The End of Something in a Sunrise

I just spent a few days in Houston for business and pleasure.  My main goal was to work with some patients and it was fantastic!  I don't get to go on home visits too often and this was time extremely well spent and energizing for me professionally.

I was also able to visit my house.  The house that became our home for 7 years and the house that my mother in law called home for 5 more years.  It was the home that I brought my sweet "Christian" home to and the home that I just fell in love with. 

It's empty now and on the market.  I stopped by to check on things and had no idea how emotional I would get.  Seeing the home empty of "things" for the first time truly affected me.  It made me finally realize that my life is no longer in Texas….I am now a "New Mexican". 

The selling of our home (hopefully soon) will truly wrap up a huge part of life.  It's just symbolic...leaving the past behind.  The past six years in New Mexico have been amazing, and they are just getting better.

The funny thing is that while I was in Houston I saw the most beautiful sunset and sunrise.  It's almost as if "someone" was telling me that it was truly time to let go and move on.

Today I Am Thankful For:

         1.  Air freshener
         2.  Long drives
         3.  Lunch with an old friend

           4.  Early birthday celebrations

           5.  Canned peaches

Sabbath

What does your Sunday look like?

Bible study, worship, lunch, youth group…...possibly a movie, or even housework before the work week begins.  Everyone has a different routine on their Sunday.  In the home of a pastor, you can imagine that a big part of the day revolves around church.  We like to take it easy in the afternoon before youth but sometimes we end up running around for one thing or another.

Sabbath means "the seventh day of the week."  Most people think of Sabbath as "Sunday" and understand it to mean "rest".  Back in the time of Jesus, it was a time that was truly meant for worship and rest.  For many, the idea of Sabbath is simply attending a church service.  In our society, putting aside an entire day to rest is almost impossible.  So how do we observe the Sabbath?

 Perhaps we need to take "Sabbath moments" throughout each day instead of one entire day.  Yes, I know, many of you will disagree, but for those of us that cannot devote an entire day to rest, this may be a great alternative.

 A Sabbath moment can be as simple as praying for a loved one while you are stopped at a red light, reading a devotional book at bedtime with your spouse, or even devoting a lengthier time to prayer and devotion on  a daily basis.  The thing to remember is that life does happen in a flash and sometimes our best intentions of spending time with Christ go unanswered.  But if you think about the moments in your day that you can stop, breathe, and praise God, you have the chance of enriching your spiritual life.

How can you incorporate the idea of Sabbath moments into your life?

 

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Today I am Thankful For:

1. The night sky in the mountains of New Mexico

2.  Home cooked meals

3.  An afternoon cat nap

4.  Hummingbirds

5.  Scented wax warmers

Inhale...Exhale

 

 

I am overflowing with gratitude these days.

     Our new church is, well, to say wonderful and fantastic is an understatement.

      The first cool nip of fall is in the air.

     My last couple of things in my house are coming together after the move.

      Our Aunt Jessie is in town for a good visit (and will be watching the kids for a few days as we go on a mini-       retreat :).

     My first sermon at the church retreat this coming weekend.

     My children are doing fantastic in school, my husband is happy…..I just can't for anything more.

    And I have a boss who I can talk to and be open with.

 I could go on and on with my list, but the one thing I have found that is almost overwhelming is the love that I feel in my life.  Not just the love I give, but the love that is shown to me. 

 I am able to inhale and exhale a bit deeper these days...I can't ask for anything more.

 Today I Am Thankful For:

1.  Pinterest!
2.  The laundry is all done
3.  Anticipating time away

4.  Good health

5.  CD/DVD storage units

Hum Drum Moments

My days are filled with schedule now that school has started.  Dropping off "Lance", devotional time, breakfast, "Christian" getting ready for school followed by work and then going the rounds of picking up in the afternoon. 

 It's easy to get complacent and miss out on the beauty of the "hum drum".  Hum drum meaning, cooking dinner, driving kids to school, getting bath water ready, washing dishes...I just get on auto pilot sometimes.

Last night I had a moment with my little Christian.  I was baking cookies, ironing, cleaning the kitchen and helping him with his 1st grade homework.  As I leaned over his shoulder to hear him practice his reading, something made me completely stop.  For a moment I breathed in the smell of my son's neck.  It was that smell that only mom's of little boys can love and appreciate...a smell filled with sweat, dirt and puppy dogs.  I don't remember the exact words he read, but I could see the sweat on his brow as he concentrated.

I just adore my children and my husband.  Sometimes I feel as though I take them for granted.  I need to take time to enjoy those moments in each day of the hum drum happenings of life.  You never know when your last day will come, and I want to cherish every part of what I have been blessed with in this world.

Today I Am Thankful For:

1.  Oatmeal cookies

2.  Freshly pressed curtains
3.  Pencils with a dull point
4.  The whirring of a ceiling fan
5.  schedule

Frying Chicken

 

I love the movie "The Help."  One of my favorite characters is the loud mouthed, sassy, Minnie Jackson, who is a maid for one of the ladies in Jackson.  One of her jobs is teaching her boss Celia Foote, how to cook.  She tells Celia that one of her favorite things to do is fry chicken.  Because everything seems better when you're frying chicken.

I was thinking about Minnie Jackson this evening as I fried up a big "mess of chicken."  Me and my men are going to the mountains for a picnic and hiking tomorrow and we never go to the mountains without fried chicken.

It's funny, but Minnie is right.  When you fry chicken, everything just seems to get better.  Your mind slows down while you season the flour and dip each piece into the milk.  It's a process that cannot be rushed.  I spent the time in prayer for my family, for a dear friend who passed away, for the family who will buy our home in Houston (not sure who it is yet….) and also in giving thanks for the happiness of my family.

Sometimes it takes something as routine as frying chicken to slow down and give thanks.

Today I Am Thankful For:

1.   Lemon pepper

2.  Coupon books

3.  An afternoon filled with errands

4.  Ideas

5.  The smell of fried chicken