Leaving A Trail of Beauty

Do you ever just feel too tired to be grateful? Everything feels like an effort, and your one day feels like you've lived several? That's me today. I've been up since before dawn and segmented my day in such varied parts I feel like they've each been a day. Let me share how God filled my tank through each segment today: I finally got my mammogram -- after three tries at three different locations, this one met my insurance requirement and found me a worthy candidate to be squooshed. I know it's a little early, but make your appointment now to be seen during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. I had a little time to enjoy the cool morning breezes before temperatures soared again into the mid-90's. Hmm . . . it didn't used to be this hot at this time of year . . . I got a chance to spend some good time with my son and then some concentrated time writing. Poppy got to go to the vet, and getting her nails trimmed was my favorite so far! Ma

Let's be perfectly honest and gut-level REAL today. I DON'T feel thankful. at. ALL. I woke up this way: Frustrated Anxious Irritated Angry Exasperated Grumpy Eyes burning Nose stuffy Feet pain-filled from their first contact with the floor Ears ringing and itchy ( maybe somebody's talking about me says the old wive's tale) Not a wife A mother to adults who selectively adult and set my teeth on edge A new puppy mom to a quickly growing and energetic one who is also on my last nerve today. Annoyed that I am still blogging here even though I bought my domain and have been spending my pennies since July on a website where I still feel like a guest, can't figure out how to even set up a blog, or make the whole thing private so my failure in this venture isn't out there for everyone's eyes or WORSE no one's eyes ever to see. Soooo . . . what to do with my crabby, cranky, ungrateful self? My worries are so miniscule in comparison to

I'm just going to be really honest. I feel utterly and completely guilty for not being more grateful than I am. I've spent the last 72 minutes giving myself a headache over a website I started working on almost two months ago and still have yet to figure out. At this point I don't even know how to unpublish it! To my dismay, it has been visible to the public for weeks without my knowing it. Talk about feeling like you showed up  to the party without getting dressed first or really knowing you'd arrived at all! I keep coming back here to this familiar place with its familiar format to let my words spill from my keyboard and find their way onto your screens. So, enough of my bellyaching! Let me make some space for thankfulness, turn my bleary-eyed gaze and my heart toward what God has been doing, and leave a trail of beauty rather than griping about something I cannot change in the next five minutes. Here's how God has been filling my tank (or what I am t

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze & give testimony to the ways God blesses me each week) I have been keenly aware of how my attitude may shift in new season beginning this week. Though I had no clue when I walked out the door of my former job that I would spend the next almost four months under-employed and awaiting God's provision in an up close and personal fashion I'd experienced almost exactly two years ago -- I can now draw comparisons and contrasts in how that time was oh so different from its counterpart. Those musings may show up in another post soon, but let's get right to the focus of this post -- THANKFULNESS.  How has God been faithfully filling my tank? Providing me with a fantastic job as the nanny of a sweet baby boy and his older brother, who is in pre-K. I get to spend my days singing, reading board books that I remember all too well from my days as a mama to the pre-talking crowd, and taking strolls around the neighb

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) A little technical difficulty with Chrome this morning, in addition to my own late start means a delayed Thursday Thanks Tank. I hope y'all are having a great Thursday so far! This was the key passage this morning in my devotion on  YouVersion . I found it timely and pertinent. One of the details of this short devotion stood out to me: "The mere act of being thankful can transform a grumpy heart into a joyful one." I have absolutely found that in my own life. I can start the day feeling three steps behind, awakening later than I would have liked, and begin beating myself up for all the ways my day is going to go down the tubes due to my bad choices. However, if I take a moment and refocus my attention on gratitude rather than on myself and my shortcomings . . . I find a salvageable day already filled with reasons to be thankful. Here are a few that came to m

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) Good Thursday morning, all! Some weeks feel like a blip between Sunday and Thursday. This is one of those weeks where I'm not quite sure where the time slipped away, but I definitely feel like the speed was accelerated. Let's dive right in to how God is filling my tank: Provision and sources of income that could only come from Him. Relying on the Lord strengthens my faith and gives me reasons to intentionally take my hands off my circumstances. Dog sitting for my daughter. The year-plus without Shelby has been heart-wrenching at times, and having Ava here fills a void for a small window. Painting and setting up an online store for my art. It's a learning curve, but the results will be exciting on so many levels. More to come on that front! Processing opportunities and decisions with my dearest bosom friend. There is nothing like hoping and dreaming with so

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) Good Morning! I'm not good at faking things. I have one of those faces and apparently even one of those texting styles that reveals my true thoughts in spite of the emojis I choose to tack on to the end of my full sentences. Yes, I am a " grammar girl " and text with case sensitivity and punctuation. ( You never know who might be watching, of course!) Back to my first comment . . . I'm not good at faking or pretending. I can't hide it if I'm not doing well or feel deflated. It's written all over my face and bleeds through into my writing. So, I am going to follow through with a commitment I made to myself in breathing life back into my blog.  I will intentionally take time at least once each week to give thanks for how God is filling my tank. He doesn't stop doing it just because I don't feel upbeat and grateful.  He doesn't

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) I spoke briefly last Thursday about the sacrifice of praise.  "Through him then let us continually  of fer up a  sacrifice of   praise  to God, that is, the fruit  of  lips that acknowledge his name." Hebrews 13:15 ESV I am keenly aware of the way I currently look on paper. How the numbers DO NOT add up. How my month is exceeding my wealth financially. I have gotten more "no's" than the one "yes" I have longed to hear. Yet in all this, I know that I know God is still Who He says He is. God can STILL do what He says He can do. I am still who He says I am. His Word is STILL alive and active in me, my life, and in that of those lives around me who believe in Him, too.  So, though at moments throughout ALL of the last few days, weeks, and yes, months now since I have been employed in a full time fashion, I have felt slayed, abandoned, is

Hey y'all! It's Thursday already or Thursday finally, depending on your perspective. Either way, it is Thursday, and you know what that means.  Let's take a moment for: ( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me)  Sometimes this practice flows right off the fingers and onto the screen. Other times it is a sacrifice of praise.  Whichever it is for you today, know He accepts it gladly and is glorified in it when you intentionally redirect your gaze to give testimony to what your friend, Jesus, is doing in your life. He gets the accolades, and we are all blessed in the process. So, how is God filling my tank this week? My friend Jennie . We have met through hope*writers , and I would have joined just to meet her. You can find her on Instagram @theweekleyconnection. You need to start following her, because she's got great wisdom to share and will encourage your heart. But that aside, she had a fa

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  Providing in ways I can only attribute to Him. People are praying, and He is answering in His time and in His own fashion. Through creation. Being a part of the team at AR Workshop Rome is a joy and an outlet for leaving a trail of beauty each time I cross the threshold.  Being treated to a movie with my son. We had a great time at this one yesterday. Having time to explore some of my favorite things. I've been painting, sewing, and writing. All pursuits that bring me joy and set my soul at rest. My weighted blanket from Mosaic Weighted Blankets . I've had mine for about six months now, and it has made a world of difference in my sleep habits. Not only is mine pretty, but it provides me with a comfort level I had forgotten I could have during a night's sleep. I even drag it out to the sofa if I'm taking a nap. Relief f

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  Freedom: I take it for granted way too often, but I am deeply proud and blessed to be an American. I am grateful for the men who signed the document all those years ago to intentionally set forth a different kind of place for people to live free. Have their ideals and convictions been compromised in more ways than I can enumerate here today? Absolutely. However, I still sit here in my home today, with the freedom to open my laptop and write what I want, when I want, and hit "PUBLISH"  for you to read when you want. Lots of our freedoms are still intact, and I am grateful. Fans: The heat of summer has been steady and steamy this week. I am extremely grateful for fans, both the ceiling kind and the portable tower one I've been toting around my house to whatever room I am currently using. At the moment it oscillates at the foot of m

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  I am serving at VBS for the first time in eight years, and it has been a true pleasure. My crafty heart is in its element amongst paint, glue, crayons, colored pasta, and pom poms. I've met some wonderful ladies who have served alongside me, and we have shared the message that no matter what comes their way -- at age 3, 4, or 5 -- God is good. The same is true for me. When life isn't fair . . . God is good! When life is scary . . . God is good! When life changes . . . God is good! When life is sad . . . God is good! When life is good . . . God is good! Life DOES get wild, and through it all . . . God is GOOD!  I am thankful to have friends who will vouch for me on a moment's notice. The depth of friendship is boundless, and I am blessed beyond measure in longevity and quality. Summer breezes. I am so thankful for the early morning

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  First, I'm going to walk a ways down memory lane and then head on to the thanks tank. Bear with me as I get a little nostalgic on you: Have you ever just had an a-ha moment blast you out of nowhere? I had one of those recently.  When I was growing up, we had a nightlight in our bathroom. Just a little plastic box with a light in it that had a Scripture verse on it. My mom probably got it at our local Berean Christian Bookstore.  I truly never thought much about the nightlight or what it said. It was just always there. It lit my way to the potty if I got up in the middle of the night.  It shed a warm glow at the end of the hall way if I needed to find my way without waking anybody up.  That is, if I came in late once I had a curfew ( and oh, did I come in late more than once! So I got to be an expert at all the squeaky spots in

( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  • Driving:  After a week of being driven around or being home bound, I have enjoyed the freedom of taking myself places on my own time schedule  • Donating : always feels good to clean things out and give away what I don’t use or need anymore  • Dessert: this week was apple cranberry—still using up all the extra cranberries I bought and froze back at Thanksgiving. Yummy.  • Healing : so amazed all the time at how God knit us together in the first place and how He crafted us to heal after an illness or surgery • Dining: I had lunch with both of my daughters, at their house! They were great hostesses and served a delicious meal. • Discernment: moments of clarity in the midst of lots of blurry. Grateful God is giving me peeks into what He’s doing.  Have a beautiful Thursday, my lovely friends!  Please let me know how