I am in recovery, and my children helped restore my joy. I love that they do that for me. That may be one of my blessings as a Mid-Life Mama (you raise them, and if you are blessed, they raise you back). Welcome to my spiritual recovery. I mean no disrespect; I have immense regard for people who have fought demons and overcome addictions, but that is not this story. I am in recovery from the dangerous notion that I was ever in control of my life. I am in recovery.
I am walking out of the wilderness that was my life for the last several years.
Continue Reading »
Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
― Marcel Proust
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. – John F. Kennedy
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. – Philippians 1 : 3-4 The Message
Wisdom waits. In my twenties, expressions of gratitude were measured by feelings of satisfaction with my life and goals.
Continue Reading »
It is Sunday morning and I am looking out my big windows at the way the sun is hitting the trees behind my house. From here you’d never know that there is a brisk snap in the air as we slide from autumn and into winter. Even as the leaves are slowly shifting from green to yellow, I am still grieving the end of summer and my daily swims out there beneath the trees.
I am becoming an expert on those particular leaves because today is my 5th day of riding this couch with a flu bug. (“Riding” is really not the right word though.
Continue Reading »
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
(Psalm 42:7)
Grace – the unmerited favor of God, the conditions or fact of being favored by someone.
I long to walk throughout my day knowing that the grace of God is with me, holding my head high as I realize his unmerited favor upon my life. What does it look like to walk in His grace? I picture a ballerina, gliding ever so gracefully as she dances, never missing a step, yet all the while leaning into her partner for strength and support.
Continue Reading »
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”Colossians 3:12-14
I had a small bible study with my husband on these verses and I felt so encouraged by God after reading them.
God calls His children to love and obey His commands because of what He has done for us. He loved us so much that He sent His one and only son – Jesus Christ– to this earth so we could all have the chance to follow Him and spend eternity with Him.
Continue Reading »
Do you like me? Am I valuable? Am I beautiful?
Have you struggled with any of these questions? The desire to know that we’re loved, valuable, secure, and accepted is part of being human. These are the questions that our hearts ask when we are depending on ourselves to feel beautiful and whole.
What’s underneath this need to know that we have what it takes? Have you tried to build an identity on what you can accomplish or what you look like? The longing to prove we are adequate, valuable,and loved lurks beneath the surface of all our trying. You may think you’re the only one who feels this way, but we all feel this way at times.
Continue Reading »
“Because prayer happens while we are immersed in the particulars of life, there is no single formula to follow.” Winn Collier
I sat with journal open, seeking to pray but finding that the words were not forthcoming. Praying with my pen has always helped me focus my prayers, clarifying my thoughts and words. But on this morning, I could only sit, quietly staring out the window at the Red Maples in all of their splendor. My thoughts were focused, and on God’s beauty- the wonder of it all. I felt swept up to a heavenly seat, with my Father by my side, but I had no words.
Continue Reading »
Okay, I’m certain that statement makes me sound a little crazy, but trust me, it’s a personal object lesson in Faith. I am inclined to get agitated by the little things, e.g., misplaced keys, lost documents, items I just had my hands on. Oddly enough, the bigger things I am adept at managing. Trust me, when disaster rolls in, I’m your go-to girl. But it’s the little things, conversations I anticipate will be difficult, silly things that manage to get under my skin, waiting for information beyond my control, until I decided to get a handle on them, those lost things would have been my undoing.
Continue Reading »
