God Stops

     Let me explain...

     My way of seeing things through my God given eyes, have become my God Stops. Little things: the way trees grow beside each other and seem to bow to each other to create a sort of arch, the twinkling of each star in the night sky, the moon being the brightest it has been in 20 years, sitting outside wondering what else is out there. Even if you are an unbeliever in Christ, you have to wonder the complexity of nature and the universe. Take a minute to think about it.
     Last weekend, the moon was the brightest it's been in 20 years, 16,000 miles closer to Earth. How else could that happen? And my husband and I got to enjoy a part of that night. Things have been so crazy the last couple months, and even though we have been out on a couple dates, I wanted quiet time with him. Just us. No kids, no noise, nothing. So we decided to go outside and sit under the stars. It was later I found out about the moon. I had no idea until a few days after our sitting. You can't tell me it was coincidental. I have realized that nothing in life is coincidental. Things happen according to God's Will and only His. He created the universe and He says the way things should be. The weather, nature, animals, everything responds to His voice. He gives us the choice to respond to His voice. That's a pretty BIG God Stop to me. I have learned to appreciate things for the way they are because it was exactly the way God created it to be. I notice many things now that I would have never thought about before.
      I challenge you to do the same. Look at things from a new perspective. See the little things. A cloud in the sky shaped like an animal or object, a butterfly flying in the wind, a bird gathering twigs to build it's nest. I challenge you to find a God Stop. Look at things through your God given eyes, and appreciate the little things.

       Do you have a God Stop that has gotten your attention lately? Tell me about it, I would love to hear your God Stop stories.. :)

Time Travel

     I have been thinking a lot about time travel lately, due to the fact that I watched a movie about it over the weekend. I've been wondering about things like, what would I change, how could I do things differently, or maybe not do something at all. Do you ever wonder about those things? If you could go back in time what you would change about yourself or something you did?
   

       There are some things that I probably would have liked to handle differently in the past, but I'm not sure if there's really anything inparticular I would change about my life. Things that happen, happen for a reason. Most of the time we have no idea what the reasoning is behind something that happens until much later, if ever at all. No, I wouldn't even change the loss of my child. I would, however, like to go back in time to examine myself on the way I handled it. It's been 4 years and the memory of those days are slowly fading. I would like to see myself, within that time, to see how much I've grown from the experience. There are many things I would like to go back and watch myself as I handled certain issues, problems, or occurrences. Mostly, just to look at how foolish and immature I was in the way I managed situations.

     God reminds us "not to dwell on the past, and to forget the things of old." (Isaiah 43:18) He doesn't want us to ruin our lives thinking about what "could have" been, or what "might" have happened. He wants us to learn from our mistakes and heartaches that have happened and then grow from them. We never will completely forget about our pasts, but it helps us to remember what we once were and what we now are. 

     It might be fun to take a trip back in time to see things in a new perspective, with a little more "grown up" in us, but to actually change or "fix" something, would be a mistake. Take life for all it is worth, and live each day with the outlook that this too shall soon be the past. You can only go day by day, so make yourself proud of today. One day you'll look back and wish you would have done things differently.

A Few Favorite Things

     As a very busy mom of three, I don't have a lot of time to myself, much less think about really doing anything for me. My quiet time consists of the hour to an hour and a half after they go to bed, when I get to sit down, relax, and unwind. Now this may sound a bit corny, but I think it's very important that within our very hectic lives, that we need to sit down and reflect on our favorite things. Some of those things may include, but are not limited to: being a doctor, cook, teacher, disciplinary, referee, song director, pillow, taxi driver, etc...; you get the point. Yes, I do love being all those, along with being a wife, but I sometimes need to think about the things I want, or desire to do, or be.
    
     I desire to be a light unto a very dark world, a friend that someone can talk to, a simple yet complicated girl. I want to be a nurse in a Neonatal Unit at a Children's Hospital, a counselor to a couple that is grieving for the loss of a child, to write a book reflecting on my life and marriage so that other couples can see that a relationship can survive. There are so many things that I would love to do in life, that I sometimes wonder if there is enough time to do it all. Those are a few of the big things...
     A few of the little things I love: a pedicure, a walk in the park, watching my children play, a romantic date with my husband, the ocean, the sunset on a summer's eve, feeding the ducks at the pond, and even horseback riding. I firmly believe that with these things that I love, I should set aside time throughout the year, to carry out my favorites. This gives me time to reflect and admire the little things in life that make my particular existence special.
     God has created each of us with such uniqueness that we should not take these little things for granted. Everything that is said or done in our lives, is a lesson in shaping and molding us for His Will. Nothing that happens in our lives is coincidental, nothing. He is constantly working on us to better further His Kingdom.

     So please take a moment and think about your favorite things. Think about how you can set aside a little time each year to accomplish these favorite things of yours... you will be glad you did :)

Tattoo or no tattoo?...

     I like to dream. I like to see myself better off financially,  with a better attitude, in a better relationship. I have goals, aspirations, and amibitions. I am my own person, even if I am married.
     Recently, my husband and I have been having a little tiff about me wanting a tattoo. I have wanted one for a few years now, in rememberance of Leah. Nothing big or disgusting looking, small and cute. Something just for me to have as a symbol of her. My hubby on the other hand, not so much. He is very anti-tattoo, piercing, anything that defiles the human body. I can see his points on some levels, but I also remember our wedding vows. I'm still me, he's still him. I know I should honor him in the fact that he doesn't want me to get a tattoo, but he should also honor me in letting me be me. It had been a sturggle for me in deciding whether or not to get one, and i've been told that if I'm struggling this much I shouldn't get one. I don't see that really having anything to do whether I decide to get it or not. What bothers me is that he's supposed to love me for me. I will make mistakes, do things I'd regret later, and I will disappoint him. I'm not perfect, no one is. I still love him reguardless of his faults, because I have come to the realization that he's going to screw up.
     So, I think I have decided to not get the tattoo, but I still don't know for sure. A little bit of it is the price issue. Man, I did not realize how expensive a tattoo can be. It's insane! I don't know we will see what happens, but I probably won't get the tattoo. It's frustrating.

Home is Where the Heart is

¹house

noun, often attributive \ˈhaus

1: a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families :

2a (1) : a shelter or refuge (as a nest or den) of a wild animal (2) : a natural covering (as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony of zooids b : a building in which something is housed <a carriage house>

¹home

noun \ˈhōm\

1a : one's place of residence : domicile b : house

2: the social unit formed by a family living together

3a : a familiar or usual setting : congenial environment; also : the focus of one's domestic attention <home is where the heart is>

    


     Notice; a house is a building or structure in which one lives, a home is a social unit. A house can look like anything, a metal building, wood, brick, or stone. We are not defined by the way a structure looks like on the outside, but by the structure on the inside.

     I have been having a slightly difficult time with moving into a trailer. As a mom, I do want what's best for my children. Ideally, I would love to have a three or four bedroom brick home, but for now this will have to do. Then I realize, my children are warm, they are dry, and they are safe from the elements of nature. My house is not defined by the way it looks, who's lived here before, or even the location of the property. My home is defined by what goes on in the inside. Am I teaching my children what it is like to have a close family? Am I teaching them that we can make it through any type of obstacles, as long as we have each other? Are they seeing, that even though we may struggle and have rough times, that we still love one another more than anything?

     I love the old saying "Home is where the heart is" because it is so true, on so many levels. Home IS where the heart is, no matter where you are physically, you can turn any "house", or structure, into a home. When your heart is in it for the long haul, through good times and bad, a cardboard box could be a home if it had to be. Making that conscious decision to fight through the unlikeable and yucky moments, is most certainly something worth building a home for.

     I am learning many things on this journey that God is taking me on. I am very goal oriented to turning this silly house into an amazing home...