Joyfull Living

  A trip to the mountains makes fall come alive for me! The area we live in doesn't provide much change of the seasons through weather or scenery. I do my best to bring on the fall atmosphere in my home through scent, sight and taste, but my efforts only go so far. We just returned from a trip where fall was truly experienced! A log cabin on the banks of a river, streets lined with the beauty of brightly colored changing leaves, walks along a lake, mountain drives and fresh, cool air. This is what fall looks like! It brings life to the soul! Today is November 1 - and this month brings a beauty all its own - the beauty of  Gratitude.  Like my fall mountain experience, November truly captures a spirit of gratitude as we turn our minds and plans towards the Thanksgiving holiday. Gratitude is a mind shift that moves us to thankfulness. We are reminded and think on the blessings we have and thank God for all His goodness to us. Here are a few benefits that gratitude brings Gra...

 I was the first person to arrive at the early morning group fitness class. The trainer greeted me with a smile and comment "you smell good" and asked what I had on. She probably didn't realize that was one of the greatest compliments I could receive! Scent is my love language! Growing up, due to my mother's severe allergies, we lived truly unscented lives. We used unscented soap, shampoo, laundry soap etc. Anything with the slightest amount of fragrance gave her a severe headache.  When I got married and began keeping my own home, scent truly exploded! I deliberately look for the strongest scented personal and home products. There are scented plugs in the walls, candles, wax melts and diffusers always providing home fragrance. My laundry is clean and freshened with scent boosters.  What was funny about the comment from my trainer, was that I didn't have any scent on. The fragrance simply lingered from my clothes and self.  My scent fascination is biblical!!  I ...

Years ago, when our home was filled with 3 sons growing up, there were lots of harsh words being slung around. As a young Christian mom, my desire was to train them in godliness and this verse was used alot in that training: A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 It was a desperate attempt to keep the peace between the boys. I'm not sure they ever got the gist of learning to answer softly, but there was a lot of harsh words that stirred up anger! Today is Day 1 of The Power of Words - October Daily Bible Reading . This is the focus verse for today.  Years later, this verse is an important one to learn and allow its truth to settle into our conversations.  Did you know that your words can affect how others view Jesus?   It’s not just your relationship with that person you’re in contact with that’s at stake when you choose harsh words that cut and divide and cause pain. If you’re a daughter of Jesus, if your life is sur...