One of my Favorite Quotes

From Mark Buchanan's book "Hidden in Plain Sight" :


           "Real love loves us, not just as we are, but so that we can become what we are meant to be."


This is a very helpful book, an easy read, though, if you're like me, you'll stop and chew a lot, and will take your time going through it, to let it sink in.  I've written lists of "thinks".... thoughts that this book has provoked, things that need changing, especially in me.

Remarkably, the changes are actually being effected!

2 Peter 1:1-11 has never come alive so robustly for me.  I hope you will take the time to read this book.  As one of modernity's better contributions, it is well worth it.

Wordful Wednesday!

A conversation with my youngest:

Benaiah : (while running his trucks and tractors across the floor) I'm going to own a yellow Mustang one day....

Mommy : Those are very expensive.

B: Well, maybe I'll be a millionaire, then.

M: If you work hard, maybe.

B: Well, I'll make good investments and build developments....
               (his voice trailed off as he thought about his future, smiling confidently to himself.)

 I'm glad my 7 year old is thinking about his future!   And gratified to see he knows he needs to work hard and smart for those things he wants.  Let's hope he aspires to higher things than yellow Mustangs!  ;-)

Benaiah's "Toothless" imitation

It's cute when children lose their first two bottom teeth, but this....

Benaiah with Zadok and "Quail"

And who can deny that when that second upper tooth loosens, cuteness overflows!

Love this boy!

Congratulations, Benaiah.  You're growing up!

Family skate

Elliot is a young man of few wants.  His preferred birthday gift this year was for the family to go skating together.... so that is exactly what we did.

Elliot and Christianna

Oliver had always been the one to bring each of us skating, one-on-one, so most of us have had a bit of practice, but he's had the most practice!

Oliver helps Benaiah

Tobias skates toward Arianne

Christianna finds new friends when she skates

Every.single.Hellwig in the family made it there that day!  Even Timothy!

Gabrielle decided not to skate just yet, so she took pictures:

Timothy and I

Timothy, Arianne, Elliot, Christianna, Tobias, Benaiah, me,Jedidiah, and Oliver

Now, what is an ice-skating party without an ice-cream afterwards?  (Answer: a lovely one, but made even sweeter with a treat!)

Benaiah-bear

Ga-bear

While waiting for a treat,  my eldest and youngest posed with "bears."












Aaaaah... the treats are here!

Arianne and Christianna

Arianne and Benaiah

And Arianne with the birthday boy!

Not everyone there got a picture.... maybe next time!
                           Happy Birthday Elliot!

The Spring Ball

1-2-3, 1-2-3, slooow, slooow, quick, quick.....  the rhythms tapped out through the minds of many who attended the Spring Ball this year....

A lovely semi-formal affair was hosted by the generous families who teach homeschoolers ballroom dancing in our area.
Timothy and Christianna, Oliver and I attended the Spring Ball, along with many other families and young singles.

Christianna and Timothy

Oliver and I joined them in the photo corner!

Brother and sister got to dance together....

I loved seeing my children share a dance.
Sentimental mom that I am, I can still see them playing together as littles..... and now, this. 

My sweet Christie during a break

And Timothy and I got to Swing.

There's nothing quite like dancing with your son!  This one whom you raised, now leading you across the floor, laughing, growing up with you, assuming his place.

Handsome boy.... I love my son!

Christianna "having a ball" with one of her dance partners

Timothy waltzing with a lovely partner

Christianna thoroughly enjoyed this gift from the Lord.  She'd always dreamed of waltzing at a ball, in a lovely gown.  Last December, we attended the Christmas Ball, but, sadly, we have no pictures.  It was a wonderful formal event where her dream came true.









Fox Trot, Waltz, Cha-cha, and East Coast Swing.... and a few Virgina Reels....

I think they could have "danced, danced, danced.... all night!"

The ball ended with a Virginia Reel, including many of the parents.   No pictures of that one.... guess who joined in!


Sweet time!

Guess who's celebrating a birthday.....

Sixteen years ago, my second son was born, and my first son was greatly relieved to finally have a brother!  That little brother isn't so little anymore....

Elliot is 16

Happy Birthday Elliot!  The Lord has certainly got His hand on you, growing you and teaching you faithfully.  We are so very thankful for His work in your life, for His amazing creation of Elliot Stefan Hellwig :  Elliot - (English version of Elijah: Yahweh is God); Stefan - (Greek: crowned)

We love you, Elliot! 
This next year:

          The LORD bless you, and keep you;
    The LORD make His face shine on you,
            And be gracious to you;
     The LORD lift up His countenance on you,
            And give you peace.’        
                                                            Numbers 6:24-26

                                   



                                   A bit of blackboard art....

 ... the obligatory birthday picture....

Gazing on the bonfire!

Happy Birthday to Timothy

                                            Cliche alert:  "Where have the years gone?"

Okay, now that I've gotten that thought out of my system, we can move on to more pertinent matters!

Timothy turned 22 today, and, as a proud mother, thank God for my son.  We had the usual dinner of favorite foods.... but this time, as he didn't tell me what he wanted for dinner, I got to pick  favorites of the whole family.  I did include some seafood for him, as he loves shrimp and mussels.  Cheesecake is everyone's favorite, and chocolate is on nearly everyone's list of preferred treats.

There were presents and the usual singing and pictures, and Benaiah snuggling with his beloved Timothy.  Pepe and Meme were there.  All that was missing was Arianne, who had to work that evening.  Missed you, Arianne!

We love you, Timothy, and look forward to seeing God work in your future for your good and His glory!

What Wondrous Love

How often do we think on the depth of Christ's amazing love for us?  What did that Love do for us?  Do we really understand the sacrifice in that ultimate act of faithfulness?  What does our love, for Him or for others, look like?

Well, I have an answer for that last question : puny and pitiful.

On Thursday evening, our church held a Maundy Thursday service.  Our speaker shared with us a few points regarding the scene in the Garden on the night Jesus was betrayed.

John 13:1 tells us that :
  Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world  to the Father, having loved His own  who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 

After the disciples had witnessed His love to them at the Passover feast, they went with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Had they realized what He'd just shown them?

Jesus asked them simply to watch and pray.  They couldn't do this.  They fell asleep.  Did those disciples sense the urgency of His quiet request?

What does Gethsemane describe for us?

1. Jesus' crushing sorrow : He was being separated from His Father.  The Trinity, an indivisible Union,  had never been separated in all eternity.  This point marked a pivot in the 'history of eternity.'  Christ chose to endure this.... for us!                                                                                           
2. Jesus' humble submission :  He was heard because of His reverence to His Father. "...for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."  (John 8:29) "For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." (John 6:38)  Christ is the path to the Father....our Father.                                                                                                                                   
3. Jesus' unwavering concern :  Even in His darkest hour, Jesus is concerned for His disciple.  He demonstrates His faithful shepherding, concern for their temptation.  "Watch and pray," He speaks to them, taking the time to disciple His disciples.                                                                             
4. Jesus' strength and resolve : Standing in our place, He moves toward His captors, moving forward toward His death, pushing things along. He set His face like flint. (Isaiah 50:1-10) His time had come.  Gethsemane is the Holy of Holies of Christ in His time on earth.

What wondrous Love this is!

A holy God demands that perfect justice be paid for our sin.  His Son steps in, sorrowful, humble, concerned and resolved to take our place.  He endures unmitigated wrath as punishment for our crimes.  He lays down His life for those He loves.

What ought to be our response?

                                       Hushed worship.

The Pi Pie

by Mama H.

Happy Pi Day !

2015 Pi Pie.... by Christianna

 Christianna came home from our Women's retreat this afternoon and baked us this lovely pie!

        While the Pi was not as distinct on this year's pie as on last year's,

2014

        it was delicious nonetheless!

Thank you, Christianna, for helping us enjoy a little more of God's glorious fingerprints.... in our Pi-pie.  I suppose you could say God's got His fingers in our pies!  His blessings are indeed everywhere.  May you enjoy our inscrutable Creator, His salvation, and His innumerable gifts.

(More on the Women's retreat in another post....)

Happy Pi Day!

by Mama H.

Around our home, pie is certainly appreciated: apple, blueberry, pumpkin, coconut, strawberry-rhubarb, chocolate-hazelnut, pecan, peach.... well, it goes on for a while. 

But, a little known fact about our family is that Pi is also greatly valued: 3.1415926..... well, it seems that this Pi goes on for a while as well.  In fact, Pi goes on forever, as far as we know.  I do not believe any computer has been able to find the "end" of pi.  (Just as no one in our family could ever find the end to his enjoyment of pie!)

Today just happens to be 3/14/15.... and at 9:26, we'll have the first seven decimal places of Pi: 3.1415926 ! 
Don't worry: if you miss 9:26 a.m., you get another chance at 9:26 p.m.!  (Such worries!)
 
The nature of pi and of God who created it are very much alike.  
Did you know:

• Pi cannot be expressed as a common fraction.  It can only be approximated.  Can we ever come anywhere near to "defining" God?  We can only approximate Him (and poorly, at that).

• Pi's decimal representation never ends.  God is infinite. 

• In fact, that decimal part of Pi never even settles into any permanent repeating pattern. While God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, we cannot know what He will do or when.  We cannot understand Him, or predict His thoughts.

• Yet, Pi is a wonderful number:  it is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.  Any circle, large, small, or in-between.  God is Wonderful, having stamped his image on the human race, and left his fingerprints all over creation. (Try looking up the wonders of the Fibonacci numbers in pine cones and sunflowers!)From the smallest atomic particle to the vastness of the universe, God's signature is readily apparent.

Here in the Hellwig family, we love Pi.  In fact, years ago, it was a fun family challenge to memorize Pi to 7 digits.  I can remember the older ones, when they were little, coming to the dinner table with their recitations of Pi, proudly rattling off 3.1415926 as fast as their tongues could go!

Here in the Hellwig family, we also love pie!  In sure Hellwig tradition, Christianna will be making us a Pi-pie today.  View a  post about our past Pi-day celebration  here.

Of course, hugs are always appropriate for celebrations, but, what better way to celebrate the love, the glory and majesty, the masterful genius of the Creator of  Pi by giving someone you love a big, circular hug?  So, give a hug.  And have some pie with your Pi!  And praise the Lord of the Universe for His unspeakable gifts.

(Did you know that the word "Universe" comes from the Latin words for "one" and "word"?  With One Word  He spoke, and it was all created!  The Word is Jesus! I love how God has embedded His presence in our very languages and semantics!  I do believe I could write a whole other post about this...)

Stay tuned for a picture of Christianna's Apple Pi!