Room for my girl

Here are some pictures of Indi's new room. I made her curtains and bought the furniture and rug second-hand. She gets to choose which photos, posters and paintings to hang on her walls. (Well, if it's just one of her gazillion drawings, she gets to put it up on the wardrobe door so it will be easy to take down later. )
The wall above her desk and bed will probably get something hung on it sooner or later too, probably some of her own art work and more photographs :)
The wardrobe in this room is huge and holds her clothes, books, legos, art and craft supplies, my dresses, and still has empty space to spare.

New arrangements, new family member, new beginnings

We have a cat. Indi named him Valo ("Light"). his sweet face looks like it's radiating! He has been with us for two months now. He was sick with cat flu, ear mites and intestinal infection when we got him. He is now much better and growing fast after two rounds of antibiotics plus some other stuff to treat him.

We also changed up our apartment so that Indi got the bedroom for her own room ( I will post pictures later) and we are sleeping in the living room. The apartment is 52 m2 / 550 sqft but using smallish furniture it seems to work quite well and the living room seems more like a living room now than when all of Indiana's stuff was in there. We are still waiting to put up some book shelves in the living room and some small things like photos and posters and lower hooks for Indi in the entrance so she can finally hang her own clothes... We turned the kitchen table the other way so that it now seats 5 people (after I get more chairs, they are waiting at my dad's house to be painted). I had thought the space was too small for that but after just trying it out I noticed there was enough room.

We almost bought a house (yes, again) but stuff happened and we decided to stay on the island where we like to live - and we are pretty tired of moving... so that decision got me re-arranging our place to fit our current needs better.
I have also been sick again, and very tired, so it just seemed better for all of us to not make any big changes right now. Small ones are enough!
Life has been turbulent to say the least, difficult things happening, but during the blackest moments I clung to the promise that Jesus is with me every step of the way and is working his best will to eventually bless us all through the trials we face.. Sometimes it can be nearly impossible to see things turning around... but our impossibility is God's possibility. And he IS faithful and we are coming out of the other side of the storm. Changed, humbled, stronger, scarred but believing in becoming ever more whole, resilient and closer to the Lord, with his help and though his love and forgiveness.

I cry because I feel their pain

I'm sharing Ava's blog with you. She is my sister's oldest, the first child born into our family, my God-daughter whom I love so much (I love all my sister's children, of course!).

Ava wasn't even two years old when she first rode a pony and fell in love with horses and started dreaming of show jumping. She started taking riding lessons when she was five and you could soon see her potential as a rider. They bought Ian when she was 9 and her talent was obvious, and soon her little sister's as well. Isla is steadfast, perseverant and committed to whatever she does, and she also started jumping with Ian. And with Ian, my sister's childhood dream of riding horses became a reality, together with her own girls.

Ian was a great teacher and an interesting sight at competitions  -this sturdy,  black-and-white Irish cob whom many could not believe could be a jumper. But he was really good at it and the snickering would silence when he started to jump! He regularly placed well and Ava and Ian even won first place -and these are competitions where a child competes together with adults.

At 11 years old Ava got a permit to compete at regionals and they did it once before Ian started to get ill. She is soon turning 12 and I hope that they will  find another horse - no one can be what Ian was, but another animal soul to bond with, be friends and companions and working partners with.

These photos are from Ava's blog. If you feel like it, go send her a message there! She writes in Swedish, English and Finnish and posts a lot of pictures of their animals. Feel free to share her blog with any animal-loving people you know :)

Here is a video of them at a competition

When the miracle doesn't come

Ian, my sister's horse is sick.
I drove there today with Indi, to say our goodbyes, because save for a miracle, they will probably have to let him go next week.

I'm so sad, and he is not even my horse. He is just so sweet, "the gentle giant". I know my sister's family's hearts are breaking.

His eyes were so very tired.

There has been crying and praying. We hope for a miracle so that he would get well and we would still get to have him with us. He has brought so much joy and love to many lives.

Miracles are powerful and convincing, but when the miracle doesn't come, and instead comes sickness, pain, loss and sorrow, and yet the person says: " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)  -and he prays that only the will of God happens, not his own-

then I know, I am positive,
that the forces of darkness tremble
because they have no power over such faith
and I believe that the angels in heaven rejoice and wonder:
"Who are these human children that they should believe when they do not see?"


"Ian" means: God is gracious.


* Edited the next morning*
Ian passed away last night naturally. He most likely had cancer of lymphatic system. The final results may or may not tell what the cause was. Yesterday he was still eating hay and carrots and he didn't seem to be in pain. He was just very tired and he had lost some 150 kilos of weight. I think it was best this way, my sister didn't have to make the difficult decision.
It was his time to go even though we didn't want it to be.

A trip to Eretz Yisrael

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2. Cor.4:7)

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. (John 6:31)

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. (Matt.4:18)

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.(1 Kings 20:23)

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it (Isaiah 41-19-20)

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. (Job 14:7)

He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)

Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.(Haggai 2:19)

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. (Psalm 52:8)

The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller. (Job 31:32)

Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:2)

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Behold, I have told you before.

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (Matt.24:24-26)

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. (James 1:11)

For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. (Psalm 31:3)

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:4)

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. (Isaiah 51:3)

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalm 32:8)

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (John 1:46)

 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.(Matt.4:23)

We have just been on a trip to Israel. It was lovely there, despite the fact that there were awful things happening. We got home before the worst of it started. Praying for peace in Israel!

Am Yisrael Chai.