Monday, June 25, 2012

With Skillful Hands

With upright heart he tended them,
and guided them with skillful hand. 
Psalm 78:72






My Dearest Friend,


I suppose reading as a six-year-old the love story between Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Manly helped.
Feeling it from a place deeper than my bones,
this knowing that a real man works the land, wrestles the wolves,
and weathers the wind that bends mere males, but never a man.


A real man bends, not by burdens, but to bless the name of the One who called him to manhood. 


He chose his servant David,
and took him from the sheepfolds;
from tending the nursing ewes he brought him
to be the shepherd of this people Jacob,
of Israel, his inheritance.


I have been with you almost from the beginning.  From the days of small pens and little land, through the years of rocky soil, and then great expanses of prairie and miles of open sky.  Two and plus decades, and I have never heard you complain. If there is work to be done, you work.  And the beauty of your strong character, all-grown-up these years stacked on years together, is you work with joy.  Not always because of the work, but because of the calling to do it.  You work the land well, Dearest Friend.


I have watched you wrestle the wolves, some many times your size, because you were given the gift of loving others.  And loving others always meant sacrificing yourself, at least a little, that they might live ~ a lot.  Thank you, Dearest Friend, for being a husband I am always safe with, a man whose strength we all lean into, and a leader who is courageous enough to stand up for even the "least of these."  


Squadron Commander.  I know you dreamed of this job from the very first days of tending sheep.  And I know there will be many more jobs to follow.  Jobs that will challenge your strength, enlarge your vision, cultivate your gentleness, and grow your smile.  


But these last two years ~ well, He chose you and brought you to be a shepherd to these people.  You have tended them with an upright heart and guided them with a skillful hand.  Others may know better the details of the wolves and wind you stood against, but only I know how deep is the love that sustained it all.  And it is deeper than your bones.


Well done, Dearest Friend.  I am so proud of you and so grateful to be your wife.  The land is well worked, the fruit hangs in abundance, and once more we bend the knee and bless the name of the One who has called us.  I look back through the years at the ways He has equipped us for each new land.  I look forward to the next place we will settle with anticipation and great longing for worship and community.  And I look beside me always, for the man who loves God first, the father who models mercy and justice, the leader who serves others before self, and my Manly, who holds my heart in his hands.


Love,
Me


...counting grace always...


1514.  Change of Command is done and we have heard His "well done"
1515.  Legacy
1516.  Your strength sustains us
1517.  we are going home in the morning
1518.  we will worship at NCC this weekend
1519.  to have been homesick
1520.  to have recognized it is homesickness for God, not a place
1521.  I have a husband I respect
1522.  I am cherished
1523.  to have made a difference in others lives
1524.  for Key Spouses
1525.  for Bela
1527.  for friends and commanders and spouses and life
1528.  for dinners and fellowship and 5 extra pounds
1529.  for packers and shippers and airlines
1530.  for on-base lodging booked out and spending our last few nights in our village
1531.  for riches to share with a young NCO family ~ 220V items they won't have to buy
1532.  suitcases all packed
1533.  my husband, taking a nap
1534.  my boys, who sacrificed our time with them for weeks
1535.  for the 86MUNS squadron, and the ability to love greater than myself
1536.  for Daniella and hugs and laughter and tears
1537.  for love that is deeper than your bones.  Thank you, Jesus.




8 comments:

  1. ((((hugs)))) Beautiful. Prayers for a grace-full move and transition.

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    1. Thanks so much for the hugs! The move is going well!

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  2. No better tribute than that you have just written, He chose his "Laura" well! May your transition be easy on all of you and I look forward to meeting you in October at Allume! Welcome Home! N

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    1. Thanks so much, Nancy! I tried to get some computer time to write this since the 14th of this month and was beginning to despair that I would make it happen before we left. He really is such an amazing leader and I'm so glad to be part of his team. I can't wait to meet you in October either! Or who knows, maybe for a glass of tea in TX this July! Blessings to you.

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  3. So very beautiful, Tobi! Prayers for you as you transition. May you both be showered with blessings in abundance!

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    1. Thanks Mandy, for your prayers. I'm looking forward to the time I will have for about a week to catch up on your posts and others. God continues to make His presence known to us. The shuttle bus driver who brought us to the base turned on the radio when we finally fell silent...it was praise songs. That was such a sweet, personal connection from God. He knows how dry we've been, and how grateful we are to be home. Can't wait to meet you at Allume too!

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  4. What a great post. Thank you for sharing it with all of us. I'm praying for you guys in your transition and unsettledness for the next couple of months. He is faithful. Oh, and I LOVE the new tabs at the top by the way. Well done!!

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    1. Thanks Debi! You are at the top of my list for becoming part of the tribe! Believe me, I have places I want to go in the blog journey that you've already been and I'm planning to connect more once we're transitioned! Thanks for the tab direction and the praise. Well done always feels good to hear!

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