As all of you know I have had a full 5 years dealing with my parents and John’s adventure into the full time writing arena.

On top of that, I have been trying to finish a book and build a speaking ministry – as well as care for the three SONS, not to mention one is in the throes of the teenage years and one soon to follow.

Winters and I barely have time for a spin around the kitchen anymore.  Add in the fact that mom and dad passed away, we fixed up a house, we staged a house, we sold a house, packed a house, unpacked a house and packed and unpacked again.  Seriously, I get tired just thinking about all of it. A lot has been going on the last several years especially this past year.

So because of all this stuff in my life I realized I needed to take a break and care for my soul.  I have to be honest I am much better at caring for others than my own.  With all that said, I have many mixed feelings but yet I do have a level of great clarity, I know I need to take a well, what you might call, a sabbatical from writing and from my weekly Thankful Thursday posts.  I love sharing each week God’s grace, His mercy and His love with you but right now I just I will probably re-post some of my favorite blogs and will not be sending you emails.

Frankly girls I’m tired and a bit weary of heart and just need some time to try to regain some footing and new perspective.  Don’t worry I am not running away or to a cabana in Savannah, although that does sound tempting right about now but I will simply be trying to slow down my life a bit.  I know you will understand and I pray that I will be back at it soon and when I do, you will be faithful followers again.

Thank you for your friendship and all your support and encouragement.  It has certainly gotten me through some very rough days.

Be blessed and encouraged abundantly today and always!

God Bless You Sweet Sisters as we remember that there are times we must just be still and remember we are a treasure in the arms of Jesus.

Here goes, there have been moments I have thought to myself, “Can’t we just skip Thanksgiving? Really, let’s just get on with Christmas!

I love Christmas! I mean LOVE Christmas! I love the  decorating, the gift giving, the gift getting, the wrapping of presents, decking the halls and just about every morsel of the holiday season.  But most of all I love the celebration of Christ’s birth.  That makes Christmas the best time of year of all. Frankly, once Halloween is over I am ready to jump right to Christmas.

But as I said sometimes I think “why can’t we just skip Thanksgiving and just jump right into the Christmas season”! Let’s savor the season.  Really SAVOR all the hard work that goes into decking the halls and I really do mean decking the halls!  Here is a thought:  maybe we could just move Thanksgiving closer to Halloween and then we could have more time for Christmas.  Oh well, it’s just a thought.

But  in hindsight I know that is really a goofy thought, skipping Thanksgiving and all.  That would be a Big  No, No! We can’t just skip Thanksgiving, we need it.

We need Thanksgiving, not just to celebrate the history of our country, but we need it to remind us to stop and celebrate all our blessings. Blessings no matter how big or small are still blessings either way!  It is all in the eye of the beholder.

So as we celebrate this Thankful Thursday Thanksgiving Day, let’s remember that we can’t ever skip Thanksgiving or Thankful Thursdays, or any opportunity to be thankful for that matter, because we can never have enough opportunities to stop and give thanks for all Gods’ blessings! For it is in Thanksgiving that the flames of hope, gratitude, faith and joy are all stirred up!

Sometimes setting aside a holiday or an ordinary day are just  brief  moments in time we need to remind us of God’s faithfulness, His provisions and His unending love for us!

So on this Thankful Thursday Thanksgiving Day,  may you celebrate  all the blessings you have had and continue to have in our lives no matter how great or small! Take a moment to give thanks!

Be blessed and encouraged abundantly today on this Thankful Thursday as we remember that we can NEVER ever skip Thanksgiving and jump to Christmas because Thanksgiving begins to prepare the heart of the believer for the most wonderful time of year, Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving dear friends!

You lose your keys …

You lose your dog …

You can’t find your purse and you’re late to a meeting …

You get home with all the hamburgers and no fries …

Or you’re at the checkout at some grocery store and realize  you forgot the eggs in the deepest darkest part of the store. So you have to haul all the way back to get them.  Worse yet, you fill your cart and get ready to check out and you realized you left your wallet at home.

The inconveniences of life.  The stuff of life. They can be a real pain in the neck.

You know what I mean.  That is the stuff that drives you crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of those crazy things happens to you or me today on this Thankful Thursday.

Yet, we must remember that it is in those crazy inconvenient  moments, when we are convinced we can’t learn anything from what’s happening that God can use any experience to make us better women of God. As I have said before He can use the good, the bad and the ugly but we have to let Him.

We can learn peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and so much more. But we must just remember to call on the Lord when the stuff of life is getting us down or overwhelming us and yes driving us crazy. Francesca Battistelli has a really cute song about this very topic. I hope you will check it out.

The ever-present world is always watching and our children also look to us to see how we handle the difficulties of life.

What kind of woman will you be when you are inconvenienced on this Thankful Thursday or any other day?

God can use everything to make us better and stronger women of God, but we must let Him.

Life is Life and Life is full of things that don’t always go our way.

So on this Thankful Thursday, remember that the stuff that drives you crazy just might be the stuff that God uses to change your life and the lives of others around you!

Be blessed and encouraged abundantly today as we learn to be crazier about God than the stuff that drives us crazy!

My November 10th, 2010 was to be a day spent with two dear friends celebrating my belated birthday in a quaint little town in Georgia.  Although the day was to be  filled with fun and laughter it was bitter-sweet.  Moments before we were heading out the door, a call came from my brother breaking the news that my father had been found the night before in his nursing home kneeling by his sofa and safe in the arms of Jesus.

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since he died’ my mom died not too long before him.   So at this time last year I spent the following weeks preparing.  As others prepared for Thanksgiving  Day, mine was spent planning a memorial service, the flowers, the food, the guest book, the hotel and a rude inconsiderate funeral home.  On Thanksgiving Eve Winters and I and the Sons were at the Sushi Train in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with my brother and his family and some faithful friends. One of our all-time favorite restaurant and a place to celebrate family and friends.

It is still all a bit surreal as I look back on it.  No one wants to go to a memorial service the day before Thanksgiving, but sometimes that is where you find yourself and friends who love you gather with you even when they have other things to do. For that, I am forever grateful.

So on this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for many things, but most of all the love of a Father and a Mother who loved me and told me so. Sometimes as parents we get busy and caught up in life and we  forget to stop and tell those we love how important and special they are to us.

My home growing up was filled with many things and the expression of love was indeed the strongest.  My father was very gracious with his money and paid for my college education and my Masters Program.  It was a gift and I was always grateful for their support. I remember my father, not for his mone,y but that I can never remember a conversation not ending with “we love you and are so proud of you.”  My mom would always add how special I was. No wonder I felt so good about myself.

In the Legacy of the Three Gifts, the message I share in churches, I tell about the greatest gifts my parents bestowed on me. One of those is the gift of encouragement or the biblical term exhortation. It is an awesome and powerful gift to have.

The soul cries out to be loved. To be affirmed.  It just does.  And the heart seeks it and it is not easy for everyone.  We must seek God’s approval above all.  We love to cast blame.  We love to blame others for our shortcomings or why we are like we are.

My father had ever right to be a bad father.  He had every right to parent poorly and blame it on his father’s abuse.  But Daddy chose to be different, to be better, to be the best Dad he could be. He wasn’t a perfect father, but he did an incredible job and the best he could.  He knew very little about God when I was a young child, but that which he knew he imparted to me.  As a little girl I remember sitting at his feet with my brother on Sunday mornings and my mother by his side teaching me about Jesus. When he later gave his life to Christ, he then dug even deeper into the word and had even more to give.

How will you be remembered?

On this Thankful Thursday I miss those powerful life-giving words of encouragement.  I could sure use them, but years of love and encouragement changed me and yes empowered me to be a better women! Those life giving words of love and approval sustain me!  I encourage you to do better, be better and live a life where you take responsibilities for your failures and short comings and you choose by the grace of God to rise above and be the better man or women. Do your best to give life and love and hope to those around you. Remember life is short and we will not pass this way again.

And if as you read this you think to yourself – I did not grow up in a loving home – then remember it is now your opportunity to live a different life and create the kind of life  you want for those you love.

When you can impart love and encouragement, do it. Don’t hold back and whatever opportunity God gives you this Thankful Thursday do it boldly for Him.   Ask yourself how do I want to be remembered by my children and by others.  What will my legacy be?

Remember we are called to holiness and greatness in Christ!  As parents we are pillars in the lives of our children. Pillars ground us and make us stronger. Pillars hold bridges, houses and tall skyscrapers.  Pillars allow us to do things we ordinarily could not do.

But pillars can often be weak and break.   What kind of pillar are you?  Strong and sturdy or weak and unstable.  Be a pillar of strength and love!  And most of all on this Thankful Thursday may we remember that we will be remembered.  Yes remembered by those we leave behind.  Ask yourself today the tough questions, “How am I doing with what God has in trusted to me?”  ”Will I be remembered as a women of faith? of Love? of Hope?” We must invest our time and life in eternal things because the rest is all hay, wood and stubble and will eventually be burned away.

So on this Thankful Thursday be blessed and encouraged abundantly today as we celebrate the  lives of those we love and creating the kind of legacy we want to leave behind!

Most of you know I love shoes and I always have.  My mom said I arrived in them the day I was born.  I am sure they were leopard stilettos!

From the time I could walk, I could not wait to wear heels (you can check out the photo on I Once Was A Pageant Queen to attest to it) and I drove mom crazy asking her to let me start wearing them.  I have a love for shoes, but frankly it is fashion altogether I love.  Friends always ask me why I dressed up so much and I was honest and said I love the way I feel when I am in heels!

As I walked past the purse and shoe department on this Thankful Thursday, I was reminded that sometimes we have to say Shoo to the Shoes and the stuff in life that is keeping us from achieving financial wealth and freedom!  I want to be a savvy, sophisticated saver!  That is my goal – to learn to spend less and save more.

Winters has lovingly, on occasion, said the Little Black Dress can spend money, can make money, but can rarely account for money. Ouch, but sometimes the truth hurts.

So on this Thankful Thursday I am not talking about cutting coupons, but you certainly can if you want too.  I am talking about an overhaul to your spending attitude toward money.  We must become really wise women when it comes to money.  We as women need to be not good in this area but fabYOUlous!  We have got to be savvy and smart .

Yes, sadly we might have to just say shoo to the shoes and the things that are keeping us from our financial freedom. Again this might sound funny coming from a gal who loves her accessories and her stuff. But let’s be honest, we must be wise women with our financial future and wealth in mind.

I have been reading a terrific book and I  highly recommend it called,  Shoo, Jimmy Choo by Catey Hill.  It is a funny, clever and well written book.  The girl knows her stuff and nails this topic!  It is written a bit more toward the single city girl but, oh, it is so worth the read and you will certainly laugh and possibly cry when you calculate how much money you have waisted away over your lifetime on magazines, shoes, and so more.

In just the short time I have read it, Hill recommends many things to get your spending habits on track and here are my two top favorites:

First, set up a spending diary and see where every penny is going. This is a great idea for the LBD and probably all of us!

Second, decide what kind of spender you are:  Emotional, Impulsive,Compulsive, Absentminded, Social, It’s On Sale, Reward Spenders: ~Ouch! Again I think I am all of the above.

Bottom line Ladies we all know that knowledge is power!  On this Thankful Thursday I am thankful Winters is so patient.  We have always tried to live on cash and no credit cards. Thank God. God put me with a saver!

But I think it is time we all get hardcore and say shoo to the shoes if it is getting in the way of wealth! Whoo! I really did just say that and I mean it. Shop in your closet, make your own latte, eat in rather than out and live life to the fullest!

Be blessed and encouraged on this Thankful Thursday as God gives us strength to say shoo to the shoes if we need to!

But the funny thing was next morning I found myself in a bit of a slump and it surprised me.  I was quite taken back by a deep urge to reevaluate the years I have had on this earth.

Questions like:  Am I doing what God has called me to do?  Am I fulfilling my purpose?  Is there anything I need to be doing I am not doing?  And yes, is there anything I doing that I should not be doing? And finally, when next year rolls around am I going to be saying the same old thing?  Will I have finished that book I have put aside, learn to spend more wisely or get back into counseling as I feel called to do.  Those are issues in my life that are still not resolved.  You may have some like that too.  The nagging issues of life that seem to frustrate you rather than inspire you to change.

I found myself on the phone with a dear friend, reduced to a ball of tears that Thankful Thursday. But that seemed to be just where I needed to be.  She offered great wisdom and insight.  Thank God for the Sacred Few.  Thank God they listen even when the are too busy or when they have heard the same sad story a million times.  Life is hard sometimes, and so is growing old, growing up and the  whole process of trying to be our better self.

It did not take long for the counselor in me to kick into high gear and I asked myself “what in the heck is going on”.

I determined  it almost instantaneously.  The bottom line was pretty much two things:

I missed my Mom and Dad.  Every year on my birthday, since as far back as I can remember and long after I was married, I was awaken to the serenade of Happy Birthday.  Mom and Dad would either stand by my bed or they would call me and celebrate my birthday this way.  It was sweet and Oh so special.

Birthday memories last a lifetime and for that I am grateful. We carry this tradition on in our home every birthday. And I simply missed them.  But Winters provided yellow roses and a birthday serenade in their place and it was quite lovely I must say.

But I also relived one more thing was going on in my heart.  I knew I still was not doing all I felt God has called me to do.  And I thought of my mother and all the things she left undone. All the dreams she never fulfill. I have books not finished and the clarity on how to proceed in my ministry is still unclear.   And as I have said before, you must make time for the dream. But we must also remember it is not too late to do what God has called us to do. It is not to late to change.  It is not to late to be the person you want to be.  You too might find yourself today in a bit of a re-evaluation and that is ok.  That is how we grow and that is how we  change.

So I did what anyone would, I had a good cry, bought some new eye shadow and got a good hug from my friend at the beauty counter and then looked toward the future and said, “Okay God I am listening, what is next?” And I also said, “God, what do I need to do that I am not doing and what do I need to stop doing?”

Those could be two questions you might want to ask yourself on this Thankful Thursday. Remember, it is not to late to be all you feel God wants you to be and do all that He has called you to do by your birthday next year!

On this Thankful Thursday you might want to use this day to ask God to help you get from where you are to where you need to be.  I promise He is listening and ready and willing to help guide and lead you into His perfect will!

So dear sweet friends, be blessed and encouraged abundantly today as we remember it is not to late to allow God to fulfill His purpose in our lives and change for the better!

On this Thankful Thursday this is my prayer for you,

Go out into the world in peace.

Have courage.

Hold onto the things that are good.

Do not return anyone evil for evil. But give strength to those who are fainthearted, helping those who are afflicted

and giving honor to all of God’s creation.

Go and love the Lord.

Rejoicing in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Go in Peace

Dear friend, If you face this Thankful Thursday a bit worn out, and overwhelmed by life I pray this prayer encourages you.

Be blessed and encouraged abundantly today on this Thankful Thursday and remember you are loved!

This is unusual for him because he is usually calm, cool and collected.  That is unless he see a scary movie.  But today was different. It was different because he was running for a position as a 4-H officer for the fifth grade class.  Trying out for anything can be a bit unnerving. And he was indeed nervous.

As he worked on his speech and rehearsed it to us, he confessed he was a bit scared. Really, I think I could have told him that.

Then the what if’s started to come …

What if they don’t choose me …

What if they laugh at me …

What if I forget what to say …

What if I do not make it like the Eldest Son not making the soccer team last week? What if I don’t make it too?

Life is full of what if’s, isn’t it?

What if I get fired …

What if I lose my  house … We all too have a list of what if’s.

But after a moment of reassuring him, Seth simply said “Will you pray for me”

Great thinking Seth!, And I quickly broke into prayer.  I am so glad he thought of that.  Prayer should be our first resort and not our last.  Why didn’t I think of that. Ok, it was early and I must have needed more coffee!

“Let’s pray about that” is what I say.  He is taking my line and Praise God he is.

Life is full and we become distracted by all of its many issues.  But on this Thankful Thursday my heart is filled with joy that the middle Son of Thunder suggested prayer.  Just as his oldest brother does all the time.

Maybe I am rubbing off on them. Raising men of prayer, how awesome would that be.  I could not  imagine a greater gift! My mother would be so proud them.

So once again this week is much like last, win or lose, we can always trust our future to God on this Thankful Thursday and always know we are safe in the cross of Christ!

So be blessed and encouraged abundantly today as we remember to bring all things to God in prayer because He cares about the smallest detail of our lives – even the winning and the losing.

P.S. There is no editor today so be merciful!

Be blessed

I have always said Tiger Woods would not be the golfer he is today if his mother had 5 children.  Let’s be honest, we can all only give so much.  The joke around here is at the end of the day there is very little love left over, for even the cats.  They are on their own.

After caring for the  three SONS, one husband ( who I must admit is very low maintenance) one dog who thinks she can fly (and who is very high maintenance) and two wacky cats that will only come for me mind you, my day is pretty full just like yours.

But once again on this Thankful Thursday I am reminded that life is full and that is just fine with me because I have learned to work around it.

One area that my full life is focused on right now is that Eldest SON is trying out for the school soccer team.  He loves soccer and has the most beautiful kick. I love to watch him play.  It is a joy.

I was unaware that half the school would try out for soccer.  Okay not really half, but enough to make the competion quite stiff.  I have spent the week praying and sharing the ups and downs of winning and losing. I have had my share of losses when it comes to pageants.  For every crown I won, I probably lost 5.  So the bottom line is I know how to lose and lose well.

Eldest SON knows how to win. He excels in school and in pretty much whatever he attempt, he succeeds. That is a blessing and a curse.  Because this feels different.  The soccer thing that is.  I have been praying, you moms know what I mean.  I have prayed that if this would be good for the Eldest SON, then I prayed God would open this door.  I also prayed for a bit of God’s favor too!  So needless to say there has been a lot of apprehension at our house. And on top of this some of his friends are trying out too! Which leads to many “what if” scenarios.

I do not know how my  mother and father watched me compete all those years in pageants.  They must have had nerves of steel.

When my mother and dad got sick and Winters’ career was in such upheaval, the three SONS still wanted to do all those activities and sports. I simply could not do the whole soccer thing.  Then I got sick on top of that and it was just too much for me. But later we dove into Boy Scouts, which has been great and a whole other post.

So life was good, I thought.

But several months back, the SONS joined a more laid back soccer team, with a much easier schedule.  Again it was what I could do.  I thought I could handle that and I was right. Again, it was all good, so I thought.

But when I saw Caleb play, there was a look unlike any other I had ever seen before on his face.  Shear joy. Shear pleasure. Like in “Chariots  of Fire,” I could tell Caleb felt a pleasure and joy unlike any other thing I had seen him do.  When he runs the field,  when he kicks the ball  and when he scores a goal he is in his element.  He is in the zone. I am confident he feels God’s pleasure when he is playing soccer.  And for a moment I was sad that I had kept the Eldest from his passion and from fulfilling his dream. I told him I was sorry and he simply said, “mom I love soccer so much.”

Yesterday he asked me to come watch him play.  So I did.  I could spot the eldest Son of Thunder a million miles away in a sea of other boys. I know his run, his wave , his walk and even his kick.  He is my SON and I could spot him anywhere. You know what I am talking about because you probably feel the same way about your children.  We know them and we feel their pain just like it were our own.

I watched that crowded field of boys, but picked out Caleb every time – he was giving it his very best. And then I thought to myself that this must be much like how God feels.  I am sure God can spot us a million miles away.  He knows his children and he knows our hurts and our fears and our successes.  He knows the good, the bad and the ugly in our life and He loves us just the same.

That is the beauty of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and His unconditional love for us.  Jesus felt our pain on the cross and He feels what we are going through today.

Yes, we do the best we can, but I have hurt this week to think that I kept Caleb from his dream and his passion because my life was just too full to handle any more. Sometimes in life, regardless how busy we are, we must find the time to help our children fulfill their purpose. We simply have to work around it.

Our lives are a bit less full now that mom and dad are with the Lord; sad but true. My health has improved and Winters and I are getting our groove back.

On this Thankful Thursday life has slowed just enough for the SONs, Winters and me to hang onto our dreams, passion and purpose.

I have said it before and I will say it again, we must make time for the dream.

So on this Thankful Thursday I pray you will hang onto your dream, feel God’s pleasure and help yourself and others fulfill their purpose!  As for the eldest SON, win or lose, I have promised him he will play soccer in the spring!  Because the SONs’ dreams are important to me and to Winters. And as far as how we are going to make that happen well we have all winter to figure that out.  Once again will just have to work around life!

Be blessed and encouraged abundantly today as you hang onto the dream!

But I am also re-posting this because yesterday I heard the tragic news that one of my dearest friends, one of my “Sacred Few,” had died suddenly in the hospital.  Jan Marie and I were the same age and had been life-long friends since we first met in Alaska. We never had a cross word and all I remember was what a supportive, loving and caring friend Jan Marie was to me. She was one of those flashlight carrying friend – like the ones I mentioned last week.  I only felt this post was appropriate for today because I too will try to dress myself happy. I will also remember what a blessed woman I am to have had a friend such as Jan Marie Ferrell. A lifetime was clearly not long enough for our friendship. I am reminded life is short and and we are mere travelers here.

On this Thankful Thursday please keep her husband Kevin and her 13-year-old daughter Kelley in your thoughts and prayers

Repost: On this Thankful Thursday, I am reminded of one of my mom and dad’s favorite CD’s. The Revival In Belfast.

In 2002, there was a spectacular performance featuring that music at their church and they were hooked.

In fact, mom loved it so much she called me and played it, while holding the receiver next to the stereo so I could hear it.  It was rather hilarious because I couldn’t even hear it.

Finally, mom just bought a zillion copies and gave them to just about everyone she loved, including me.

I too fell in love with it.  

When mom passed away the songs from the CD gave me more comfort than I could have ever imagined.  And during times of  sadness, it is The  Garment of Praise that stands out among all the rest.

Some times in this old life we can lose heart and feel we’ve lost our way back to a place of joy and happiness.

You might even feel you may never laugh or dance again.

But on this Thankful Thursday, I want to encourage you to ‘Dress Yourself  Happy and Put On A Garment Of Praise!

I am not talking shoes, hats or the latest spring fashions.

No, I am talking about an outfit that will change your outlook and your life forever.

The lyrics from the song are taken from one of my favorite passages – Isaiah 61: 1-3 – and it is there in the middle of verse 3, we hear the best fashion and skin care advice ever, perfect for all occasions.

We are invited to “Put on a Garment of Praise; instead of a Spirit of Heaviness” and “the Oil of Gladness; Instead of Mourning!

Today let’s wrap ourselves in a garment of praise and soak in the oil of gladness.

This, my dear friends, is best outfit you will ever have!

Today on this Thankful Thursday, I pray you will be dressed more beautifully than ever in a garment of praise and your weary bones will rise to dance again!