One Glorious Week

This picnic table was my best friend this week....

I took the week off of work (which is code for I worked from home). I probably did almost as much work as if I had been in the office, but it was so, so different. I woke up in the mornings and the first thing I did was go out to the back yard in my pajamas and sit at this picnic table. I watched the sun as it rose higher into the sky, and I talked to God. We talked and talked and talked. And I even did a lot of listening. I can't tell you how much I needed this week, and how revived I feel after spending so much one-on-one time with God.

My second favorite place is where you would find me in the evenings... sitting on our bench in the front yard with our tiki torches lit. This, of course, after we finished our family bike ride (which is always way farther than I think it should be). Every morning and every evening, nothing but peace.

And in between? Cranking the Praise & Worship music and cleaning the house. Catching up on projects I've wanted to get done, and one day when I was lucky... pushing Ellie higher and higher on her swing in the back yard!

I needed to remember life could be slow. It was like my own personal tailor-made retreat.

What a great week.

4th of July Fun!

As my granddaughter, Ellie, and her cousin, Sebastian, will be quick to tell you, not everyone enjoys the loud fireworks. But quick to adapt to any situation, they donned their headphones and enjoyed the show!

Fortunately, someone had the presence of mind to create the toddler sized "Snappers" that make just the right amount of noise and require no FIRE. What a fun holiday weekend watching two toddlers squeal with delight as they join in the celebration of a freedom they don't yet understand.

I Believe

A friend sent this to me today (not sure who authored it), and I thought I'd pass it along. Although there may be room for debate on a couple of things, overall I think it's really inspiring....

I Believe

I believe...that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I believe...that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe...that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe...that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe...that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe...that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe...that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe...that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe...that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe...that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe...that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe...that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe...that my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I believe...that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe...that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe...that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe...that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe...that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe...that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are but, we are responsible for who we become.

I believe...that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe...two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe...that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe...that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe...the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything.

I hope everyone gets the opportunity to really live what you believe this week!

Give them grace and peace

Last week Leo & I did a search on the New Living Translation site (for "peace" I think it was), and we wound up making an amazing discovery. I don't know exactly how many verses there were, but we found 3 PAGES of verses that had "May God give you his grace and peace" or something very similar. 3 PAGES!!! And not all from the same writer!

Now you could go with one of two opinions here. Either it was a quaint little saying of the time, or the writers really understood how much we need His grace and peace. We tend to lean toward the latter.

Since our Small Group topic was going to be about the things we strive for in life, this little discovery provided us with a fantastic closing for the night. After talking about all the things we spend our energy striving for in this world, we talked about this phrase that was used so many times throughout the New Testament. May God give you His grace and peace. Never "I hope you get that job you're wanting" or "I hope you wind up getting that house you liked so much".

May God give you His grace and peace.

Generally, the reason we strive for the things we do is to achieve peace in one way or another. What if we don't need what we thought we did to get that peace? What if He will just give us His peace? What if He just gives us the grace and the peace we need to walk through our situation as is? What if we don't need anything to change to get that peace we're longing for???

May God give you His grace and peace.

When the dust settles and the smoke clears, it's all we really need.

Pulling Away from the Crowd

We went camping this past holiday weekend and I sure feel rejuvenated. It doesn't make sense, mind you, that I feel rejuvenated -- there was a lot of work involved and I STILL don't have everything put away from our return. But something about pulling away from the city and sitting out in the quiet countryside rejuvenates my soul. And for anyone who has ever enjoyed camping, I probably don't even need to mention the healing power of a hotdog roasted over a campfire. Absolutely miraculous.


Time stands still when you go camping. It doesn't matter when you get up, when you eat, when you nap... schedules are non-existent and totally unnecessary. And my favorite part of all? Talking. Talking while setting up the tents, talking while making dinner, talking while sitting around the campfire. We share so much of ourselves during these weekends... talking and listening, really hearing.


I should mention we aren't hard-core campers. We found a nice spot out in the pasture on Jerry & Rebekah's ranch, and Jerry mowed us a little trail to the house that led to the indoor bathroom. Real campers would scoff. We also had Jerry's horses nearby that Aaron saddled up a couple of times. There's nothing like a nice ride in the country to clear your mind and soothe your soul.

So, the 3-day weekend is over, but I find myself energized and ready to face life with a little more passion, creativity, and even a little more laughter than before.

Pulling away for awhile just does that to me.

Having Access

I was talking to my friend, Terri, the other day about this incredible revelation I got. And, of course, the revelation came in time of crisis.

There was a terrible mistake made on an order for one of my clients last week. It was a really big deal. The mistake wasn't my fault. In fact it was out of my control. But as the distributor, even if it's beyond my control the responsibility rests with me. A control-freak's nightmare, to be sure.

I skipped Small Group on Wednesday night because I desperately needed some alone time with God. Then I holed up in the basement and I prayed. I cried out to God, I wrote to God, I read comforting passages from the Bible. I cried out to God again. And it seemed I kept coming back to the same plea: "Lord, please give me wisdom to deal with this. Give me wisdom that's beyond my own abilities. Give me Your wisdom."

And you know what? Out of nowhere came this amazing peace and clarity. I knew what I needed to do. A mere thirty minutes before that, my head was spinning. I had NO IDEA what I should do. I believe God gave me His wisdom to use... and was I ever grateful. I slept well that night and woke up in a great mood. I knew what I needed to do, I went to work and I did it. And everyone involved was very pleased with the outcome.

The most important thing about all of this is I learned something about God that I really didn't understand before. I'm sure I've asked for wisdom from Him before, maybe in a more generic sort of way. And I guess I knew (again in a generic sort of way) that what He has is ours. But I don't think I've ever experienced such an incredible one-to-one exchange with Him. It was literally like walking up to Him and saying, "Can I borrow your fluffy pillow?" and Him saying, "Oh, sure... here you go." I've had plenty of one-on-one encounters with Him (which I do LOVE!) but an exchange like this? I'm not sure I've ever had one... at least it sure didn't impact me like this. This whole experience has opened my eyes once again to the depths of His love. He is always, always there for me.

And you know what? I fell in love with Him all over again that night.

It's easy to be sad on a gloomy day

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be sad on a rainy, gloomy day? Maybe I should have been a farmer, so I could learn to appreciate it more. But instead I sit here with an attitude similar to the children of Israel, who got so tired of seeing (and eating) manna.

Manna was a miraculous provision for a very LARGE group of people. And, similarly, rain is a very necessary provision for us. Aside from all the "we would all die without it" attributes, rain makes everything beautiful. Many of the things I love are the way they are because of rain. The green grass, beautiful trees and flowers, even the lakes (if you can really call them that in Nebraska)... the rain helps them to be what they are. I should welcome the rain. I should rejoice in the rain. And I think I really could....

if only it didn't bring such gloominess. If only it could rain while the sun is shining brightly.............

Oh, how quickly I forget. The sun IS shining. It never, ever stops. If I got on a plane right now and flew above these dreary clouds, I would find the sun shining just as brightly as always.

And I have to think... maybe it's good for us now and then to remember we can believe in more than what we see.