A Cord of Three Strands

I have been blessed with so many things, like attending the best university in the world (Texas A&M, whoop!), having a shelter over my head, food every meal, and precious friends.  The Lord has also given me the sweetest family.

Like a mom and sister who were willing to drive almost ten hours to spend three days with me.  And a dad who was willing to celebrate Easter with the grandparents out of sacrificial love.  (...Not because spending time with the grandparents requires sacrifice, but rather because he wasn't with the three ladies in his family.)

Last Easter, all of my roommates went home and I wasn't able to travel home because I had tests to study for (as I also do this Easter as well), and two days of driving alone were too much stress for my finals preparation.  So I spent the celebration with Jesus and couldn't help but feel extremely lonely, even though He was tender to me.  I'd never been away from everyone on Easter before.

This year, even though my family was split, we each had someone.  We went to church together, we prayed together, we ate together.  Our Father lavished His sweet mercies on us as we soaked in the beauty of family time.  And we celebrated Christ's rising from the dead in power and in glory.

The three days of girl time were well-spent.  We went summer shopping, made a shady roof for my bunny pen, and watched both Transcendence and 12 Years a Slave (the consensus was that the former was a bit slow and the latter was amazingly done).

Easter Sunday's worship was spent at Deaf Church, surrounded by a community of people that worships with their voices, hearts, and hands. 

We had a photo shoot with my roommates in a field painted with purple wildflowers.

My mom and little sister were huge fans of Sammy's and my baby bunnies.  If Amy went missing, it took no searching to find her sitting cross-legged in front of the rabbit pen with a sleeping rabbit in her lap and another munching on a carrot out of her hand.

Amy is about to graduate from high school next month. 

During the photo shoot, I kept telling Kelsey, "Come closer.  Come a little closer," as she moved from a full-body shot, to a waist-up shot, to a portrait shot of my little sister and me.  Finally, as I urged her to come even closer, she said, "How's this?"  Very funny.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  -Ecclesiastes 4:12

One year ago: Maintaining a Fruitful Quiet Time in Summer (Part I)
Two years ago: Tatters
Three years ago: How Jesus's Sacrifice Can Make Sense to Muslims and Blogging: The Right Name