Hope Lives

A swirling cascade of vibrant color
Fell to the ground
Leaving a thick, yellow, autumn blanket
across the yard



The garden,
once lush with green foliage
And blooms of every color
Looked tired and aged

But suddenly a surprise
...there amidst the dried up leaves
And barren branches

One vibrant bloom



And the promise of another



...a lesson in hope and perseverance.

Life is yours to live...
...make the most of every day
...reach a little further
...try a little harder

Bloom against all odds.

Today I Pray...

...with gratitude
for the quiet ways
You speak to me

...and teach me to live

Keep in the Sunlight

I'm sorry that I've been neglecting you lately...
Life has been a sudden whirlwind...

...and I have good news to share!

After almost 20 months working for a consulting firm
and sometimes feeling lost in a world unknown to me
I am returning to my professional roots
in higher education and fundraising!

This opportunity is a true blessing --
as I will be doing work that I'm passionate about
and hopefully making a real difference
by raising funds to provide
an exceptional learning experience...
...and a promising future for deserving college students!

I have been blessed!

So, this week I've been wrapping up
my work with company A...
...each day getting more excited about what lies ahead
...but also worrying a bit
about how I'm going
to keep up with my blogs

...but then I realized that no matter what my work days bring
there will still be moments of quiet reflection each day

...and though the timing or frequency
of my postings may change
no matter what...

...there will always be time with You.


Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. ~Benjamin Franklin

In Living Color

You pray and pray...
...searching, hoping, believing
that in time,
you find the answer to your prayers
in His plan for you

Through trying times
It can be hard to understand
the "why"

We stand in the midst of the storm
Exposed
Afraid
...maybe even doubting

Like the sky in the midst of a storm
Life is playing out
in shades of gray



We look to the heavens for answers

We fall to our knees
and pray some more

Eyes closed
Heads bowed
Quietly waiting
trusting
believing

Then you feel it
His hand upon your shoulder
The warmth of His love
Like a ray of sun on your back

Hopes raised
You lift your head
And realize
you are living
the vibrant colors of life

Blessings

Sometimes there is no need for flowery prose...
just a simple,
"Good morning God.
Thank you for another glorious day!"

Today is one of those days!

Count your blessings...
...out loud.

Life is good.

Sing Out

Today is a day to celebrate
Give me the voice to sing out

The reasons are many
The joy is real

Help me find the words
To sing out
....And celebrate today!




Today I Pray...

With a joyful and grateful heart
....for my Dad

Thank you for working so hard
to find your voice
and your strength
So that you could come back home
where you belong

With gratitude and love
....for my Mom

Thank you for showing us
Every single day what real love is all about
...patient and kind
...never ending

A child couldn't ask for more inspiration
than the love you two live
Every day, every week, every year

Welcome home Dad!

Love..."bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

If I Could

If I could change one thing about you...

...I wouldn't.
I love you, exactly the way you are.



Today I Pray...

...for serenity.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

In Every Moment

We all have our moments...

...the split second
when our world
somehow changes

Sometimes it changes
for the better

Sometimes
for the worse

But we all have those moments

The moment...

...when we first let our voice be heard
...or learn to ride a bike

...when we say, "I do"
...or hear our newborn baby's cry

The moment...

...when we are laughed at
...or fall off that bike

...when our heart stops because
the phone rings in the middle of the night

...or we realize
that somehow we cheated disaster

The moments...

...when we stand tall
...our eyes welled up
with tears of joy and pride

...or fall to our knees
...and weep in sorrow

Good or bad,
In every moment...

I know You are there

You are the one
who lifts me up
yet keeps me grounded

You are the one
who reminds me to breathe
and helps me get back on my feet

You are the one
who is there
....in every moment


Photo from Google images


Today I Pray...

...for Your grace

Help me to see
the blessings
that surround me

And find comfort
in Your presence

Help me
to make and see
the very best

...of every moment


"Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice." Isaiah 41:10

Whispers

Each day begins the same
A stretch
...to open myself
to receive the day You've given me

A moment of thanks
A prayer for Your guidance
throughout my day

Then a quiet moment while I listen
For a cue from You

"How can I serve you today, God?"

Sometimes I hear Your response
In the rush of the wind,
In a hug from my child,
Or in the purr of the kitten
Curled up in my lap

Sometimes I hear You calling
From a distance
And I spend my day
Searching
Listening
Following your call
Each moment
Moving closer to You

Then other times
Like today
Your presence is certain
I am calm, peaceful, centered
Yet Your voice is but a whisper

…and it is only through
Quiet reflection
That I can hear



Today I Pray…

Stay with me today…
…help me quiet my mind

So that I can hear
Your gentle whispers

I am ready to walk
...please guide my footsteps

Help me, today
....As always
To be the person
You have designed me to be

No One Heard

She cried out in the night
And no one heard

Helpless
Hopeless
Alone

Ashamed
She hid the bruises
So no one would see

And though his words
Cut through her
like a knife
She shielded her bleeding heart

She cried out in the night
And no one heard

Helpless
Hopeless
Alone


Image from gunfightersview.blogspot.com

Today I Pray...

...with a grateful heart
for the loving relationships
that have always been a part of my life

I am a lucky one...
...others can't say the same

I pray for help and healing
for the wounded souls
who are impacted by domestic violence

May the abused
find comfort, peace and love

May the abusers
seek help and self-healing

May the rest of us
find a way to make a difference


I first started to learn the staggering facts about domestic violence through my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. Over the years, Alpha Chi has adopted several national causes. Currently, almost all of our chapters, both collegiate and alumnae, work to end domestic violence. Although I am not associated with an alumnae chapter, I want to do my part to help end the horror of domestic violence.

I offer my post today in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I would like to ask you to help me make a difference for the estimated 1.3 million women who are victims of domestic violence each year.

Here are just a few ways you can help.

• First of all -- PRAY -- it matters.
• Share this post with your network of friends.
• Email it.
• Tweet about it.
• Blog about it.
• Spread the word however you see fit.

In addition, as an independent representative of Wildtree (all-natural foods products), I will be donating 20% of all sales made this month to Silent Witness National Initiative. Please consider shopping with me as a way to eat healthy and help stop domestic violence.

Note: This is my own commitment made independently of Wildtree, only sales made through my website will qualify.

Please do what you can to help make a difference.

October Blooms

Inspired by Judy
And photos of her October roses
I set out for a walk in the garden
To catch a glimpse
Of the last blooms of the year

The grass was long and in need of cutting
And for the most part
The the flowers looked tired
and dried after a long summer
Of colorful splendor

But as I rounded the corner
To my delight
There,
Among the aged leaves
A burst of color

Autumns blooms
Of lavender
Red, yellow, pink and orange

The leaves weren't pretty
They've been nipped by early frost
But the flowers were jubilant
Summers last hurrah



Today I Pray...

...that like these late summer flowers
I don't surrender
to the chilly moments of life
And instead keep striving
To bloom

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Quietly

The day breaks
quietly

No crash
No boom
No bang

Just the steady tick tick tick
Of the clock on the wall

And a silent rush
Of comfort
As a new day begins

Surely in this morning sky
I see a glimpse
Of heaven

And I feel Your quiet presence
In my heart
my mind
my soul

Quietly
the day begins




Today I Pray...

...for comfort in the quiet moments

...for peace within

...for a positive attitude

...and the focus to make the most
of the gift I've been given

...another glorious day

In Everyday, a Lesson

If it weren't for the lessons
That I learn in every day
What would be the point
In rising?

Who am I
To think
That there is nothing more to be learned?

Or that somehow I'm entitled
To rest on my laurels?

Surely I can build
upon what I've already learned
To be something more
than what I was yesterday

But if I wake
And stop trying
To discover something new

I am shortchanging myself
and more importantly
...God

Today I Pray…

...that I keep my eyes and ears open
To the lessons of the day

...that my mind stays open
To better understand someone
Who is misunderstood

That I don't rush to judge
But seek to understand

That I keep reaching
Keep striving
Keep learning
Keep living

And do not rest each day
Until I've learned something new
…However great or small

Standing in my own way...

"Don't ask for God to guide your Footstep
...if you are not willing to move your feet."

These were the words that concluded my post the other day. A post I didn't write myself, but an email I received that just resonated with me. Though the whole post had meaning, these words have been ringing through my mind over and over again since I read them.

These words halted the flowery poetry, and caused me to realize that for some time now, I've been doing just that -- asking for guidance, but standing dead in my tracks -- afraid or unwilling to take a step.

I look in the mirror and can see, that physically I need to get moving -- yet quite literally I am idle.

I look around my home and see the work that needs to be done -- but take no interest in doing it.

I pray every day for things to be different for me professionally -- but take no steps to change them.

I am, like this morning, overcast and cold. Filled with self-doubt. Afraid of failing. Asking God to guide my footsteps, but then refusing to move my feet.

If you are reading this and thinking I am being too hard on myself -- I'm not. I'm being honest. I blame no one, but myself, for this feeling I have. I've been talking the talk of joy and optimism -- but I haven't been walking the walk.

So God in Heaven....

Today I Pray...

...free me from the excuses
...enlighten me
...help me to lift this self-imposed burden of sadness and self-pity

Help me to pick myself up
Dust myself off
And give me the courage
To move
...in the direction of my dreams

I know there is a sun
that is peaking through the clouds
Help me to see that light.


"In danger I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is with me; I am not afraid;
what can mortals do against me?"
Psalms 118:5-6

Ode to My Baby

I lived a life
I thought complete
But then I met you
Baby sweet

Precious soul
With angel eyes
Innocence
My life’s prize

And just like that
I've come to feel
The heart of a mother
A bond so real

I feel your hurt
I cry your tears
I’d move mountains
To calm your fears

Little love
Who touched my soul
You changed my life
You made me whole

Originally posted on 'Round the Kitchen Table, September 2, 2009

This little poem is especially significant today...
because some nineteen years ago,
my life was forever changed.

Today I Pray...

...with a joyful heart
for the little girl who changed my life

I couldn't be prouder
of the beautiful, spirited young woman
you have become

I wish you a day filled with
laughter, smiles....
...and tacos!

Happy Birthday Amy!