Sunshine

Numbers 6:24-26 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; 

the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.”

This is one of my favorite Bible verses. The thought of the Lord blessing and keeping me, just warms my heart. Makes me smile. It is physical. I can feel it. 

The Lord make his face shine on you, always makes me think of the sun. The warmth. The brightness. The tingle as my skin warms up. 

I spend a lot of time in my backyard. Sitting in the sun. Reading. Writing. Swimming. Drinking tea. It is quiet time. Time to reflect. Time to think. Time to pray. Time to be thankful. Peaceful. 

I remember so well when the girls were little. If the sun was out in the winter we would rush outside all bundled up. They would ride their bikes up and down the driveway. I would take my coffee and a lawn chair and sit and watch them. As the sun would slide below the horizon the air would begin to chill. My heart would sadden. The warmth from the sun is going - for today. 

The winter is hard for me. I can't be outside as much. The air in the house isn't fresh with the smell of the earth and the leaves. I cling to the hope of warm weather. It is coming. Hopefully sooner rather than later. 

God. Sunshine. Hope. Peace. Blessings. 

Breathe

Genesis 2:7

...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life...

What a picture - God breathing life into Adam. Was it a gentle puff of air or a strong burst? Was it short or long? Did Adam just start breathing or did he sputter and cough? 

I wonder if Adam tried to reject the air. Or did rejection come along with self recognition after the fall? 

I tend to think he just accepted God's breath and turned pink and alive. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

I'm reminded of college. Stress. Studying. Papers due. Presentations to make. Eight hour work days. No money. Stress. 

Along the way, someone told me to breathe. Take a deep breath. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Graduate from college. Get a job. Meet future husband. Wedding plans. 

God is so good. 

Take a deep breath. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Marriage. Work days. Travel. Baby plans. Two miscarriages. 

Take a deep breath. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

A little girl. God is so good. 

Another little girl. God is so good. 

Work days. Busy schedules. 

Take a deep breath. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

 

New hobby. Quilting day and night. Stay at home mom. Stress. Busy. Homework. Dinner. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. 

Take a deep breath. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Girls are grown. College. Expenses. Go back to work. God is so good. 

Deadlines. Meetings. Pets. Yardwork. 

Take a deep breath.  

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Pass on this advice to my girls. 

It all started with Adam. 

God is so good. 

Take a deep breath. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Evening Came First

Genesis 1:5

And there was evening and there was morning - the first day. 

Evening came before morning. I always think of evening coming at the end of the day but the Bible says evening came first.   

It makes me think differently about the day. If evening is first, maybe the day really starts at noon, goes to evening, goes through the night to morning and ends at noon the next day. 

Should we be energized in the evening? 

Do we spend all of our energy working and then miss out when we get home? 

Are there important things to be seen in the evening? 

What if we looked at the world, God's creation, through wide wake eyes in the evening? Would we see things we didn't notice before because we were tired? Would our appreciation be renewed? 

I am going to try to look at evening in a new way. I'm going to notice the sunset more. I'm going to breath in the cold winter air. I'm going to watch the evening shadows approach. 

I want to appreciate God's creation in the morning and in the evening. 

God bless. 

Beth

Possibilities

2014 is over. It was a pretty good year.

New beginnings for a middle aged woman. I went back to work full time. I got a job as a Program Manager. It was a long 4 month process, but I finally started work in March. It was a bit overwhelming at first but I got my feet under me with some help from my peers. Quentin provided much needed help at home as I adjusted. In 2015, I will support our Enterprise Social program. I'm super excited about that as it includes Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Right up my alley.

Our family embraced the canine persuasion. Ashlyn got a Border Collie mix. His name is Ranger.

Avery got a Great Pyrenees Lab mix. Her name is Ellie.

I got a dog too. Hard to believe, huh? Her name is Jenny. She was at the SPCA in San Antonio. She is 6 years old. She is a Retreiver Great Pyrenees mix. She has the best eyes. She loves me!!!!

We took a beach vacation with the Ward family this year. It was not too stressful, so we may do it again!!!!

Quentin and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We stayed in a church that had been converted to a B&B. Good times.

I'm looking forward to 2015. New challenges at work. Continuing to make small improvements to our house. Seeing Avery and Ashlyn thrive. Living the good life, laughing til I cry, loving more, using my creative talents of painting, quilting and writing more. Here's to the possibilities of 2015. God bless you and yours. 

Struggles of the Last Summer

 



I took this picture a few months ago when I was sitting by the pool. It reminds me of calmer times. Mountain Laurels blooming. Butterflies flitting by. Oh, the days of spring.

 

Now I am knee deep into summer. Long hot days. Short crisp tempers. Dreadful anticipation of fall and all the changes that will take place in our house.

 

Avs will be returning to Texas Tech as a sophomore. She loves Texas Tech, but as a mom, it is five and a half hours away from home. So far. She will be starting curriculum for an art degree. Very exciting for her. She is an amazing artist.

 

Ash will be leaving for her freshman year at Texas State. It is much closer to home - only an hour and a half away. She will be taking basic classes as she prepares for a degree in Physical Therapy. I suspect she will come home a lot since her boyfriend has not graduated yet.

 

So, I will be an empty nester. I already hate those words. Empty. Nothing where there used to be something. Nest. Our home - full of all the things you experience with teenagers - joy, anger, laughter, tears, mood swings, activity, etc.

 

It will be so empty. Yes, I still have my husband, Q. After 24 years, I know we will adjust. I am just not sure how we will adjust. 

 

How do you adjust to an empty house?

 

Some things will be easy. The washer will always be available when I need to wash clothes. There won't be dirty dishes piled up from some snack or meal that was prepared. There won't be stuff like hairbands, books, candy wrappers, shoes lying around in the living room. The guest bathroom will be clean.

 

Other things will be hard. I won't actually get to see their faces in the morning. I will have to text them to be in touch, since calling is not cool. I won't be able to meet them for lunch when they are having a bad day.

 

I am a solitary person, so I know that I will manage. I know it will be good for Q and me. Now we can do things that the kids did not want to do. We can take a trip without getting every one's input. We can eat cereal for dinner. We can stay up late watching TV or reading without having to go to our bedroom, so the kids can have the living room.        

 

A new reality. Quiet. Empty. Hopeful?

 

A New Year

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:26

Well, it is now 2013. I am not sure where the time goes. All I know is that my grandma was right, "The older you get, the faster the time goes."

Last year was interesting. I learned some surprising things. During Lent, I decided I would try to read my devotion every day and then share it through some social media. I started out strong, as I always do, but then the first weekend came and sure enough I missed my devotion. I was disappointed in myself, but decided to keep trying. So the next week I read my devotion and shared it everyday until the weekend. Well instead of giving up, I stuck with it. I got through the entire Lent season and read my devotion although I have to admit I did miss quite a few Saturdays. I was astonished. I had never really stuck with something as it related to study in my spiritual life. I have continued this practice and now read my devotions every morning while I drink my coffee.

I also ran into numerous moms who wanted/needed a common group (for lack of a better word) to share/discuss parenting issues. I brushed off the idea, I mean what did I really have to offer? Well as the year progressed, I learned that my kids are not perfect. I raised them as Christians with good values. However, I could not manage their decisions and behavior as they became adults. Maybe other moms could benefit from my experiences?

My goal to write was also not getting any closer. As I looked at my favorite website, Proverbs 31 Ministries, http://www.proverbs31.org/, it dawned on me that the scripture they show on several of their pages:

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:26

 

was a scripture that has showed up in my life over and over. So, maybe I was looking at this all wrong. Maybe the book was not the end all, be all, like I thought. Maybe it is just a part of the whole picture. I will continue to write and share my experiences on my blog. I did really poorly at that last year. I will continue to work on my book and honing in on the message. I will share my experiences either one-on-one or in groups when God presents the situation.

Anyway, a new year - a new chance to try and spread God's word.

Change is in the Air

Q and I went to Lost Maples this weekend. It was wonderful. Walking in the woods with beautiful color. People passing and speaking in foreign languages. Sunshine. God's beauty all around.

The bright leaves on the trees and the dead leaves on ground reminded me that change is in the air. As it is in my life.
My oldest daughter is off at college. Change.
My youngest daughter is a senior in high school and trying to decide where to go to college.
Change.
My new job didn't pan out.
Change.

There are many good things that are resulting from these changes.
Avery is getting a college degree.
Ashlyn is preparing to get a college degree.
I found out I enjoy having a job. That was a little bit of a surprise after staying home for so many years.

The leaves fall so that the trees can rest before the new year. Change. New beginnings. Goodness.