Because It's Time to Hang Up My Blogging Shoes

It's time to say "good-bye," my friends. I've been posting here four years, and it's been wonderful. I have a collection of memories saved in this spot that will bring me and my family joy for years to come. And I have made so many precious friends along the way.

I know we all want to know the "why" behind someone's decision to stop blogging,   but my "why" doesn't come in a tidy package that I can offer up here. I'm not tired of blogging, and there's a bit of sadness in walking away from this little place. Still, I need to obey, knowing my heart will eventually follow.

Thank you for reading and commenting and being a great source of
encouragement to me. Thank you for loving my family in word and deed. Thank you for your prayers!

Each of you has been a blessing beyond words, and I am truly grateful. I look forward to staying connected through e-mail or Facebook (at BenandTrisha Poff) or your blogs. (And snail mail is still a wonderful thing!)

Much love and many hugs,
Trisha

Delight-full

25 Years of Half as Hard and Twice as Good

"Every burden I have carried,

Every joy--it's understood.

Life with you is half as hard, 

And twice as good."

~Sara Groves

Beloved,

When we said "I do" 25 years ago today, did we have any idea what we signed up for? I remember the whispers of those who said we'd never last. I remember my Dad wondering how a girl who couldn't even make rice or a pot of coffee was ever going to survive marriage.

You didn't expect to get a wife who was all about herself. You didn't expect to live with a woman who acted more like a girl. I didn't expect to be so homesick or watch so much football or have so many arguments.

Neither one of us expected to have to die to self at every turn. And neither one of us knew what God's amazing grace would do. How God would call you to Himself, and how He would preserve our marriage. How His grace would make us plumb the depths of married love and leave us speechless with wonder.

Neither one of us expected children. Remember my declaration that I didn't want any? And here we are, 25 years later, celebrating the birth of our 9th child. Many think it's plain crazy. I think it's crazy-beautiful, and I marvel at God's kindness in writing such a story as ours. I weep over it all, for I am one undeserving woman, the last I'd choose to be a wife and mother, and yet, God has given me You and Them and this very, very good life of knowing Him.

I have not done you well all the days of our marriage. I have not prayed enough for you or forgiven enough. I have not been thankful enough or honored you enough. And yet, you have loved me for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. 

You love me with a love that runs over. 

A love that remembers how much I love chocolate and salty french fries and ice-cold cokes. 

A love that indulges my affection for pens and paper and books and bookshelves (more bookshelves, please).

 A love that looks at my scars and still sees something beautiful. 

A love that drives hours a day to work hard all day to provide for us. 

A love that aches with me over losses and rejoices with me over blessings. 

A love that never asks, "Just what have you been doing all day?"

A love that defends and forgives and perseveres and pursues and resolves.

A love that delights in nine blessings from the LORD.

A love that leaves me thanking God for His goodness and mercy.

Thank you, my Mountain Man, for making life here on earth half as hard and twice as good.

Happy 25th anniversary! I love you.


***How fitting that this is my 1000th post! :)

Three Weeks

"Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God...Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!"
~Elizabeth Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward

To What Lengths Would We Go?

The following story reminds me of the perseverance of my father in his later years of life when he was legally blind. He'd still spend hours of his day in the Word, not just reading, but taking notes, too. It wasn't an easy task, and he had to use the aid of a lighted magnifying glass. When he died, not only did I inherit his Bible, but I also have some of those glasses he used to see the Words of God a bit clearer.

Those habits we make today of being regularly in the Word, of really studying It and meditating on It, will often be unbreakable, especially in times of severe crisis. We'll long for the Food that nourishes for eternity, and we'll go to whatever lengths to feast on It. Oh, for more grace to steadfastly be in the Word and treasure such a privilege!

Evangelist Robert L. Sumner, in his book The Wonder of the Word of God, tells of a man in Kansas City who was severely injured in an explosion. His face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He had just become a Christian when the accident happened, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible.

Then he heard about a lady in England who read braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in braille.
But he was discouraged that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, "I can read the Bible using my tongue." At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had read through the entire Bible four times. If he can do that, can you discipline yourself to read the Bible?

~Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

In Which I Marvel Since I Cannot Measure

"Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men."

Psalm 31:19

*****

While Ink and I were doing some grocery shopping yesterday, we had a close call with another vehicle that decided to run a red light. My hesitation to turn immediately on cue quickly morphed into a prayer of thanks to the LORD for His protection. There are endless mercies that God pours out on us daily that we never even see, and then there are the ones right before us. We have an obligation to Him and to each other to declare those mercies and praise His name. It is shameful for us to let those mercies leave our minds and hearts, never flowing from our tongues or passing through our pens.

And what a difference two weeks makes! I've gone from wondering how my surgery would go and wondering if God would grant me the mercy to make it through. I've prayed much about Elijah's nursing habits and his circumcision and hospital bills and a host of other issues.

And, of course, there was that list of prayer requests I shared with you.

Spurgeon reminds us that sometimes we have no words to express our thanks to God for His goodness to us.

"...when words cannot measure we can marvel; and though we may not calculate with accuracy, we can adore with fervency."

I'm listing His benefits to me here, but I can't take a piece of my heart, this gratitude and awe that brings me to my knees and puts me in tears, and aptly offer it to you. But I pray that today you might be encouraged in even the smallest way, and years from now when my children read this, they'll be reminded of the faithful God we serve and their hearts will be strengthened and enlarged with even more love to their God.

"...there are no measures which can set forth the immeasurable goodness of Jehovah, who is goodness itself. Holy amazement uses interjections where adjectives utterly fail."

~C.H.Spurgeon

Thanks be to God for His infinite mercies:

~As my doctor was leaving the operating room, he let me know that a regular delivery would probably have had complications, since the cord was wrapped around Elijah's neck.

~The anesthesiologist who did my spinal was actually the same one who wouldn't believe I had a spinal headache after delivering Jedediah. This man put us through the wringer just to get a blood patch and only believed me after I had the procedure done. You can imagine my dread when I realized he was the doctor. BUT, this is how God turned this for good. BECAUSE I stumped him with my spinal headache last time, he was very vigilant in doing everything he could to prevent one this time around. His methods worked, and I am SO thankful not to have suffered through one of those headaches again.

~Most of my nurses were wonderful! One especially touched me with her words of praise for our large family when I realized she was battling infertility herself. Her gracious spirit was humbling and unforgettable.

~My doctor released me the next evening. I was so glad to get home so I could actually rest, but I didn't even consider how much that would save us in hospital bills. An unexpected and very welcome mercy!

~Elijah came out screaming, weighing the most of any of our babies at a whopping 7 lbs. 0.6 ounces, and scoring 9 on the Apgar. :)

~My pain management was the best I've had in all of my c-sections.

~My bladder didn't tear!

~I didn't hemorrhage, and I haven't during any of my c-sections. What a great mercy this is!

~For the first time in my history of having babies, my husband and I had a pastor, our very own pastor, to pray with us before I went into the operating room. Do you know what a gift that is? 

~Chick-Fil-A did not run out of waffle fries. :)

~I didn't get sick during the operation, but I did afterwards. HOWEVER, it lasted no where near as long as in the past.

~There were no rude remarks within hearing distance about our family size or the number of c-sections I've had.

~Elijah is healthy. All systems in order and working well. :) How I marvel when just looking at his fingers and toes and ears and his nose, and I consider that God knits all babies together so perfectly, no matter how we define "perfect."

 Emma reads to Elijah, and Elijah listens with great attention. :)

I think "naps with babies" has not been sufficiently recognized as a supreme therapy for whatever ails you.

Perhaps my biggest mercy is God's reminding me through every minute of these days at home what a gift His love and grace are. I would call myself Mama Ogress (feminine form of Ogre)...tears one minute, anger the next, and then much repentance and tears again, and much laughter and joy, too. Oh, it that what schizophrenia is? And I guess Ogres aren't usually repentant. Ok, I'll just say that I'm sure it's been an adventure to live with me and my hormones and my sin nature these past couple of weeks. What a mercy it is to have such a loving and forgiving family!

That God would save and then pour out such endless benefits on a wretch like me...

"Answered prayers are silken bonds which bind our hearts to God."

~C.H.Spurgeon

Much love,

Trisha

These First Baby Days

I had forgotten what a mixed bag these postpartum days can be. I'm over the moon in baby love with Elijah and so thankful for God's innumerable mercies. I'm surrounded by so much life and tokens of His goodness and mercy. And then I have my moments in the valley, too, as I think of how different welcoming baby number nine is from earlier blessings.

There are empty places at the table of our welcoming party. My Dad and Ben's Dad aren't here to see this Little Man. My cousin, Michele, who always made such a big deal of our babies, is gone, too. And honestly, by the time you've had this many children, family members and friends often lose interest. The cards are fewer (a casualty of our digital age) and the baby gifts, too. No matter how many children you have, you never tire of seeing another "congratulations" splattered across pink or blue paper or opening another pack of diapers. These are tangible things that say, "We're so glad your baby is here!"

But the silence around this table reminds me how disconnected our own families are. Many members wouldn't be able to tell you how many children we have, and especially not all of their names. How do we get to such a place of being strangers after spending our earliest days together, and how do we keep our own children from suffering the same as they grow older and live their own lives away from one another?

And of course, just like death, life begs you to reevaluate everything you're doing. How am I investing my time? Have I done well by my other children? What really matters and is that what I'm pouring my energy into?

One might say all this thinking is just hormonal, but I think instead it comes with aging and being more aware of how precious life is and how unexpectedly death comes and wanting to have lived each moment in between for God's glory. It's such a tall order. But for His grace...

 Jedediah is comforting Elijah with the news that a more masculine boppy cover is on the way. :)

Jake plays for Elijah.

 Ella could do this all day.

 Elisabeth expresses the joy we all feel in having Elijah with us.

Babymoon

Just popping in for this short post to thank everyone for your prayers! There's much to be thankful for and to share. My doctor let me go home yesterday, and I've got a bit of recovering to do. I feel like a train wreck, and I still haven't figured out how to split a baby eight ways...yes, all of the children want piece of sweet Elijah.

My Emma captured this one of him today. God gave Elijah two dimples...one on his chin, just like Emma, and the one you see in the picture.

Thank you again for your encouraging words. What a blessing each of your comments is to us all.

Much love,
Trisha

Elijah Henry

Ink here. I guess I'm the de facto messenger boy, since my Mom isn't exactly up to blogging at the moment. So without further obfuscation...

Elijah Henry entered the world this morning at 8:13 AM. He weighs 7.06 lbs and is 19 and 1/2 inches long. Oh, and he has dark hair. *fist pump*

As you can see, the look on his face suggests that being born wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time. Just wait ’til he arrives home – he has no clue what a crazy family he’s been born into.

More pictures to come. Your prayers for Mom's continued recovery will be greatly appreciated.

In Preparation and Anticipation

We're down to the final hours.

Finding comfort in His words. Tea and scones. Laundering tiny pieces of clothing. Packing the diaper bag. Last minute deep cleaning. Blessing Bags for our children. Some tears. Praying. Lots of praying. Reflection on His mercies throughout this pregnancy. Lots of reflection.

God-willing, we'll meet Elijah Henry tomorrow morning. Ink will post an update here, and if you're on FB with me, then you'll see my Beloved's announcement there.

In case you missed my specific prayer requests, here they are again...

) Wisdom and skilled hands for my doctor
2) Competent and kind and compassionate nurses and anesthesiologist
3) Lots of healthy, loud screaming from Elijah and a blow-them-away-with -a-10 score on the Apgar
4) No torn bladder or other complications from the c-section
5) No getting sick during or after the c-section
6) That Elijah would take to nursing without any problems
7) That Chick-Fil-A wouldn't run out of waffle fries (had to insert a bit of humor here). They just built one not even a block from the hospital! Have I mentioned that I never eat hospital food? My Beloved eats the meals and then buys me something else. Yes, I'm blessed.
8) A super-calm spirit for me and a clear mind that focuses on the truth of His Word, regardless of my circumstances, and is ever aware of His mercies.

Thank you for the encouragement you've given me throughout this pregnancy. You simply can't imagine how deep that blessing runs.

With love,
Trisha

The Little Big Man Who's Not So Little

 

Jake. Our resident hit man, taking care of unruly trash cans at every turn. He had a birthday...in June...um, that would be over two months ago.

He does crazy things like taking self-portraits with my camera. Thankfully, he's not the type to lament in his autobiography how lame it was that I took over two months to post his birthday photos. It was a significant birthday, too. The big 15.

The Hunt. Scavenger Hunt that is.

When my Beloved celebrated a milestone of a birthday, I decided to make it special with a scavenger hunt. Ink loved the idea so much he wanted one for his 15th birthday. So now, the family tradition is that on your 15th birthday, we play a guessing game and enjoy riding around in our van together for several hours.:)

God gave Jake lots of "happy genes." He's one of the lighthearted souls of our Clan, always making us laugh. He has the best Batman voice ever. And he likes reading Puritan paperbacks. Gotta love it.

He's Cap'n's favorite guy. He's a kid at heart, and his playfulness is a welcome trait in a house with so many Littles. He's going to make a fantastic Daddy.

He likes the simpler things in life. Like a good hat. A good book. An action-packed movie. And mega bags of Sour Patch Kids candy. I have a feeling he might add cigars to that list of simple things one day. The hat just makes me think so, and his love for Spurgeon.

He never cared for the piano, thwarting my ideal that all of our children would learn piano first. Instead, he's a guitar-man. And we love to hear him play.

He's got a southern man's taste for fried foods, sweet tea, and apple anything. He thinks I know how to cook. And bread? Oh yes. He inherited my bread-loving genes.

He loves the outdoors and throwing knives and tossing footballs. 

He even passed the Dollar Tree test, managing to buy all his siblings a gift within the allotted time on his scavenger hunt.

He has amazing self-control. Here he opens his Justin Bieber birthday card and restrains from puking all over the car. Justin even sang to him and told him how special he is.

Thank you for your patience, my son. I have no excuse for not having done this post in a timely manner. You have often forgiven me for greater offenses, and for that, I am deeply grateful. We thank God for the pleasure and joy you bring to our family. May God Himself always be your greatest joy, and may you love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength all the days of your life.

We love you.

Love,
Mommy for All