Category Archives: Faith

Nov30

30 Days

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I tried my hardest to participate fully in NaBloPoMo but of course I missed a day and definitely phoned in more than one picture post. I do feel like it was a great reminder to put my blog closer to the top of my priority list and if for nothing else than that, I’m glad I made the effort.

Over the last 30 days I have seen the regular posts on Facebook documenting something my friends were thankful for each day. I didn’t participate but now I would like to take the time to fill in my 30 days of thankfulness.

1. The Lord. I would not be who I am without my service for the Lord.
2. Gabe. He is truly my other half and makes me better than anything I would be without him.
3. Aiden and Olivia. I would normally list them separately, as they are so individual, but they made me a mother and fill the piece in my heart so completely that I never knew was empty before they came along.
4. My grandma. She is truly the only mother I have ever known and taught me what it is to love and nurture a family. I am thankful she is healthy and happy and enjoys my children so fully.
5. My aunts. Without my mom in my life I could have had something missing but there never was because of my aunts. Linda and Cheryl brought more love to me and my brother than one person ever could and spoil my children beyond belief. They love it!! 🙂
6. My in-laws. There are a million horror stories out there about terrible in-laws and I’m glad to say I don’t have that. I have in-laws who treat me like their own and have given me the chance to have the sisters I never got to have growing up.
7. Friends. There aren’t words enough to say what my friends mean to me. I have friends who I’ve known for YEARS (I’m looking at you Brandi!), friends who I feel like I’ve known for years (Kimmie!), long distance friends I’ve never met in real life (Jenn and Dawn!), and nursing friends who walked with me through our battle and came out on the other side (too many of you crazies to list!). Each and every one of them has meant something important to me and filled a place in my life that would have been harder and emptier without them.
8. My career. I worked so very hard to earn my career and become a nurse. It means something to me that I can say that I’m an RN.
9. My job. Yes, it’s different than a career. I love my job. I just became full-time this week and could not be happier. In this economy a job is not guaranteed, even with an education, and I feel immensely blessed to have mine.
10. Our home. It is our sanctuary from the world and I am glad for it every day. I love coming home and relaxing at the end of the day and having a little private place that is just ours.

Ok, those were all serious things, now for the silly.

11. Coffee. I LOVE COFFEE. It makes me happy and it tastes like heaven and it is my friend.
12. Chocolate. Right up there with coffee.
13. Purses. I love a beautiful handbag. I love new ones and old ones. I love when the seasons change and it’s time to bring out a different purse.
14. Shoes. Gabe doesn’t like it (there’s just too many of them!) but I love shoes. The more the better and multiple pairs for every occasion. Love. Them.
15. Shopping. Even when I don’t buy anything I love to look and try things on and consider the possibilities.
16. Books. Finding an adventure in the written word is a gift.
17. Movies. My imagination can only go so far and seeing the creations that come alive on the big screen is more than my tiny brain could ever come up with.
18. Technology. I love computers and tablets and phones. Pretty much anything with fancy lights and whistles gets my attention. I think I get that from my dad, I still remember the first dial-up modem he brought home.
19. Dogs. Specifically our dogs. I love animals and our dogs are big sweeties.
20. Good pens. I have worked in offices for so long that good pens mean a LOT to me. Mine are pink so that they stand out and I can nab them if someone else picks them up.
21. Holidays. Whether it be Thanksgiving or Halloween or Labor Day, I love taking time and slowing down and recognizing different moments in life.
22. My car. Long story short, our car died and we had no idea what we were going to do. Our car came at just the right time and at just the right cost.
23. Gabe’s truck. Yep, they’re separate because they were two separate blessings. Gabe now has an extended can and it makes it so much easier with the kiddos.
24. Naps. Enough said.
25. Slippers. When you’re on your feet a lot during the day, having soft fuzzy slippers waiting at home is fabulous.
26. Christmas lights. It’s that time of the year and I’m like a kid when it comes to driving around to see them.
27. Music. I love almost all genres and can sing along to almost anything. Cranking up the sound in my car and shouting out lyrics is a huge stress reliever.
28. Breakfast. It’s my favorite meal of the day!
29. Restaurants. As much as I love to cook, having it brought to me is something to be thankful for.
30. Pictures. If you can’t tell from this space, I take a lot of pictures. I have a strong need to document and capture moments.

So there you have it. The month of November is done but I have no intention of abandoning this space in December. We shall see!

Aug4

Simply Thankful Saturday – My Grandma

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Today is my grandma’s birthday. I could not be more thankful that God has given her another year.

My grandmother isn’t just a grandma to me. When my brother and I were toddlers and our parents divorced it left my dad on his own with two kids. Luckily he wasn’t alone. My grandparents played a huge role in raising us. My dad worked out of town so we stayed with my grandparents during the week. They took us to school and picked us up, grandma had an afternoon snack ready, and at the end of the day she was the one that sat on the bed and made sure I said my prayers.

My grandma taught me that it’s a strong woman that takes care of her family, that prayer is our first line of defense, and that family means everything.

When I got married and started a family my grandma stepped up yet again to do something amazing. When I went back to work she was the one that watched Aiden. She kept him every day, both because she loved him and because she wanted to save us money.

My kids have an awesome bond with their grandma. Aiden is the angel boy and Livi is the angel girl. They can truly do no wrong.

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My grandma is the only mother I’ve ever really known and I could not have asked for a better one. I very much hope we have many more years to celebrate. Happy birthday grandma!

Apr16

When You Hurt So Bad…

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Tonight we were in the car talking about nothing when the kids brought up when we’re allowed to say God or Jesus. We try to teach them to have respect for those words and not just throw them around. We told them that we say it if we’re praying or praising the Lord. We also told them that it’s okay to say those words if we’re telling people about the Lord. Of course we want them to use these words regularly, just with respect.

While we talked about using God and Jesus when we pray Aiden brought up a time that he said he prayed for his cousin to feel better. I told him that was exactly right and it was like how mommy prayed for him when he got hurt a couple of weeks ago. Then he said “yeah, because I hurt so bad I couldn’t pray for myself”.

At first I just smiled but then it hit me. He just said something far beyond his years and so much more profound than he knows.

Too many times we think of pain in the physical form. I haven’t had a lot of physical pain in my life. I haven’t broken a bone since I was a small child and while labor was painful it was a means to a great end. We recognize our physical pain and the toil it takes on us but how much more does the pain we feel deep inside impact us? My mind flashed back to times in my life that I was broken, like the loss of my dad or following my miscarriage. I was a shell of a person. I wasn’t me. I could barely function, much less pray for myself. It hurt too bad. I didn’t have the strength to do something as simple as pray for myself.

But I knew there were a lot of people praying for me. When I couldn’t lift myself up I comforted myself with the knowledge that people who loved me were doing the praying when they knew I couldn’t.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been praying for a family that has experienced an unimaginable, life changing tragedy. As I hugged them and spoke to them my words felt so small. “I’ll pray for you”. How much can that really mean I asked myself. Even though I’ve been in the position of being lifted by other people’s prayers it felt like I should be able to do more. Until tonight.

When I was talking to Aiden we were discussing physical pain but his simple words changed how I will forever see my offering of prayer. I may not be able to turn back time, take away the pain, or change what’s happened but I’m praying for them because they hurt so bad they can’t pray for themselves. And now I realize that means so much more than I ever recognized before.