Joyfull Living

I have a sister in law who can fix anything. Give her a home improvement project and she dives in headfirst and stays with it through completion. No detours or roadblocks stop her, she keeps at it until it is finished.  I married into a family of 4 boys who are all self sufficient and able to perform household repairs independently. The family I was raised in always called someone in to do any home projects. Do it yourself projects were foreign to me when I got married, but the value of being able to fix things quickly became clear.  I am the opposite of my sister in law. Home projects or repairs terrify me. Identifying and problem solving are just too overwhelming, take too much time and effort. Now, people fixing - that is a different story and  is something I can get into!  With people, a problem area or character flaw can be quickly identified and often, I have a remedy ready! When situations are shared, my mind can quickly find a solution that would help fix the...

 I could be called an avid walker. Walking to me is more than exercise, it is life! It is joining my heart with nature, moving my body, seeing the glory of God's creation all around me, clearing my mind and reducing stress. Mornings are my favorite time of the day to walk, besides the freshness and newness of the day, it is the window of free time before work and daily tasks.  My walking route and time are consistent each day and so is my neighbor "D". She rides her bicycle each morning faithfully. We pass each other on the road most mornings, regardless of weather, we see one another and know that faithfulness and love of our activity is what drives us.  'D' and I occasionally take time to stop and chat, but usually it's a smile and 'hello'. As she passes by she always says  'you have a blessed day, baby'.  And I smile every time!  Last year, our family took a long vacation. I told "D" we would be gone so she wouldn't...

  As much as I love New Year's Day and the exhilaration of a fresh new year, the month of January can also be pretty special. As the weeks go by this month, goals pop up in the mind and if we are serious about making a change, the goal goes to paper. But, if the goal or change is to stick, it must be practiced and developed.  As many shared the feeling of being happy to see 2020 leave, I've taken a pause to look at it from the other side. Through the year, a lesson was learned that there is really not much under our own control. The things I loved and faithfully practiced were simply wiped away. Church meetings, my job, relationships, hospitality, even the health I make a priority couldn't stand up to the challenges of the year.   Looking at several months of 2020, grief, sickness, loss, fear, chaos and politics were constantly in front of us. It was through faith that while our world seemed to be falling apart, we trusted that God was still in control. The circumsta...

Hello Friday and the completion of the first full week of 2021! This post is a writing exercise for Five Minute Friday - an opportunity to receive a writing word prompt and write for 5 minutes your thoughts. Today's word is TIME.  TIME is such an appropriate word as we begin a New Year. There is something about a New Year or a fresh start that opens up an opportunity for change. One of the greatest challenges many people face is with TIME - we struggle with how much we time we have in a day, how to best use that time and how to make the most of it. We are allotted the same amount - 24 hours, but our circumstances and season of life determine the challenges of using time wisely.  One of my favorite New Year's Bible verses is Ephesians 5:15-16 - " See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,  redeeming the time, because the days are evil." This verse always seems to bring clarity to the importance of time and how to be purposeful in using it to th...

 Early on New Year's Day, I was laying awake, wishing I could sleep in a little later, but pondered in my mind this was the first morning of 2021. The sound of a ping from the other room alerted me that a text had come in to my cell phone. If someone was reaching out this early in the morning, it needed some attention. Grabbing my coffee and my phone, the text was from a dear friend, sharing concern about a loved one who is struggling with illness in the hospital. The text conversation went from her sharing concern, to my giving an update. The loved one is in very serious condition and my friend shared the depth of her prayer of pleading with God for the miracle that is needed. But she also shared the alternative, if God didn't answer the prayer the way we would like, He was still in control. "Does that make sense?" she asked.  Wrapped in a cozy blanket, coffee and Bible in hand, our text conversation continued. Some hard thoughts were shared, thoughts of those criti...