True Love...messy, wonderful, love!

I stood at the front door one night and my teenage daughter burst into laughter as I started clapping and squealing with excitement when I saw my husband pull in the driveway from work! Lol! Yes, I still get butterflies every time I see that man of mine and I also love embarrassing my children! Haha! It was another good opportunity to show my daughter what true love really is and not just what is portrayed on television love stories. 

This is real life. Finding romance and joy in the everyday....

After almost 25 years of marriage Matt and I still cherish every second of our time together! Would we love regular date nights with a quiet dinner and moonlit walk? ABSOLUTELY! But with 2 busy jobs (one that takes him out of the country quite a bit), 3 children, and all the responsibilities of housework, bill paying and homeschooling...we don't always get THOSE dates. Lol! We have learned to get creative in our dating and keep that romantic spark! 😉

One afternoon we spent a romantic date at our local grocery store, shopping together up and down the aisles for our family as we sipped our peppermint white chocolate mochas that we purchased from under the big Golden Arches of the Rocky Point McDonald's drive-thru. 

Now if that doesn't say "love and romance" than I don't know what does! Haha! 

In all honesty, it doesn't matter what we are doing. Spending time with my amazing husband of almost 25 years still brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. 

True love isn't always roses, candlelit dinners, or romantic kisses with soft music playing in the background. It isn't always played out like a Hollywood romance on the big screen with a huge dramatic ending that leaves you feeling all nostalgic and teary-eyed. 

True love is sticking together through the real-life, everyday moments that are often messy and unromantic, thorns and all, with dinners that often come from the drive-thru and the only music playing as you finally get a moment to steal a kiss is the sound of a child yelling, "gross". True love is extending grace and forgiveness through disappointments, persevering through the difficulties of life, highlighting the blessing in each other every day, holding hands as you read scripture together and pray for guidance to navigate parenting and life, seeing true beauty even through expanding waistlines, receding hairlines, & wrinkled faces and recognizing each other as masterpieces from God. 

True love is going through over 24 years of marriage contained of victories and heartaches and realizing that if you had it to do all over again...you wouldn't change a thing! 

Yes...true love. Messy, wonderful, challenging, exciting TRUE LOVE! 

Thank you, precious Lord, for the gift of my husband and the blessing of our marriage! We may not have it all together and some days we may just make a mess of it, but our love is true...and it's real...and we praise YOU for it all! YOU are the center of our marriage and all glory and honor are YOURS! 

                              

Leaky eyes and a full heart... Christmas Season 2016 begins!

The Christmas season has officially begun and I sit here in silence this morning pondering many things. I love this time of the year! I've been so emotional the last few days as I've shared with those in my life my gratitude towards them. As I put my thoughts into words and shared my love for each one of them and what they mean to me, my eyes would begin to leak and my heart swell. It was a mess! Lol! But coming into this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas brings a whole new level of devotion, first to my God but then to my people. So much to be thankful for!

My heart is tender this morning as I open the Word. Oh how I crave it! The one place I can read every word and know God penned them for me. His love letter, His guide map, His instruction, His correction, His healing balm, His heart. In the raw places of my soul, it soothes and comforts but it also reminds me how to press on in this crazy world. 

I begin this season in joyful anticipation of all He has in store! Yes, I'll probably still be a blubbering mess of emotions all season because of the rawness and tenderness of this last year, but it's truly out of a heart of gratitude for Him meeting me where I have been at every turn. We've been through a lot together this year. It hasn't always been pretty. Our conversations have been real and downright hard but He specializes in hard places and met my every need of Him. He is so good! He continues to meet my every need and my love for Him has deepened to a whole new level I didn't know existed. So now when my hands grasp around the leather cover of my Bible, those dang eyes begin to leak again...every time. Lol! I open it and every word on those blessed pages of my Bible come alive in a beautiful way! I love Him so much! 

So this morning I'm ready to kickoff the Christmas season in this precious Book! I think I'll begin right here in Matthew 1:18,

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about...."

Doesn't that give you chills? I can hardly wait to read and immerse myself in the story of how He came....for ME! Read along with me and let's be reminded together of the wonder of Him! I pray your Christmas season is blessed and full of joy in the One who came for YOU! And watch out, the more you read and "get it"...your eyes will be a leaky mess too! Ha! 😉

Fixed Focus!

Conversations with your 12-year-old son at 4:00 in the morning while waiting for his nose bleed to stop can be interesting. Even more interesting when he's covered up in a towel for additional warmth because the extra AC unit in my bedroom has him shivering like he's out in a blizzard. Me, on the other hand, well I was not the least bit cold. I'm a woman in my forties who doesn't like to be hot so I welcome the frigid temps when I sleep and all who else dare to enter must learn to cope. Lol! Even my sweet husband sleeps under layers of extra blankets just so I can be comfortable. He truly is the best! 

My day doesn't usually begin with being awakened by a child anymore. Those toddler years are long gone in this house. My kids are preteen to young adult so I'm usually the one waking them up. But this morning the day began chatting with Caleb as he pinched his nose with a wad of tissue and waited for the bleeding to subside. Once we realized it had finished, he headed back to bed and I headed down for a strong cup of coffee and and even stronger time in the Word. Once mom is awake, there is no going back to sleep. When this brain of mine is up, well...the fun begins. The to-do list starts going and the multitasking commences. 

I sat at the table with my coffee and Bible. Just for a few minutes, I sat in silence as I watched the steam rise over my cup and prayed for the Lord to clear my focus. My mind wants to wander so much over the many things that have to be accomplished. There are mountains of things to do at home and at work and I could very easily start mapping out my strategy for getting them done. I love a good checklist and an organized fashion to get them completed.  But God so sweetly reminded me that the only thing that needed to be accomplished at that hour was time with Him. And you know what? He was absolutely right. (He is always right 😉)

So I turned to Isaiah 26 and read over and over verses 3 & 4. 

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬

...all whose thoughts are fixed on you!...

Merriam-Webster defines "fixed" as, "placed or attached in a way that does not move easily". 

I sure have been in a busy season over the last few weeks where my focus has been easily distracted. So many things to keep up with that focus has not been fixed on any one thing but sifted among many. It's like the browser on your computer screen having about 50 tabs open at one time. Lol! 

But I love how the Lord will take a moment and get my attention like He did today. Life is busy and there is always something to be done, organized, planned and carried out but we have to place our focus on Him first and foremost. When our gaze is fixed on Christ, we can be sure that no matter what churns around, there will be peace...perfect peace. HE is the Rock eternal!

So today, Lord, I fix my mind on YOU! Not on my to-do list and all the things that have to get done. Not on the world around me in all its political craziness. But on YOU!! YOU are the Rock on which I stand!! 

Wake up call!

When the Lord gently nudges you awake at 4AM you can either complain that you're awake way before your alarm or you can get up with anticipation of what He has in store for you in His Word. So, after my initial response (which wasn't so joyful), I slid out of my bed and spent time immersed in His Word and conversation with Him. And what an honor that He spent that time with me! I'm so thankful that He loves me enough to unsettle me so I won't miss what He has for me! 

An early morning rendezvous with the Most High! ❤️

“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:1-6‬

Quiet Moments!

What an amazing morning to give God praise! Sitting here on the porch with my Bible and my faithful sidekick, Louie, as we enjoy some quiet moments with Jesus and patiently wait for the sun to wake up. 

I love sitting here in the stillness of the morning talking to my Jesus! Just a few moments before the day fully begins in all its swirl of activity. Summer was busy and the fall routine is in full swing. School bells have rung at home and preschool, my three kiddos are in motion for the year, my husband's travel has kicked back up after having him with me for 17 whole days and, of course, the daily demands of working mom are endless. But right now in this moment, I don't have to answer any questions or solve any problems. I don't have to meet the many demands that each day brings. I can just sit in the presence of Jesus and be still before him! I can read his Word and praise him! I can listen for his voice because all else is quiet at this moment. I bask in HIS glory and find rest in HIS presence! He is faithful and he is peace! Thank you sweet Father! It's ALL about YOU!

"You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth! When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again. But I’m in the very presence of God— oh, how refreshing it is! I’ve made Lord God my home. God, I’m telling the world what you do!"

Psalm 73:25-28 (MSG)

Today, take a few moments away from the busyness and chaos that is daily life and spend some time alone with Jesus. Though life is full of activity and some days can be overwhelming, I count my blessings. I am fully blessed! God is so good and his goodness leaves me in awe! Every day is a good day to praise the Most High!

So good morning to you all and may you be blessed this day! ☀️

The Peace of our Soul...

Early Morning!

My front porch was a little dark this morning as I made my way out. Having to leave the house so early in the morning makes for an earlier time on the porch and when sunrise isn't until 6:49, my first moments with Jesus are going to be dark. But the benefits of this early morning time with just Him are worth it. 

Matt and I sat talking on the front porch last night at sunset. We rocked and talked and laughed. You see, our little white rocking chairs have been a little beat up over the last 12 years we've had them. So with every rock, it's not quite as smooth and we wonder when it will be our last. Lol! So we talked about getting new ones. Well, we talked about putting in our budget the cost of new ones knowing it may take some time to save up but we dream on. Of course, I have big dreams. Since I spend so much time out here, I'm thinking of an elaborate space where I can sit even when it gets cold out and some lighting to go with it because the days will be shorter. As I talked and dreamed, my sweet husband just rocked and listened. He didn't crush my dreams but let me dream on knowing it may take quite a while to make it reality. But he knows this space is sacred to me. My rendezvous with Jesus on this very porch have been times of such growth, comfort, and healing. Times where I can get alone with my Father to learn & pray and allow Him to mold & shape me into what He desires. 

I was reading this morning in Mark chapter one where Jesus went to Simon's house and healed his mother-in-law as she lay so sick with fever. As news got around town, everyone began bringing their sick loved ones to Him for healing. But the next passage is where I focused....

“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:35‬

Jesus knew the importance of getting alone with the Father. He did so first thing in the morning before the busyness of the day began and at a place where they could be alone, away from distraction. 

This struck me this morning as I talked with my Father. Some mornings are hard to get up but when I do, and lay it all out before Him (sleepiness, grumpy attitude and all), He meets me right there and our time together is so sweet. I crave it...I need it. It's just the drink my thirsty soul needs! HE is what I need most in these early morning moments before my day begins. Before the craziness of life unfolds and the quiet moments are replaced by lots of noise and sometimes at very high volumes. 

So, today I will replay this passage of scripture over and over and remember that Jesus set the example for our every day. And I will count down the moments until we meet again on this very porch with a cup of coffee, His Word, and my tattered rocking chairs. Sweet sweet time!