weighs heavy and I often squirm under it, but it remains. Ever present, always in the background and frequently in the foreground, I must live with it. I'd rather not be waiting, but I am. That's why a verse I read in my private devotions this morning leaped into my heart. Psalm 40:1 says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry." May it be so, Lord. May it be so.