Peace

There's a peace I've come to know

though my heart and flesh may fail

there's and anchor for my soul

I can say it is well

Thanksgiving weekend my little brother was in a sledding accident.  It was a bad one, and he was flown out that same night for the hospital in Anchorage where we found out his jaw was broken on both sides and he had a skull fracture that went through his sinus as well as back behind his right ear.  That first day where we had no idea how bad his injuries were, was the worst, you can do nothing except sit there and imagine all of the things that could come of something like that.  I'm not going to try to put words to it though, even if I can, because that's not what this is about.  

It's about the peace.

Because there was peace, especially after that first day and the next, when he had his surgery.  He was okay.  And if he hadn't been, we, somehow, would still have been okay.  Not in a fake, "we're fine, it's all good" sort of way, but in the "no really, we're okay." that is said with a smile in your voice, because you can't help but be in wonder of that fact that it's true.  And always the friends who asked we more worried and pitying then we were.  I mean, yes it sucks that his jaw was wired shut for almost two months, but hey, he's ALIVE.  And the fact that he's permanently deaf in his right ear now, doesn't seem like that big of a deal to any of us, even him.  

And then just this Monday my dad was in a car wreck, his truck was totaled, but no one was hurt.  We might not be getting any money from the insurance, and of our other two vehicles only one currently runs, but somehow, there is peace.  

Real.  Peace.

It's true.  And it's crazy.  Almost hourly I'm shocked that it's still there, because it's so unlike anything I've experienced before.

That verse in Philippians came to mind yesterday as I was marveling at this, it's verse 4:7  "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  And I thought so this is what that means!  It had been so long of living in anything but peace, that I'd almost quit believing it was possible, and even in the middle of it it's hard to believe.

It's trusting.  It's one day at a time.  It's how we were meant to live, I think.

Photos... So the sweater is one of my fun buys from Anchorage, I just love that color so much. Ah, it gives me thrills.  And the blouse underneath is one of my few garments I've sewn myself!  It really doesn't look that good in most circumstances, but I do like it here.  And those mountains were from our one night in Wasilla.  Such a beautiful view.  

Happy Friday night!