Monday, November 26, 2012

Time


Time flies.  The older I get the faster it goes by.  I think I really notice it when I have a few days off  from work to spend with my family.  You try to rest, relax and get everything you need done in a matter of days and before you know it, it's Sunday night and Monday is looming.

 

Another thing about time is that as each day passes, my children are experiencing more and more and growing into some pretty amazing young boys/men.  You often have a landmark in a year that makes you think back to "one year ago" or "five years ago" and when you realize all that has happened in that amount of time, it can be pretty overwhelming.

 

Today is one of those days.  One year ago today, my dear mother-in-law, Ruby, passed away unexpectedly.  I've caught myself time and time again wanting to give her a call to tell her the latest with my boys, or just share something silly that one of them said that day. 

 

It is painful to lose someone close to you.  It also hurts to see others around you grieve that loss.  Some family members keep their grief close, some express their grief through talking and crying, others even express their grief by completely shutting down and staying stuck.  I've come to learn that all you can do is meet those folks where they are at in the process of grieving and be there for them.

 

There is a time for all of us to live the fullest life possible, to grieve, to invest in others and yes, even a time to die.  But what we need to remember is that God will never leave us.  We need to take each day and live the best life we can live.  That is what Ruby did.  Every day was a gift to her.  I don't think a day went by without her giving us a call to check on us and tell us she loved us.  She lived a very full life.  She loved well and was loved in return and she knew her God.

 

Today I Am Thankful for:

 

  1. Routine
  2. A beautiful, cold New Mexico day
  3. Sweat pants
  4. An afternoon of riding horses
  5. Memories of Ruby


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Monday, November 19, 2012

Great Things



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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love spending the day in the kitchen creating our "feast".  My family does not like the occasional Thanksgiving that we are not at home simply because there will not be any leftovers :)  I love that they love my cooking.  Cooking is something I do with my whole heart for my family.  It is a pleasure.

Thanksgiving is a very special time and what I try to share in my ministry, my writing, my witness is that Thanksgiving is a year round practice.  We should be giving thanks not only through the good times, but through the bad times as well.  So often we get going in a good place in our lives and we forget to keep that conversation with God going and telling Him we are thankful for all of the many blessings in our lives.  Every day we should be doing this. 

And what about the bad times?  The truth is that things can always be worse.  The hard part about giving thanks to God during those dark times is remembering to send up words of praise to Him.  That is probably one of the hardest things to do.  Praising during the storm is a true test of faith.

How are you going to keep this season of thanks going throughout the year?

Today I Am Thankful For:

1.  Lamps
2.  The scrapbook store
3.  Page protectors
4.  Receipts
5.  The smell of a clean head of hair

Monday, November 12, 2012

Too Close??


I traveled to Florida on business from Wednesday through Sunday last week.  I work with some great people and enjoy their company when we are off the clock, but when you are a homebody like I am, after a day or two, you are ready to come home.  I caught myself at Universal Studios on a perfect, Florida night with friends, wanting nothing more than to be watching a movie at home with my guys.  I just adore them.

 
I often wonder if there is a such thing as being "too close" to your family.  After three days traveling alone I just start to shut down because I miss them terribly.

 
I did enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new colleagues, but what I want more than anything is to be present for my husband and children.  Our lives could not be going better and I just don't want to miss out on a thing!

 
I am glad to be home.

 
Today I Am Thankful For:

1.  Empty seats on a flight
2.  Laughing with the girls
3.  Hugging the neck of an old friend
4.  A tall glass of iced tea (at home)
5.  A high of 30 degrees!

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Recommended Reading

  • Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna Weaver
  • Praying the Names of God, Ann Spangler
  • The Shack, William P. Young
  • Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers
  • Bad Girls of the Bible, Liz Curtis Higgs
  • The Mark of the Lion Triology, Francine Rivers
  • The Mitford Series, Jan Karon

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