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...

Up until a few years ago, the word journal  immediately me back to 5th grade, where I can vividly recall sitting at my desk looking at the assigned writing essay.  Mind blank, no creative inspiration, only an assignment for writing which I absolutely hated! Years later as I became active in Bible Studies, journalling became an active word that was used often.  Often I would skip over the idea simply because I hate sitting down with paper and pen. As time went on, the purpose of keeping a journal and benefits of it became clearer, especially as life's moments were going by so fast, it was hard to catch and cherish them. So... I began writing down things I wanted to remember.  Although I'm not faithful to journal, there are some great moments, thoughts and inspirations jotted down to look at now and again! Writing is a chore, but blogging, now that is something I love to do!  Thoughts pouring through the mind, fingers flying on the keyboard, no st...

I may not talk much, but once I get a hold of a keyboard, 'words' seem to fly! That must be one of the reasons I love blogging.  Words are powerful and so often a thought comes to my mind and stirs my heart and I know it is something I need to hold on to.  Usually when that happens, I know a blog post is in the making!!  Three Word Wednesday is a fun way to share a condensed (very!!) version of what is churning in our hearts in 3 simple words.   We all know life is ever changing.  The last few years, we've faced and walked and embraced  some big life changes.  Moving, a son's marriage and  a new daughter in law, teenage years..again, that shifting in the seasons of life.   Any change requires a decision.  As a Christian, I believe God has the ultimate plan for good for our lives.  Over and over in the Bible, we hear how He sees, knows and directs us. When times of decision come, prayer is the best place to begin. ...

Have you ever had those weeks that leave you ragged?  A recent week of mine was like that.  A packed schedule with some distractions that left me feeling exhausted and still running behind.  Very little time at home had pushed household chores aside, making meals and laundry were the priorities (we have to eat and have clean clothes!!), everything else got pushed to the side.   I only had Sunday to regroup before we had to do it all over again.  Sunday is biblically a day of rest and as I struggled not to jump on the undone chores, walked out to the porch.  The plan was to sit for a few minutes, but the porch needed sweeping first or I wouldn't be able to enjoy my sitting spell!!  I noticed my plants had suffered some frostbite from recent cold nights.  Picking off the dead leaves made a huge difference in my plants and began to restore some calmness in my heart. Tending to the plants and then watering them didn't feel like a chore, ...

Happy New Year!!  At the beginning of each year I like to share a blog post filled with newness and expectation for the year ahead of us. I've actually been mulling this post over in my mind before it finally got formulated enough to come together!!  I know January is almost over, but here is my "New Year's" post! Over the past few years, I've heard more about people beginning a new year by giving a name to it.  A name that reflects what they might want to see, do or become. A name to remember and ingrain in their head, hearts and bring out through actions.  Some of the ones I've heard are...Generous, Hope, Strength, Grace.  Last year mine was "Humility" and through the year I set out with purpose to give God and others preeminence in my life.  (It was no easy task and I've certainly not 'completed" this!!)  It was a year of fighting flesh, struggling between my own desires and another's needs, but God did a major work in ...