Laura Story - Blessings

Eagle vs. Ostrich

Have you ever thought of the difference between an eagle vs. an ostrich?

This week has been one of those "stick your head in the sand" kind of weeks.  I get sad and depressed sometimes.  I know it's hard for some people to believe, because I am always so full of cheer and smiles.  I have even been called, "Pollyanna" and a prude by some people because of my "glass is half-full" mentality. 

But...

Pain is relative.

What might be painful to me, is not to someone else.

And vice versa.

God has allowed certain people to enter my life.

For a reason.

Sometimes just for a season.

Whether they realize or not, they encourage me.

In this season, I choose to be moved.

Loved.

Humbled.

Grateful.

Blessed by their presence.

I KNOW that ALL things work for good for those that love the Lord.

Sometimes, I just need a reminder.

Thanks for the Post-It Note, Father.

May I never question your direction.

May I remove my head from the sand.  

May I  "soar like wings on eagles.  May I run and not grow weary.  May I walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:13

Happy Mother's Day; Part II

Some of you may have already read this.  I put this on my Facebook page and thought I had posted this to my blog, but didn't.  But that's okay.  As mothers or caregivers, we need all the encouragement we can get...365 days a year and not just on Mother's Day!
So, Happy Mother's Day again.  Never underestimate your worth!  You make such a difference! 

13 years ago today, my hubby flew us to Grand Cayman for a week. He knew how hard Mother's day would be for me after we'd suffered 2 miscarriages and were told I may not ever carry a baby to term. 9 months later, our son Aaron was born. Happy Mother's day to all women! Whether you've birthed a baby or not, you have nurtured some soul whether it's a child you adopted, a foster or step child, a student in a classroom, or even a pet. May you realize your worth regardless of your status.

Happy Mother's Day!

Chris Tomlin - "I Will Rise"

Wealth: In your Hands or in your Heart?

Chick-fil-A has the best chicken sandwiches!  Ever since my first taste, I've been hooked.

Not only are the sandwiches great, but everything on the menu is delicious and fresh.

Recently, I started reading "Eat More Chikin: Inspire More People...Doing Business the Chick-fil-A Way" by S. Truett Cathy.  He is the founder of Chick-fil-A and his message is inspirational; not only as a business owner, but as a Christian.

In his book, he writes, "I try to store any material wealth in my hands, not my heart, so that I always feel free to give it away when the opportunity arises."

Such wise words.

They remind me of one of my favorite passages in the Bible:  Matthew 6:19-34

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Indescribable Chris Tomlin

May today be carved in stone!

The Measure of a Man

Tonight we will honor my dad at his retirement party.  He recently retired after 42 years with Southwestern Bell/AT&T.  He rarely missed a day of work and never complained...although when he worked outside climbing telephone poles, he braved the freezing cold, scorching heat and occasional wasps.  He came home each day at 5:15, singing "Daddy's home", where he was greeted with hugs and kisses.  After dinner, he'd always have time to help with homework...especially Algebra.  I appreciate all of the sacrifices he made for our family.
I am so proud to be the daughter of a man with such integrity!
Congratulations Daddy!  May you enjoy this new season in your life!
Love you much!

Giving Up + Giving In = Peace

I like to be in charge.
Control freak.  Yes.  That's me.

But let's face it.  We are not in control of many things.
Especially in matters of life vs. death.

Today, my father-in-law had open heart surgery.  3 bypasses because stents were no longer an option.
Wednesday, my mom will find out if the biopsy performed last Friday on her breast is malignant or benign.
My husband and I both have aunts and other family members dealing with cancer.

Too much to handle.  Along with all the other things piling up on my plate.
So I am...
Making a God box.  All of my worries + burdens + trials will be written down and placed in that box.
Giving up control + Giving in to God's will = Peace

What Matters to YOU?

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
Henry David Thoreau

So glad that God lives within me.
Along with...
His salvation.
Grace.
Wisdom.

Like Thoreau said, what I have already done or what I have yet to do in my life, are tiny matters.
If I don't have God, NOTHING matters.

How He Loves Us- David Crowder Band

Do You Judge Those You Love? Do You Love Those You Judge?

“The more one judges, the less one loves.” ~ Honore de Balzac 

A MUST Read!!

If you love true stories like I do, I highly recommend this book, Same Kind of Different As Me.

You WON'T be disappointed!  NY Times Best Sellers List for over 152 consecutive weeks!!

Beautiful by MercyMe (Lyrics)

A Love Like No Other

Today, I want to tell you a love story.
It all began exactly 13 years ago on a lonely Valentine's day.  I was lonely because my husband had to work that Saturday, but knew he would be home that evening for our special Valentine dinner.

Just two months before, in December, my heart had been pricked.  It was pricked by an answer to prayer.  After what could only be described as the worst year of my life, I prayed, desperate to hear God's voice.  My life had been shattered by not one, but two miscarriages.  Both times I was 3 months along in the pregnancies.  Both times, my babies' hearts had just stopped beating.
No warning.
No sign of anything indicating the pregnancies were no longer viable.
After the losses,  D&C hospital procedures, unanswered questions, and tears, my own life felt no longer viable.  All I had ever wanted was to become a mother.  And now, I was no longer sure I ever would.  Could my life still have meaning if I could not bring another life into the world?

Sleepless and tired of feeling apathetic, lying in bed one night, I cried out to the Lord; praying for Him to show me what to do next.  I prayed that He would give my life purpose once more.  As I awoke, His message was clear.

He wanted me to talk to women who wanted to have abortions.

God heard my prayer!  He answered my prayer!  I felt joyful.  But soon, that joy turned to doubt.  Like Jonah, I questioned God's direction.  "Why me, Lord?  I can't go talk to them!  They want to kill something I may never be blessed to have."

For almost one month, I wrestled with God.  I resisted His voice.  My heart remained pricked to His call of obedience.  Although He had answered my prayer, I was angry and confused.  How could God use me, such an unwilling and inadequate servant?  What did I have to offer to these type of women?  Where would I even go to find these women?

God was about to show me!

Sitting in a church pew that cold, January morning, I squeezed Jason's hand.  Our eyes met, mine filled with tears.  "I don't think I can do this.  Let's go," I whispered into his ear.  He just stared back into my eyes and squeezed my hand, reassuring me that I would be okay.  It was Sanctity for Human Life Sunday at our church.  A day to honor life.  A day to remember the life that had been taken through the legalization of abortion with the landmark, Roe vs. Wade case, dating back to January 22, 1973.

To honor new life, our church was hosting a special baby dedication service that morning.  At the front of the church were babies, most of them newborns.  Their parents and grandparents were happily dedicating them to the Lord on this special day, marked with photos and keepsake bibles.  My heart sank.  How I so desperately wanted to be standing in the midst of these blessed people!  Our first baby, who was due in December, would have been 1 month old.  If it weren't for our misfortune, Jason and I would have been dedicating our little one.

After the ceremony, a woman came to the podium to talk about a place that needed help.  This place was an advocacy and pregnancy center, focused on giving help to expectant mothers by offering services such as pregnancy tests, sonograms, parenting classes, and baby supplies.  It was a non-profit Christian based center that was run by volunteers and churches.  Along with giving practical care to these women and families, these volunteers were trained to offer life-affirming choices to these women; giving brochures and contact information on adoption agencies, providing paperwork to help with housing and benefits, and teaching what God has to say about the importance of human life through His word.  Along with diapers, formula, maternity/baby clothes, these women were also given a bible and a place to go to for a warm embrace, along with a willing, non-judgemental ear to listen.

This is where God was telling me to go!  So now, He had not only told me what to do, but also where I would find the women He wanted me to speak to!  Along with a brochure of the pregnancy center's location and contact info, I left church that Sunday morning with hope, and a renewed sense of purpose and direction for my life.  I decided to visit the center and become a volunteer.

It took me a few weeks to build up the courage; afraid that the other volunteers would wonder what I was doing there, especially if they knew I secretly didn't want to talk to women who may want to end their pregnancy through abortion.  Saddened by the thought of being alone on Valentine's day, I mustered up the strength to shower and dress, as Jason left for work.  God was speaking to my heart that morning; reminding me of His answer to my heart's desire which was to bring beauty from pain.  I truly wanted something positive to come from my grief.  I knew what I had to do:  I would go to the center today!

On that Valentine's day, 13 years ago, I began a journey.  A journey that led me to become a volunteer, witnessing to dozens of pregnant, (sometimes relieved to not be pregnant), young women.  God placed compassion and love in my heart for these ladies and their babies, that grew with each pregnancy test, prayer, hug, and bible given.

I finally understood what unconditional love meant.  The kind of love that my parents had for me.  The kind of love that my Heavenly Father has for all of His children.

Valentine's day, February 14, 1999---a year to the day that I walked into that pregnancy center, I walked into a hospital where labor was induced, bringing forth the life I so desperately craved.  On the following day, my son, James Aaron Powell, was born.

As I celebrated his birth, I celebrated my own.  The birth of motherhood.  A love like no other.

Aaron's birthday---February 15, 1999

What's On Your Bucket List?

I will never be as young as I am today.  That's why my bucket list continues to grow.  There are so many things I want to accomplish before I die.  The Lord has given us this beautiful world, our earthly home; one that I plan to see, experience, and explore before He calls me to my home in heaven.

Last night, as I swallowed the raw oyster on the half shell, I knew one more item could be scratched off my bucket list...and glad that getting sick from the raw oyster would not be one of them!

Here are a few adventures that I enjoyed with my family last summer...

Zip-lining in a Mexican jungle---Summer 2010

Spelunking in a cave---Summer 2010

My list seems to grow, rather than shrink.  Every time I cross through a new adventure, I seem to add another.  You might ask, what's on my bucket list?

• Some are tasks that I fear---One day, I hope to join my husband as he boards the boat to go scuba diving in the Caribbean, instead of just waving from the shore.
• Some are places I have yet to travel---Kissing my husband on a gondola ride in Venice, Italy.  
• Others are things I haven't found the time to complete---those darn scrapbooks!  
• OR things that I am still trying to learn---mi espanol es todavia muy pequeno.

However there's one thing that I recently added to the list, that I already know how to do.  I'm just not ready.

Forgiveness

Recently, I was told something so hurtful.  Just down right cruel and painful...and it had to do with the way  my son was treated by a person whom I trusted.  My friend cried, as she told me what she had witnessed.  Nothing illegal.  Just mean.  Like kicking-a-person-when-they-are-down kind of mean.  

My heart still aches at the thought of this behavior.

My first thought was to confront this individual.

My next thought was to somehow hurt him, like he had hurt me and my child.  

Revenge

No.  

Revenge has no place on my bucket list.

After the initial shock wore off, I knew what had to be done.  What God calls us to do, which is forgive.

The bible tells us, in Colossians 3:13,

 "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (NIV)

Forgiveness takes time.  So I know it won't happen overnight.

But I do know that with God's help, I will one day be able to cross forgiveness off my list, too.

Love More

Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; love more, and all good things will be yours. ~ Swedish proverb

Forever Threads



Mom + Dad ~ June 1969

Forever Threads

Fading colors

of the unraveling stitches,

Time has passed,

Seasons have changed.

Hold me dear,

in your arms.

Your strong arms that bind,

                            You are---

                    My blanket of time.

            
     Copyright 2008~Written for my loving parents, who are still best friends after being married for almost 42 years.



 

      Mom + Dad  Christmas 2010

Prayer Request

Aunt Mary

This is one of my mom's sisters. 

Besides being a sister, she is a wife, mother, grandmother,

 daughter, aunt, and friend.

   She was diagnosed in December with lung cancer...and she has never

smoked a day in her life.

  Each week day, she rises early, around 4am, to prepare for the hour-long drive to Baylor Hospital in Dallas.  Five days a week, she has radiation treatments. 

One of those days, she also has chemotherapy.

When she returns from her treatments, she goes to her job.

When she comes home from work, she cares and nurses for my uncle,

 who is in very poor health; requiring special medical attention and oxygen. 

She is such an inspiration to me. 

She is so positive, even in the face of adversity.

After being diagnosed, she was comforting ME on the telephone, assuring me that she would be okay...what a strong and faithful lady!

Although I don't understand the reasons and the whys,

I do know that God has a plan. 

When I feel upset about what she is going through, I am reminded of Paul's words. 

In Philippians 4:5-7, he tells us that, "The Lord is near. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

How reassuring to know that God's peace can surpass

my own, fleshly understanding!

Please remember my sweet Aunt and her family

in your prayers. 

Do Feelings Define You?

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” ~ Oscar Wilde

Stressed.
Unhappy.
Lonely.
Sad.
Jealous.
Angry.
Miserable.
Bitter.
Sick.
Tired.
Desperate.
Bored.
Weak.
Depressed.
Anxious.

Feelings.  We all have them.  But do they define YOU as a person?
Feelings can become thoughts.  Thoughts can become actions.

Have you ever met an unhappy person?
I don't mean they "feel" unhappy, they ARE unhappy.
Unhappy with life.  Unhappy with everything and everyone around them.

Personally, I do not enjoy hanging out with unhappy people.
They are what I refer to as "joy stealers".
They steal others' joy.  Not because they want the joy.
No.
They just want others to be unhappy with them.

Feelings should never define you as a person.
Yes.  You will feel pain.  You will feel depressed.  You will feel sick.  You will feel sad when you lose loved ones to the inevitable fate of death.  You will feel angry.  You will feel stressed.  You will feel tired from working hard.  You will feel defeated.

But ask yourself...how would others describe or define you as a person?

No one wants to be labeled as bitter.
Sick.
Misunderstood.

Don't allow these natural, human feelings to define you.
Remember:  Happiness is a choice.

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.” ~ Unknown

"What does the worker gain from his toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on men.  He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil---this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever..." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:9-14  

Like Aaron Shust so beautifully sings in the following video/song, "My Savior, My God"..."I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed, what God has planned, I only know at His right hand, Stands One who is my Savior."

Good Reading? Choose Any of this Author's Many Gems!!

Precious Memories---one of my favorite hymns!

NEVER Underestimate the Power of Prayer!

This is a picture of my Great Gran, my dad's paternal grandmother.
Although it has been 30 years since she passed away, I think of her often.
When I was a young child, she wrote me letters, which prompted me to learn to read so I could know what she wanted to tell me.  Through her sweet, mostly shaky, hand-written cursive she told of how she prayed for me.  How she prayed for my parents.  How I needed to make God important in my life.

Never, ever underestimate the power of praying for another.  You will never know how it will touch a person's life.

Until we meet again, Great Gran.
In loving memory of my sweet and dear Great Grandmother, Francis (Fannie) Palestine Vail Keith  1899-1980

How Can You Bless Someone Today?

Philippians 2:1-4 says..."If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." 


Have you ever been in a situation where you needed some one's help?
You tried to remedy the situation yourself, but found that you just couldn't do it alone?


Vulnerable.


I will admit:  vulnerability scares me.  I don't like admitting that I need help.  My mom said I was like this, even as a young child.  Very independent.  Spunky.  Sometimes sassy, as I'm sure my mom would tell you.


About 6 years ago, I needed to have a medical procedure performed in a doctor's office.  The procedure would last around 2 hours, from start to finish.


I was scared.  No, not scared of the pain from the procedure.  I could handle that.  I just didn't know what I was going to do with my 3-year-old son.  There was no amount of Color Wonder markers/books that could keep him busy for that long!  Thankfully, my older son would be at school.  Unfortunately, my husband couldn't be away from work on that particular day.


My parents now live 20 miles from me, but at the time, I had no family living nearby.    Friends, yes.  But many of them worked, and my young son had never stayed with anyone other than family.  
What would I do?  I prayed that God would help me...

1. Find a solution to the problem
2. Embrace my stubbornness 
3. Give in to being vulnerable

God placed a certain friend on my heart.  I knew I should call her, but again, my fear of not wanting to impose or "put her out" stopped me.
Maybe I could just schedule the procedure for another day.
No.  I knew it had to be done.


I picked up the phone and called my friend.  I explained the situation and apologized for "needing help".
That's when my friend said something that I'll never forget.
"You have helped me numerous times.  Why is it hard for you to allow people to bless you, when you need help?"


I had never thought of it like that; denying someone the chance to bless me.  For God to bless me through them.  But that's what happens.  When we think we have it all together, when we don't want to appear weak or vulnerable, we sometimes miss out on blessings.


Not only did my friend keep my younger son during my procedure, she prepared a delicious meal for my family's dinner.  I can't begin to describe how blessed and loved I felt!  


The dinner was a huge hit in our home, so I got the recipe from my friend.  Every time I make this dish, I think of my special friend, and I am reminded of how blessed I truly am!


I would love to share the recipe with you!  Here it is...


Baker's Chicken


4 chicken breasts
1/2 stick of butter
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup of white wine
1 can of cream of chicken soup
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 box of angel hair or bow-tie pasta 


In large sauce pan, melt butter on low heat.  Add dry mix, stir in wine and soup.  Add softened cream cheese.  Stir until smooth.
Spray 9X13 pan with Pam.  Place frozen chicken breasts on bottom of pan and pour sauce over.  Cover w/foil.
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.  Serve over your favorite pasta.
Enjoy!  

Life's Litmus Test

litmus test-

1. A chemical test using litmus paper that determines the amount of alkaline or acid in a mixture. 
2. A personal test using morals + values.

Remembering using litmus paper in chemistry?  You held the litmus paper strip in a beaker filled with a solution or mixture to find if it was an alkaline (base) or acid.  If the solution had equal parts, then it was said to be in pH balance.

But what about our own personal litmus test?  What do we use as a gage or as our litmus paper?

Hint:  Like the litmus test strip, it is made of paper.  In fact, it has many pieces of paper, bound together to make a book.

The answer:  Bible

God's holy word.

Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (NIV)

How can the Bible be used as a litmus test?
How can we know if something is right vs. wrong?
Good vs. bad?
Healthy or harmful?

My favorite is found in Philippians 4:8-9.

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me---put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you."

Wise Words

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that really matter." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Casting Crowns - Who Am I

Sanctity for Human Life

On January 22, 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion with the landmark case, Roe vs. Wade.

Did you know...

• There are over 3,000 abortions performed in the U.S. everyday.
• Around 1.3 million every year.
• It's estimated that in the 38 years since abortion has become legal, almost 50 million babies have been aborted.

Imagine.

50 million brothers, sisters, fathers, or mothers that God intended to place on this Earth.  But none of whom would become a son or daughter to a frightened mother.  A mother who chose death over giving her baby a life.

As a former advocate and volunteer at a local Christian pro-life pregnancy center, I know many women would not make this choice...if only abortion was never an option or choice.

Think you know Roe vs. Wade?
Well, think again.

Did you know...

• Norma McCorvey better known as "Jane Roe" was a 21-year-old divorced woman.
• She gave birth twice before becoming "Roe."  Her mother raised her first child.  The second was given up for adoption; to be raised by the father of the baby.
• When she discovered she was pregnant for the third time, she lied about being gang raped in order to have an abortion.  In 1969, rape and incest were the only reasons you could have a legal abortion in the state of Texas.  By the time her case went to trial, Norma had already given the baby girl up for adoption.
• Norma's lawyers knew that she lied about being gang raped, but pushed for the case to be heard to establish new laws to legalize a woman's right to abortion.
• "Wade" was Henry Wade, the Dallas County District Attorney who represented Texas at the trial.  He was also the prosecutor in Jack Ruby's trial for killing Lee Harvey Oswald.  Up until Roe vs. Wade, Wade had never lost a case.
• Norma McCorvey is now a pro-life advocate.  In 2005, she tried to petition for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade.  Her petition was denied.

So, a woman who wanted an abortion, but NEVER even had one was the catalyst that shaped history and affected countless lives.  Many of the women I counseled at the pregnancy center experienced shame, regret, and heartache over the decision they had made to end their baby's life.

Here's an excerpt from Norma McCorvey's second book, "Won by Love" published in 1998:

I was sitting in O.R.'s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them. I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me. 'Norma', I said to myself, 'They're right'. I had worked with pregnant women for years. I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself. I should have known. Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo, and I said to myself, that's a baby! It's as if blinders just fell off my eyes and I suddenly understood the truth — that's a baby!

I felt crushed under the truth of this realization. I had to face up to the awful reality. Abortion wasn't about 'products of conception'. It wasn't about 'missed periods'. It was about children being killed in their mother's wombs. All those years I was wrong. Signing that affidavit, I was wrong. Working in an abortion clinic, I was wrong. No more of this first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff. Abortion — at any point — was wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear.^[2]


In 1983, President Ronald Regan declared the first Sunday closest to the date (January 22, 1973) when abortion was legalized in the U.S. to be Sanctity for Human Life Sunday.  


Let us remember that ALL life is precious and God-given.  
And God-breathed, just like His word...

• "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don't be afraid.  I will provide for you and your children." ~ Genesis 50:20-21
• " Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.  For the LORD is your life." ~ Deuteronomy 30: 19-20
• "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." ~ Mark 10:14
• "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the right of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." ~ Proverbs 31:8-9
• "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.  Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands'?  Woe to him who says to his father, 'What have you begotten?' or to his mother, 'What have you brought to birth?'  This is what the LORD says---the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:  Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?  It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it." ~ Isaiah 45:9-12
• "You whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.  Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you;  I will sustain you and I will rescue you." ~ Isaiah 46:3-4
• "Before I was born, the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name." ~ Isaiah 49:1
• "Can a mother forget the baby at their breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." ~ Isaiah 49:15-16
• "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young." ~ I Timothy 4:12

And my personal fave...

• "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." ~ Psalm 139:13-16

Where Do You Find Hope?

Happy New Year!  Hoping you had a Merry Christmas and survived the bad drivers, joy stealers, and craziness that ensues during the celebration of our Lord's birthday.  I enjoyed sweet time spent with family and friends, pausing in my busyness to reflect in HIS presence in the midst of presents.

Since it is a new year, I decided to change the background on my blog.  I was presented with many choices.  At first, I selected one with various shades of gray.  Gray is a color that could best describe me during the month of January.  But then, God brought this dandelion to my attention.

Remember blowing on a dandelion as a young child?
Making a wish.
Hoping your wish would come true.

Isn't it amazing how much trust we place in a weed to fulfill a dream?  Even blowing out candles on a birthday cake or throwing coins into a fountain = silly + ridiculous when you sit and think about it.

I must admit:  I'm guilty.  Guilty of placing hope in nothing that could deliver my heart's true desire.  My desires change with the wind...or in today's case, the temperature.  I desire to be warm today.  To feel the sun on my face, while facing the waves, on a beach in the Caribbean.

Sitting in front of a space heater, wearing two layers of clothes just doesn't compare.

When I started this blog, I made a promise that no matter what I was going through, I would NOT complain.  Only positive chatter.  Like my blog title describes, "Being mindful of the blessings poured out on me daily..."
But today, I must tell you something that I dislike, no let's be perfectly honest---something I hate.
I HATE winter.  January is a cold, gray, disgusting reminder of how far I must look into my calendar to find my friend:  Summer.  So while I type, I dream of summer and will explain to you a little more as to why I detest Mr. Winter.

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease.  It is a disease that affects your thyroid.  Your thyroid is what controls your body's temperature.  Hence, my body's temperature is always cold.
Even with multiple layers.  Even with the heater on.  Even with my Snuggie AND a blanket.  Even when everyone else could be sweating and declaring, "IT'S HOT!!", I would still be cold.
It's a cold that doesn't cease.  A cold that is buried deep down in my bones.

Some days, it even reaches my soul.

It's hard to find hope, when the solution (summer sun) seems so far away.
Those are the days I must turn my face, not to the sun, but to the One.

The One who gives Hope.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken." ~ Psalm 62:5-6

Here's hoping you find warmth in Him...and maybe with a cup of hot chocolate, too!
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." ~ Romans 12:12