Time on a horse

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill


I love horses. I got my first pony when I was 8 years old and have ridden most of my years since then. The exception was a few years off for college, marriage, and babies, and most recently after "retiring' from years of teaching riding. It has been a couple of years now since I have been in the saddle and I have been telling myself I didn't miss it. Well, truth be told I have been missing it. I finally gave in to the desire deep in my heart to ride again. I called my friend Tena at Centennial Acres Dressage http://www.centennialacresdressage.com  and I scheduled a lesson. I had a blast riding a wonderful horse named "Heather" (pictured to the left after I gave her a juicy apple) and I haven't stopped smiling since. If you love horses you can never get that love out of your blood. They are amazing animals, full of personality and so intriguing to figure out. They are beautiful, powerful, gentle, funny, grumpy, serious, goofy... They are companions capable of helping us through the ups and downs of life and they teach us many lessons along the way. Trust me, I have seen great things happen for kids (and adults) when they have had the opportunity to be involved with a horse.
Well, I can't wait to see where my next horse journey takes me.

Good bye my good friend warm weather...

So today I finally took on the job I have been dreading. I packed up the deck furniture, the pretty pillows, the umbrella, pulled up all the annuals in the yard, stored the hoses for the winter, emptied all the flowering pots (which were still quite beautiful!), and picked the last of the peppers and basil. I still have a few fall flowers lingering and of course the pumpkins from my 'unexpected' pumpkin patch. What a beautiful October we have had. A bonus as we prepare our yards and minds for what's to come. 

I will try, as I do each year, to search for the beauty and opportunities that the winter months have to offer.
My garden is a gift from God. I take such pleasure and joy in it's beauty. But it's beauty does not compare to the beauty that God has set for me in my future with Him. I can enjoy this temporary earthly beauty as His gift, but the true gift He gives is His Blessed Assurance ... that Jesus is Mine.
So that is the beauty that I am going to carry into the coming winter months with me.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

How does one turn 'packing up a garden' to God's Blessed Assurance? ... attend a Steven Curtis Chapman Concert, listen to his boys perform, listen to his wife speak of the journey they have been on since the loss of their little girl Maria...

See God. Trust God!

http://www.showhope.org/

~bekuyps

What does one do to usher in October?

Make soup of course!

Most of the people who might possibly read this blog know that I am not a fan of cold weather/winter. But, as it is an unavoidable part of my life right now, I am trying to look for the bright spots of the impending season.

So to usher in this new month of guaranteed chill, I made soup for supper. I love soup and tonight's recipe is worth sharing, just in case any of you are feeling the same way about the approaching cold. It is tasty and good for you!

• 1 pkg of 'Jennie O' turkey sausage
• 1/2 cup onion
• 3 large carrots
• 1 large red or green pepper
• 1 t dried  basil or 8 chopped leave of fresh

Brown sausage in 5 qt pot, breaking into small pieces
Add the veggies and basil and cook till tender

• 32 oz of beef broth - organic with no MSG if possible
• 3 cups water
• 2 cans of northern beans or canelli beans

Mash beans and add to veggie mix, then add broth and water. Mix all together and bring to a simmer.

• 1 cup chopped spinach - fresh or frozen
• 1 cup of whole wheat pasta - the smallest you can find.

Add these ingredients a few minutes before serving - just so pasta is cooked.
Serve with crackers or sour dough bread with olive oil, basil and Parmesan cheese for dipping!
Enjoy!
~bekuyps

Dear Summer, Please don't leave yet!

I am not happy about it being September. Don't get me wrong, I actually love the month of September. It can be beautiful. I just don't like what it has come to represent...the END of summer. I have enjoyed a summer of warmth...ok, its been a HOT AND HUMID summer, but I have loved it.
I have loved gardening and cooking meals straight out of my garden, cooking with herbs that are growing in pots on my deck, going to the beach with my BF, happy hours in the sun with my BF, watching sunsets at the beach, reading on my deck in the sun or under the stars, runs on the beach and through our trails, wearing shorts, tank tops, and flip flops, cut flowers in my kitchen, the Farmer's Market, the tourist activity of downtown Holland, the smell of cut grass and roses, Sunday morning trips to Saugatuck for coffee or evening trips for ice cream with my spousal unit, motorcyle rides...
You may say, "but what about yard work, the bugs, the heat..."
And I would respond...
"I would rather pull weeds than shovel snow.
I would rather work my garden than go to the grocery store in desperate search some some sort of fresh produce.
I would rather pull on running shorts and a tank top and hit the beach to run than put on all my winter running layers and battle the snowy streets.

I would rather cook out on the grill than inside on the stove.

I would rather watch the birds fly around my deck feeders that watch the snow fly

I would rather sweat and soak in the sun than shiver any day!!!

I would rather swat mosquitoes than clean dirty slush off my car and out of my garage.

I would rather have all the house windows open letting in the fresh summer air than have the house closed up to keep out the cold"

The list could go on and on, but I should stop. I need not start complaining already of winter. (I had to give that up for Lent last year). One thing I do love during the winter is sitting by my fireplace with a good book, a glass of wine, and a snugly dog on a cold blistery night. And then there is always looking forward to my trips to Nashville to see Matt and Maggie and get a break from the snow:O)

So, Summer please hang on as long as you can!

~bekuyps

Looking forward to another year of 'The Gathering'

Today was the the first chapel to open the 2010/2011 Hope College school year.

I love to attend the first chapel and the Sunday evening "Gatherings" that follow.

My main reason is to watch Scott on the drums with his worship team. (I am convinced that Josh Banner and the worship team is why Scott was 'led' -all be it the long way- to Hope College.)

The other reason is that there is nothing better than entering Dimnent Chapel (dedicated in 1929) on a Sunday morning, it's already 80 degrees outside which means it's 90 degrees in Dimnent, and the chapel is packed...standing room only (the fire Marshall would not like it). Parents and kids are packing the place to worship and hear God's word. The kids are so excited to start a new school year. Many parents are eager to see them off after a summer home.

Then there are the incoming freshman and their parents. It is all new to them. To the kids, this whole chapel thing is an eye opening experience. It may be very different from what 'church' was like for them at home or it may be similar, but it is still part of a whole new world. The beginning of so many choices they will make...good and bad and hopefully all learned from.

And then there are the 'freshman' parents. There may be any number of circumstances involved. It may be their first child to leave home and go away to college, it may be a last, it may be a child who has struggled or whom they have struggled with...no matter what the circumstances, it is never easy for a parent to 'leave' a child at college. Even though it may be what a parent wants for their child, it is still a huge life change for each and every one.

I stood behind a mom during chapel today who could not stop crying. I wanted to reach out to her and say it would all be "OK", but I also knew she needed to go through this 'grieving' process and that I could not make it "OK" with my words. I know, because I have been there.

I told all my boys when they went off to school that we had given them a faith foundation, now they needed to investigate it and choose if they would make it their own. I did not want them to 'go to church' or 'be a Christian' just because we said that they should. It is so much more than that...it is about at personal relationship. No one can tell you that you have to have that. You have to want it and work for it.

Now I am happy to see my son thriving and growing in so many ways in this college environment. Hope College may not be for everyone, but it was the place for my son Scott. I am thankful for the institution that is Hope College and for the way they have accepted the call of God to give kids the opportunity to worship their God, to be challenged, and to grow in their faith.

The opportunity is there...the choice is theirs. That is a beautiful thing!

~bekuyps

Sauce and Salsa...

Oh how the garden grows! TOMATOES!!! Peppers, Zucchini, Beans.

I am loving my garden, but even more, I am loving the results of my garden. The results include lots of fresh Salsa and homemade spaghetti sauce. The best part of all this though is time in the kitchen with my very best friend making all of these delectable goodies for our families to consume or to give away to friends.

Truly some of life's simple pleasures or the often un-noticed gifts from a good God.

~bekuyps

Anticipating a "homecoming" and Food.

I am excitedly awaiting the "homecoming" of Alex from Seattle (and recently from Oxford). It is only 5:30 here and his plane doesn't arrive until 10:00 pm into GR, but I am already getting giddy. Now, let me explain giddy, because it is not like a teenager gets giddy. It is mom giddy. That is a very different thing. It is not primping and fussing about makeup and clothes and how I look...it's about cooking and baking and making sure his bedroom/bathroom are comfy, cozy, homey, and his favorite things are stocked in the fridge and the pantry, and his favorite treats are setting out in his room. I know it is a crazy thing, but I love it. I love it when my kids come "home". Plain and simple I LOVE my kids. Next to my spousal unit they are God's best gift to me. So bring on the giddy happiness of anticipating Al's arrival home. If you need to find me I will be in my kitchen or somewhere in my home prepping the nest for my offspring's arrival. (and I will do this all over again on August 11 when Matt comes for a visit)
Just a side note, my son Scott lives in town and I sure hope he realizes that even though he doesn't always get the super extra special treatment every time he comes over, he brings me much joy every time I get to see him. He is truly a special kid! (or I should say young man)
~be(mom)kuyps