ForeverLOVEd

Now may the God of hope fill you with all  joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope  by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13  I hate the end! The last page of a good book, or the final line of a romantic movie have me often begging, "Please do not stop here, I want more". This morning I sent my brother back to his home in Seattle with a big hug. And as much as I told myself I would not cry, a small tear or two streamed down my cheek as well! Tomorrow I head back to work after almost a full week off; another ending. And as we carefully wrapped up ornaments last night,  it was clear the Christmas season was coming to an end. In only two short days we will see the end of the year. And as it often seems to happen over the holidays many people are saying good bye as they watch the end of a loved one's life. So as you put the Christmas decor back in the attic and wave good bye to the last family members to head back home after a holiday together, how do

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;" Luke 2:8-10 As I carefully took out the pieces of our family nativity, I placed them out on my mom's favorite table in the entry way. Beautiful Mary, strong Joseph, and sweet baby Jesus. The animals spread out around them. I opened up the box with the three wise men and placed them off to one side. To the other side I gently placed the shepherds. An angel and stars completed the scene and I stood back to see the display. There in front of me, in wooden figurines, was the Christmas story.  Every year as I place out each piece of the story, I imagine what it must have been like to live each different char

...for “ Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved .” Romans 10:13 I put my contacts in for the first time in almost a week. And sure enough, within minutes my eyes looked like I had been crying for hours or running on no sleep again. Burning and red, as soon as I returned home I sadly ripped out my contacts and put back on my glasses. Because without them, the truth is I can barely see.  It looked like I might be wearing my pretty little glasses for an undisclosed amount of time.  It is funny that the thought had me annoyed today, and yet I can remember a day only years ago when I had longed to wear glasses. I used to make up not being able to see just because I felt left out that I did not need them. I even had one of those fake pairs I put on to pretend while I played school with my friends.  Then one day, my senior year in high school, I could no longer see the white board in chemistry. And when I had my annual eye exam, I did not pass. I needed glasses. And a few slo

For  if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:46 The art of picking a Christmas tree...I guess I never really appreciated the process until this year as I stood in the beyond freezing (for SoCal) night air and observed the countless people selecting their trees. As I moved the tree, which was two feet taller than I, up the line, I saw people with varying trees by their sides. It certainly spoke to each of these people, you could almost tell by their tree what kind of people they were, and what kind of lives they led.  There were the middle aged men with average size trees. Young families collecting little trees for each kid. My dad and I giggled as the man, who appeared to be a surgeon, wheeled the biggest tree on the lot up to the cutting station and proceeded to recommend just where they should cut the trunk. You could certainly  tell each family had a dream for their tree and that this tree would become the focal

"Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD." Song of Solomon 8:6 My family has known and loved our fair share of pets! We raised three parakeets consecutively by the name of John the first, John the second, and John the third. All of which were named by my brother, who apparently was fond of the name, John. We have had fish, frogs, walking sticks and a hamster. There was a brief period where we were owners of a rambunctious lab named Griffey and a period of time when the main pet in the house was our floppy eared bunny named Brownie.  But amidst Beethoven and Madonna, there was one pet that kind of stole our hearts more than any other. The day we brought him home, he could fit in the palm of our hand. The kind and gentle yorkie, that lived without a name for the first week we owned him, made his way into our lives and gained our lo

The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. Jeremiah 31 My favorite. Naturally all of us are allowed preferences over one thing or another. Even just today, I filled out a list of all my favorite things for Secret Santa at work.The blanks on my page were filled with coffee, chocolate and the famous "In and Out Burger". For one reason or another, my taste buds and unique likes had me writing down these things. And to be honest, I would be thankful to receive any of them as a gift. Have you ever noticed how much of our lives are spent deciding what we like and what we do not?   Drive thru windows, alone, leave us with a ton of options. You can buy the same shirt in ten different shades, of pink. The world is an open array of options that best fit what we "want".  However, sometimes, when we are lucky, we are gifted beyond our means by a God who knows so perfectly what we n

By your perseverance you will secure your lives. Luke 21:19  The older I get the harder it is for me to wake up in the morning. And day after day, when the alarm goes of blaring one of my favorite songs, it seems to me that it is impossible that it is already time to get back up! But sure enough, when I check the clock, it is. And every morning as I drag myself out of bed and make my way to the bathroom, I become slightly annoyed by the morning routine. With groans and grunts to greet the members of my family, I start the process. Just to start my day, I have a list of things to do to get ready. I wash my face, brush my teeth, put my contacts in, and on most days I shampoo, condition and blow dry my hair as well. I pick out my outfit, apply my make up and pour the coffee. Little tasks that inevitably need to be done every day.  So every morning, grumpy and still half asleep, I start chucking away. Just turn on the water I tell myself, my eyes still barely open. Get the soap. Wash. I

He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:7  I have always been a kind of dreamer. I do not know when, or where, or how I became this way but I am! My dreams, I do not think, have ever been too elaborate. Just normal size really. Sometimes they will be about my future family, or a vacation somewhere faraway. Other times I dream about what it would be like to walk in someone else's shoes. Somedays I dream about the dream house, or career, or guy. And some dreams I know are silly and others I believe in fully. This may be my greatest strength and largest burden. Dreams, when they come true are pretty amazing, when they fall by the wayside though it can hurt.  How far do you follow your dreams?  I think there is one word that describes me to perfection, COMMITED. When I believe in something, I am committed to it fully. I do not give up or give in until, without a doubt, I know it will not be possible. I am  the type of girl that not onl

“ Come, let us return to the   Lord.  For   He has torn   us , but   He will heal us;  He has   wounded   us , but He will bandage  us." Hosea 6:1 When I finally rolled out of bed on Saturday morning, my original plan was to just jump back in and go back to sleep. According to my calendar, I had no plans for the day. However, something about a free Saturday put me in "nesting" mode.  I quickly decided that I would spend my morning de-cluttering my bedroom. The frames that made a collage over my bed frame looked a little tired to me as I made my bed and the pile of things I had waiting for frames suddenly came to mind. Quickly, I started piling all the pictures as I took them off my wall. There were holes in the walls where the nails used to stand. Not a problem, I thought to myself. I quickly covered the holes with putty and continued to organize and clean. A quick touch up with paint and it will be good as new.  When I first dabbed the paint on the wall I was a litt

"Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence."  - St Augustine of Hippo A lightsaber lay in the middle of the sandbox as I headed out to supervise the kids as they played. Only, it was not ours and at first, I could not even tell what it was. As I picked it up, I realized perhaps it belonged to the kids that lived just over the cement wall. I could hear sweet voices and giggles coming from their direction. As I peaked my head over, I sent the lightsaber above the fence and asked if it was theirs. It was. I moved on to patrol the sandbox once more.  Before I knew it, a curious blonde boy, the type of kid that watches the teacher's every move, decided that he should start throwing all of our toys over the fence. I quickly got his attention and explained to him that I was only returning what had been thrown over the fence accidentally. The giggling boys on the other side tossed our toys back along with a ball that had to hav

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. Isaiah 9:3  If you do not know my friends and I, we are in almost every way CRAZY! We are beyond bizarre. We have our quirks and emotional hang ups. Some days we fight like family. Other days we giggle like a pack of teenage girls. We push each other daily and constantly try to seek Heaven. But my favorite thing about our friendship is that through it all, through everything, there is at the heart of our friendship a spirit if JOY! And maybe better put a JOY from the Spirit.  We in our hearts have the most evident joy experienced by following the Spirit. And committing our lives to following GOD. Yes, it does not mean that everything that happens in our lives is so good. But, it does mean that we recognize and love in a manner that we know everything that happens in our lives is a result of God's love for each of us.  This pas