I'm Back

Hello friends.

Please forgive me for being such a ridiculous blogger. Is it fair to even call me a blogger anymore? I haven't posted something in ages. I'm aggravated at my own self. And I'm in awe of all the lovely ladies out there who manage to post the most profound and inspiring messages - just about every week or even everyday- on their own blogs. You guys are incredible.

We just spent a week down south visiting family. It was a much needed visit - for me, anyway. Because I live 1200 miles from my closest of kin - I tend to feel a bit stranded at times. What makes it even harder - is that I have one of those families that you actually want to spend time with. The kind that will make you laugh till you cry. The kind that will pray their hearts out for you. The kind that gets on your nerves but it is safe to tell them so. The kind that makes you feel - wanted and needed and loved. They are Texans, after all.

I got to do the normal stuff - like eat barbecue, ride around my old stomping grounds, sleep in, go to a baseball game, cook, eat Whataburgers, and devour bowls of Blue Bell ice cream every night. I also went through dozens of keepsake boxes. I found a yearbook, pictures of old friends, letters from boys, tapes of me running track, old dance costumes, my big Texas hair bows, prom dresses, cards, notebooks, and  more recent things - like wedding stuff and college textbooks. I enjoyed every minute of it. To top it all off - I got to do yoga with my aunts and uncles. It was both hilarious and wonderful. I'm hooked on it now.

I didn't want to leave. I never really do - but this time I just felt like I needed a few more doses of family. (And a few more plates of barbecue.) But here I am - back up north - getting into the swing of things here. And I'm thankful. While I don't much like the cloudiness, the cold, the absence of good Tex-Mex food, and the distance - I do love the changing of the seasons, the sweet friends we have here - both old and new, and our church - not to mention...our health, our house, and the little bit of family we have here.

So until this summer - when we go down to enjoy the 100 degree weather - I will be grateful....and I will daydream about sinking my teeth into an El Fenix enchilada.

Have a great week :)

Wise Things to Ponder

I woke up with a bad attitude this morning. Lord, renew a right spirit within me.

"We know nothing of tomorrow. Our business is to be good and happy today." - Sydney Smith

 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me." - Psalm 139: 9-10

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?" - Frank Skully

"Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you hold." - Josh Billings

" The impulse of love that leads us to the doorway of a friend is the voice of God within and we need not be afraid to follow it." - Agnes Sanford

"One should know the value of life better than to pout any part of it away." - Hester Lynch Piozzi

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk for I give myself to you. - Psalm 143: 8

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." - J.M. Barre

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. - Proverbs 27: 9

 "Loving relationships are a families best protection against the challenges of the world." - Bernie Wiebe

She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. - Proverbs 31: 25

I feel better already. I hope you have a wonderful day, Sweet Friends :)

These Kind of Tears

I've never known this kind of sorrow. I still don't.

I've never experienced this kind of empathy. This kind of pain. This kind of sad. This kind of devastation. All for another.

I can't stop the tears from flowing. My chest hurts. My stomach churns.

It feels like the world should stop. For her. For them. It feels like the entire universe should come to a screeching hault. It feels like the sun shouldn't shine, anymore.

Really, there are no words for this kind of loss. There are no ways to describe the immense sorrow that screams out from the heart of a mother and father who have lost their little 5 month old love-bug.

So I'm gonna stop trying. And I'm just gonna keep feeling.

Peace, Lord. Somehow.....give them crazy comfort and peace.