Miracles All Around

September 28, 2015 by 11 Comments

IMG_3145Some things just beg to be expressed through poetry. Miracles are among those things. Be blessed today, friends, through the poetic. Be blessed through the miraculous!

Miracles All Around

Some people say we don’t see
many miracles anymore.
But I see them every day
and all around
when I take the time
to turn a glance into a gaze
or bring a fleeting thought into focus.

I see miracles in perfect tiny infant lips,
in precious fingers and toes,
in pink ribbons across the evening sky
and petals dotted with morning dew.
The miraculous unfolds before my eyes
as leaves turn from green to gold,
as snowflakes waltz to winter’s song,
as the call of a cardinal captures attention.

Miracles greet me in a friend’s hearty laugh
and surprise me in the written word,
they meet me in a chance encounter
they show up in answers to prayer.
The miraculous happens when forgiveness is given
when a kind deed changes a day,
miracles shine when the lost are found
when hearts are forever changed.

Yes, I see miracles all around
I see God’s handiwork every day.

“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalm 29:2

*What miracles have you seen recently?

*My photo

Filed Under: blessing, life, miracle, nature, poem, praise, variety, vision, worship Tagged With: , ,

Include Venue Signs in the Wedding Photos

July 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Sharp ChapelMother of the Bride, many wedding photographers today pride themselves on telling a story with their photos. They make an effort to capture more than the standard shots and provide not only a timeline but the emotions of the big day as well. Their beautiful and meaning-filled finished products are works of art.

In the telling of the Wedding Day story, ask your photographer to be sure to include the signs at your ceremony and reception sites. Having those locations identified through photos not only helps tell the story, but it will be a help in years to come when you try to recall the names of the venues. After all, these special places play an important part in one of the highlights of your family’s life.

And believe it or not, MOB, a good photographer can even make photos of signs look artistic. So scope out your venues and give your photographer a heads-up about the locations of the signs. Be a part of telling the whole story!

*You might also like to read Wedding Day Tip: A List for the Photographer and Bridal Portraits: Include Some Artsy Shots.

0280*Photos by Chris Humphrey Photographer

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

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, creation/creative/creator, memories, Mother of the Bride, photo fun, preparation, signs, talent, variety, vision Tagged With: , , , ,

Visual Overview of The Mother of the Bride Blog

March 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment

IMG_4084

Mother of the Bride, I need to take an early and extended Spring Break blogging break so I thought this would be the perfect time to point you to a visual overview of my entire Mother of the Bride Blog. I’m hoping this will make it super simple for you to catch sight of posts that interest you so you click over to them and quickly find the help you need.

You’ll find this visual overview of the blog on my Mother of the Bride Blog Pinterest board. Since I’ve pinned each post to this board, you can just scroll down and see not only the title of each post but a photo as well. This way if you don’t have time to read blog post titles, the photo alone will help you decide what to investigate further.

I’ll return with regular blog posts on March 23, but in the meantime, enjoy window-shopping my blog through my blog post Pinterest board. Hope it helps!

Mother of the Bride Blog Pinterest board

*You can also see a complete listing of my blog post titles in the archives section at the bottom of the sidebar to your right. Just click on each year and then each month to get a drop down list of all the titles.

*My photo

Filed Under: blogs, Mother of the Bride, opportunity, provision, rest, variety, vision

Waiting for the Right Time

January 12, 2015 by 8 Comments

8432582097_3140344f10_z

(Don’t miss some exciting personal news at the end of this post!)

“The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.” Micah 7:11

Are you waiting to move forward or grow in some way? Does it seem like it’s never going to happen?

Some of us may be waiting until our children are older so we can go back to school and pursue a new career while others may be waiting until a time of caregiving is passed so we can move forward with our plans and dreams. Still others maybe waiting until present financial obligations are met before branching out with a new venture or interest. Personally, I’m waiting on God’s will and perfect timing regarding publication of my book so I can move forward with that project. All kinds of scenarios find us waiting for the right time for our dreams to unfold.

The Old Testament prophet Micah’s words to the nation of Israel in the scripture above offer us encouragement and hope today as well. He assured them that a time of building their walls and extending their boundaries would indeed come. And the same can be true for us. Just because a goal or dream is not coming to pass on the timetable we hoped for doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. Instead of giving up, it may be that we just need to trust God and wait for the right time to move forward.

So what can we do as we wait for God’s perfect timing? The specifics can be different for each situation, but certain general actions can help us in almost any waiting situation. Here are a few that can help:

1. We can pray regularly for our hearts’ desires, asking God to bring them about at just the right time, in just the right way.

2. We can recruit others to join us in prayer about the matter. The prayer support of others is always a comfort and a help.

3. We can take some steps to be ready to move forward when the time is right. Maybe we can do some research, take a class, hone our skills, network, save some money, tie up some loose ends, or give attention to any number of things that could help put us in the best position possible when the right time comes.

4. We can faithfully carry out our present responsibilities and learn the life lessons God has for us in our current season. We can be at peace, knowing we are doing what we’re supposed to be doing in this stage of our lives.

5. We can look forward in faith to the day when extending our boundaries will come but can also be open and alert to any change of plans that God may lead us to.

Whatever strategies we employ, let’s be encouraged by the scripture above. Let’s not lose heart, but instead, let’s trust God. He will grow us and extend our boundaries at just the right time, in just the right way!

“But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands;” Psalm 31:14-15a

*When have you had to wait to extend your boundaries? Are you currently in a waiting season?

*Important personal news: God has heard our cries for mercy—our daughter Kristin and son-in-law Shawn are now the parents of beautiful twin boys! And yes, that means I am now a grandma! Woohoo!! The entire family is so incredibly grateful for this double blessing from God after such a long wait. Little Isaiah and James are truly gifts from Him. Thanks to each of you who have prayed for this day with us! More to come in a future post and also find more info on my Facebook page!

*Flickr photo by Andrew Bartram (WarboysSnapper), Creative Commons License

Filed Under: dream, goal, hope, time, vision, wait, Word of God

Making our December Hopes Come True

December 1, 2014 by 8 Comments

4179976696_45e0b2e5b8_z*Sure would appreciate your continued prayers for my husband as he recovers from his injury and for me as I care for him. Thankfully, I had a few posts pre-written. Hope you enjoy this one I wrote before life went crazy for us. God bless your month of December!

As December dawns today, I wonder how many of us have thought about our hopes for this month of Christmas celebration before us. Do we hope for a slower pace and less obligations? Do we dream of more moments to reflect on the wonder of the season and more time to simply enjoy being with family and friends?

Chances are we all have a vision of how we’d like the month to go, but I would venture to say that by a few jam-packed days before Christmas each year, most of us can be heard saying, “Next year I’m going to do things differently. Next year I’m going to _____________.” You fill in the blank.

So how can we avoid being carried along by the swirl of holiday activity and actually move closer to our hopes for a peaceful and joyful Christmas season? Here are a few strategies we can try to see our December hopes come true:

1. First, identify your hopes for the season. Jot them down. Having them in writing will help them be a guiding force throughout the month. These will be specific to you and your situation. We may have some hopes that are the same, but we will also have some that are different.

2. Share your December hopes with God and ask for his help. Tell him your desires and ask him to give you wisdom in making choices. Ask him to bless your efforts to do things differently this year.

3. Share your hopes for the season with your spouse or a friend as well—accountability can help keep you on track. Just as writing down your hopes helps guide your decisions and activities to follow, telling someone else your desires also helps you stay committed to a plan of action.

4. With calendar in hand, take a realistic look at the demands of the month and determine your priorities. Make decisions based on what will move you closer to your vision for how you’d like your Christmas season to go.

5. When others are making plans that impact you, speak up for less stress and/or work—or simply opt out and say no.  Don’t allow others to pressure you into doing things that will derail your efforts to celebrate the season in the way that is best for you and your family.

Let’s try these (and other) strategies this holiday season and see if we don’t come closer to achieving our December hopes this year. Let’s try to avoid that same old next-year song we inevitably sing during those last few days before Christmas each year. Let’s make our December hopes come true!

“[Wisdom’s] ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.” Proverbs 3:17-18

*What are some of your December hopes this year?

*Flickr photo by Joe Buckingham, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, change, holidays, hope, peace, preparation, stress, vision, wisdom
« Previous Page
Next Page »