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Happy Mother's Day Mum!

I decided to link up an old post about the fabulous-ness of my mum and dad!

Love you!

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Maybe

I was an author. Of course, I was only eight, but still that's what I was.

When you are eight, the sky is the limit. Looking back now, I wish I had that same fortitude. The same belief that anything I wanted, I could have. That anything I put my hand to do, I would do it well.

At the end of my book, which I still have I have my ambitions written out. "One day I will be an author, a missionary and a teacher."

Maybe there's still time to be all three.

Easter

A Butcher, a baker, a Fantastic Soup Maker...

My mom had given a particular cookbook to my brother. Of course, he was ecstatic and ready to try out one of the special recipes on anyone present. He chose to make a fantastic soup. My mom picked up the ingredients, and a creation was born!

Unfortunately, I was unable to witness or taste the creation, but my mom took pictures to make sure that I could post this big event online...





Not only is he a basketball champ, and a Special Olympic Track and Field champ, but he can make quite the stew! Good job Bub!

Sticks and Stones...

March, oh dear March. You are almost over, and I clearly did not meet my blogging goal.

Clearly.

However, there is still today, and tomorrow, and the month of April. We will see what those days hold.

But for today, I will have to be satisfied with...everything.

I was feeling truly inspired in my mind to follow NaBloPoMo because this month was all about "Words." However, my inspiration (as already stated) did not move much past my mind.

Words are, in fact, powerful.
They have the ability to draw you in to a story, full of delicious descriptions, calling the reader to turn the page and dive in deeper.
Words are powerful.
They have the ability to bring tears to eyes as a result of good news, and sad news.
And, while they most certainly cannot break bones, they have been known to break me.

Words do have power when we give it to them. When we allow people to determine our value.

Today, again, I was reminded that there is only one voice that I need to listen to, and regardless of what I may or may not have done, the owner of this voice always loves me.

Psalm 139
¹ You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

In A Word

Today is a two for one day.
This month I had determined I would participate in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). This encourages you to post one post every day.

Ahem. It's March 11th.
Obviously, 31 posts in the month of March did not happen.

As a result, I have made another goal. Post 20 times in the month of March.

Be watching- "In a Word".

I Hear Voices

The answer always come back: I. Am. Human.

But, maybe I should start from the beginning.

I have always heard voices in my head. Before all of you start nodding your heads in understanding, and saying, "Ohhhh, that explains everything," let me explain. I'm not talking about voices or even voices (like the country song) of friends, family, etc... (although periodically I do). The voices I hear are my own. My own negative, confused, anxious voices. They are hard to quiet.

What makes it most difficult is that fact that the voices are not rational; there is no reasoning with them.

What do they say?

• You aren't good enough.
• Your friends aren't really your friends.
• They will leave you.
  
• You will make large mistakes. They will not be able to be fixed.
  

I could continue, but you get the idea.

However, I'm tried of these voices. There are others I'd rather hear, One in particular. It's the louder voice of One who holds my entire life in my hands. And, as I try to make MY voices quiet, I want His voice to be louder.

His voice says:

• You are wonderfully made.
  
• I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.
• I will forget and forgive any mistakes you have made.
  
• Do not worry. DON'T WORRY. I will care for you.
  
• I. Love. You.
  

This is my weakness. This is when I pray and pray and ask God to help me not be anxious and I ask Him WHY must I be anxious. Why must one day I wake up fine, and the next I find myself in a battle again. This is when I receive the answer that I am only human. And, while I have anxiety, others may have different difficulties.

Today is a new day. Today is a day when I am surrounded by positive people and positive light. Today is when I feel God's hand on my heart, and He is saying, "It's gonna be alright. I've got this."

Time for me to let Him.

There's always a possiblity!

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Wednesday's Walk- A Ziplock of Pennies

In college my mom was faithful at sending two packages to me a year. One in the fall, and one in the "spring". I use spring loosely, because she would typically send it to me between my birthday and Valentine's Day.

I love surprises. Granted, the packages always contained a few specific items. Always cookies. Always supplies for school. Always some sort of food to hide away in my dorm room.

There were always the unexpected surprises. My dad would have the packages shipped from his warehouse. Since I would work there in the summers, I knew the people in the warehouse. They would be given the job of packaging it up and sending it out. Imagine my surprise when I received a package one time that had been foamed. By foamed, I don't mean those little foamy peanuts. I mean foam. That sprays out of a shower head thing into the box, and it's hot. And then it turns hard. It took several people several minutes to finally get that box open!

Turning 20 was what seemed to be a turning point. No more a "teenager", but one step closer to being adult. (Although sometimes I don't know now if I reached adulthood yet.) This particular package was full of additional surprises. Twenties. Not bills. But, twenties. Twenty paper clips. Twenty post it notes. Twenty hearts. And cleverly done too. A candle holder had hearts around the top. There was a heart necklace---- all added up to twenty.

BUT, one thing I still have now is a ziplock of pennies. Twenty pennies. Twenty pennies from the year I was born. AND, twenty pennies, one from each year of my life.

I love the memory.

So, each day, as you celebrate your life remember:

• Life is precious.
  
• Each day is full of memories.
  
• Remember them.
  
• Look for the good in everyone around you.
  
• Forget the bad.
• Send me a package. I'll give my my address. (kidding, kidding!)
  

Here's to another year!

A Little Light

I am sporting a new Kindle. It is amazing! Sorry for the product placement, however, the fact that I now have hundreds, (no thousands, no MILLIONS) of books at my fingertips at any given second, makes me a little excited.

The possibilities are now endless:

• Not only can I read three books at one time, I can have the three books with me at all times (or 10 or 20).
• There are hundreds of free books available electronically. Books I may never have thought about buying before, well, they are free! (Yes, I could have gone to the library, but now, I don't have to leave the house!)
  
• Word on the street- I can get books from libraries ! (I don't know if it's true, or easy or practical. But the thought is great!)
• I have always wanted to be able to read ALL of the Nancy Drew books. NOW, I can. And, I don't have to worry about storage!
• I've just over used the exclamation point way too many times! That's how excited I (still) am!
• Don't you worry though, I haven't lost my love of a bookstore, and the way the pages smell, especially when they are brand new.
  

Few other notes:

January is moving along.

• There's been a trip to Wicked (Broadway in Chicago!)
  
• Completing a school term
• Got a cold, fought a cold (and won!)
  
• Did a few "crafty" projects
• In the middle of reorganizing my kitchen
• I may have just taken out the trash (ugh, trash) wearing brown boots, an oversized shirt from the Caribbean, my favorite red coat, and cropped pants. These pants, I realized tonight, are probably supposed to end at the bottom of the knee. Some days, however, (like today) I am challenged height wise, and the pants are more closer to my ankle.
  
• I have these brown boots. They are too big (I didn't quite realize when I bought them), but they are so warm. My life is different now.
  
• And, Blanche is growing. However, about Blanche, does anyone have any ideas about how to keep her warm. She's by the door which is colder of course, but it's where she can be by the light.
  

Alright world. I think I'm off to read.....um. Sleep. Yes, off to sleep.

Love to all,