Friday, September 30, 2011

Five Minute Friday ... Go!


This edition of Five Minute Friday is On Friends

Giddy up!

Friends. Wow. A loaded word for me. A tough one. 

I can safely say at nearly 35 years old, I may be finally figuring out how to be a friend. I blame it on my being reared as a military brat. Moving every few years gives you a sense of less attachment, less responsibility to people because, I mean, what's the likelihood you'll ever see them again once your dad gets restationed? 

So, now that we've been putting down roots in our community for seven years and we've come full circle to pretty close to the area we went to high school, I'm learning to make friends and how to be friends. Sad, huh? I'm getting a slow start. I am socially inept. 

However, I finally surrendered the desire of my heart to the Lord. I called on him and acknowledged with my words that I desperately needed REAL friends. In that moment, things began to change. I think He was just waiting for me to speak the truth and speak my desire to him, not just wallow in it and wait for Him to make it happen for me. 

Recognition is powerful. So, now, at the tender, young age I am, connections are being made that have great promise, old connections are being strengthened. I'm seeing friends for who they are and what they mean to me. I'm seeing that you live through ups and downs, mood swings, dirty diapers and dishes, and you learn to love one another for what you've got. No expectations, just reality. We all have our faults. My friends accept mine, so I need to accept theirs. 

Done.

Phew! Five minutes goes fast, but boy is it worth it. Why don't you join me next Friday to see what's in store? 


Monday, September 26, 2011

Trying to finish strong

Hi Peeps,

Just stopping in to say a quick hello and not necessarily leave you with a whole lot, except plans for blog posts to come. 

You see, I've been doing this Bible in 90 Days Challenge, oh for about 78 days now. Need I mention I'm actually on day 66 of the reading? Which means it's time to hunker down and git 'er done. I'm behind, but not beaten. So, I've been using the majority of my spare time reading the Word and spending some time with the Lord. 

It's been nothing short of amazing. Stealing moments here and there to fit a chapter in, spending three tranquil hours reading while my son was in preschool one fine day, and striving to meet this goal in real time. Thus, I've been taking some time off of blogging to devote to the challenge. 

When I get caught up, I'll be back! There's so much I want to write about; it's hard to keep it from all getting jumbled in my little brain. I want to talk more about the Bible challenge itself and how inspiring it is. I also want to talk about Blog Sugar, and all the wisdom and encouragement I gleaned from it. I want to pursue new directions for this blog (that were mentioned before but never started by my procrastinating self) and infuse this blog with the spirit it's been lacking due to sporadic posting.

High hopes. Pie in the sky hopes. But, hey, what's life without hope? 

Stay tuned ... 

 I'll leave you with a picture of the cutest kid on the planet (OK, I'm biased) on his first day of preschool. Yes, I survived. He's enjoying it, and I'm finding I enjoy the Mommy time, too. 


God Bless,

Friday, September 16, 2011

I've got the joy, joy, joy ... where?

Down in my heart? Do I?



Joy. Hmm. Why, as a Christian woman, is that a tough subject to write on? 

I think it's because I feel like I yearn for it. It's not as if I have no joy at all; it's just that I desire a consistent joy. 

Sure, my days are sprinkled with moments of joy. Watching my little guy sleep or learn something new, baking something amazing, reading words or listening to music that captures my soul. I find many sprinklings of joy in my days. 

It's the in between time that I'm concerned about. The moments that come all too frequently where I completely and utterly forget about all that is to be joyful about in my life and give in to the enemy's temptation to be angry and bitter. Over stupid things. Miniscule things. Things that don't even matter. 

I tend to let situations dictate my mood. Steal my joy. Inconveniences. Hurt feelings. Things that were said in error. Why? 

I want to be in a consistently joyful state. On a day to day basis. Because I should be. There are not many things not going right for me in my life. I can create drama where it's not or I can choose to relish in what I have that's right ... that promotes joy.

This topic is difficult. More often than not, I feel overwhelmed by life and not entirely joyful for all the Lord's given me. Isn't that selfish? 

I think it starts with more prayer. More heart to hearts with God. He knows all of what I'm feeling, so why do I try to pretend He doesn't? I'm going to start working on consistent joy.

*I'm jumping in and linking up to Five Minute Friday. I think it's such a wonderful idea and look forward to what it reveals to me. Check it out and join in!*


Sunday, September 11, 2011

God bless America

I have nothing profound to say about today, the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on America. I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said, and I'm no less patriotic for not saying anything. 

I love this country, I love our military, I love our freedom, and I love my God. I'll sum up my feelings with this photo, which stirs such emotion for me:


Taken on October 31, 2006, looking up at Old Glory through the roof of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Long may she wave!

God bless the United States of America!

Monday, September 5, 2011

It's a sad day in Mudville ...

It's a holiday. We had a wonderful family day together, taking in brunch at Goofy's Kitchen (if you've never been, it's a must go when at Disneyland), walking briskly through the Magic Kingdom (too crowded and hot to stay long), and resting together for what we call "Family Nap Time" (FNT) around these parts. 


But something makes me feel like I've just had the Last Supper. 


You see, my baby starts preschool tomorrow. (Before you ask, yes, I have a flair for the dramatic). 


I just want to know how we got from this:




to this:




SO QUICKLY! I feel like I blinked and three-and-a-half years went by. Three and a half of the best years of my life: raising, loving on, coddling, scolding, wrestling with, chasing after, napping, and dreaming with my sweet little man. I now take back ALL those times (and they were numerous) I wished he was in school because the time has now come, and I don't want him to go. It's truly a sad day in Mudville. I'm not sure if I'll even sleep tonight. Sheesh, what a baby I am. 


I just feel like this is the end of an era. From tomorrow on, he is a school boy. I am more excited for him than I can contain, but nervous for how he's going to do and definitely not sure how I'm going to do. For goodness' sake, I nearly broke down in tears when I dropped off his paperwork and they showed me his cubby. His cubby, for crying out loud! 


The bond between mother and child runs so deep; it cuts right to the bone. I love this boy more than I could ever imagine loving anything and I want so desperately to see him succeed and grow to be a godly man. Which is why I have to send him off tomorrow, smiling on the outside while I'm crying on the inside, and let him know I'm giving him room to grow. It's just so hard. 


I feel like this begins the process I'll go through over the next 15 years of letting go. Bit by bit, as time goes on, I'll let go a little more to give him a little more room. But not too much. The best I can do is entrust him to my heavenly Father and ask that He will walk the steps with my son that I am not there to walk. 


Father, please be there when he trips going up the steps to class and skins his knee, when he gets his feelings hurt from being teased by a mean classmate, when he's stammering to get out a word as he learns to read, and all those little times where mama's love would work wonders. Be my eyes, my ears, my heart, and my arms when I'm away from my boy. Father, your love works wonders greater than I can ever imagine. With You by his side, my boy can do anything. 


So can I. I can do anything through Christ because He strengthens me. So, tomorrow morning, I'm going to put on my big-girl panties and send my little champ off to preschool, knowing we'll all make it through the day. There will be tears and lots of photos, but there will also be faith that things will go well because God's in control.


Oh, and if you see someone's hands being pried off the door handle of the preschool, it's definitely not me.