hold on.

Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Trust in Him who will not leave you,
Whatsoever years may bring,
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still more closely to Him cling.

Covet not this world’s vain riches
That so rapidly decay,
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures,
They will never pass away.

When your journey is completed,
If to God you have been true,
Fair and bright the home in glory
Your enraptured soul will view.

Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

~hymn by Jennie Wilson based on psalm 89:13 

today i felt compelled to dig up this blog, dust it off, and write down a few thoughts.  no promises on how long this will last ... maybe for only as long as there is something pressing to say.

the Lord abounds in loving kindness.  oh the depths of this truth!  in a season of grief over the death of my mama, the Lord has poured out his grace, and given me great comfort in the power of the gospel.  seeing her leave this earth of sin and sickness and peacefully enter into his beautiful presence, my heart is filled with thankfulness and joy for the atoning work of Christ.  her days were complete.  his purposes for her were fulfilled.  i rest in his faithfulness and loving kindness toward her - his beloved daughter.

and with a heart full of joy for mama and the glories she is now beholding, my heart aches and weeps that she's no longer here.  living life without her is harder than i ever imagined.  missing her comes in crashing waves, with such powerful emotions, it feels hard to control.  here the Lord's loving kindness meets me - with a verse, portion of a song, wise words from friends, prayers answered, great comfort from the source of all comfort.  his loving kindness knows no end.  oh, how thankful i am for God's mercy and love toward me.

if his kindness in comfort was not enough, he has blessed us with another little baby!  what an undeserved gift in the midst of such sorrow!  i'm already at 16 weeks and due the first week of january.  it has been a wonderful reminder to me, that the life he has given us keeps moving forward.  i can't sit still and grieve.  he has blessings beyond my expectations and abundant grace to meet each trial.  i pray my heart is steadfast to cling to his promises and the power of the gospel.

i hold to God's unchanging hand, and i am eternally grateful that he will never let me go.

 

bum - ble - bee

The curiousity of a child is a wonderful thing to see in action. Lately, Ellie has focused her attention on words, and is trying oh, so hard, to tell us all she is seeing and doing. She points with such excitement, and then a flood of sounds escape from her mouth. People ask if I understand what she's saying, and sometimes I do. Her babbles have taken on the rhythm of conversation, and she quite enjoys nodding yes or no to questions.

I can not remember when I first attempted a 3 syllable word. But, I do hope it created as much joy as Brad and I experienced this week, while witnessing Ellie's attempt at hers.

Video of 'bum-ble-bee'.

Dada?

Ellie's new favorite word is her name, and she says it quite enthusiastically throughout the day. However, as you'll see in the video linked below, she has yet to master the question "what's your name?". Enjoy!

"Ellie, what's your name?" video link

First Birthday Cake

Here's a video of Ellie's first birthday cake experience. The 'hungry little caterpillar' met his match that day! :) Enjoy!

The Sounds of Ellie

Here is a short clip of Ellie's babbling sounds. Warning: She has quite a range in pitch and volume, so make sure your computer volume isn't up to loud! Enjoy!

http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=1182693674

I also posted a few more pictures on the picasa website today for those that haven't seen them yet.

Six Months

Last week was Ellie's six month birthday. We celebrated as (almost) all babies do, by going to the doctor. As you can tell from pictures, Ellie is a healthy girl, and she's continuing to measure in the 95% for height and weight. She's now 19lbs 2oz and 27.5in. Her day is filled with babbling, eating everything, a bit of rolling, and picking up and dropping toys over and over again.
Hopefully, I'll have a video of her eating her toes soon.

Once again ...

Google has made our lives a little easier. Here's the link to our new online photo album http://picasaweb.google.com/brad.marci

We will still post to this blog with links to video clips or other Hodges' news.