The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came
    against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may
     encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise
    against me,
In this I will be confident.

Psalm 27:1-3

My children are my greatest work of Art.

Things I Want to Do

Write a book.
Create some music. Sing and record it.
Paint.
Write letters to some people.
Thank Regan and Cynthia for my shiny new tea kettle!
Seek God about the future.
Dream about what my grandchildren will be able to accomplish in their lifetime based on what I can teach my children today.
Tell my husband how much I appreciate the little things he does because he loves me.
Take a nap.

Fun Zone Episode

It’s funny how things change so quickly. You think some things will last forever or always be around, and then "poof", one day they are gone. Jake, the girls, and I experienced this this past Saturday morning. Our plan was to surprise the girls with some fun at a nearby game place called "Fun Zone." We have gone their several times as a family to ride the small rides, play ski ball, shoot hoops and play in the crawl space suspended above the ground. We have had tons of fun there and it is one of our favorite places to go. Sadly, as we drove into the parking lot we could see that the building was empty. The huge smile of joy left Kiera's face and her look turned into clouded disappointment. But, we quickly moved on and decided we could do something else.

Today I looked at a picture on our refrigerator of the girls and I taken on a ride at Fun Zone. I remembered how much fun we'd had there last summer. I recall deliberately going there to have fun and make memories with my daughters. With it being gone now I am SO glad that I took advantage of those opportunities. 

We truly have no idea what tomorrow may bring. Let us make the most of the opportunities each day holds for us. Much love to you today!

I love blogging! It gives me something to look forward to- to the time when all I want to do is sit down, write, and express all my random thoughts. My thoughts are like a deep river running through me. If not expressed I may drown in the excess of them! Ahh, I sigh, and breathe in relief. Why have I not started this sooner, I ask myself.

I watched Pride and Prejudice yesterday. It made me think of my little sister, Danae, who watches it weekly, I'm sure. It is such a great movie. I was going to watch it again today, but decided to write, instead.

I like movies. I went to the local Tinseltown yesterday, all by myself and watched "War Horse." It was directed by Steven Spielberg who does a great job telling a story cinematically. (Is that a word?") Anyway, I loved it! Beautiful scenery, a gorgeous horse as the lead character :), a wonderful story...all of that stuff that makes you hope, cry and believe.

I was wondering why I liked it so much and I think it is the whole underdog story of it. A man does something that he believes in, feels he made a mistake and yet it paves the way for destiny to come through in his life. I started thinking about the plan God has for me, for my life. He takes more than a chance on me. He believes and invests in me. He makes a way where I don't see one. He will always be here with me through the journey saying, "Be strong and courageous, do not be discouraged, do not be afraid." (Joshua 1:9). God knows I will fail at some point or the other and that's kind of where He wants it, my heart humble, quiet and broken, open before Him. I think making me open again is what He's been trying to do in my heart for awhile now.

Another lesson He is showing me is endurance. Face and relinquish your fears. For me, that battle has to do with getting healthy. I have gone walking for 3 miles the last couple days. Not only does it help me lose weight over time, my soul benefits from the time alone to think and pray and be outdoors in God's beautiful nature where so much of my creativity stems.

I cannot live this life on my own, in my own abilities and strength. I need Him. I asked Jesus the other day, "How did you do it? You lived here on earth. You were able to do it. How?" That's when He told me to stay connected to Him and to seek Him daily, throughout my day and sitting down reading and allowing Him to mentor me. I started a book called "Praying with Purpose" and He's mentoring me as I go through it. It is wonderful. For so long I have felt lost, unable to figure things out. I feel blessed to be able to have conversations with people, allowing myself to be known and wanting to connect more genuinely with others that I know and meet.

I am so thankful for what He has done and daily continues to be and do in my life.

Thanks for reading this expression of my thoughts.

Sweet Rest

In our community worship time this morning I heard from God as we waited on Him. He told me be obedient and keep seeking Me. I also could feel myself striving at first, to "worship", thinking of people watching me, trying to look a certain way, thinking too much about what I should do that soon nothing felt natural.

I stopped and simply began to worship from my heart. It felt so great. Even if all I do is just sit there and do nothing or stare off into the distance; or if I just read and think about the words and let my tears express more than I could speak or sing...that's what He wants, right?:)

At one point I simply sat in a chair with my youngest daughter and thought to myself, "Why do I feel so different now than I did a couple months ago? What has changed?" Then, I identified what is was that I was feeling.
It was rest.

New Year- 2012

At the start of this year I have decided to start a blog, a place to share my thoughts and find community with those who read it. I have been feeling a need to belong. I visited my family at Christmas and it helped me feel that feeling of belonging my soul was looking for. As soon as I said good-bye to my family I felt very sad. I felt such a loss and cried and wondered why I had such a hard time living away from them. I knew I needed to find a place of community and have that sense of belonging in the place where I presently am.

 For me that connection comes by asking God, "What am I missing?", then listening to His reply. He told me that first I need to spend time with Him. Secondly, I need to have "communion" with others. I need to ask and hear what Jesus is doing in your life. This is a way that we "break bread" together. So, I ask you, what has Jesus been doing in your life lately?  How are you experiencing Him today?