Thanksgiving Thoughts

Preparing for my kids to fly home tonight, and for the busy week ahead! Cleaning house, planning meals, probably the same thing you're doing these days. Trying to keep things simple and enjoy the day at home.

A few days ago I came upon some verses that were new to me, so I wanted to share them.

Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do Thy will,
For Thou art my God
Let Thy good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For the sake of Thy name, O Lord, revive me.

and. . .

Psalm 145:14-20

The Lord sustains all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to Thee
And Thou dost give them their food in due time.
Thou dost open Thy hand,
And dost satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
And kind in all His deeds.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him,
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him. . .

These words blessed me and I hope they bless you as you read them while you prepare for the holiday ahead. The leaves are beautiful even down here in Texas although the weather is still pretty warm. Still have to bake some goodies to have on hand when my kids arrive.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Attitude!

‎"The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90 % how I react to it." - Charles Swindoll. When I don't have a good attitude, I can exchange it at the foot of the cross. The cross of Christ puts everything else in perspective.


The Single Mom's Devotional by Carol Floch

Sunday Morning

I woke up to a light and airy, bright and sunshiny, free and easy. . . Sunday morning. No schedule to keep, no demands to be met, just time to breathe and be~ My car is being worked on so I can't go anywhere. Yippee!


 At 7:24 this morning my dogs wanted out, so I gingerly walked down the hallway, into the day, to let them outside. I thought to myself, "I'll just sit at my computer until they're ready to come back inside and then, back to bed!". Upon checking my emails, I discovered a friend had left a comment on my blog. My blog. My blog! 


So, I've been here, becoming re-aquainted with my own blog and the blogs I've grown to know and love! The house was quiet until about 9:00 when my son and his friend woke up. After a big, unexpected  hug, my son asked " what's for breakfast?" Ordinarily that question would have annoyed me, but this morning, I joyfully prepared French toast on which they added powdered sugar and maple syrup.


 I've enjoyed cup after cup of coffee, looking out my window at the leaves on trees, the sunlight breaking through the branches, and contemplating my life. Somehow I've moved away from the things that I love. Writing. . ., photography. . ., and just pondering in general.  Thank you for allowing me to do a little writing and pondering this crisp November morning. 


Still working as a Teacher's Assistant, unable to find an open door there. Maybe I misunderstood the direction I was to take when I first headed this way. I love the kids, but find that I'm a circle trying to fit into a square hole again.  Hmmm. Could it be that I need to work on straightening those edges? 


Sometimes I feel I have outgrown the title of my blog. However I am definitely a mom, still single and can't live one moment without my faith. So, I guess I'll keep it! 


Have a wonderful Sunday~it's good to be back!

Writing. . . .

Writing, writing, writing. . .

Facebook is becoming a place where I can too easily share small thoughts, however, my blog gives me an outlet for my spirit. We need time for that~ maybe I'll have more of that in the future! I'm going to try and find little nooks and crannies of time. But, for now, I'm enjoying that second cup of coffee and heading off for my Saturday at work! It's a good thing I enjoy my job!

Wishing everyone here a wonderful weekend.

Life is good

This rosebush my daughter gave me one year is blooming beautifully!

The pink and white flowers we planted in a pot on my front porch, but I don't remember what they are.

These irises were planted by the original owner of my home and bloom every year. This year I think is the best!

March. . . brrrr

I just had to add some color! I'm giving myself a day off today. Well, not really, lots to catch up on around home. Laundry. . .mostly. Sometimes we just need time and quiet. It's a rainy day here. The grass is turning green and is about to need mowed. I've been learning alot lately about

* boundaries

it's ok to have them!

communicating them takes practice

* avocados

they're good for your wrinkles and for your health!

* courage

acting in spite of fear or the feeling that everything has to be perfect first!

wish me luck in acting with courage in my teaching job search for next year.

Well, better get back to folding the laundry. Have a great week!

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Beautiful Day Today

It's dark outside my window. I'm still on my first cup of coffee. I've just visited some of my wonderful blog friends posts and I've decided it's going to be a beautiful day today!

I wish you BLESSINGS!!

Thin Places by Mary E. DeMuth

I'm reading a new book right now, Thin Places, by Mary E. DeMuth. It speaks of God's healing and coming near to us in the thin places of our lives. I find, as I read, that I have many thin places of my own that God continues to shine His light through to bring new life and healing in ways I could never imagine. Mary DeMuth opens her heart in such a way as to allow us to see ourselves reflected in her words.

"My internal messiness is a thin place for me where I realize God loves messy. He delights in my raggedy ways. Why? Because He redeems my messes. Cleans them up. Polishes them until they shine so bright the reflection of Jesus smiles back. Paul affirms this. He says, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves" 2 Corinthians 4:7

Clean shiny folks don't have the sacred privilege of understanding God's greatness or power because they're so full of their own beauty. Messy folks understand the metaphor of an earthen vessel, a clay pot, a canister that holds refuse. And, in that humble state of mess-dom, we welcome the beauty of Jesus within.

So, yeah, I'm a raggedy mess. But God loves the socks off me anyway. I'm a cracked pot, a vessel God shines His loveliness through. Thank goodness for the cracks; otherwise how would God's glory shine out?"

Thin Places
Page 99

It's a New Year! (almost)

"We will open the book. It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and it's first chapter is New Year's Day."

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

It is Christmas every time

you let God love others

through you. . .

Mother Theresa

Only Two More Days~

This is a reminder to myself that if and when I feel over stressed this holiday season,

I promise to stop, take a deep breath, and say to myself the words, "everything in love". If love is my focus, it brings a peace to my heart and things seem to come into focus. (at least it's worked before!)

Look to the LORD and his strength,

seek his face always.

Psalm 105:4

May the Lord bless your families this Christmas season.

May He hold you in the palm of His hand.

the Christmas spirit... are you lacking?

The Christmas spirit. . . .


I've been thinking alot on this lately, what it is exactly, is it the same for all? When I was young, I always waited for it.  I waited on that warm, fuzzy feeling brought on by Christmas lights and cookies baking in the oven and decorating the tree. I didn't give it alot of thought back then. I always knew it would arrive just in time to go out and buy presents. Some years it was Christmas Eve before I felt moved to go buy presents for my family. No worries...life was simpler then. 


Christmas can be a hard time for those who are lacking. Lacking in anything really~ family, friends, time, money . . .As I've grown older, a panic sets in at times, realizing I'm responsible for my family's Christmas and feeling inadequate.


Just a couple of weeks ago, I was watching the commercials on tv with increased cynicism. I found myself wondering who was behind all of this commercialism anyway. The baby Jesus was born in a simple barn, with hay for his bed. How does buying the latest gadget for our loved ones celebrate his birth? I felt no Christmas spirit. In fact with $4.49 in the bank to last another 4 days until payday I was seriously considering celebrating Christmas with no gifts.  I was reading up about others who had accomplished this successfully and I was trying to come up with creative ideas for other things we could do. I felt peace in God's provision, but for the most part I was feeling very lacking. Lacking financially, and most of all, lacking in the Christmas spirit.


I'm sharing this only because maybe you have felt the same.  I woke up the next morning and I had a message that one of my photos had sold. That was my first little encouragement that God hadn't forgotten about me! Then a couple of days later came more totally unexpected blessings that only God could have sent. I then had to reconcile my latest blessings with my recent thinking. The Christmas spirit was beginning to take over! I entered into that crazy crowd of people looking for just the right gift for their most special people. I didn't feel cynical, or hypocritical. I felt joy! Warm and fuzzy joy! It's Christmas!


"Where did this come from?", I analyzed. I felt God's love and His presence in my everyday doings. I felt peace and began to see things a little differently. Remember how we as children watched our parents prepare for Christmas and experienced the joy of opening our presents on Christmas morning. We in turn tried to imitate this gift giving in our small ways. Making gifts with paper, scissors, glue and glitter or going to the store and buying small gifts that felt like treasures in our small hands.


Well, isn't that what we're all doing at this wonderful season of the year? God gave us His son, His most precious gift. What were the wise men and the shepherd's reaction? They showered Him with gifts somehow sensing the treasure they had been given.


Yes, we will get caught up in a little bit of materialism, watching for the best prices and driving all over town for just the right color or size. We're merely children, giving to those we love, imitating our Father, who showers us with gifts. God sees us as we see our children. Running around trying to give back just as we have been given to.


So, give yourself the gift of Christmas. It's Ok! You don't have to spend a fortune that you don't have. Enter into the joy. The Christmas spirit will sneak up on you.  Remember that what we're lacking at this time of the year seems magnified, but also the blessings ~ the simple gifts  take on new and a greater meaning. Homemade goodies, hand made gifts, time with friends or your children. Take time for the simple things. Remember what a difference one day can make. Open your heart.

It occurrs to me, as I finish this, that all that I have and all that I am is because of that baby sleeping in the hay. Isn't that all that really matters?

Merry Christmas!


"God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,


He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.


His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.


This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. "


2 Corinthians 9:8-11
 
(Now go read my friend's The Bus Stop. I guess great minds think alike!)

December

It's December!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! We'll be headed to Oklahoma this afternoon. I've been enjoying getting my house in order and baking lots of banana bread.

I always wonder how the days know how to "look" just like Thanksgiving time. The air is crisp, the sun is shining brightly, the leaves and pecans are on the ground. . .

Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go!

Love to all!

today

I'm at home today with a "code in my dose". The sun is shining beautifully outside. I've been wishing for a whole day to spend at home to catch up on laundry and clutter but now that I'm home for a day I don't feel like doin' nuthin'!

~

Oh well. I guess we all need "nothing" days now and then. Maybe I'll go try to read a book and take a nap.

~

Hope you all are enjoying this November day!

A..a...a...a...Chooo!

Devotional

Here we go again! (I like to repost this from time to time as a reminder of where I've been and where I am going).

If you are a single mom, regardless of the path that brought you here, this is for you..so you can know that you do not have to walk alone.

For all of the women who share the role of single mom, including me, we belong to a very large group of women who share the same heart, the same struggles and the same needs.

In learning how to be single, sometimes we attempt to attach ourselves to another human being, hoping they will be able to meet our deepest needs and heal our hurts. We miss the feeling that we are part of a whole. In our “neediness” we think another human being might hold the answer. So we reach out to relationships that only pull us farther away from where we need to be and bring more hurt into our lives.

The most important truth I can share with you is this. . .

There is someone who I have fallen in love with. I am committed to Him and love Him with all my heart. I am not alone anymore. He meets every need I could ever have. He never leaves my side. He is faithful. He is strong enough to protect and provide for my children and myself. Spending time with Him every day has become my greatest joy. I have learned that I can trust Him in any situation. Regardless of how impossible the world may see my plight, He can bring blessing from it. He has shown me that the greatest blessings in my life have come from my greatest difficulties.

He is my God and my Savior Jesus Christ. He loves me. He loves you. There is nothing we have done or will do that can change that love. We have made mistakes, we have made wrong choices. Those we loved have made mistakes and wrong choices. These do not limit God and His power to restore. His grace and mercy are greater than our weakness. For it is in our greatest struggles that we see Christ. Only His pain on the cross is enough to save us from our greatest pain.

When we get to the place in our lives when there is no one else, no place else to go, nothing left to believe, Jesus is there waiting. His arms are stretched out to us in love and forgiveness. We can find Jesus in His Word, in the books we read, in the music we listen to, and always in our heart. I found that after years of wondering if I could ever be welcomed back into God's arms, I was the one who had looked away. All I had to do was look to Him. My eyes met His and He was right there with me. No human being could ever be as close.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:1

We Do Need People

Hi all,

Everytime I read my devotional for single moms (devotion of a single mom) I feel like something is missing. When I say that we don't need another human being, I mean that we can't look to another person to fix us and I'm referring to romantic relationships. Because the truth is, God created us to need other people. We need to be around strong women who depend on their faith daily and who have been through what we're going through. We need our families. We need to spend time talking with women who need our help in facing the struggles they're in.

We do need each other. So don't isolate yourself as you live life as a single mom. We were never meant to live in isolation. It's easier to be strong when we have people to hold us accountable. Find a Bible Study for women or single parents and you'll find out you aren't alone out there. Find a singles class who like to do fun things together and include the kids.

Life as a single parent does have it's difficulties, but it has it's joys and triumphs too. Remember the definition of courage: doing something in spite of being afraid. It's not the absence of fear, but acting through your fear. When you get to the other side you'll be a stronger, more courageous person! It's really rather exhilarating!

(and then maybe someday . . . a long way down the road. . .or maybe not. . .whatever God has in mind.)

It's the Weekend!

We're getting packed up to go camping tomorrow morning early. My son is bringing a friend he's known for 10 years and we're meeting my class from church. We'll be sleeping in tents and cooking outside and fishing and hiking. I'm looking forward to the quietness of nature. We're going to Dinosaur Valley State Park. There's a Creation Evidence Museum next door that I've always wanted to visit, so maybe we'll get to this time.

They have a river you can cross on foot. First you have to take off your shoes and socks and step over the rocks through the cool water. It's lots of fun! This photo was taken a few years ago. I'll share new pictures when we get back home.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I plan to enjoy my two days off! Yippee!

My heart this morning

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Psalm 42:1-2

This is my heart this morning. I've got to run and get ready for work.

Blessings to all who stop by!

Trust in the Lord

Trust God from the bottom of your heart,

don't try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go

He's the one who will keep you on track.

~

Proverbs 3:5-6

~

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding
in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

~

You know, sometimes life doesn't make sense. Sometimes we feel a burden we can't carry on our own. Sometimes we feel that we're being asked to do something that is more than we are capable of. Even when we can't see what God is doing, we trust. We won't try to understand, we will simply look to God and listen for Him everywhere we go and in everything we do.

~

My heart trusts in you, Lord. I'm listening.

I wanna be good!

The sweet children in my classroom are already teaching me lessons in faith and in life.

~

There is a little boy who when he realizes he's gotten off track and said or done something impulsively, something he knows he shouldn't have, he looks up at me with big eyes and says " was that mean?" "I don't wanna be bad", " I be good", " I wanna be good!", or some variation of that. I look him in the eyes and tell him "you are good" and get back to the lesson at hand. Sometimes it takes reassuring him more than once.

~

Last night I found myself praying about a situation and my heart was yearning, speaking to God with the same words, realizing my own foolishness, "I wanna be good, I wanna do right and listen to you, Lord" and in the silence I heard it. My own words echoing back to me. I heard God saying back to me "you are good. You are loved."

~

Thank you Lord for being there always.

~

"Never will I leave you

never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

New days and blessings

Gee, it's been a long time since I have written! I've been missing all of you out there in blogland! It's been a busy time around here, moving my daughter off to college, getting my son ready to start 7th grade, beginning my new job, getting used to an emptier nest, enjoying my daughter's first visit back home for the weekend, and the start of school.



I love the sweet children in my class at the middle school. I'm a teacher's assistant in a classroom of 9 children with varied disabilities. The challenge right now is to discover what each child is capable of learning and what they already know. They are all such characters and completely unpredictable.



While I'm so thankful for God's provision for my daughter to go away to college, (for me that part is a pure miracle) I find myself asking Him to give her the strength to face feeling homesick at times and that she will find friendship that she is missing right now.



I'm thankful for my two jobs and for that regular paycheck that will start arriving September 15. I'm counting the days!



I'm thankful for my 25 year old son who is now living and working in Denver, Colorado. He is in the perfect job for a young man who loves adventure and is great working with people. He sells roofs to homeowners who live in areas damaged by severe storms. So in the past few years he's had the opportunity to live in in Orlando Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Austin and now Denver. I'm so proud of him and his success.



I'm thankful for my 23 year old daughter who lives nearby and is patiently waiting for that marriage proposal. (Pray with me on that one) I won't be surprised if one day she just up and goes to law school and advances in politics. I'm very proud of the gracious young lady she is becoming.



I'm even thankful for my puppy who finds a new shoe to destroy every day!

Love you all! Have a great week!

Whirlwind

Wow, what a week we've had and it's not over yet! I've seen God's hand at work in so many ways, just in the working together of the details and providing what was needed at the time. One week ago today, I sent Chad off to church camp for a week. Because Shannon had to be at Oklahoma State on Monday morning for sorority recruitment week, he went to stay at his older sister Suzannah's house on Sunday. He got to go fishing and swimming and then on Monday morning she drove him to church to catch the bus to camp!

In the meantime, we drove up to Stillwater, Oklahoma so that Shannon could be there bright and early Monday morning. The girls are staying in the dorm she will be in permanently so she actually got her permanent room assignment for this week too. Then I drove back home in time to celebrate Suzannah's 23rd birthday Tuesday. I then had a few days of empty nesting and working. I received a few heart wrenching phone calls from my homesick daughter but she made it through the week and had alot of fun.

Friday, the buses arrived with the church camp kids. My son had a wonderful week and couldn't wait to introduce me to the new friends he made. He can't wait until Sunday now. That's cool! Answered prayers there!

We drove back up to Stillwater yesterday, and after dropping Chad and our little dog Oscar off at Grandma and Grandpa's, I met up with Shannon to see her new sorority house and celebrate with her. I wasn't in one in college so this is all new to me. Since she's going off to another state without any of her friends from home, I'm praying this will give her a good place to belong. Because the week wasn't an easy one for her and the decisions were really difficult, this was a faith building time for her. She prayed that God would put her in the sorority that He wanted her in, that she was supposed to be in. When she received her invitation it was obvious to her and all who had been praying with her, that her prayers were answered. The house even has a beautiful little prayer room in it. Her aunt and cousin shared in the day with us and it just felt like a blessed day all around.

We left Chad with his grandparents for a few days and drove back home late last night. Today, I had the special treat of spending the afternoon with BOTH of my girls. We went antique shopping and just looking and had wonderful, rare girl time. It was especially special since Shannon is leaving this week to move into her dorm and get settled in for school to start next week on Monday.

Life is full of changes and new beginnings. I've seen God's hand rescue me and just give me the strength I needed for the moment many times this week. I've seen Him work in my kids lives. I've seen Him stretch time and money to get us where we needed to be.

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.

Psalm 37:3-7

Thank you, Lord. Our days are in your hands.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice,

in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 5:3

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone,

my hope comes from Him.

Psalm 62:5

My Grandma's House

My Grandma loved her church.


She loved welcoming us into her home in the country, standing at her blue painted front door, graciously giving out hugs and "I wuv u's" to all of us grandkids. I haven't stepped inside her home for several years. When she moved into the nursing home, my mom and uncle were able to sell her house to eight members of my Grandma's church. They rented it to various tenants.

My Grandma's house was situated on acres of Oklahoma farmland. It was beautiful to this Oklahoma girl's eyes. There were chicken coops, hay barns, water troughs, a windmill, bird houses, red clay creekbeds winding for miles it seemed, leading to treasure troves of antique finds, acres of pastureland to explore. . . heaven on earth for this city girl and her little brother. Breakfasts of musk melon and toast with sorghum molasses, long summer walks with my Grandma through pastures to find treasures, old glass bottles or tools, we never knew what we might happen upon. Climbing down the steps into the damp basement to help with weighing eggs, or canning. Dinners of fried okra, sleeping upstairs with the windows open, watching and listening for the birds as the sun came up.

One of her bibles, with her name inscribed on the front, has been my treasure since she passed away several years ago. I'm always finding words she had written alongside and verses underlined. The embroidered birds I shared with you in a previous post were lovingly stitched by her hands.

We were in Oklahoma for a family reunion yesterday. On the way home, I decided to drive by my Grandma's house. I knew she gave some of her land to her church. I didn't realize they had already completed their new building across the pasture from her home. All of the creek beds were leveled and the trees were gone. The barns and windmill had disappeared as if some hand had brushed over the surface of the land. On a whim, I turned into her driveway. There was a man there removing the garage door. "They're tearing the house down tomorrow, so they wanted me to remove the door today", he says as we approach. Evidently black mold has made the home unlivable and so the church has decided to tear it down to build a parking lot.

It was like stepping into a moment in time that was meant to be. Walking into her home still filled with memories and love, tears filled my eyes as I ran my hand over the walls and doorways, remembering days and moments, sights and smells. I watched my own kids look around with awe, the realization of the history and meaning our memories held shining in their eyes. Members of the church had already removed all of the glass doorknobs. Dust and cobwebs filled the window sills and corners. Upstairs we found sloppily painted purple walls, and a poem painted into the closet where as children, we had played with the same antique toys enjoyed by my mom and uncle, left for a new generation of kids to discover.

Wanting to take something of these long lost memories with us to hold and keep, we were able to remove some handles from her cabinets, a window from the front door, and two beautiful solid wood doors. I know my Grandma would love the fact that people from miles around are worshiping God on her land. I know she isn't holding onto her home any longer. It's not needed where she is, but my heart still aches a little as I let go of it today.

My grandma loved her church. I hope the church treasures her gift for generations to come. (They'd better. I wonder how long this parking lot has been planned? Sorry, just the cynic coming out in me.)

p.s. Can you believe I forgot to take a picture? When I find an old one to scan I'll add it here!