Joyfull Living

My family tells me I'm a worrier.   They inform me that I always think the worst about what can happen.  I can't help it, I get it  honest!  I still remember being a teenager and my mother giving me grave warning about 'what could happen' in almost every circumstnace of life!! Now that I am a mother the preferred explanation is to help them to 'be prepared'.    As a Christian, I understand about faith, trusting in the Lord and knowing that He is ultimately in control.  Age and maturity have taught me that most of the time what we worry the most about never happens, but it is the little things that sneak up on us is what we are unprepared for.   I've debated about writing this post for 7 years now, as it is a sad post, but as each year passes, the continual glimpses of God's grace through it all is something I want to cherish in writing.   March 2007 found us preparing for my husband's neck surgery on a Thursday....

I've always loved this verse about the beauty of the Lord being upon us, followed by asking Him to establish the work of our hands. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. It sounds so encouraging and uplifting and beautiful.  But...sometimes our work is not pretty, it can be mundane, boring and anything but beautiful!   But, when the beauty of the Lord shines in our hearts, our attitudes can change. His love is powerful enough to change our minds and hearts. A recent post from Revive Our Hearts brought out some transforming truths from this passage... "As we lift up our day's work to the Lord, some days that work that we're doing seems pretty lofty. Some days it's exciting things that we get to do, big tasks. And then, as we look at this passage, we're reminded that even when we're doing stuff that we think is pretty important, that we're really...

Are you 'happy at home', or does is sometimes feel like a place that when you get there, you are in overdrive to get things done?  As women, when we are home, usually we are busy!  There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done.   I love my home, love my family and enjoy doing those tasks to show them my love, cooking, cleaning, keeping order etc.  If you have read about the 5 Love Languages, mine is "Acts of Service".  I feel loved when someone does something for me and that is how I express love for my family.   Recently, my 13 year old (who's love language is affection), stopped me for a quick hug as I was dashing to the kitchen. Struck by the thought that these hugs may not be around much longer due to his age, I sat down on the couch to hug him and by accident, brushed his ribs.  Being ticklish, he laughed.  It had been a long time since I heard that sound.  His mp3 player, his typical teenage boy lingo, complaints about...