Owner: The Wellblog URL:lauraboggess.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:54:52 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The Wellblog is the overflow of my website, The Wellspring. The name comes from Proverbs 4:23: "Above all, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." As I share the overflow of my heart, we encounter praise in the midst of everyday Site statistics:Click here
The Service of Shadows 2008-03-20 19:22:00 They’ve taken my Lord away! They’ve bound Him and taken Him away! As the Light is carried away from me, I feel my chest collapse as all the air leaves my body. Despair, so thick, fills my lungs instead. It feels as if I will never breathe again. They’ve taken my Lord away! And then, out, into the dusk. We move like shadows. Silence. But the birds continue to sing. The wind continues to blow. And the sun continues to sink lower in the sky, coloring the horizon red. The moon, full and round, hangs low, giving date to this sacred night. Nisan fifteen. The Feast of Unleavened Bread. But they’ve taken Him away. What will become of us? Read more:Service
, Shadows
A Quarter Pounder 2008-03-19 21:33:00 Sometimes, life is too fast for me. If I fall behind on things one day, I find myself playing catch-up for an entire week. The days take on a frantic feel and I find very little satisfaction in the things I do. It’s too hurried and pressing to be enjoyed. Life is meant to be savored. It’s more difficult for me to sense God’s presence during these times. My mind is too distracted during my quiet time to settle upon Him, and I sometimes leave our sacred meeting feeling frustrated. I then enter into my day unbalanced, slightly less in touch with what it means to be holy than I should be. In this state, it’s easy for me to forget my tongue, to snap or speak harshly, maybe gossip a bit, or criticize unnecessarily. My crutches during these times are the godly resources th
Happy Feet 2008-03-24 05:56:00 Easter is over and I now carry the joy of the resurrection with me. However, today, I am once again reminded of the temporal nature of this life. Today, my feet turn thirty-nine years old. Along with the rest of my body, that is. Yet, when unveiled after the long winter, I couldn’t help noticing that the feet seem to have taken the brunt of those years. They’ve walked a lot of miles. So many years of cheap shoes make the feet a bit complaintive. Looking at them is like reading a long story. The first ten years of my life I spent toughening them up. As a young girl, I was very proud of how I could run barefoot up a rocky path. No one would ever call me a tenderfoot. They were happier with freedom back then: naked toes digging into cool oozing mud, traipsing in the beds of Read more:Happy
Another Chapter 2008-03-27 16:57:00 A visit with the family, to occupy spring break. Approached hopefully, cautiously. Love is sometimes complicated. Preparation only serves to awaken anxiety. I pray. My father’s house, a ghost. Pale shadow of the one we grew up in. The one that smelled of baking bread and dirty children. I stand in the yard and stare up at sentinel hills, peppered with undressed trees. The spaces between the trunks seem to call to me. Beg my body to fill their emptiness. To crush the fallen leaves underfoot and swing on the naked branches. Older brother stands beside me, telling me about his new family. I breathe in the smell of my home. The place my heart will always quicken. And then I hear him.“Shhh,” I say, and place my hand on my brother’s arm. “Do you hear that?”B Read more:Chapter
Supermarket Poetry 2008-03-29 17:49:00 At the supermarket today, minding my own business. Little cutie and mom wander into my shopping space. She couldn’t have been more than three. “Mommy,” she says, “I have a poem I want to tell you.” Mom is distracted. Looking at cans, putting things in the cart. She doesn’t respond. “Is that ok? Just a little poem?” Mom says something nondescript. Still no eye contact. We moms have a lot on our minds. I pause. Pretend to read the label a moment longer. “I smell the flower, it smells sweetie sweet.The birdie sounds tweety tweet.Berries are my favorite tweet.” (She actually said tweet instead of treat. Cute, or what?) There was more, but mom was walking away and taking the poem with her. I stood in the aisle, lonely now, repeating Read more:Supermarket
, Poetry
Forgiveness 2008-04-03 21:11:00 Today, the things that I thought mattered…don’t. Because I hurt someone I love. I was careless with a trust that I treasure so much, I took it for granted. My heart is aching, my spirit pained. Who can understand the mysteries of the human heart? Who can live with a regret so heavy?Forgiveness
. Forgiveness. Love covers a multitude of sins. Rebuild this city. Make the walls around it greater and stronger than before. Make it a city on a hill. High and Mighty. A strong Tower.Beautiful God, if you can give your life for me, then I can be forgiven.Like a balm, your words soothe me, O Lord. You know the price of Love. You paid the price for Love. My spirit is tired tonight, but there is still much to be thankful for. 4. A singular freckle on a tiny shoulder. 5. Wispy clou
An Endless List of Gifts 2008-04-02 06:36:00 Last night, the trees whispered to me. I have always wanted a fence in our back yard, just to make it easier with the dogs. As it is, anytime they need to go out I have to leash ‘em up and walk around the house a time or two. Very inconvenient. But sometimes, I am grateful that a fence costs too much, and we don’t have the pioneer ability to put one in ourselves. God has used these quiet times, especially in the evening, to share a moment with me. Last night, as my furry babies lumbered around the front yard, I heard the tiniest of rustling noises. Looking up, I saw the limbs of our Bradford pear gracefully moving in rhythm to the spring breeze. The newly born blossoms on her branches made the sweetest of noises, and as I watched her bend and sway, I was caught up in th Read more:Endless
, Gifts
The Master Craftsman 2008-04-05 08:11:00 Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. A new day has come, and with it the fullness of joy. With each day I come to know more deeply the Father’s love for me. The One who is Love desires for my relationships to be whole and unbroken. But sometimes He must drive a wedge into them to rend apart the not so pleasing places so that He, the master Craftsman, can create a thing of beauty. He waits for me to willingly offer up my broken places, but when I cling to them, unable to imagine the beauty in the new thing He will wreak; He gently pries them from my hands and works His mastery over them. I stand, forlorn, mourn Read more:Master
Liferunning: What I've Learned About Life While Running Through It (1) 2008-04-07 09:22:00 Today, as the sun shines and the trees wave gracefully to me in the breeze, I find my heart reflecting on many things. God has been so good to me in the past few months as I deliberately enter into the past in search of healing. He has brought many reminders of His faithfulness to me during this time. He has used many things to keep me safe and tender hearted throughout the years, even during the time when I was separated from Him due to my life choices. He always had His eye on me. He never left my side. Today, I am thinking of something in particular that He used to build my character and my confidence: running. I have been a runner for most of my life now. It started in Junior High when a friend urged me to join the track team. Neither fast nor flashy, I was delegated Read more:Learned
Waiting 2008-04-09 21:09:00 God has been smiling on our little bit of the earth these past few days. The sun fills the daylight hours and evidences of His glory are announcing themselves everywhere. My fingers have been in the earth as much as possible, kneading and preparing my little patch of land for the beauty that lies sleeping beneath its surface. It made me remember an article I wrote in April of last year for the Charleston Gazette. I pray it blesses you:I Wait for the Lord Every spring, I wait. I wait for the dark morning hours to gradually be filled with light. I wait for the symphony of the songbirds. I wait for milder temperatures to lure me out of doors. I wait for the trees to bud out in their umbrellas of blossoms. But most of all, I wait for the flowers. God has gifted me with a love o Read more:Waiting
The Gifts Continue... 2008-04-09 11:56:00 9. This nose. It belongs to the second place finisher in our region's math field day competition. We are so thankful.10. Last years leaves blowing in circles above the street on the way to the bus stop.11. Gentle waving of forsythia in an evening breeze.12. Crescent moon turned on its side so it looks like a smile. Read more:Gifts
, Continue
Liferunning 2 2008-04-09 10:38:00 So you’re thinking about running (insert your hobby/interest here). You’ve read about it. You’ve even prayed about it. You had your stride examined by that expert sport shoe guy at SportMart. There’s a new pair of running shoes waiting expectantly by the door that are made of the latest top of the line cushiony stuff with super duper gel-like insoles. You’ve chosen the optimal jogging route and measured the distance with your odometer at least 75 times. You have the most darling running outfit a girl could ever want. All you need to do now is take that first step. There is only one problem: You are paralyzed. You just don’t know how to start. I hate to tell you this, but Nike was right on this one. The only way to get started is to put one foot in front of the ot
Finding a Comfortable Place or Liferunning Lesson #3 2008-04-12 18:35:00 To read Liferunning Lesson 1 click hereFor Liferunning Lesson 2 click hereOn Running: Getting to know your body is an important part of beginning any new physical activity. The more you get out there, the more you will realize where your comfort zone is. Some people have naturally faster and longer strides than others. Beginning runners should start out slow and set goals of short distances. I even encourage beginners to run a little, walk a little, until their endurance improves. If your starting distance or pace is unattainable, discouragement sets in. Start out slow and gradually increase both. When my husband was in college, he lost seventy pounds over a nine month period by taking up running. (I’ve lost about the same amount in the same amount of time before, but my labors y Read more:Place
Fallen Trees 2008-04-11 14:30:00 I watch from the window, lump in my throat. With the breeze through the screen comes the sound of groaning trunk, creaking limbs. Equipment whirring loudly. And then she falls, swaying gracefully at first; until, landing with the suddenness of death, she is prone on the soft ground from which she emerged tall and proud only moments before. They are taking away my trees. Soon the language of sunset shimmering through leaves in the summertime will be silenced. The diaphanous refracted light spilling out between naked branches in the winter, erased. Gone will be the quiet musings of the topography I so love. No more conversations with red-tailed hawks or prancing deer. These dialogs will be stilled by progress. By the work of the hand of man. Instead, when I look out my back door, Read more:Fallen
, Trees
The Wedding Party 2008-04-13 11:02:00 When I turn my face into a gentle spring breeze, my heart always rejoices. I feel that it is God’s fingertips that brush over my face, His breath that stirs my hair. I often close my eyes and breath in deeply, savoring this tangible reminder of His presence. When I am perched high to enjoy this sensation, I feel like a queen; and I lift my head, upturning my face to my King, basking in His love. But today…today something else came with the wind. The fruit trees have donned their glory for this season, dotting the landscape with color and filling the air with their heady perfume. When I step out onto the stoop this morning, the air is filled with pear blossom confetti, thousands of white petals shed into the breeze, a wafting shower of celebration. My heart lifts as I step down Read more:Party
Great Expectations 2008-04-14 20:24:00 Jeff had a day off today, so we did what any hot-blooded American couple would do for quality time: We went to Wal-Mart. I realize that grocery shopping is rapidly becoming the number one date night for suburban couples, but at nine a.m. on a Monday our fellow shoppers consisted mostly of mothers with preschoolers. This made for an interesting shopping experience with said husband, because I kept running into people I know. My beloved is not typically known for his patience. But today was quite enlightening. He actually seemed to enjoy sauntering along, not looking for anything in particular. He held back as I chatted with friends, gazing on with a slightly bemused smile on his face. As I cooed to baby friends and conversed with little girls on banana telephones, he quietly occup Read more:Great
, Great Expectations
To Touch a Heart 2008-04-18 08:35:00 These thoughts are racing around in my head, crashing into one another and shattering…leaving only fragments, dismembered and dissatisfying. Images flash, faces and conversations…grief is a terrifying thing. But hope…with hope there is new life. There is a wheelchair. I am conscious of a glint of sunshine, flashing off the metal. A slumped figure, broken body. She beckons me with her finger. I go to her. “Something has died inside of me,” she whispers. “Your hope has died,” I whisper back. I think about the man. The man who spoke to us today. He told the story of his accident, at sweet thirteen. His life forever changed, loss of half of his family…he found hope. He tells of how a nurse would gently scratch his arm with her long nails. Up and down, up and down Read more:Heart
The Jubilee 2008-04-21 09:30:00 I had the honor on Saturday of working on my first Habitat for Humanity house. What a humbling experience, my friends. We arrived early in the morning and were briefed on the job by the foreman and Habitat representative. We were told that the land we were working on had been donated by a local church, and was one lot of 50. Habitat had built the entire community. We were working on house number 48 in the neighborhood, and after two more, the community of Jubilee
Heights would be complete. Jubilee—celebration, festivity…how appropriate. What a blessing to see brothers and sisters in Christ working side by side to help those in need. I was privileged to be introduced to the husband and wife who would be residing in the house once completed. They have four children. I stood
Endless 2008-04-22 20:43:00 Bleak eyes today. For I look out my back window and this is my view. He fills my head with memories...Sunsets peeking through these trees that now sleep on the ground.Hawks nesting in their branches.Deer seeking shelter underneath them.Beauty. Beauty. Beauty.Gone.And I am thankful. Thankful for the time I had so lovely a view. And I wonder what new adventure He has in store for this ground beneath my feet.So we go looking for God. And the Endless
Gifts continue.21. The story a tree tells even after death.22. The promise of apples.23. What is left behind.24. The smell of fresh cut grass.25. His and her running shoes by the door.26. Foamy soap.27. Experiments in acrylics inspired by Revelation.28. Sweet-smelling candle.29. Dog chewing on ball.30. Legless ceramic turtle
The Little Things 2008-04-25 07:18:00 Her words have been stolen from her. A once brilliant mind now struggles to maintain this train of thought.But this she says, struggling to say so much more: “Life is…oh! Life is crazy.”She finishes, and the look on her face is of one who has uttered a great revelation.She has been telling me about her life. All the goals and aspirations, all the joys and tribulations, all the tiny minutiae of her days before a tumor started pushing on places in her brain unreachable by human hand or modern technology. The risks are too great.I am standing, hovering near the door, my clipboard clutched to my chest. My work is done.But she wants to talk.I teeter.There is still much to do.But she wants to talk.There is wisdom here. Do we mine these places anymore? Or do we raze this land? Tiny
Transformed 2008-04-28 21:32:00 My eyes are full. And my heart has stored away more images in the ever expanding cache of beauty the Endless Gifts fill. Because my spirit was primed before, our trip to Shepherdstown threw wide the doors of my heart, and tendered my expectant eyes. We return home with no more accolades than with which we left, but now hold a rich experience to look back on for years to come. Twelve hours, six up and six back, in a metal box on wheels with my three favorite guys, felt like a cocoon with windows. We were cradled in our nuclear family for a time, shed of extraneous concerns, swept close together. There was only us. And the road. And the mountains. And the trees. Oh, the trees. I have never seen Red Bud so glorious. The newly unfolding leaves on the surrounding trees were the sof Read more:Transformed
More Liferunning Lessons 2008-04-30 10:23:00 I just returned from my morning run, and I just have to say: God is awesome! It is such a beautiful day here, the sunshine and blue skies have made an impression on my mood. One of my favorite things when I’m running is to encounter other people who are out enjoying the day. I especially love to “run into” other runners. We share a kind of sick world of pain and triumph that others just don’t understand. Today I passed several walkers, which is great, but one particular woman stands out in my mind. As I approached her, I prepared to greet her with a smile and light word. But as I drew closer, it became clear that this woman was in another conversation. She had on one of those wraparound-the-ear cell phone thingies and was just chatting away, oblivious to her surroundin Read more:Lessons
Awesome God 2008-05-03 10:51:00 Here are are the top 15 things I learned while on a day trip with the third graders yesterday to the Columbus Zoo: Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach the morning of a 3 ½ hour drive on a bus full of third graders.Third graders can hold their bladders for an extremely long time.Once a third grader realizes he or she needs to go to the bathroom, they need to go NOW!Getting a third grader up at 5:30a.m. to arrive at school on time for field day departure does not deter them from being extremely rambunctious on said field trip route.Getting a third grader up at 5:30a.m to arrive at school on time for field day departure leads to an extremely grumpy afternoon when there are still two hours left before leaving for home.Nestle tollhouse cookies help afternoon grumpiness. (for mom and thi
The Dreamer 2008-05-05 07:31:00 Hello, my dear bloggy friends!A while ago, Kristen from Patiently Hurrying tagged me for a meme on a six word memoir. It's taken me a long time (forgive me, Kristen!) but this is what I have come up with: From the Pit, Into His Arms.This was hard for me!Many of you know that I have been deliberately looking back lately, dealing with some baggage. It has been an amazing experience thus far. God has provided opportunities I never could have anticipated through all this. The funny thing is...yesterday, as I was perusing some of my old files, I came across this essay I wrote years ago. It's rather long, and I apologize for that, but perhaps it will give you all a little insight into some of my history. It really is a very brief version of my life story, but here goes:Some people hold the Read more:Dreamer
Heavenly Hugs 2008-05-07 09:42:00 Hello, Dear Ones! Let me first express my tender thanks for your sweet words of encouragement regarding my last post. It always surprises me how women hold one another up…especially in this new land of the blog. I have encountered so many amazing women through this avenue. You all are beautiful women of God, and you strengthen me in so many ways! There comes a time when we must accept the hurts of the past and move on. A time when we must choose to believe the Great Love that is ours. For me, this happens over and over again, and I often need reminded that I am a new creation. The events of the past 24 hours have further tendered my heart to my past. Littlest son has had a tummy virus. Poor thing is so sweetly pathetic when he is ill. He seems so much smaller, and all the swe Read more:Heavenly
Effervescence 2008-05-08 20:51:00 effervesce ef·fer·vesce (ef′ər ves′) intransitive verb -·vesced′, -·vesc′·ing to give off gas bubbles, as carbonated beverages; bubble; foamto rise and come out in bubbles, as gas in a liquidto be lively and high-spirited (courtesy yourdictionary.com: ) Effervescent. The word came to me; rose up in the air, carried by their laughter. Two boys. Brothers and best friends. When they laugh, it rises and fills the air around me…bubbles of laughter. Floating, floating, bubbling over onto all of us…contagious joy. Thank you, Father, for our children’s laughter. Let it fill our hearts and our mouths with joy! Let our laughter be your praise! Oh, how you bless. We are so beloved. The Endless Gifts Continue… 47. The laughter of children. 48.
The Love of a Brother 2008-05-10 19:38:00 The day was long, but filled our eyes; seeing new places is always a gift. But as the bus pulled away and our backs were to Pittsburgh, my eyes were heavy, my limbs longed for home. Another field trip. Perhaps the last one with this soon-to-be middle schooler who sits behind me on this bus. I cherish each smile, each overheard juvenile jibe at his friends. But as we pull into the drive at 10: Read more:Brother
Beware of Demon-Pigs 2008-05-13 10:29:00 Last night I dreamed about a demon-pig. Yes, you read me right. There was this little pink pig and it was going around breathing fire on people and killing them. But here’s the kicker: It had the power of invisibility. And I was the only one who saw it killing. In my dream, I was a little girl. Every time I saw the pig kill someone, it disappeared. And so I felt helpless to stop it. I w Read more:Beware
Belated 2008-05-12 14:41:00 I kneel beside these beds; the beds of these children who only a short while ago paid me honor. Breakfast in bed never tasted so sweet, as when it comes with a kiss from little boys’ lips. They honor me. But as I kneel below their sleeping forms, I am humbled. Am I not the one who is honored? Honored to be the mother of these. Honored to be a mother. How lovely is this love that fills my
Dwelling Place 2008-05-14 21:02:00 “Mommy, did you know that when you hug yourself, you are giving God a hug?” We are lying on his bed in the dark. Prayers said. Waiting for sleep to take hold. “I never really thought about it like that before.” “It’s true, you know, because He’s always there.” “Where did you learn that?” I ask, envisioning my creative friend who is his Bible teacher on Wednesday nights. Read more:Place
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