Holding Still for God

September 21, 2021 By 6 Comments

It was a God-given moment. Several years ago on a winter morning, I decided to brave the cold and take care of an outdoor chore so Don wouldn’t have to do it at the end of a long workday. As I stepped out on our back porch, a surprise awaited me.

A beautiful mockingbird perched on our nearby evergreen. I expected him to whoosh away as soon as he caught sight of me or heard the cat-like squall of the screen door. But he stayed, holding still, allowing me to marvel in his beauty from just a few feet away.

As he continued to linger, I thought wow, I wish I had my camera. Would he stay long enough for me to dash back in the house and get it? Would he be there when I returned? Would he hold still just awhile longer?

I took a chance and slid back inside, as carefully as my noisy door would allow. After grabbing my camera, I turned it on while still inside so there would be one less noise to startle my little outdoor visitor away.

In spite of another screech from the door, the bird remained perched in the same spot. I raised my camera, zoomed in, and took several shots while he continued to hold still. He looked this way and that, almost as if allowing me to work a little more magic with my camera. He eventually flitted away but not before I was thoroughly blessed by this unexpected God-given treat for the soul.

For a few brief moments, I was an artist capturing a subject—a subject who was willing to hold still and let me do my work. I can’t help but wonder if I do the same for God.

When God wants to work on me or just spend time with me and rejoice over his creation (yes, he wants to rejoice over me!), am I a willing subject? Do I hold still for him and cooperate with his plans? Do I allow him to work his magic?

May the Lover of our souls always find us willing to hold still for him!

“The Lord your God is with you . . . He will take great delight in you; in his love he . . . will rejoice over you with singing.“ Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

*When did you last notice God working on you or rejoicing over you with singing?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *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.

*My photo

6 Comments Filed Under: blessing, creation/creative/creator, fellowship, Gift, joy, life, nature, opportunity, photo fun, silence, team, time, vision, wait, work Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Renewed Treasure in the Word of God

June 1, 2021 By Leave a Comment

One Christmas several years ago, I made shopping easy for my husband. My Bible at that time was fifteen years old and sporting loose pages in the front and back. It was time to part with it and break in a new one before I started leaving the Word of God trailing behind me—though that’s not such a bad idea, is it?

I searched the internet, found the Bible I wanted, ordered it, and then informed Don that it would be his Christmas gift to me. We both won, right? In reality, though, I was the bigger winner. His satisfaction in getting out of Christmas shopping lasted only a short time. The satisfaction I found in the gift—the Word of God—bloomed each day.

Since I’m an underliner, you can imagine what my old Bible looked like after fifteen years. Getting a new one with no markings felt a little scary. I thought I would miss my notes and underlines and feel rather lost without them. On the contrary, something entirely different happened.

I discovered that each passage seemed fresh, almost new. I felt excited as I read. Verses well-known to me and loved dearly took on an aura of renewed treasure, as if I were reading them for the first time. These words, untouched by my handy pen, became words I considered once more as I underlined yet again.

I pray I will always continue to look at the Word of God with fresh eyes. I pray I will come to it excited about what I may discover, expectant over what the Lord might reveal to me. I pray that the satisfaction I find in the Word of God will continue to bloom within me each day.

Is it time for you to take a fresh look at some familiar passages? I guarantee you will find renewed treasure. And with it will come great satisfaction.

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16 NIV

*Have you discovered anything new in a familiar passage of scripture recently? I’d love to hear about it!

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early August. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *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 Savio Sebastian, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: books, change, Gift, joy, new thing, old, opportunity, refresh, surprise, treasure, unplowed ground, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Mother of the Bride, Pay the Blessing Forward

April 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, has someone provided some sort of help to you during your wedding planning process? Has someone given you the benefit of her MOB experience or loaned you some needed items or offered a listening ear? Has someone has been a blessing?

Well now you can pay that blessing forward, MOB. When a friend, family member, or casual acquaintance provides a breath of fresh air in our lives, it’s just natural to want to bless someone else in the same way.

What can you do for another mother of the bride now or in the future? Could you loan someone your copy of your favorite wedding planning book or refer them to helpful website? Or maybe gift the new MOB with a copy of my book Mother of the Bride? Maybe you could be your MOB friend’s shopping buddy for a day—which is always fun, wedding planning or not, right? Or do you have a beautiful cake knife and server set or champagne bucket someone else could benefit from? What about the always needed and helpful white rose garland or glass candle bases?

Mother of the Bride, possibilities abound when it comes to blessing another MOB so why not stop and consider what you have to offer. And then do it—offer your help. You’ll be rewarded with a big smile and many thanks as well as the personal satisfaction of making someone else’s load a little lighter.

So go ahead, MOB—pay it forward!

*You might also like to read Post-Wedding Inventory , Mother of the Bride Pep Talk: Encouragement For You, and 9 Quotes to Encourage and Help You on Your Mother of the Bride Journey.

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

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early May. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive a $15 gift card to Amazon and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Buttontree Lane, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Above and Beyond, blessing, challenge, encouragement, fellowship, giving, help, inventory, kindness, Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Bride book, opportunity, refresh, serve Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bridesmaids’ Manicure: Polka Dots and More

January 19, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, here’s a fun idea for your daughter’s bridesmaids—polka dot nails! It might not be something the bride herself wants to do if she wants to go classic and not have her nails draw attention away from her dress or her bouquet, but this could be super fun and cute for the rest of the girls to do if it’s done tastefully.

Other design elements to the manicure could be added as well—just the tips in polka dots, a glitter line of some sort, different designs on different fingers, etc. I’ll include a few photos below to give you some ideas.

Another thought—polka dot manicures for all the girls could be a special gift from you, the MOB, to all the bridesmaids as the bride gets her nails done too. You could do this in lieu of a bridesmaids luncheon if you’d like. What a fun outing for the bride and her best girls as they get ready to celebrate the big day. Go for it, MOB—they will love you for it!

*You might also like to read A Prayer for the Bridesmaids Luncheon, A Fun Gift from the Bride to Her Maids, Fun Gift Idea: Tote Bags for the Bridal Party, and Ten Thousands Villages Gifts for the Bridesmaids.

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

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (new or current) 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 and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) p.s. If you sign up after Jan. 29th, you will be included in all future Life Notes giveaways but not in this current giveaway.

*Photo credits in order of appearance:

1. Flickr photo by i love nail polish. . .  2. Fickr photo by kittynailpolish  3. Flickr photo by Eye Candy Joanne Duckmanton  4. Fickr photo by kittynailpolish  5. Flickr photo by .Krol.  All with Creative Commons License.

Leave a Comment Filed Under: accessories, appearance, beauty, bride, bridesmaids, celebrate, color, decorate, fun, Gift, Mother of the Bride, preparation, variety Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Gift Idea for Newlyweds and Other Couples Plus Wedding Planning Help During My Blogging Break

December 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, with Christmas coming, are you looking for a meaningful gift to give to your daughter and her beloved? Even if they won’t be married by Christmas, you can still give them a couples gift that will help them on their coming newlywed journey.

Our Daily Question: A Three-Year Journal for Couples is a 365-day guided journal that poses a question a day designed to stimulate conversation. I haven’t seen the book myself (it’s brand new on the market), but for the past few years I’ve personally been using The Daily Question: My 5-Year Spiritual Journal. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed answering each day’s question and then looking back to see my answers from the previous years.

 Our Daily Question works the same way as The Daily Question journal I use. What fun it will be for newlyweds to see how their answers may change over the course of three years. They may enjoy the exercise so much that they’ll want to get another one! And just think—this is a gift you can keep in mind for other couples as well. Remember, Christmas is coming!

With that in mind, it’s time for me to take a holiday blogging break—but not before I leave you with some great wedding planning help. I’ll be back with my weekly posts starting Jan. 5th, but in the meantime, I hope you’ll find lots of helpful ideas and info as you take advantage of today’s post.

Here are four resources from yours truly:

  1. Look through the list of Favorite Posts on the sidebar and click the links to the ones that spark your interest. (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find the sidebar items.)
  2. Use the drop-down feature in the Archives to spot some posts that might be especially helpful to you at this stage in your Mother of the Bride journey. You’ll find the Archives on the sidebar too so use the directions above to find it if you’re on a mobile device.
  3. Check out my Pinterest page. Among other things, it features eighteen wedding-related boards!
  4. Glance through the roundup posts I’ve written so far. Roundups can be very helpful:

Wedding Photography: Bridal Portrait Roundup

Roundup: Popular Mother of the Bride Blog Posts

Bridal Bouquet Roundup

Wedding Cake Roundup

Wedding Registry Roundup

Wedding Photo Ideas Roundup That Star the Groom

Finally, if your daughter is in the beginning stages of gathering ideas and investigating her options, try Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple Weddings, and Brides.  And if she  your daughter wants a rustic wedding, check out Rustic Wedding Chic.

Hope this helps you and your sweet daughter, MOB!

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

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Flickr photo by wuestenigal, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: books, bride, family, fellowship, Gift, giving, groom, growth, holidays, inventory, joy, learn, life, listen, love, memories, Mother of the Bride, new thing, opportunity, pair, team, tradition, unity Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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