Love Came Down

I bought a plate this year for Christmas.  Right in the middle is a heart.  In the middle of the heart it says "Love Came Down".
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.
       And the government shall be upon his shoulders.
          And He will be called
               Wonderful Counselor
                     Mighty God
                        Everlasting Father
                              Prince of Peace.

We are ambassadors for God.  WE are strangers in a strange land.  We are not home yet, but while we are here we need to be His representatives.  WE  need to bring peace and spread His message.

No one understood this better than Mary.  When she was told she would give birth to Jesus, the Son of the Most High,,,,,,, she answered "I am the Lord's servant."  
A young woman, frightened and courageous stepped up and said she would help bring peace and reconciliation to the world.  She then sings a song that glorifies God.  

Oh ~  that I could be like Mary and not fear what others may think.  That I would sing His praises in all circumstances.  "He has brought down their rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things."

This Christmas Season brings Joy, Wonderment and Hope.
God is doing the impossible.  He is accomplishing great things.
He is capturing the hearts of the downtrodden.
He is filling the minds of the believers with everlasting joy and peace.
He will never leave us or forsake us.
His hand hold us up and He goes with us in every circumstance.
Praise God who gives His unfathomable GRACE to a world in need.

Missing you this Christmas season mom and dad.

A Deep Hurt

"For though we live in this world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

This is the day after the horrible shooting in Connecticut and my heart is still aching for those people whose lives are now wounded and hurting.    It shouldn't have happened to such small innocent children.  It shouldn't have happened at all.  

It's hard to make sense of such utter despair.  The world is once again an ugly sinful place.
We could give up and shrug our shoulders.  We can even get mad and scream for justice.

Or we can stand up and fight.  We can weild our spiritual weapons.  
Brave people yesterday had to stand up to the violence and say NO MORE.
Young and old had to face the evil that was lurking in their hallway.

Angels were probably doing battle like never before.  I can't even imagine a battle in the spiritual realm, but there it was being played out in an Elementary school.  Some were taken home, and others will always remember the horror.  Teachers stepped up and tried to create peace and order and safety while their own hearts were screaming panic.

God holds every tear.  He looks on with tears of His own.  His heart is breaking just as ours is.
"Reach out" he says, "to those around you.  Look for those who need hope and love."
"Be a part of the healing.  Don't turn away.  Take your spiritual weapons (God's Word) and do battle.
Don't let the enemy have another victory.  Bring hope to the lost."


We need to be strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power. Eph 6:10
We need to put on the full armor of God and take a stand against the devil's schemes. 6:11
WE need to make known the mystery of the gospel and declare it fearlessly. 6:20
We need to pray continously. 6:18

Something has stole my heart.....

David has stole my heart.  Never to return.   He has a piece of me that I will never get back.

It's his eyes and his sweet innocent smile.  He's God's perfect creation.

He was created with LOVE in mind.
     He was created to bring JOY to Charissa and Michal.
           He was created to bring HOPE to grammy and grampy.
David in the Bible was a man after God's own heart.  He was humble and sorry for his sins.
He was quick to repent.  

How can I look at this little face and not see the face of the God who made him.
I see love and joy and hope just looking at Him.

It's what God sees when he looks at us.   Little Davey is bringing God praise and worship by just being what God created him to be.   A little warm squiggly bundle of arms and legs.

I just look at this face and see my Creator.
Only God knew the exact recipe for his eye color and hair color.
Only God knows when he will say his first word, or take his first step.
Only God knows his heart and when he will surrender it to HIM.

A new baby brings newness like never before.  The world is in disarray but God is still in the business of restoration ~ through people who want to be used by him.
And God is using LITTLE DAVID to reach my heart.

Psalm 113:4,5
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,  his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,  the One who sits enthroned on high,
Who stoops  down to look on the heavens and the earth?

Mental Pictures

I don't really have a camera any more.  So I have been taking a lot of mental pictures lately.
The kind where you don't have to shoot and snap.
Just stare, gaze and ponder.

Making a mental picture is easy if you have the right scenery.

Three or so weeks ago I was snapping left and right.

Taking a lasting picture of my daughter staring lovingly into her newborn's eyes. (priceless)

A little tiny creature making unreal loud grunting sounds as he wakes up. (lasted long enough for several shots)

A new family pushing a new stroller down a road and hearing the loud obnoxious birds greet us.

Peeking into the stroller and seeing an angel ~ sleeping.

Oh yes, and I can't forget the mental picture of David laying on top of grandpa's chest for a few ZZZZ's.

I could go on and on.  I don't want to forget one second of my trip to South Africa to meet my grandson David.  My heart felt like it was mush.  All I wanted to do was hug him close and tell him he was gorgeous and perfect.   I smelled his hair and closed my eyes to remember.  I watched his little fingers spread wide open.  I watched his little toes curl.  WE WERE GONERS.   Three weeks flew by in no time at all.  I didn't even think about home or miss it.  This was home.  This is where LIFE happens.

Watching my daughter completely transform into a loving mom right before my eyes was truly amazing.
Who taught her this?   Mostly instinct I think, because although she was new at it, she was a natural.
She just loved him and fed him and held him and watched him.  Her life being changed ..... in a good way.

Mom's are the most self-less people in the world, and we do it without thinking ~ because we are now taking care of God's newest creation that really really really just  needs LOVE.

Funny But True

So here it is.  One more week and we get to leave for South Africa again!    Yeah!!
But this time we will get to meet the newest member of our family ~ a little baby boy.
I am already preparing to be an overly affectionate grammy.  Lots of hugs and stomach blowing and nuzzling and cuddling.  After all, we only get to stay 2 weeks and I want to make an impression on him.  I want to bond with him (if possible).  I want to see my daughter being a loving mom and watch her hold her little one and notice the love in her eyes grow every time she looks at him.

My daughter has been preparing for this for 9 months now, but I also have had my little prep time too.
Not too long ago I decided to join the gym because I was having the same symptoms as her : weight gain, food cravings, sleepless nights, low energy,  blah blah blah.  Any way, without really trying to lose weight (even though I'd gained over 10 lbs being not pregnant) I managed to lose 5!!
My former aerobics teacher (who now works in the same gym where I go) told me there was such a thing as being "skinny fat".  Me?  I'm skinny fat?  The girl standing next to her looked at me and shook her head (in disgust?)   It does sound gross.  But she went on to say, you can be skinny but still have fat.  All right I thought, at least what I have has a name.  I tried to smile.  But I really was proud to have lost a few inches around the middle!!

Well, later that week, I walk into the gym while she is teaching about 15 senior citizens how to exercise in their chairs.  Then, out of the blue she says "It's the biggest loser!"
"Me?"  (i thought she was calling me a loser).
"Yah", she said, "you lost 5 pounds", without blinking an eye in front of her over 70  class.
I just smiled and laughed, they laughed too.  I suddenly felt like a reformed skinny fat person:)

But here is the most amazing thing of all ~ a true miracle.  One that I have prayed about for years now !!
I have been healed of my split thumb nail.  Funny?   But its true.  I've had this split thumb nail since High School and it drives me crazy.  I call it my "hoof".  I'm sure students see it when i'm writing on the overhead but they are too nice to say anything (sweethearts).  But it's gone for good, hopefully never to return.

God is still doing miracles in my life.  And I am standing in awe.  He still cares for me, even at 55 years old.  All of my muscles still work, my daughter is the most beautiful pregnant mom i have ever seen,  and I now have 2 matching thumbs.

Life is Goood..... and getting better.

Just think, I'll be the biggest loser grammy soon.

Heavenly Friends

Last Sunday was a sad day here in the McPherson household.  We had to say goodbye to Akita ~ our pet Samoyed who lived to be 16 years old.  I just have to write a blog about our loving earthly friend.

We got him when he was just a puppy, he was a little fluff ball and kind of shy.  He thought Nate was his brother and they wrestled a lot.  He was happy to be a dog.  Not like some dogs who think they are humans and want to come in and sit on the couch.  Akita loved to be outside, preferably if it was freezing.

His thick coat kept him warm even when it got below zero.  We would look out and see him sprawled on his back like he was sunning.  I had the privilege of walking him every single day.  At first he walked me ~  he pulled me up the hill, pulled me down the hill.  In fact he pulled where ever he went, even when he didn't know where we were going.  He even tried running once with Charissa - at least he tried:)

Akita pretty much thought he was a puppy his whole life.  Everything was a game.  Even when he got old and couldn't move very well, he still thought that life was about playing a game.  His favorite game was when we  would play Frisbee, he would run back and forth every single time we threw it - thinking it was always his turn.  But he couldn't catch it!  He ran funny.  He didn't like to fetch more than once.  We never took him swimming.  But he was just always there, ready to join in and celebrate being alive.

My big white fluffy earthly friend is hopefully going to one day be my big white playful heavenly friend.

Oh the fun he will have with us.  No more pain, and he can keep his puppy ways forever.  

Putting a dog down in never fun, but I am so glad that I got to spend 16 years of my life being greeted by a big doggy smile and cheery beady eyes - that always said.  I'm here!!  Let's play!!

A Psalm a day

I guess it's time to take my mom's advice.  When she died, she left some notes and one of them distinctly said :  "Read a Psalm every day".
I've kind of been going through a dry time in my life.
You know, things look bleak.  You want your days to be filled with sunshine and laughter, but they're not.
Us folks here in Seattle tend to "feel"  the weather.
If it's raining outside, then it's raining inside.  If its beautiful outside, then inside I'm beaming!!
Well, let's just say in the last 2 months the sun has been hidden.~~  it's up there, you just can't see it!!

TRUST:  It will come back.  God never leaves.  The sun still shines.  Even in Seattle!!
A life without trust in God becomes bleak and dismal - just ask me.
It's easy to say "i trust God".  But it's harder, much harder to live it out.

I HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR:  So what if everything isn't perfect.  If we love God then He will get us through these dark rainy days ~  right?  Psalm 27:1  says the Lord is my light.
Do I really believe this ~ in my heart?
I think it takes a lifetime to learn this lesson.  (please dear God, be my light and my salvation)

I AM STRONG, even when i don't feel like it.
One thing about 'aging'  is : everything is slowly eroding!  It's a process I know.  When I feel weakest, then God can be my strength.   (this is a hard one to learn!!)
Psalm 27:1 says the Lord is the strength of my life and I should be afraid of NOTHING!

My daughter says that this is her "birthday Psalm" because her birthday is July 27.
WOW!!  I should have taken my mom's advice sooner.  I should have read this Psalm sooner.  Hopefully the dry days are over!  I'm going to take heart, wait on God and  have courage.

So here it goes Charissa, here is my birthday Psalm 15.
(paraphrased by me)
I will never be moved or have those hopeless days.
I want to dwell on God's holy hill - everyday!
With God's help I will
   Have a Christian walk that speaks love to others
       Speak the truth into my heart that comes right out of the Bible

              Look for God's love in everything that comes my way
                    And never ever think God has left me or forsaken me!

Love has a name ~ Jesus

Life's Little Dips.

Ever have one of those days?  Maybe even one of those weeks when stuff happens left and right.
I'm learning to cope with minor setbacks.
I guess it started one morning with my husband saying 'the coffee pot is broken.'
The next day, his electric shaver was broken.
And then yup, soon after I went to BBQ and it was a goner.
Its adding up, one thing after another.
But the highlight was - yes - my riding mower started on fire!!
While I was mowing.  After 2 minutes of running frantically around, getting the neighbor (Bob) , and re-attaching 2 more sections of hose, we were able to put it out.  Only to find a block goooey mess when the blue stinky smoke cleared.  He said my eyes were like saucers!  There I was standing in his yard waving my arms like a freak.  He thought something had died.  Well, I guess i was lucky it was just an old john deere that died.
Life's little dips used to drive me crazy - WHAT!!!  WE broke what???  WE need to fix WHAT?
Now I'm just like, get over it.  It's just stuff and it's replaceable.
So we are getting a Kubota.   They are nice.  All the neighbors have John Deere's.  Will they snub me?
It's a beautiful orange.  It can mulch, catch, or just mow with the touch of a button!  Sweet.
I'm learning to laugh, and I wonder too if God finds this kind of funny too.
The other day I woke up and thought "wow, God's creation is amazing!  It's so dependable and scientific and everything He made was "Good".  
Man's creations though - what an unpredictable mess.   Who would have thought John Deeres would melt in under 2 minutes?
I like God's ways better.  The way the Earth keeps spinning and never gets out of sync.  The way the rain comes and waters the Earth.  The way a tiny seed can produce a perfect flower.  The list goes on and on forever.  I believe in eternity.  God was here before all of this even existed.  The brain can say infinity, but the brain has a hard time believing what it is.
But I trust God that he holds things all together.  I believe that we get to live forever with Him in Heaven.

And I believe with all my heart that He created everything just like it says in Genesis.  A zebra, a whale, a butterfly, all made with His hand and imagination.
Here's something else:  Isaiah 49: 15 and 16 say that He has inscribed us in the palm of his hand.
So even though my earthly stuff might be breaking down, He still holds me.
I must matter an awful lot to Him!
"He who believes in Jesus, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
So, I'm not going to let life's dips get the best of me.  I am going with the flow.  He keeps my soul alive and energized.
So..... today when the vacuum cleaner sounded like a jack hammer..... I just laughed and thought - this is unreal.  Is God teaching me something here?

Sometimes its the unpredictable that make you appreciate the predictable!
Life...... is good.

(didn't I just write that on a plate I made like 2 weeks ago)?

The Ocean

The ocean never changes.  It's always there.
Just like God - He is always there.

The tides are constantly moving
Just like God - He is always working in our lives.

It may seem like He is just doing stuff for other people, but think about how "everything works together"  into one big plot.
The plot is LOVE.
He desires to bless us - He sends grace!
He desires to be with us - WE need faith!!
Even though the tide may be going out to sea, it will return.

Keep looking, keep expecting.  There will be signs of his presence -  a shell, a rock, a sunset, a lightening bolt.

I look at the star fish.  At times he must feel abandoned, but not really.  He hangs on through the drought.
He makes it look easy because God gave him tons of sticky tube feet.
So who are we to say that something is 'just too hard'?

If we believe, then we should be saying ....nothing is too hard for God......
Say it, Believe it, Count on it, Don't doubt it!

These next few months I am going to practice being a starfish.
The rock I am hanging on to is Jesus, and my tiny tube feet are my prayers.
They will keep me anchored - through the waves, the drought, and the lightening storm.

"Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Rom 8:39

The news is out!

It's a happy day in the Mcpherson household.  My daughter is expecting a baby and we couldn't be happier for them.  She is just a little thing - my daughter.  So I get to watch her bloom into motherhood.  She will make a wonderful mother.  She has a warm heart that is always serving and looking to give help.  She is a worker, so I know that this will be a fun experience for her.  To figure out the diapering and the bathing and burping and feedings and outings.
It seems like just yesterday i was just figuring it all out.  You kind of learn as you go.
It's not like you make room for them in your world.... They are just there needing your attention.
They become your life almost and you would do anything for the baby.
You would walk around the living room a thousand times, just to get them to sleep.
You would check on them every few minutes when they are sleeping just to watch the miracle that now has become the center of your life.
You cry with them and nurture them and pray for them to grow up to serve Jesus.
And then they do grow up.
And then they have babies.
And we cry some more because we remember the good times when they were just a wee one.....
And they depended on you.
Life is funny how it repeats certain stanzas.  Its like a non-ending song that just gets better.
Its like a bowl of ice cream that just keeps getting more and more toppings.
My baby is having a baby and I want to be the best grammy ever.

I want to be the ooey gooey chocolate sauce that drizzles all over and runs down my chin.
Did I say I am excited to meet my first grand child?

The uninvited guest!

There is a beautiful story in the Bible about a woman.  A sinner. (Lk 7:36-50)
We don't know much about her except she showed up at a dinner party - uninvited.
Why is she there?  Because Jesus is there.  (already i'm getting goose bumps)
It's a story of love.  Forgiveness.  Repentance.  Joy. Weeping.

Jesus actually lived 30 some years on earth.  Walking, talking, touching, listening, healing.....
He was having dinner in a room full of sinners..... but the woman at his feet.... the one the rest of them called "A sinner" was  washing His feet with her tears.  Drying them with her hair.  Anointing them with oil.

Why is she doing it?  Because Jesus is there!
She gets it!!
It doesn't say anything about her past, but you know she must have loved following and listening to Jesus teach.
It must have touched her heart.
     It must have led to a broken heart.
          It must have caused her to know her Saviour.
                It led her to His feet.
                       Her sins were forgiven,  Her faith saved her.

A beautiful story of knowing you are a sinner     AND      sitting right at His feet --- the only one who could forgive!

She got it!   I am starting to get it.   She didn't care what the others thought, her emotions took over, she couldn't stop loving Him.  When I see her faith and her outpouring of herself in front of strangers no less, i feel inadequate.  I feel humbled.  I feel like she expressed all that is lurking inside of me.

A sinful woman with a bottle of oil and hair and tears.   That's me.... and you.

She demonstrated what we need to do daily. {fall at His feet in Thanksgiving and praise and worship}

Oh how I love You Jesus.  You deserve more than i can ever give.



Come, let us return to the Lord
   He will heal us
       He will raise us up that we may live in His sight
            Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord
                 His going forth is established as the morning
                      He will come to us like the rain. (Hos 6:1-3)

Oh I wish I could have been there to see Jesus take her hand and raise her up.
I would have been weeping too,
and you?
(Hos 2:19 - 23 is another love story worth meditating on)

Positive + Negative = ____

How many years have I taught this rule?  Well........34 to be exact.
And (lets think) what is the answer?     Well......... it depends.
Rule one:  it's the difference in the two, and secondly, it's the sign of the larger.

So how does this apply to my life?  Basically I want to be a positive person.  I want to have a positive outlook on life.   I want others to see me as friendly and approachable.  Someone they can talk to and share life with.

I want my positives to be bigger than my negatives!!   But am I doing this?

I've made up my mind - * i'm going to think about what i'm thinking about* (Joyce Meyer again :)
I don't have to think everything that pops into my mind.
Thoughts are fickle, here today, gone tomorrow.  Some positive, some negative.

I must train my mind to "strike out" or "cast down" the negative ones!

The Bible calls this a spiritual war.  Satan wants to infiltrate our mind with garbage, and I for one do NOT
want litter hanging around in my brain.

 I want to "cast down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God"
I want to "bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ "  (2Cor. 5:10)

Here's the scary part - God hears what we think!
And a typical Gloria thought must be depressing to Him.
I can go from thinking "you're going to do WHAT?"  to "I don't possibly see how that will EVER work out"
{Not one hint of positive thinking.....booooo}

I want a 'head' transplant.  Colossians 2:10 says that God can be our new head.......yeaaaaa!  In fact He is the head of all powers. 
We are complete "in Him".  (vs. 10)
We are rooted in and built up "in Him". (vs. 7)
We are to WALK "in Him".  (vs. 6)

I'm not sure what blogs are all about, other that to lay it all out there..... our life.
Cheer ourselves up maybe!
Lay it out for the world to see and then we know we aren't alone in this mess called life.
We all learn stuff from day to day,
But now that I've written an essay on it,
I guess I have no excuse...... I have to do it now!
Think positive that is!

Happy Thinking!

I'm Trying to Lose IT

Yes I am!  It happened overnight.  All of those donuts and cookies and muffins just showed up on my middle section overnight.  So what did I do?  Well at first I was in denial. "It's just something I ate",I thought  "it will be gone by morning."  But it wasn't!!   My friends just said, its water weight and laughed.  (They also know about the overnight disease )   Then when the women in my book club said (about themselves, and maybe all women over 50 in general), that from the chin down, what used to have curves, is now just one massive undefined blob.
OOOOOOHHH.
That's it, I've turned blobbish.    But, is it irreversible is what I'm dying to know?
So the experiment has begun.
I'm slowly getting rid of having dessert every night.  Now, just once a week.
Trying to eat more fruit and drink more water. ( i hate water :)
But, here's the biggie.  I've joined the gym at the school where I teach.
And I just found out, that an over-achiever I am not.
When everyone else is doing 30-40 min of treadmill workout, I am dying on the Elliptical after 2 min.
"I"m sweating"  I told my hubby the other day.  "What?"   He looked dumbfounded.  He has never seen me sweat in 55 years!
When my teacher friend walked by and saw me sweating I said "Look what happens when you don't go to the gym for 55 years!"
He smiled and said he was out of shape because he hadn't been in one and a half months !!
Ugggh.
Point is.... it feels good to be doing something so NOT ME.
I'm getting out in the world instead of walking up and down my half mile road.
I'm letting people see me "unfit" and "dying".
Maybe I'll get a chance to talk someone too, if they take out their ear pods.
But, I know it's good for me.  To try something different.  To tighten up the abs and feel the legs ache some.
Eventually the shoulder will come around and start working too.
Then one day I will wake up and say - wow - where's the roll?  And - look - my jeans don't have that blobbish thing on top any more.

I hope this is the year I stick to things.  Maybe even attempt some of the things on my "things I want to do someday" list.  Like, really be a caring person to everyone I meet.  I want people to know I love Jesus by my actions.  That something I need help with too Lord.

So this is my prayer:  Help me make a difference in other people's lives.  Help me keep a good attitude about getting older and rounder.  And show me how to meet people right where they are at and not be ashamed to talk about Jesus and His awesomeness.

This must be a pivotal point in my life.  Do I just throw in the towel and say "i give up",  or "been there done that", or "won't try that again, cause I stink at that."  Or will I change and start saying "this is something new and God must be leading me here to show me something great!"

Time in a Bottle

Don't you wish you could save time in a bottle?
You know, for those special times where God feels like he is right there, and the entire world feels in balance.

I had one of those moments tonight.  It was after having dinner with hubby.  We walked out on a pier.  The waves were making white caps, but I felt warm and safe.  God was in the waves and in the wind, but inside my soul was a peace and quiet that I can't even begin to explain.

Just everything felt right.  
I knew husband loved me.  
   I knew God loved me more today than yesterday.
         I knew my life was changing for the better.
                I knew that  my daughter was expecting to see something miraculous from God.
                    I knew that  my son was seeking God with his whole heart.
                          I knew that my son-in-law wanted to do God's will no matter what.
                               I just knew that things were just the way God ordained.

But i guess everyday is ordained from God, so why do we have only these small little windows when we get to see Him and feel Him and really know that He is there?

Why does life have to interrupt and tell us that our circumstances can't possibly be God's will?

I will cherish this day..... The beauty of the earth and the night sky and the rolling waves and the love I feel..... are all a gift from HIM  to   me!

O Lord - open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise!
       For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
             You do not delight in burnt offering,
                     The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
                              A broken and contrite heart -
                                     These, O God, You will not despise.  Ps. 51.16,17

You've gotta love the gray!

So here it is, another gray wet day in Washington.  How do we do it?  Survive that is!

Well, we have a choice, enjoy the day or not enjoy the day.
I choose to not "like" the weather, but enjoy the day.
I LOVE what Joyce Meyer says: "It's not your problem that's your problem, but your attitude towards your problem that's your problem."
I cannot let my circumstances dictate what kind of day I will have.
I'm not just talking about the weather, but just the stuff that happens in life that's hard and scary.  Stuff we would rather run from.
The devil's plan is to convince us life's too hard, be bitter, blame someone else for your mess.
his plan is basically to kill (our self esteem), steal (our joy), and destroy (our day)

God's plan speaks hope, life and peace.  His plan is to not let us slip out of the palm of His hand.
His plan is to make us feel loved.  His plan is to take care of one another and love each other deeply.
His plan speaks freedom in our lives.

Even in the midst of dark, lonely days,  He is there - wanting to be our friend, our comforter.

WE have TONS to be happy about and its not because of something WE have done.
"When the kindness and love of God towards us appeared...........
{not by anything that we did!}......
but He saved US according to HIS MERCY!"    Titus 3:4,5

The Truth is that Every day is a gift from God.  And aside from how I 'FEEL' today - I choose to be happy and thank HIM for HIS mercy - daily - hourly- minutely-----

Thank you Jesus for seeing me through the dark gray days, and giving me a reason to celebrate your love.
John 3:16 pretty much says it all   =   [grace].

The snow is here!

How quickly things change!  I can barely keep up.  Two weeks ago we were vacationing in South Africa where it was warm and sunny and breezy.  Then we get home and find it almost spring-like.  Daffodils starting to poke up.  Warm enough to not wear my down coat, and almost feeling like Spring is around the corner.

Then it hits.  The big one.  Lots and lots of white.  Falling everywhere, covering everything.  Changing me on the inside.  That feeling of spring-time freedom now becomes winter-time claustrophobia.
Yes, I admit I am a sunny outdoors gal.  Love the garden and birds and green grass.  I love watching perennials fight through the hard soil to make something gorgeous.
But today I'm rejoicing anyway.
God loves changes.  He changes the weather, he changes us.
He doesn't want us to get tooo comfy in our little comfort zone.
He is always mixing it up, adding another element of His fun-ness.
God must never get bored thinking up new stuff for us.
He wants us to see each day as a gift from Him.
So my attitude today is not one of being stuck in-doors.
I'm looking outside... and pondering if it is ever going to stop.......
Better get out there while I can and enjoy every part of His Creativeness.
Only God can do this right?
And I think He wants us to put down everything and just run out and yell
"Good job God. Your craftiness and creativeness and loveliness is amazing!"
From the smallest grain of sand - to the perfect one-of-a-kind snowflake----
I will stand in awe today, of what God can do :)

A Time to Reflect

Today is a time to reflect on God's Love.
It's not about what I feel from Him, But what I know about Him.
He is LOVE.  He is GOOD.  He CARES for me.  He KNOWS me.
He even loves me in spite of all my weaknesses.
I come up short in so many different areas, but He loves me anyway.
I don't deserve even one speck of his FORGIVENESS and RENEWAL, but I get it any way.
How wonderful it is to be a child of God.
And know that HE holds my future in His hands.
The way may seem rocky and uncertain, but HE KNOWS everything about me....
So I will trust HIM with my WHOLE heart and know that HE is in control.
No where can I ever go where He isn't!!!
No where!!