Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep;

O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

 O Christ, Whose voice the waters heard and hush'd their raging at Thy word,

Who walkedst on the foaming deep, and calm amid the storm didst sleep;

O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Holy Spirit, Who didst brood upon the waters dark and rude,

And bid their angry tumult cease, and give, for wild confusion, peace;

O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power, our brethren shield in danger's hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe, protect them wheresoe'er they go;

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Father, whate'er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies,

Accepted at Thy Throne of Grace let this petition rise:

Give me a calm and thankful heart, from every murmur free;

The blessings of Thy Grace impart, and let me live to Thee.

Let the sweet hope that Thou art mine my path of life attend;

Thy presence through my journey shine, and crown my journey's end.

The mercies of my God and King!

When all Thy mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys,

Transported with the view, I'm lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Unnumber'd comforts to my soul Thy tender care bestow'd,

Before my infant heart conceived from Whom those comforts flow'd.

When, in the slippery paths of youth, with heedless steps I ran,

Thine arm unseen convey'd me safe, and led me up to man.

Through every period of my life Thy Goodness I'll pursue,

And after death, in distant worlds, the glorious theme renew.

Through all eternity to Thee a joyful song I'll raise;

But oh! eternity's too short to utter all Thy praise.

Juniper

I had a thought of you today,

And wished you weren't so far away.

I thought of ways that I could say:

I hope you have a lovely day!

You have been a tiny star,

So bright and shining, tiny star!

A twinkle in your Daddy's eye,

A twinkle, twinkle, tiny star!

The love inside your Mama's heart

Is growing, growing every day

In ways that you alone can know,

She's overwhelmed, she loves you so!

And so I think of you today,

And know you aren't so far away!

I sing a little song to say

I hope you have a lovely day!

xxx

Paths to Places

There's something wonderful about pathways, old dirt roads, driveways. Anticipation. What will I find just around the corner? It's the way I live life. Most of the time. What will the day bring? Who will I meet? I think if you live each day full of anticipation, excitement could result. Could. But then, too, could disappointment. But if  I view my life as a journey, then anticipation for 'just around the corner' will always be there. And even if there's a mud-slide just around the corner, there's always another corner!

Theodore Laurence Kouri was born on February 13th, at 7:37 pm, second child of Kevin and Emma Kouri, 21 inches long and weighing in at 9 lb 2 oz! Little brother to Sapphire Elizabeth, and added responsiblity for Cabot and Cooper!

This all may be perfectly true, but to me the miracle of new birth will never grow stale! One minute this little baby was hidden away in his Mummy's tummy, and now he's here, all snuffly and gorgeous, and smells so delicious!!!

So, thank You, Lord, for this beautiful little man! Thank You for a safe delivery! Thank You so much for taking care of our little family...

January 2011

I'm not really prone to making New Year's Resolutions...after a few weeks they don't mean anything anymore. Nevertheless, this January marks the beginning of a new me! I have over 100 lb to lose, and have started off well, losing 10.6 lb in just 3 weeks! I'd post a photograph of me now, but I simply can't abide to look at me! I'll wait until I'm positively anorexic before I post 'before' and 'after' photographs!! I have a semblance of pride left in me!! I have joined Weight Watchers (yet again!), but this time I have a few friends who joined with me, which makes for great support.
Hurray for new beginnings!