Pressing On

We have become pros at moving. Or so we like to think. Unpacking and getting everything in   it’s place was a goal for the week. We wanted to be settled before the weekend family get together and definitely before Christmas.  We have downsized with each move these past five years and especially this last one. Knowing we would have less room and storage in this new house, we sold, donated and tossed a lot before the Movers even loaded up the truck. But as each box was unpacked, I’d see one more thing that needed to be dealt with. Keep, sell, donate or toss? I had piles all over the house.  I also had a drawer for stashing stuff I just wasn’t ready to “deal” with. I can’t label it a junk drawer but that is exactly what it is. Junk I need to deal with at a later time. My goal at hand was to get everything looking just right. I had this idea in my head of what that should look like. I mean the stager at the Houston house used all of my stuff to make things look so good, surely I c

Thirty one years ago, I was a little over eight and a half months pregnant. It was our first big move as a married couple. Jim had been relocated from Southern California to Las Vegas. We had purchased a house and while we waited for the close of escrow, we stayed in a little furnished apartment that was a lot more like a hotel room just off the Vegas Strip.   I didn’t want to be there, away from family and friends and the little condo we had recently purchased. The nursery had just been completed and I was looking forward to all that I had dreamed of in that little home. But I chose to embrace the adventure and follow my husband to Nevada and make the most of it.  That was the beginning of our moving journey. Little did I know then what God would do and where He would take us in order to do it. We didn’t know God back then. But as I look back I can see His hand in every bit of it, revealing Himself to me. Protecting us, guiding us to places that we never would have gone. He h

Most Americans will spend today rushing around in preparation for their Thanksgiving celebration. The holiday where we give thanks to God for all that He is and has done in our lives. It’s a day we typically get together with family far and near, invite friends to join and we over indulge in all things savory and sweet.  It’s said to be the busiest travel day. My husband will be among those millions flying home from his business trip. The grocery stores will be packed, the lines will be long, and items like chestnuts, marshmallows and fresh herbs will be short. Ah, the holiday season.  I have incredible memories of going to my grandmas house . I don’t eat any of the traditional Thanksgiving meal but I love the tradition of family get togethers. We’ve had many good times of laughter, playing games and watching football. Well, at least listening to the guys watching and yelling at the game.  Of course like most families, we started our own traditions when we moved away and o

This week has been an overwhelming home coming. My husband and I were talking about how often we have moved, but here in Arizona, it feels like home. We put roots down here nearly 19 years ago, raised the kids here and it is where we all met Jesus. It’s only natural that it would feel like home every time I came to visit over the last five years.  When we moved away, we had plans to come back when we retired. That was going to be a long span but that was always the goal. I knew when we left Arizona it was God’s plan. He made it so clear. However, it wasn’t easy. Following Jesus is so simple but rarely easy. I’ve learned to embrace the difficult even though on most given days, I’d prefer to choose easy.  Last weekend, after a very long and tiring two plus days driving, that Arizona State line sign was a sight for sore eyes. I remember when we first moved to Arizona from California. I did not want to move. In fact, it was one of the most difficult moves I had to make. I did not

We just hit the five year mark of when we felt God calling us out of Arizona and leading us on a new journey. First into the Midwest, then on to the East Coast and eventually to our current home in south Texas. To say its been a whirlwind would be an understatement. Sometimes, I look back in my photo stream and think “ Wow, that seems so long ago.” While another picture revealing the same time frame feels like yesterday. How can this be? Regardless of how it feels, time sure isn’t standing still. I find myself struggling again with wanting to use the time I have here on earth to truly matter. Am I making a difference? How have I spent these past five years?  One thing I have learned is that my physical address does not matter. God will use me wherever He plants me. Often times, I’m praying “God give me opportunities today to make an impact on someone’s life.” Then at the end of the day think “Well, He must not have had any for me.” Which is so not true. The problem is, while H

Annie gets restless if I don’t get her out to run at least a few times a week. I often wonder how long I will be able to keep up. My hips, knees and joints scream in protest that first mile until they warm up. She starts off faster than I like but after a couple of miles we will typically fall into a groove and run along at a compromising pace. Unless of course we see a squirrel or cat. Then I’m doomed. The other day we got out earlier than normal. Young kids were waiting at various corners for their school bus to pick them up. I love those times. I love watching the kids impatiently waiting and playing games with each other. Mom’s hanging out, coffee in hand. It just makes me smile. We had just ran past one of these bus stops with several kiddos. Annie was doing great and staying focused when out of nowhere a little fluffy, yapping dog comes chasing us. This thing was small enough to run between Annie’s legs. Instead it just ran right up to her, barked and shot in another directio

I’m sitting outside with my computer today. It’s that nice out! Beautiful, blue sky with just enough of a breeze for the wind chimes to sound. The birds are singing and Annie is contently, laying belly down at my feet because we played hard. I find all kinds of reasons to be outdoors on a day like today. I even took her for a walk after my outdoor group exercise. I still haven’t showered. So there’s that. Another reason to be outside in the breeze. I was glad I had my phone on a day like today so I could snap a few pictures. Everything is in full bloom. Trees now have their green leaves again. The contrast against the blue is always stunning to me.  Knowing that the heat of summer is coming soon and the humidity it will bring makes me want to truly savor this moment.  I often ask God, “Show me You today” and most of the time (not always) He does so in nature.  He will send a Cardinal to remind me of Phoenix. He has kissed my face with snowflakes in Chicago when I truly neede

I’m one of those messy eaters. I can almost guarantee when I have chips and salsa, I will be wearing salsa for the remainder of the day or until I can get to a change of clothes. I love hot sauce and basically put it on everything. If I am wearing white and even bring the hot sauce out of the refrigerator and my husband is around to witness it, he will jokingly say “Hope you aren’t attached to that shirt.” A few years ago, I found a new hot sauce that I love. It’s green and extremely hot! Appropriately named Green Dragon Sauce. Did I mention that it’s green? As if that’s a game changer. It’s not! I now have green dragon sauce running down the front of my top.  I think I need to buy more dark colored shirts and less white.  I love white though, don’t you? It screams clean and pure!  I have a few pairs of white pants and shorts. In fact, I wore a pair to the golf tournament last weekend. Jim went off to buy a hot dog, I actually thought, “It’s good I don’t eat hotdogs with runni

I can easily go down the path of fear, worry, anxiety and doubt. What if _________ happens? What if ________ happens again, changing my happy, little world? What if ________ never happens? What if ________ always stays this way? And I go about my day worried and focused on the blanks in my life that cause anxiety and fear; wasting hours that could have been spent on more valuable things.  I can look back on my life and see the hand of God all throughout. Even before I knew Him, He used ci rcumstances and events to draw me close to Himself.   Some of those that were once fears or caused worry in my heart, I now see that I had nothing to fear because He was there and saw me through. Not only did He see me through, He made me stronger in my faith in the process.   There are some things in my life that for some reason God has chosen not to change. Things that can still cause anxiety and fear of the unknown. The what if’s? The blanks in my life that I need to continually hand