I’m on vacation this week – relaxing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I am breathing in deeply fresh ocean air and listening to soothing waves. Yep, I am loving this. But didn’t want to leave you all out. So I gathered some photos from past trips and some thought filled sayings about traveling to share with you while I’m gone. Please share them on Pinterest or Instagram other social media. Enjoy! What's your favorite vacation spot? … [Read more...]
Breaking Hearts – Building Compassion
His name was Aylan. The memory of seeing him lying facedown on a beach in Turkey, then later his limp body being carried off seared into my heart and mind. Three years old! Three! Not much younger than my twin grandsons. This heart breaking story came quickly on the heels of an earlier story about 71 people found suffocated in a truck in Austria. Aylan was one of five children reported dead from a group of 23 Syrians traveling to Greece in smugglers' boats with the hope to start a better life. I wept. The world wept. God wept. Due to the conflict in Syria and other parts of the world we are seeing one of the largest refugee exoduses in history. More than 3 million people, more than half are children like Arlan, have had to flee their homelands in search of safety. Something many of us take for granted. I heard an interview of a family in a camp in Hungary waiting for permission to travel onward through Austria to Germany. The family of … [Read more...]
What I Learned in August – Monthly Musings
Several blogger friends post a summary of what they learned each month. Emily Freeman originated the idea and I love reading different people’s lists – always full of tidbits of wisdom, innovative ideas, and resources. My blogger friend, Dolly, does this also. Emily writes on her blog: “I’m a firm believer in the importance of looking back before we move forward.” And I certainly agree with her. This simple practice has helped me live a more reflective life and to capture those moments/tips/words of wisdom that mean so much to me, but too often I forget in the daily busyness. This method appeals to me because it is so hard to capture and remember good moments when life is moving so quickly and with so much noise. So I wanted to do join this growing trend for monthly reflections BUT…would always forget!! Soon it would be the end of the month, I would be reading their posts again and thinking where did the time go? One more month of not gathering the precious thoughts I … [Read more...]
Back to School We Go – Lifelong Learning
September always reminds me of going back to school. I love to learn and this time of year I search out for new tidbits of information or new tools or techniques to stimulate my mind. What can I learn this year? On a side note: September floods my mind with childhood memories of getting new clothes and pens and pencils and paper and all those goodies. As a mom, I loved taking each child on a one to one date where we shopped for clothes and pens and pencils and paper and all those goodies. Now as a writer, September lures me to shopping once again. Funny how the calendar tempts me to buy, buy, buy. Now working out of my home except for my church job requires less fancy clothes but the writer in me loves to hit those school supplies aisles for marker, papers, and post it notes. Take me near a Staples or Office Max and my hubby knows I am a goner for at least an hour - wow they are as bad as bookstores for me! But I digress… Back to learning – lifelong learning. “I’m a big … [Read more...]
What’s in Your Spiritual Toolbox?
What’s in your spiritual toolbox? We all have them – the go-to tried and true ways we come to God and those little someday I may try that ideas. I like the concept of a toolbox. Now I do believe God is with us all the time and there is nothing we can really “do” to evoke his presence. He is the pursuer of our hearts and surrounds us and lives within no matter what we do. Yet often we can’t hear him, experience him, find his comfort and wisdom. Like the out of control, full melt-down toddler sometimes we need something to cuddle with our worn out blankie or much loved, one-eyed stuffed animal or just spend time in loving arms, to calm our nerves and find the peace, healing and love we so desperately seek. What do we turn to in those times? What do we rely on even in good times? Those are the tools in our spiritual toolbox. Some basic tools we use all the time, like a hammer and screwdriver. The spiritual tools like prayer and Bible reading are essentials in everyone’s … [Read more...]
What is the Most Important Invention Ever Discovered?
What is the most important invention ever discovered? I read the other day one answer to this intriguing idea is this: The QUESTION. I think there is some validity to pondering the process of asking questions in our lives, our faith, and our thinking. The question is a priceless tool for growth. Even God uses questions: But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3: 9 Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? Psalm 139:7 Jesus … asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" … He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Mark 8:27,29 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35 I love taking questions found in the Bible and using them in my meditations and journaling. Often just one question has inspired an entire multi-day retreat for me. Living a reflective life is a spiritual practice that … [Read more...]
Gratitude Is Powerful but Also Tasty
Our pastor shared this story last Sunday that has lingered with me this week. He was preaching on the text: Giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5: 20 I really do believe in the power of gratitude but never really considered how being thankful also adds joyous seasoning to my life too. Here is the story he shared: The late Dr. Fulton Oursler used to tell of an old woman who took care of him when he was a child. His caregiver not only expressed her thanks, but felt it and lived it each moment. You see, Anna was a former American slave who, after emancipation, was hired by the family for many years. He remembered her sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded and her eyes gazing upward as she prayed, “Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles.” He asked her what vittles were and she replied that they were food and drink. He told her that she would get food and drink whether or not she gave thanks, and Anna said, … [Read more...]
Kindness – A Powerful Quote to Guide Your Way
I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do, to any fellow being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. I have this quote sitting on my kitchen window sill. To be honest I have moved it from house to house, season to season and mood to mood. It is one of my favorite and has proven true. A powerful quote to guide my way. Some sources say it is a Quaker saying from the mid 1800s; other credit it to Stephen Grellet, a Quaker missionary. I believe its message on the value and importance of kindness. And kindness in a prompt manner – don’t leave that good intention on the shelf. My mama lived this quote and practiced its meaning. She would always say if you hear something kind about someone, pass that onto that person. Everyone needs to hear kind words – there is just too much negativity surrounding us. Smile at the store clerk. Use the person’s name … [Read more...]