Joyfull Living

  Sometimes, we just want a deeper peek into someone's life! I am all about the details, the more the better! When we learn things about others, we are bound to find a connection and share a common thread. That is how friendships deepen. It is a true joy to share an encouraging word for women here on the blog, but transparency and opening up real life experiences offer an avenue to connect deeper.  So, today is the first "This Is Me" ' post. A real life story from the week about the quest for beautiful hair! As I age, my grey hair seems to multiply! It is not a devastating issue, but one that is becoming a bit harder to control. For years I've used quick and easy products to cover the grey without doing anything permanent. This has worked for a long time. Then I moved to a semi-permanent solution and found a product I loved. Easy to use with great results. Now it is hard to find.  Stumbling upon a clearance rack this week, was a box of hair color in a beautiful s...

  I love jumping into new things! Something will capture my attention and I dive in, often without looking deeply into it or evaluating whether it will be useful for me. New things inspire me, new months, seasons, books etc.  An email came in from one of my favorite authors - Time Warp Wife . A ladies study was going on about "The 7 Virtues of a Proverbs 31 Woman." I immediately bought the book and joined the study! It didn't matter that I would already by 3 lessons behind, I saw it, liked it and joined in! Once the book arrived, I knew it would be better to slow down and start at the beginning. I set the book aside, but still receive the weekly emails. . Whatever week the study is on(!), the topic is  Resilience.  This is the ability to adapt to difficult or stressful situations, emerging stronger on the other side. A virtuous woman might not have the ability to solve her problems, but she has faith in the One Who does. She knows that every broken piece of her lif...

The week of June 9 - June 17, 1989 is a week forever etched in my story. It is where I experienced my greatest loss as well as the greatest gain in my life. Looking back even now, 34 years later, the variance of emotions from mourning to hope in the span of a few days still astounds me. But it is a story of God's grace that alone can bring tragedy to triumph.  The circumstances surrounded 2 of the most powerful influences in my life - my father and my husband. June 9, my father was tragically killed. Although I never doubted for a moment of his love for me, my father made some devastating life choices that brought painful consequences to his family. He gave me a lifetime of fatherly advice, but set an example before me of a path I would take great strides to avoid. Choosing a lifestyle of sin and darkness can quickly escalate and overtake ones life. Priorities, habits, relationships can be left behind to follow the irresistible call of addiction. As Father's Day weekend is appr...

What do you do when you hear a dear friend is sick or suffering?  Immediately, we want to help, to 'do' something. As we ponder ways we can offer help, perhaps our insecurity, feeling of being unprepared or ill equipped can paralyze us and we end up doing nothing.  We can make a difference in the lives of your loved ones when they need it most when you know how to help. But often, when we don’t know what to do, or what to say, we make the mistake of doing nothing at all. But it’s during those times that our presence or lack thereof is felt the most. When a friend is going through a challenging time, our acts of love and presence can bring healing and hope. Check out these 20 meaningful and practical ways to help a friend in need shared by Dr. Michelle Bengston:  Practical suggestions for helping a friend in need Ask your friend, “How can I most be of help to you today?” Pick up the phone and call to check in. Just leaving a cheerful voicemail letting her know you are thin...

 Romans 5:3-5  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. This verse is part of my weekly Sunday School lesson. I'll be the first to admit in the past I have 'cherry-picked' this verse. Meaning I have taken the good parts and pondered them, and discarded the parts I don't like so much!  Perseverance, character; and character, hope : This is a golden chain of Christian growth and maturity. One virtue builds upon another as we grow in the pattern of Jesus.  Most every Christian wants to develop character and have more hope. These qualities spring out of perseverance, which comes through tribulation. We may wish to have better character and more hope without starting with tribulation, but that isn’t God’s pattern and plan. Three th...

  Belonging - the beautiful place where we know we are loved, valued and a place is made just for us. In every heart lies the desire to belong. Belonging fills the heart with peace, security and joy. Knowing there is a place we fit and are able to receive and contribute brings a sense of fulfillment. Belonging is our primary human need. Beyond food and shelter, nothing promotes human flourishing like having a people and place of belonging. When the peaceful feeling of belonging is challenged, our emotions can quickly rise up. The quest to belong fuels the intense reactions to whatever threatened our sense of belonging. Simple things such as being overlooked with an invitation, a thoughtless word aimlessly directed or distracted reactions from others can threaten the sense of belonging and quickly send us spiraling. Our emotions fill us with ways to react and if we are not careful can consume us and bring harm to relationships.  A better solution to treasure and cherish those...