Learning Games for Benjamin

After reading a blog post from Becky about work boxes, I clicked on the link she provided to read more about this cool organizational system for homeschoolers and IT'S SO NEAT! Absolutely love it. My mind immediately started racing with ideas of how I would incorporate the curriculum(s) I plan on using when I start homeschooling my kids. Ahhh... I really love teaching, can you tell? :)

So... on the link Becky gave (www.confessionsofahomechooler.blogspot.com) I was reading some of this ladies ideas for her "teeny tot work boxes" she makes for her toddler, and I got really inspired! So, I started brainstorming ideas for new learning games for Benjamin that he can do right now. While I don't really have need for the actual "work boxes" right now, these various games are great for building motor skills & learning. They are also great entertainers and break up the monotony of him playing with stuff from his toy box. I'm already thinking I might bring a few to church with us next time.

So here's what I have so far:

Beads and shoelaces for him to lace through. Found this at the Dollar Tree in the toy section. (I plan to go back to the Dollar Tree and buy some plastic nylon string for these because the inside of the beads are rough and the shoelaces tend to snag and get stuck. Still though- much cheaper than I've seen them anywhere else!)

Wooden sticks for sorting by size.

(Originally skewer sticks that I cut the tips off of and sanded on the ends)

Colored bowls and pom-poms for scooping, sorting by color, counting... etc.

I found these Pooh Number Match cards at the Dollar Tree.

Okay, so you probably get this game... put the numbered card in the corresponding numbered cup... also motor skills building with the clothes pins.

I've been wanting to buy him some army men for awhile but I knew I didn't want to dump them in his toy box to just get lost... so I figured I'd put them in a "work box". Standing them up is rather difficult even for me so that's building motor skills & we can also count with them.

This is his favorite so far. It's a cardboard box wrapped in brown paper with holes punched in the top. He sticks the coffee stir sticks into the holes- keeps him busy for awhile and he's really good at it too.

(he likes us to clap each time he gets one in ;)

Well... that's it for now! Making these games was my special project for today... tomorrow: learning to make hair bows- In case you haven't heard... we're having a girl! :D

White Chili Recipe

You've simply got to try this fabulous fabulous FABULOUS White Chili recipe! It's a new family favorite for us. Delish!

1 pound (boneless skinless) chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch cubes (may substitute smoked turkey or smoked ham))

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cans (14 oz.) northern or small white beans (undrained)

1 can chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz. chopped) green chilis

1 teaspoon (ground) cumin

1 teaspoon (dried) oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1 cup whipping cream or evaporated milk

Directions:

1) Sprinkle chicken pieces with garlic powder and salt. In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute' chicken in olive oil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring. Transfer meat to 4-quart slow cooker; add next seven ingredients, up to sour cream. Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours.

2) Turn off cooker and add sour cream and whipping cream/milk. Stir well. Serve chili over a sweet cornbread.

Soooo yummy on a cold night! :)

Meet Joseph

One night about a year ago, I was lying on our couch waiting for Nick to get home from work. He worked the late shift and it was the middle of the night. I was sure everyone I knew had been tucked soundly in their beds for hours by now. And so, in an effort to pass the time, I flipped through an endless stream of infomercials on tv- hardly paying attention. I mentally checked things off my "to-do" list that I had completed that day, then I leaned over to check on a sleeping Benjamin for the 10th time. My tired brain was begging for sleep, but I would not concede. I was determined to keep the same hours as Nick- and that included going to bed at the same hour.

I stared drowsily at the tv, when a new infomercial took the scene. It was for an organization that provided food and care to children living in poverty. As I watched, my interest grew. Nick and I had been discussing lately how we'd like to find new ways to fulfill the commands in Scripture to "help the poor and needy". We had some other Christian friends who sponsored a child overseas. We often talked about how "neat" that was, and how we should involved with a program like that. Then, we would promptly forget the idea and go on to discuss other things.
As the pictures of children living all over the globe in various levels of destitution rolled across the screen, I felt the Lord tugging on my heart strings. Now was the time. It was time to get involved. I had made every excuse in the book to procrastinate. Through the years, I heard lots of stories of "sham organizations" that made me wonder how much of my funds would actually reach the child. Well, it was time I called that what it was: another excuse. "You haven't even done any research on organizations... why are you dismissing it so quickly?", I felt a voice in my heart ask...

So I whipped out my laptop, and began typing in the website address flashing on the tv screen. I browsed through each and every page on their website for about 10-15 minutes before finally coming across some clue that they were a Christian organization. It was a small statement of faith, carefully hidden in the History portion of their lengthy About Us section. "Hmm... not exactly what I was hoping for..." I thought, disappointed. "There MUST be an organization more closely tied with Christian mission work than that!" After keying some descriptive words in my Google search box, a multitude of companies/organizations sprung up on my screen. I scrolled through, searching for words of interest and clicked on a couple of sites to explore them. Within the next few minutes I found "the one".

It was Compassion International.

As soon as the home page popped up, I was impressed. I didn't need to search and explore to figure out if they preached the gospel of Christ, it was proclaimed in their mission statement and even their motto ("Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name")

I soaked up every tidbit of information they offered online and learned that in addition to providing education, food & medical care, their "centers" where the children attend weekly Bible class; work with the local established church (encompassing many denominations.) I studied their financial statements (available online,) and learned the details of their program; and I knew I didn't need to look any further. As soon as Nick walked in the door, I excitedly told him of my plans and how I felt the Lord prompting us to sponsor a child. Immediately he said, "Let's do it." I looked up at him, a little surprised. "Well, don't you even want to see all the details first and check out their financials?!" I asked shockingly as I hurriedly brought him from page to page on my computer. The Lord must have been talking to him too, because he didn't need any convincing. His mind was already made up.

We must have looked like two kids at Christmas when we proceeded to select a child. We were both giddy with excitement. The thought of making a REAL difference in some body's life SO far away was a feeling unlike any other I've had. When we began looking through the children's pictures my heart sunk a little. "This is going to be hard!" I thought, knowing I couldn't afford to sponsor them all. We decided to search through the "immediate needs" list of kids who had been waiting a long time for a sponsor, then we narrowed the search even further by choosing AIDS affected areas. Our eyes scanned the seas of faces with names, ages & locations posted beneath. I stopped several time to point out different children to Nick, then he stopped. He pointed. "That's the one." He said simply. His finger rested on the photo of a little boy. His name was Joseph and he was five. I looked eagerly at Nick, "Are you sure? You don't want to look at all of them?" "No." was his reply. "I just have a feeling. And I know he's the one." Bewildered at how certain he seemed, I replied "alright!" and clicked on Joseph.

I smile when I think about Joseph. He's a sweet little boy, now 6 years old. His favorite food is rice and beans and he loves soccer. I mean, LOVES it! Every picture he's ever drawn us has a soccer ball in it. We've received well over a dozen letters from him over the past year. He doesn't write yet, so his teacher writes for him, then the letter is sent through Compassion to be translated and is then sent to us. He lives in Bagamoyo, a fishing village on the eastern coast of Tanzania, Africa. The homes there are mostly mud huts, and the average wage of families lucky enough to find work is $12 a month.

Because of our sponsorship (which is only about what we spend on a nice meal,) Joseph has clothes, food, and most importantly he is part of "the program", meaning he attends school, Bible class & misc. functions at the center. I was surprised at the amount of communication we've had with Joseph- and with the info Compassion has sent us. They even send out an annual brochure specific to each country telling you about your child's culture. (Ours even included a recipe!) We also received a letter from his local pastor describing the work going on at the church. I was really excited to learn that his local church is Pentecostal. Upon receiving that news, it really did feel like God had brought us and Joseph together on purpose.

Although you can email letters to your sponsored child, we like to write them so we can include photos, coloring pages & stickers. When the center takes a picture of Joseph, they send us one. A few months back, looking at his photo I noticed that his shoes looked a bit worn and possibly had a hole in one toe. So, I went online and sent an extra $20 specifying that it be used for new shoes. I was delighted when a short time later we got a letter from Joseph thanking us and saying "see how smart I look in my new shoes?" *too cute*

The posted picture is of Joseph (with his baby sister Ester) wearing his new shoes. Things must be cheaper over there because he said he also bought his sister dress with our gift. :)

Sponsoring Joseph has been an amazing experience for us thus far. It's a very small effort on my part for a surprisingly large blessing in return. We hope to some day visit him in Africa (and judging from his letters he fully expects us to :) If you've ever thought about getting involved in a program like this, I heartily encourage you to look into it!

I am REALLY glad that I did!

Pictures of our Smoky Mountains Vacation

I know these are long over-due... but here are some pics from our vacation to the Smokies!! My sister Courtney took some that are much better than these... and I was hoping to get some from her, but she's been pretty busy preparing for her New Zealand trip! (She flies out tomorrow and will be gone for 1 month- please pray that she has a safe journey!) Anyhow... back to our trip- I'm just getting over a cold which I caught immediately upon returning home from our vacation. I know my immune system has been very down due to the fact that it's difficult for me to take vitamins with all the morning sickness... but I'm starting to feel MUCH better! As you will see from the beginning photos, we got to see some amazingly beautiful parts of God's creation while on our journey!

Enjoy!

On Day 5 while staying in in Pigeon Forge, TN, we met up with my grandparents (who were staying in their RV there the entire month.) We don't get to see them often so visiting with them was wonderful and they were gracious enough to drive us into the mountains for a little sightseeing!!

The colors had not turned yet as much as we had hoped, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful!

Check out our elevation... almost a mile high into the mountain!

This is probably my favorite part of the Smokies- these gorgeous rivers and streams flowing through the mountains. As kids we used to jump from rock to rock up the river- trying not to get wet. I think perhaps Nick was a little surprised when, as soon as he took the baby, I went skipping about doing that very thing. I couldn't help myself! I could sit by a river like this for hours... in fact, I'd like to just live by it.

On Day 7, We toured Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. It's the largest private house in America and quite breathtaking!

Me and Benjamin at Antler Hill Village on Biltmore Estate:

Here is Benjamin riding his very first ride ALONE in Dollywood- which we were at on Day 4. (This scared me quite a bit, but he did great!)

Goofing off in the RV...

Baron & Amy's WEDDING in Brevard, NC!! (The entire reason for our trip :)

After making our way back into Texas on Days 9 & 10 we stopped by Big Sandy for the tail-end of our beloved Annual Family Camp!

"Wow, Dad! This place looks like paradise! This is gonna be a blast- mostly because I get to be outside nearly every waking hour!"

And so began the many adventures of Benjamin...

first time in a sand box:

first time in a canoe:



first time wearing a life jacket... which miraculously didn't seem to bother him:

NOT his first time in a swing... which is probably why he didn't care to stay in it very long. Too many new things out there to discover, Mom!

first time sliding all by himself:

Benjamin with Jesse Peach, who was also at Family Camp!

first time petting a baby lamb... (an ewe???)

first pony ride:

(which he really loved! he didn't stop smiling the entire ride!)

Yep... Benjamin sure enjoyed those last 2 days! Well, that concludes our trip! Some days are missing due to the fact that Courtney took all the pictures of certain activities, but I will post those eventually.

It certainly was fun!

update

Tomorrow, we will be embarking on an 11-day journey to the

Great Smoky Mountains!

 We will be attending my cousin Baron's wedding on Sunday, plus vacationing on the way and back.

Much of our time will be spent in the great outdoors, as we are taking an RV, and camping some of the time. My family usually takes a camping trip around this time of year, and it always seems to be a time of spiritual refreshing for me. There is something about being out in nature that causes me to feel closer to God... I love that special time of communion with Him! This year I am especially excited due to the fact that we are going to one of the most beautiful parts of God's creation!! I know we are going to have a great time!

I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post about our trip when we return.

In the mean time, we would appreciate your prayers for the safety of everyone traveling to the wedding, and for blessings in the marriage of Baron and Amy.

I'll leave you with the lyrics to a song that's been on my heart all day...

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of Glory died;

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

 

Forbid it Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ, my God;

all the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

 

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were an offering far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748   Music: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872

Trying to "Fix" Myself

There once was a preacher, who's friend worked in the coal mines. The preacher was constantly telling this man about Christ and the hope of salvation that was offered. "And it's free!", the preacher had told him time and again. "Salvation is free to all men!" One day as the preacher reminded his friend of this fact, the coal miner furrowed his brow with a look of disbelief. "Well, no disrespect..." he started, "but, I'm just not sure if I can believe that. I mean, if I've learned anything in all my years here on this earth, it's that NOTHIN' is free! Everything costs ya somethin'..." At that moment, an idea entered the Reverend's mind. He asked the man, "How did you get down into the mine this morning?" "Well, I took the elevator down of course!", the miner answered. "And it didn't cost you a cent, did it?" "Well, no... it didn't cost me anything... but, it cost the company a whole lot!" As soon as the words left the miner's lips, a look of realization swept over his face. The reverend smiled, knowing his point had finally hit home. "Salvation is free for you and me- just like that elevator. But, it did cost somebody a whole lot... Sacrificing His only Son was a pretty steep price for God to pay, but He did it... so that salvation would be accessible to you and I!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needless to say, the coal miner finally understood that he really could be saved... and he received Jesus into his heart that day.


Our pastor related this story to our congregation. Although I've heard him tell it before; it seems that every time I hear it, a light bulb goes off in my brain... and I can't help but smile. What an unimaginable hope that's been given to us by our Savior! What a liberating feeling to have an overwhelming debt lifted from your shoulders and paid in full. Salvation IS free.

If you had asked me several years ago if salvation were free, my response would probably have been, "Certainly not! There is a price we have to pay! We can't simply drift through life doing nothing... we must become holy like our Lord!" While grace through salvation does not give us a license to sin, nor does it negate our responsibility to follow God's commands, I personally was missing the entire point. I thought following God's commands was, in essence, "earning" my salvation. Of course, I wouldn't have worded it that way, but looking back, I know that is exactly what I believed.

If Romans 6:23 were re-worded to fit my prior view of salvation, it would go something like this:

"For the wages of sin is death... but eternal life is something you can work for, and God will give it to you if you make yourself into a holy person."

I can see people reading this feeling a little antsy now... maybe you're thinking, "Well, that IS true... I mean, doesn't the Bible say we must become like Christ?" Yes it does. But, for some reason, Paul chose not to word Romans 6:23 that way. He chose these words:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

 He used the word GIFT. Why?

I used to think to myself, "I hope I live to a ripe old age so I'll have plenty of time to kill this "old carnal nature" and reach perfection (as Matthew 5:48 tells us to.)" Sure, I may have mentioned in passing that we need the power of God's Spirit to help us, but I secretly knew the work was mostly up to me...

Ha... please excuse me while I laugh/roll my eyes at my arrogant logic. I can't believe I really thought I had it within me to somehow "pay back" the debt I owe to God. Allow me to put it quite plainly: if I worked my very best for the next million years, I would not even come close to deserving the love and grace of a holy God. I AM A SINNER! I entered this world already condemned!! (John 3:18) There was no hope for me- until Christ. How could I ever "measure up" on my own to become a child of the most high king?? The answer is: I can't. And you know what? God knows that. 

You see... When we allow the blood that flowed down from the cross to surge into our being and wash clean that dark blot of sin from our lives, there is a word for us: justified.

justify = to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.

Romans 3:23-27

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith."

Wow. That means, that I being justified, can go before God the Father and He will look on me and see the righteousness of His perfect, spotless Son Jesus? I don't know about y'all, but that AMAZES me!! How is that even possible?! Maybe that's what Steven Curtis Chapman was thinking about when he wrote those words, "believe the unbelievable... receive the inconceivable."

When I began to realize how absurd and impossible it really is for us to earn our own salvation, the phrase "abiding in Christ" took on an entirely new meaning. No longer do I need to "beat myself over the head" whenever I make a mistake. It's not a surprise to God that I am a feeble human being, incapable of doing anything on my own. He's just sitting up there, waiting on me to stop trying so hard to be independent.

Here is something I learned which helped me a great deal:

Justification is an instant act

Sanctification is a process

God wants to sanctify you and make you like Him, but if you are a believer, make no mistake- you are already justified!

You know what happens when you try to serve God in your own strength? It becomes hard. It becomes a struggle... it becomes a DRUDGERY. I don't think it was God's intent for us to be miserable, frowning Christians. After all, Scripture tells us that Christ was anointed with, "...the oil of gladness..." above all His fellows.(Psalm 47:5) If we are following in His footsteps, should we not be overcome with joy? If we are not filled with joy, there may be something wrong.

Well, as you can see, there was something wrong with me. I just didn't know it. By focusing all of my energy on trying to "fix" myself, I was neglecting some key commands in Scripture, such as: helping the poor, visiting the widows and orphans, and making disciples (to name a few.) (James 1:27, Proverbs 21:13, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19) It seems I didn't have time to think of anyone but myself.

But, in His great mercy, my Savior began to gently prod and nudge me... softly encouraging me to acknowledge my spiritual nearsightedness. Admitting that you have been wasting time is never an easy admission to make... but, God knew my heart all along. He knew that I was trying my best and He lifted me out of my confusion.

When God began opening up these truths in my mind, it suddenly became clear to me that I will never become holy by making that my focus. Only by devoting my energies to serving and fulfilling these commands in which I lack, will Christ be able to complete His work in me. And only by fastening my eyes upon the cross will I be able to remember that in my own strength, I am nothing. That was quite an epiphany for me, I must say. But, time and time again, God shows me that His ways are surprisingly...........simple.


Picture Credit

Our Great Expectations

As the heart longs for flowing streams,

So longs my soul for You, O God.

My soul does thirst for the living God.

When shall I come to see Your face?

My tears have fed me day and night,

While men have said, "Where is your God?"

But I recall as my soul pours dry

The days of praise within Your house.

Why do I mourn and toil within,

When it is mine to hope in God?

I shall again sing praise to Him,

He is my help, He is my God.

Psalm 42 has always been a favorite of mine, but for whatever reason, I never paid much attention to the last verse. Yesterday, the Lord brought it to my attention. It never fails... whenever I am going through something difficult, the Lord always drops into my soul that morsel of wisdom and comfort specific to my problem. Many times, it is a Scripture, and oftentimes, it is a song. Sitting down at my piano at home, I closed my eyes, and waited for His prompt as I often do... and once more He was faithful to speak to me and calm my spirit. Isn't He good?

The answer is YES!

He is good. He is good ALL THE TIME. Why is it easier to say that when things are going well for us? When we are not grieving for the tragic loss of a dear friend? Is it because we are momentarily disappointed with God? Is it because we cannot help but ask, "Why?"

"Why do bad things happen to good people?" That seems to be the question of the ages. It is also a question that causes many to doubt God and turn their back on Him. We sing about how God will "never let us down"... but, why is it that we sometimes feel He has done exactly that?

When someone "lets you down", it is because they failed to meet the expectations you established for your relationship. For example: I would not be a bit upset if our mail man does not come sweep off our porch tomorrow morning. I have absolutely no expectation for him to do so. My expectations for him are very minimal: I want him to deliver our mail, or find someone else to do so in his place. That's it. Nothing more.

On the other hand, if my mother ceased to tell me "I love you" every once in awhile, I would be deeply hurt and surprised! Why? Because I've come to expect that from her. That is the nature of our relationship.

 But, what are my expectations of God? Are they justified in Scripture? I have been asking myself this very important question over the past couple of days. You see, when I close my eyes, imagining my future and the plans God has for me, I picture all of my family being healthy, always having a nice place to live and plenty to eat, everyone living to a ripe old age, my children growing up to start families of their own.... my vision of my future is pristine. There is no suffering. There is no loss. I only imagine good things.

If I am honest, I will admit that these ideas have become EXPECTATIONS that I have for the Lord to perform in my life. If my husband Nick died tomorrow, not only would I be devastated, but I would be more than a little offended with God and confused as to why He would "allow something so dreadful to happen to me". I might even wonder what I did wrong to deserve such treatment.

Sometimes, my own foolishness just amazes me! I actually look at God and say, "I don't deserve this treatment!!", not even considering that He allowed His own PERFECT Son to be brutally tortured and murdered. If ever there were someone who did not deserve to suffer: it was Jesus. 

Well, here it comes... perhaps the most unpopular message of all time:

According to Scripture,

we as Christians are "called to suffer".

(see 1 Peter 2:20-21 & Acts 9:15-16)

Though we will not all experience it in the exact same way, suffering is necessary in obtaining the character of Christ in our lives.

"But it just doesn't seem right that someone like an innocent little baby would die! I thought God was loving... I thought He would protect His children from evil!"

I hear statements like this on a regular basis. There are so many misconceptions in our logic when we say things like this. So, let's just take them one at a time:

#1 We ourselves do not establish the standards of what is right. Only the Creator of all reality can do that. We need to settle it, in our minds and hearts, whether we understand it or not, that whatever God does is, by definition, right. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25)

#2 I hope this does not sound too harsh... but in truth, there is really no such thing as “innocent” suffering. Since “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), there is no one who has the right to freedom from God's wrath on the basis of his own innocence.

#3 Life is a GIFT, not a DEBT that God owes us. It's difficult for us to comprehend anything beyond this life- but God thinks much more long term than we do! He knows that compared to eternity, our time here on earth (no matter how lengthy) is only a blink of an eye.

#4 Psalm 121:7 says, "The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul." While God is surely capable of protecting us from physical harm when He so chooses, the verses in Scripture speaking of protection from evil can not possibly be taken in a literal sense all the time. Consider the countless martyrs God allowed to be burned at the stake, boiled in hot oil, and stoned? Why were faithful Christians thrown into concentration camps during WWII, enduring all kinds of brutality, even death? Why did God let evil men drive nails through the hands and feet of his precious Son? No, it is clear that these promises take on a much deeper meaning!

He has promised to protect our soul. Whenever we put our faith and trust in Him, our soul is in safe keeping. The power we have through Christ Jesus ensures that while men may kill our physical bodies, they are powerless to separate us from God. It is an assurance given us in Scripture. God has made certain promises to us in His Word, and on THOSE promises we may depend.

Let THOSE be our expectations-

Because God CAN NOT fail,
He DOES NOT lie,
and He WILL NOT forsake you.

God wants us to have expectations- the right ones. It's called FAITH. Do we REALLY trust Him to work all things together for good in our lives? Do we REALLY trust that He is in control and has a master plan?? Trust and fear battle against each other in our minds. They cannot co-exist. Which will you give in to?

Mourning over loss is natural and necessary... and He will be your comforter. But don't ever allow grief to let you lose sight of the hope we have.

Keep your eyes fixed upon it.

Dwell on it night and day.

Sing about it.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

leave to your God to order and provide;

in every change God faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend

through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake

to guide the future, as in ages past.

Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;

all now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know

the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on

when we shall be forever with the Lord,

when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

sorrow forgot, loves purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,

all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.