Take Time to Get Energized

You know the feeling. The lift in your spirit, the yes in your heart, the light in your eyes. You’re doing something you love to do. And you get a little rush of joy. You’re energized.

Sometimes this burst of happiness happens in the midst of our regular work—and how fortunate we are if our work does this for us. Not everyone is so lucky.

For writers like me, many times we have to just plod along, laying down one sentence after another while stopping frequently to agonize over the right word choice. We’re not sure the piece is working and then bam—the right word, the right phrase, the right rhythm flashes through our minds and everything comes together. We feel exhilarated. Our hearts say yes!

More often, though, I would guess that such rushes of joy come as we engage in interests or passions that are not work-related. For me, I’ve found that taking photos—especially capturing something unusual or beautiful in nature—also makes my heart say yes and sparks a happy burst of fresh energy.

When this kind of satisfying joy and excitement pays us a visit, let’s soak it up and enjoy it to the fullest. Let’s pay attention to it and pinpoint the things that make our spirits take wing.

Once we’ve identified the things that energize us, wouldn’t it make sense to engage in those activities regularly? Those infusions of happiness will benefit not only our sense of well-being but our relationships and work as well.

After all, the lift in our spirits, the yes in our hearts, the light in our eyes are all worth the time we take to get that little rush of joy. So let’s do it. Let’s get energized!

“My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 NIV

*What energizes you?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free! Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Wedding Cake Idea: A Gift Box!

Mother of the Bride, are you or your bride-to-be daughter on the hunt for a unique wedding cake idea? I might have just what you’re looking for today!

How about a wedding cake that looks like a gift box? The one pictured above is just one example of a multitude of possibilities. The fresh flowers make a lovely topper, but a ribbon and giant bow would look great too. As long as your cake designer coordinates the design with the wedding colors, the details can be up to you. And I’m willing to bet your designer will have some great ideas too, right?

Be sure to share this idea with your daughter, MOB. Who knows, the hunt just might be over!

*You might also like to read Unique Wedding Cake Idea: Word Search Cake! and Wedding Cake Idea: A Crepe Cake!

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month, but it’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free! Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Graceful Cake Creations; Creative Commons License

Bird Calls, God, and Paying Attention

Over ten years ago now, I started hearing voices I hadn’t really paid attention to before.

The voices belonged to birds. Yes, the songs and calls of our feathered friends. Previously I heard them as the background and soundtrack to the great outdoors of my life, but then they became something more.

It dawned on me that those voices—those songs—belonged to certain species of birds, and if I paid attention, I could learn to identify their calls. And further, if I became alert to their voices and could identify their calls, I had a better chance of capturing  photos—especially of the ones I’m most interested in, like cardinals. (It also dawned on me that my interest in birds had sprung from my interest in taking good photos. Kind of neat, huh?)

So I began to listen more. When I heard a bird call, many times I stopped momentarily and paid attention. I looked for the bird, listened, and then tried to remember its sound for future reference. And just recently I downloaded the Merlin Bird ID App to my phone so now I have this amazing tool to help me identify bird calls.

After learning to pay attention all those years ago, I discovered birds even have different calls for different purposes. For example, cardinals sing, but they also cheep-cheep-cheep while feeding and looking for food. I never would have realized that, though, if I hadn’t become alert to them, if I hadn’t started paying attention.

I wonder how many times God tries to communicate with us and we miss it. I wonder if  his voice gets lost in the soundtrack of our lives, especially  if we relegate him to the background and neglect to listen for him.

What blessings might we capture, what pearls of wisdom might we learn if we decide to be alert to God’s voice? To listen for him and then stop and pay attention when we hear him call.

More voices than ever compete for our attention today, don’t they? Let’s not miss the most important one. Let’s tune our ears to hear the song of our Savior and our God.

“Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.” Isaiah 28:23 NIV

*What voices are you paying attention to?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early November. One lucky subscriber will receive a $15 gift card to Starbucks and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by fauxto_digit, Creative Commons License

Wedding Cake-Stand Idea: A Glass Stand

Mother of the Bride, once your daughter chooses the design for her wedding cake, she’ll still need to decide what kind of cake stand she’d like to use. And believe it or not, there are several varieties to choose from—everything from silver-plated to acrylic to wood and lots of options in between.

One simple but still beautiful option is a glass stand. Not only does it look classy, but it gives you the opportunity to further add to the presentation of the cake by placing décor of some sort under the glass. Glass crystals are pictured under the stand above, but you could use flowers, pearls, or any number of other items.

You or someone in your family might be able to fashion a glass stand on your own, but your wedding cake designer will have cake stands available to rent too. If your daughter likes the glass option, be sure to ask your designer if she has one available and what the rental price is. Also be sure to search online because you might be able to purchase one for about the same price. Then you’d be able to use it again or sell it and earn back the purchase price.

Of course, glass pedestal stands offer another great option for all sizes of cakes but could work especially well with smaller cakes and cupcakes. See below for one example. You can still scatter decor under this style of cake stand too.

If you’d like to show your daughter other possibilities for cake stands, have her check out these links for more ideas:

etsy.com/market/wedding_cake_stand

pinterest.com/explore/wedding-cake-stands/ 

Get creative, MOB, and have fun brainstorming options with your precious girl!

*You might also like to read Wedding Cake Trend: Multiple Mini Cakes and Cake Table Tip for Weddings: Display Engagement Photo.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Top Flickr photo by the-icing-on-the-cake. (Jo)Creative Commons License; Second Flickr photo by smcgee, Creative Commons License

Rain and Refreshment: For the Earth and For Us

Summer rain is almost always welcome, isn’t it? So refreshing and life-giving.

I wrote the poem below a few years ago during a time of drought in our region. We and so many others desperately needed rain. Today areas of our nation and world cry out for rain again.

In our personal lives, many of us also cry out for refreshment. Some sort of drought has been our portion for too long and we are in need of relief.

Won’t you praise God with me today for the refreshment he gives our earth—and also for the refreshment he gives our souls? How we thank you, how we praise you, Lord!

Blessed Sound of Falling Rain

Blessed sound of falling rain
The music we’ve strained to hear
For so long,
The sound of life
To our drought-stricken land,
The melody of God’s provision.
A greedy earth clutches at the drops
Almost drinking before they land,
Needy and desperate for any relief
It takes hours before she relaxes.
Finally she glories in the drink
Soaking, laughing, swelling with life,
Praising God with every drip, drip, drip
Turning green with gratitude.
Our thirsty souls wait as well
For the sounds of life that restore us,
The sounds of a Savior
Coming to pour
The music we’ve strained to hear.
Yes, blessed sound of falling rain.

“for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9 NIV

*How has God refreshed you lately?

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by John-Morgan, Creative Commons License