Sharing The Love

What was said…..or unsaid
What was done….or left undone
Promises made and not kept
Time spent thinking of what could have been instead of making peace with what is.
Decisions made hastily rather than thought through.

Losing our temper.
Losing our focus.
Losing a bit of our integrity as we join in mindless chatter.
Feeling frustrated.
Feeling jealous.
Feeling unwanted - what a blow that must be to the One who created us for His purpose, the One who knew us before we were born and wanted us then and desires us now…


These things
do not define who we are.
They are meant to teach us something.
Sometimes it takes a lot of teaching!
Sometimes we realize what it is we need to change and we begin to work on it.
And sometimes it takes something bigger than ourselves to make us realize the need for change.

Either way, there is one constant:
God’s love for you.

Bask in that love.
Know it is very real.

Respond to His love by giving Him your best in all you do.
Even on days when you feel your best is not good enough.

Keep going,
Move forward,
Run in the direction of your miracle.

What’s stopping you?

No, not a new show on NBC, not even a new formula for math, ministry, teaching or parenting! However it is the number of hours (24) it took my daughter and I to go on a spontaneous round trip across Texas (which btw is bigger than any state should be) to visit my Mom! And the actual time we got to spend with her in hours (48)! I can be talked into some crazy fun stuff by my kids, they are amazing. And when they do have these brilliant ideas, they always have a detailed plan. Which makes so much sense, it is hard to resist. My mom was really happy to see us. And we were overjoyed to see her. Although she recently moved out of the house I grew up in, and into a different city altogether when my father passed away, I find that “home” is wherever she is. Even though the time we had together was limited, it was well spent. It contained the three elements necessary for a successful visit!

1). Love ~ Hugs are always important, and in my family, given at every opportunity. Four or five people on a small couch is not considered crowded, it’s fun and cozy!

2). Laughter ~ Laughing at everything and anything! Sharing our lives and doubling our joys. My daughter was asking my Mom questions about my childhood. Not because I don’t share with her but because my Mom is a better storyteller! We laughed a lot! We caught up on other family members and of course, reminisced about my Dad. Smiling as we remembered his good advice, his sense of humor, his sweet spirit, his genuine heart. Sometimes the laughter turned into tears…

3). Lots of memories ~ My Mom started journaling and I continue to take pictures. I am happy that we record our moments together! Every time I visit my Mom, I see pieces of my life all around her home. What it used to be, memories of my father, my brother, my childhood, a life that seems so distant yet so familiar. When I am away from that too long, I desire to rush back to be wrapped, if only for a moment, in all that is my Mother’s heart. 

The journey was amazing and the destiny was worth every mile!

My daughter and I decided to visit my Mom, who lives 571 miles away…..that’s nearly 10 hours by car. We were feeling pretty energetic! We thought it would be fun and it would be wonderful to visit! And so our road trip began. Just the two of us, doing our own thing, having a great time! We talked, had some serious conversations (my favorite kind)! Laughed a lot, played trivia games, played all kinds of other games. Listened to music, realized “oldies” are now considered “classics”, which is good, since this is music from my teens! I drove, she drove, I drove while she slept. We stopped in a town called Jolly. It had an interesting gas station/restaurant/truckstop combo. We just filled the car with gas! We saw lots of funny signs, lots of road kill and lots of small towns. We enjoyed the journey. And when we arrived, we were greeted with open arms, a warm home and lots of love. 

Lord,

Teach us to pray with our lives.

May everything we say and everything we do bring glory to you.

Teach us to love like you love and to forgive like you forgive.

Thank you, Father, with love!

Happy New Year!

I know, I am a few days late!! Hey, it’s still a new year!!

I thought I would spread the joy out, so you wouldn’t be inundated with celebrations all in one day!

Here are some things that everyone should add to their list of things to accomplish in the next 12 months: (yes, purposefully I do avoid the word resolution!) I enjoy other words such as vision, goals, life changes, new directions, etc.

1.  Serve.  This comes in many forms as not everyone can serve in the same capacity.  Serve in your home. Serve family members by doing various things for them with love. This teaches your children to serve by example.  It is important to serve others by opening your home (no matter the size) to your community for meetings, gatherings or other types of events!  Serve in your church, your community, your city, your world.  Make no excuse this year. You have time, find it! There is something you can do, do it!

2.  Mentor.  Find one person, I like to do this unofficially! What that means is that I do not make a big deal of it, no announcement, no hoopla! At work, in the neighborhood, at church, or wherever God leads me, I seek out someone who needs encouragement, direction, accountability.  I believe we were meant for relationship, first with God, then with one another. We need each other.

3.  Watch Your Words.  I know I harp on this and that is because of its importance.  In Ephesians 4:29 it says: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  This is difficult for most people.  We must obey what the Bible says-it’s very clear! So, no gossiping, no cussing, no rudeness, no sarcasm, no judging, no lying, you get the picture! Try it for 30 days, it’s very cleansing for the soul!

Is there anything that you are doing different than last year that you would like to share?

I had a spectacular Christmas! It was wonderful spending time with my husband and four awesome adult kids :) Two of them were not physically present, but we were able to skype and open gifts that way! My oldest son even sang my favorite Christmas tune across the miles……..good times!

What was the best part of your Christmas?

Comment below!

This morning I was thinking of Christmas traditions. I have never been one to be stuck on rituals. Don’t get me wrong, I put up a Christmas tree every year, just not on the same day. We decorate it all together, not necessarily with same decorations from the previous year. My daughter and I enjoy baking together but usually it’s whatever we want to at that moment! This year she chose to make Oreos wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough! (Plus lots of other goodies!) Sometimes I send out Christmas cards (the old-fashioned kind, via snail mail!)-but not this year! Simply because there were things that got “bumped” off the to-do list. I believe when that list becomes a burden and steals time away from the people in my life, things will get bumped. Because people are always more important than things. And the people I would be sending the cards to are well aware of that, so they understand.

There are some things that we do during this time of year that can be considered traditions.

We drive around our neighborhood together to see all the beautiful lights. We have done this since the kids were little and they had sippy cups with warm chocolate in them! Now as young adults they still enjoy it, but they take hot chocolate or coffee!

We play games. Cards, Wii, Crosswords, etc. These do vary by year! It’s the time spent together that I cherish.

We watch movies together. I especially enjoy the movie Elf! We watch old Christmas movies but we also make it a point to go see a couple of new releases at the theater.

We go ice skating. By we I mean the kids. The last time I joined in on a group activity that included a slippery surface was in 2005, when we were in Taos snowboarding as a family (this quickly became a non-tradition!)

We cook together and have fun doing it, each adding our own flavor! We all enjoy cooking so it makes it a great event.

I take lots of pictures.  Just ask my daughter-in-law!

We visit family and friends. And since we have lived in so many places, we have learned to do this creatively-via phone, skype, facetime and photo-journaling and of course, when possible, in person!

And we attend church together. This for me has become a sacred and meaningful time as a mother.  Because my children grew up in church, when they all moved out on their own I missed them most on Sunday’s. So when we go to church on Christmas and I hear their sweet voices singing and praising God, and see their hands lifted high in worship, that blesses me beyond words.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing this Christmas, make memories, cherish your time, take pictures, and love like Jesus does!

There’s a peace that passes all understanding.

There’s a freedom that you find when you seek the truth.

There’s a joy that comes in the morning.

There’s a power in forgiving.

There’s a grace that is undeserved.

There’s a friend you can always count on.

There’s a love like no other…..His name is Jesus.