Sharing the Excitement of Those We Love

April 4, 2016 by 5 Comments

2745010680_a8a1d2d989_zOur twin grandsons just turned 15 months old, and life couldn’t be more exciting for them. They’re at a stage where they are experiencing and learning so much and are super excited about absolutely everything.

For example, Isaiah and James love to stand and look out their bedroom or living room window. If a bird hops by or a doggie runs past, you’d think the most exciting thing in the world happened. And if the mail truck pulls up, forget about it. It’s too wonderful for words. Life is one amazing adventure after another for them right now.

And of course, that means life is also super exciting for those of us who love them. We ooh and ahh and squeal right along with them. Their excitement and joy brings the same to us in equal measure—not only because we love them and it thrills us to see them happy, but also because seeing things through their excited little eyes is like seeing them with fresh eyes ourselves. Life is indeed an amazing adventure!

Must not God experience that same joy where we his children are concerned? I can’t help but think he gets a special thrill over the excitement we feel when we see the mountains, the ocean, or any of his other amazing creations for the first time. And even if they’re not completely new to us, if we take great joy in them, don’t you think he rejoices as we rejoice?

And how must God feel over our spiritual firsts and joys? When we were children, his heart must have swelled with joy over our first prayers and early renditions of “Jesus Loves Me.” And the day we gave our hearts to Jesus? I bet his joy was off the charts. Even today as adults, God’s heart must overflow with excitement and joy when spiritual light bulbs go off for us as we read his Word or as the joy of serving him in a new way puts smiles on our faces and songs in our hearts.

So let’s take joy in knowing that our excitement and joy brings our heavenly Father great joy. And let’s keep sharing in the excitement and joy of our loved ones. Let’s live life fully. Let’s remember that life is truly an amazing adventure.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice . . .” Romans 12:15a

*When have you recently shared in a loved one’s excitement? When was the last time you think God must have shared in your joy?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, will come out in early May. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Flickr photo by bloody marty mix, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, adventure, celebrate, family, fun, joy, learn, life, love Tagged With: , , , ,

Leap of Faith

January 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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As I opened the blinds and looked out into the backyard one winter morning, a neighborhood daredevil unknowingly treated me to his early morning leap of faith.

With the trees still leafless, a darting movement in the branches quickly caught my eye. As I looked more closely, I could see that it was a squirrel — though he quickly proved he was not just any squirrel. He must have thought he was Wonder Squirrel or something. He skillfully zoomed higher and higher and then boldly ventured out on the tiniest limb. Before I could finish thinking where is he going? I bet he’s going to jump, he did it, hesitating only ever so slightly before his leap.

After sailing through the air to the closest limb of a nearby tree, he landed his leap with the sure-footedness of . . . well, a squirrel. He completely trusted that limb. He seemed to know it would hold his weight, that it would catch him. And he was right. It bent, but it didn’t break. It seemed to bounce back at just the right speed, allowing him to keep his balance and continue on his frenzied little journey.

Watching this little daredevil’s leap of faith, I immediately thought of the times we are called upon to jump into our Father’s arms. You know, the times when God wants us to trust him. The times when he wants us to go where he’s calling us to go or do what he’s asking us to do, even when it means stepping out into the unknown. He wants us to believe he will catch us and help us maintain our balance as we journey on with him. He wants us to trust him completely.

I want to be ready to do just that—to trust God completely. How about you? Any other daredevils out there?

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

*When have you taken a leap of faith?

*I hope this slightly revised encore post from March 2008 blessed you all and provided just the word of encouragement someone needed today. May it be so, Lord!

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Flickr photo by Maxwell GS, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: action, adventure, bravery, faith, nature, trust Tagged With: , , , , ,

Theme Word for 2016: Adventure!

January 4, 2016 by 2 Comments

DSC05436Do you mark the beginning of a new year by selecting a theme word for the year? Some people refer to it as an anchor word and others even choose an anchor verse from the Bible. I jumped on the theme word bandwagon back in 2012, and I’m so glad I did.

I love how a theme word keeps me focused on a particular quality or action throughout the year. I don’t think of my chosen theme word every day, but I do think of it periodically. It helps keep me on track or gives me guidance. It does indeed feel like an anchor, especially during times of decision both large and small.

The word I’ve chosen for 2016 is adventure. Exciting, right? Yes, but in my mind, also a little scary. What will the year hold? Will I embrace the adventures about to unfold? Will I be up for the challenges?

One reason I chose adventure as my theme word is because of the huge adventure that awaits me with the publication of my mother of the bride book. As you may know, this is my first time around the book publishing block so it will all be one huge adventure for me—not only working with the BroadStreet Publishing team to get the book ready, but also marketing the book once it’s released. And since I will do some traveling in order to market this niche book to mothers of the bride, I anticipate plenty of new things and adventure along the way.

Another adventure that will keep me plenty busy—and traveling as well—will be my ongoing adventure of grandparenting twin baby boys. Isaiah and James turned one year old yesterday, and they are on the move. Their mama and daddy can benefit from an extra pair of hands and a little relief from time to time, and I am more than happy to provide that when I can. They live nearly six hours away so I’m not able to help as often as I’d like, but I do my best to make the trek every month or two.

I’m not sure of all the other adventures (which many times present themselves as challenges!) that the Lord has in store for me this year, but one thing I’m sure of—he will be with me every step of the way and carry me if need be. And even though nerves may try to get the best of me at times, I really have no reason to fear. I am not alone on this adventure we call life. The Lord will be my strong support and guide. And he is always up for a challenge!

“‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?’” Isaiah 43:19a

*What adventures await you this year? Any you would like to initiate yourself?

*My photo

Filed Under: adventure, books, challenge, fear, focus, goal, life, new thing, travel, word, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Summer Photo Fun: The Mighty Mississippi at Memphis

August 10, 2015 by 2 Comments

IMG_3085Summer Photo Fun wouldn’t be complete without a few vacation photos, would it? To be honest, we almost didn’t plan a vacation this year since our main vacation goal was to spend time with our grandbabies who were born in January. No big surprise there, huh?

You’ll be glad to know, however, that after getting our grandbaby fix, we also managed to pull away for a few days to explore an area new to us—Memphis, Tennessee. We had driven through Memphis a couple of years ago on our way to Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but we had never spent any time there before. We have now remedied that situation.

One of the highlights of our Memphis trip was experiencing the mighty Mississippi River. Not only did we enjoy the glory of a sunset over the river, but we also took an afternoon riverboat cruise. I hadn’t ridden Old Man River since I was a kid and Don had never ridden on the Mississippi. Such a great experience to add to our lifetime of memories together.

So today, friends, enjoy a ride on the Mighty Mississippi. It’s on us!

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IMG_6095“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5:24

*What natural wonder did you see this summer?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*My photos

Filed Under: adventure, America, memories, nature, photo fun, travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

Adventure Wanted!

June 15, 2015 by 1 Comment

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I admitted this on Facebook a couple of weeks ago so I’ll admit it here, too—I’ve purchased two travel journals recently. But since our twin grandsons were born in January, my travels have consisted of making the nearly 6-hour trek to go see them as often as I can get away with it. So, my travel journals remain empty as of yet. After all, I have a grandparent’s journal for all things grandparenty!

Thoughts of adventure have been popping up with me lately, though. Last week I exhorted all of us to live life. Adventure fits right in with that mantra, doesn’t it? In January, I predicted that adventure awaited us all this year. And now, here it is pulling at my heart again.

In truth, it can be unusual or even difficult for people like me—creatures of habit—to break free from our regular routines and actually welcome adventure. So when adventure starts calling to our spirits, we need to pay attention. We need to be alert to what life may hold around the corner.

Let’s not forget that adventure can look different at different times and to different people. The past several years adventure for me has looked like vacationing in new places, like shown above in our trip to Yellowstone National Park. The past few months, however, my great adventure has looked an awful lot like two sweet baby boys. My life changed forever with their birth. Yes, I set sail on one of the best adventures of my life—being grandma to precious twin boys. I want to be available this first year of their lives to answer the grandma-we-need-you call to adventure. Their momma needs an extra set of hands fairly regularly, and I love lending my hands to the cause.

Even though my new grandmothering adventure is of prime importance to me right now, I want to be ready for new adventures. I want to start making entries in my travel journals. I want to see my world with fresh eyes. I want to be ready for what life may have around the corner. Yes, I want to live life.

Are you with me? Let’s hop out of the regular ruts of our lives. Let’s strain to see what God has in store!

“‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?’” Isaiah 43:19a

*What does adventure look like in your life right now? What great adventure would you like to pursue?

*Photo by my husband Don

Filed Under: adventure, life, new thing, travel, variety Tagged With: , , , , ,
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