listening & letting go

this morning i read my devotional and the scriptures spoke to me throughout the rest of the day.
perhaps it is because i have some unfinished business to tend to.

sometimes there are things in our lives that we simply have to place in God's hands.
it's letting go. letting go of things, letting go of loved ones, letting go of our children when they are grown and old enough to make their own decicions, letting go of the things that have hurt us, letting go of the things that have crushed our Spirit, letting go of our fears, letting go of our inhibitions, letting go of the things in this world that are "of this world" which we use to define ourselves, and letting go of things that we cannot control.

tonight i am going to let go of a few things and give my Spirit an opportunity to breathe and grow and when I tell God all about my hopes and dreams and my thoughts and feelings, i know that i will have his undivided attention because i am His and He loves me.

i will spend time in His Presence, where i will find what i am seeking, because He will never change and He will never leave me. He will help me.

How do I know?

He promised.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.~ Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. ~ Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

An Irish Prayer
     ~unknown

May God give you...
For evey storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

thankful for my friend ~

I have a friend whom I dearly love. Somehow she always knows when I need to talk, when I need encouragement or when I need a hug.
Today was not the best of Tuesdays. Stress, daunting job, personal disappointments and finances were wearing away at my already threadbear spirit. Feeling quite overwhelmed by everything, I began to cry on my way home. Then my cell phone rang. Calling in the nick of time, my friend, Kelly.
Chipper and chatty and wanting to meet for a very late lunch. She persuaded me to meet her at one of our favorite local spots. She gave me a hug and we talked. We ordered our meal and we talked. We ate sushi and we talked. We laughed and we talked a little while longer.
Somehow my problems evaporated. Burdens were lifted from my weary shoulders, even if only for an hour or two.
It's late for me, a little past my bedtime and as I prepare to fall asleep, my spirit is still lifted and my heart a little lighter, because my dear friend has the uncanny ability to know when I need her.
I am so grateful and thankful for my dear friend, a friend that I dearly love.

Happy Birthday Brittany

How to Make a Beautiful Life
~ Reflections for a Daughter on Her Birthday

Love yourself. MAKE PEACE with who you are and where you are at this moment in time

Listen to your heart. If you can'r hear what it's saying in this noisy world.
MAKE TIME for yourself. Enjoy your own company.Let your mind wander among the stars

Try.
Take Chances.
MAKE MISTAKES.
Life can be messy and confusing at times but it's also full of surprises.
The next rock in your path might be a stepping stone.

Be happy when you don't have what you want. want what you have
MAKE DO. That's a well-kept secret of contentment.

There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow. You have to MAKE YOUR ON WAY.
To know where you're going is only part of it.

You need to know where you've been, too. And if you ever get lost, don't worry
the people who love you will find you. Count on it.

Life isn't days and years. It's what you do with time and with all the goodness and grace that's inside you.

MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...
the kind of life you deserve.

(borrowed from Hallmark)

~and remember to live your life for the Lord and he will continue to bless you.
I love you,
mommie

my beautiful daughter is in San Antonio this weekend celebrating her birthday with her best friend, Amy.
they look so very much alike that people used to ask me if my daughters were twins and it was soemtimes easier to just say 'yes' than to spend time telling someone that they were friends and that Amy was visiting from Austin, and so on ~

it has become a tradition with the girls to spend their birthdays together, they have a favorite restaurant that they go to and they spend their time shopping or watching movies but mostly when these two are together they are laughing and chatting and just enjoying spending time together.  one of MY favorite things to do is to spend time with them once or twice a year when i have the opportunity to. i enjoy their company and thoroughly enjoy watching them work on thier scrapbooks, share photographs, and laugh. much like i enjoyed watching them when they were barely teens and Amy would come to Corpus to spend a week with us. there were hours of giggling and playing games and non-stop chatter. sometimes, i miss those days but i wouldn't trade a moment spent with the young women that they have become for anything in the world.

i am so proud of my daughter, who by the way turns 25 today. we have been through some truly rough times, but she has been my joy since the day that she was born. in spite of the trials and bad times that we have had to endure, she has blossomed into a creative, intelligent, witty, beautiful, personable woman.

lifelong, trustworthy friends are very hard to find in this day and age. i am grateful that Brittany and Amy have the type of friendship that withstands time and distance. they can go for months without seeing each other and then when they have a few days to get together for a visit, it is as if they haven't missed a minute.

i believe that our friends are the earthly angels that God has given us, to help us survive the daily struggles we face. Brittany and I have been blessed with a loving family, but sometimes we need our friends and we are both so blessed with the best of friends

have a wonderful weekend ladies, i love you ~

My heart is breaking from all of the tragedy in our world today, from the earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami.

My prayers are for the survivors, may they find grace and courage to persevere, and for the families of the lost to find the comfort and peace that only God can give.

Thank you heavenly Father, I am so grateful that my relatives were spared while visiting in Hawaii and that my sweet friend/niece's family members in Sendai were also spared.

Thank you Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all   thy might.

        
          Simply stated, Love God with everything that you are.

"The power of life and death is in the tongue!" Prov. 18:21

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands (and mouth!) a foolish one tears hers down." Prov. 14:1 and "The power of life and death is in the tongue!" Prov. 18:21

I am still learning how to build and maintain my house, being ever so careful to guard my words so they may not be misunderstood or used to hurt another; for I was once foolish and have not fully recovered from it~

Today

Today I am listening.....

Psalm 46:10  ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Brittany

My daughter will turn 25 in a few days. I love her more than life itself and I don't know if she realizes just how much she means to me~