God got me there.

As many of you know, i strongly believe in the power of prayer. 

At my church, i was honored to be asked to be responsible for the prayer chain, sending out requests via the phone chain.   Before i send them out, i take a minute to pray for the request and for the people receiving it, that they also have a minute to stop in their crazy day and say a few words to Our Father.

When i can't sleep, i say my ABC's.  For each letter, i pray for someone specific.  There have been a few nights when i have gotten through the alphabet several times...the challenge is to find someone else for each letter.

I know the only reason Ben and I are alive today, is because when i was in labor, people were praying for us.

But i don't like asking for prayer. I always think there is someone more in need of HIS attention.  

THAT BEING SAID......

This past week, i have been sick.  And instead of getting better, i was getting sicker.  I am on strong medication, using my nebulizer and yesterday, i could barely move.  I was actually scared, because i was just so miserable.

I could barely get to my phone, but i did and sent out a prayer request.   And i lay back down again.

When i woke...i felt almost human.  Tired, yes, but i could breathe without pain and the cough wasn't wracking my entire being.

I looked at my phone, and i had several messages, friends praying for me.

I was able to get up, sit in my chair in the living room, even eat some dinner.  Today, for the first time in a week, i am working at my desk for the day.

Well Played, Dear Lord.   

I love you.

what is left over?

It's amazing what can be made with junk.

Two weeks ago, i realized i had one too many left over balls of yarns.  My scraps were taking up more room than my actual skeins of yarn. so i decided it was time to do something about it.   

It was time to learn a new stitch, so i went on youtube and found a basket stitch, spent some time in prayer and decided it was time to make one of my own children a gift. 

So i just starting crocheting, no plan in mind, no color schemes, just knotting together yarn in threes and went to work.

Two weeks later, i had what i call my own personal picasso.   A thick, full of love afghan for Nate.  

In this blanket is left overs from hats, prayer shawls, ponchos, masks, scarves, purses, and whatever else i have made in the past 5 years. 

And while i made it, i got the opportunity to pray for my friends all over again.  Friends i haven't seen in years, one i haven't spoken to since i made her the shawl - we just drifted apart, but i got to pray for her again. 

One that was a wedding shawl, and she is now expecting a baby, so i got to pray for the baby, the marriage and the family. 

And it hit me, this was all left overs, not needed anymore, the skein had served its purpose, this was just what was left over, rolled into a ball, shoved in a plastic jar on top of shelves.  Not needed, just hanging around. 

But when i put them all together, they made a magical piece of love.

And i realized, that is a lot like my friends.  We were all just hanging around, looking for a place to belong. 

Some of us came together and made a beautiful prayer shawl ministry.

A couple of us needed to be closer to God and we formed a bible study.

A gang of kids needed to express themselves and learn about HIS love and we started Higher Power.

A friend reached out to us and led us to a church that brought my husband back to the ministry.

Odd colors, odd little leftovers that needed to be knotted together to make beautiful things.

Everyone around me, we have all had some yarn pulled from us - stress, age, children, jobs - life, has pulled the best part of us, like pulling yarn off a skein.  We have all given our best, and whatever is left over has been rolled into a protective ball.

But by bringing together was is left in each of us, we can all make something really beautiful.

I love you.

Okay, i am way different

There comes a time in your life that you realize...wow, i am so different!

Let me start with the basics....i was reading an article about the best and worst movies....and realized i liked a LOT of them on the worst list and the number one movie....did NOTHING for me.  Then there was an article about a stars best and worst movies...and the three on the bottom i OWN, and the three named her best movies, i did not like at all.  I seem to like movies that most people didn't like.  Three Jurassic Park movies, number 2 is said to be the worst - it scared the crap out of me.  My sons laughed their heads off....it is the one that scared me the most.

I haven't seen many of the movies people loved - i have never seen the Titanic, or the Notebook, and several other to die for movies - no happy movies...i don't like unhappy endings (hey, spoiler alert, in titanic, the boat sinks).  I don't like those amazing movies with meaning....give me a big explosion and the hero getting the girl in the end, that makes me happy.

I don't like fish.  Many meats i can only swallow if there is applesauce nearby.  Love tea, don't like coffee.  I love plain boring yogurt, not with fruit, maybe a touch of vanilla, but nothing fancy dancy.

I am always cold.  Winter, spring, summer, fall, i am cold.  I wear socks all the time.  I wear fur lined crocs all the time to keep my toes warm.

I got my wild side at the age of 50.  While most women my age are starting to fall into a happy way of life, satisfied with what they have and what they have done, i have pierced my upper ear, dyed my hair pink and purple, went sledding for the first time and want to go parasailing.  I didn't cut class, or do anything wild as a teenager, so now is MY time!  Luckily, my husband loves his little freaky wife.

Okay, so i am different.

And for a long time, i would've been very upset that i don't match with everyone else.   I would've tried to fit in, i would've tried to squeeze myself in to the mold of the world.  

Now, nah.  I am happy, i have my own mold, God made my mold and it is okay. Because He don't make junk, He made me the way He wants me to be to fill a need on this earth.

I am so happy, cause i am totally different.

Have a unique day!  I love you.  

Why "I Love You."

Recently someone asked me why i always say "I love you." 

I always finish my blog posts with it, when i hang up the phone, if i know you, i say it, if you are a stranger (or bill collector) i end with "have a blessed day."   If God puts someone on my heart, i either text or put a comment on facebook, wherever, to let that person i love them and are praying for them.

Why?  well, i do.

simple.

My mother died when i was in my early 20's.  We had a very hard relationship, and didn't speak often.  The night before she died, we spoke and agreed to finally sit down and try to work things out, and set a date for a month later.   I ended the conversation with "i love you, mom."  she responded she loved me too.

She died suddenly of a brain aneurysm the next morning, no warning, no time to say anything else, she was gone. 

I had a lot of regrets of things i didn't say, but in the end, our last moments together were in love.

I also learned a valuable lesson - you never know.  You don't know if you will ever see that person again, something can happen to you, something can happen to them.  

Also, dang it, don't we all need to know someone loves us???  On those days when everything goes wrong, when you think everyone is out to get you, everyone is laughing at you, hurting you, aren't you glad someone out there really truly LOVES you?  Without conditions, or reservations?

If God brought you in my life, He had a reason.   We meet a need for each other, we support each other, we worship together, we see each other in a store, where ever what ever, God wants us together.   I don't argue with Him, i bow and say okay.  I love Him, i love all the gifts He has given me, and i consider those He puts around me a present.

I love The Lord, I love presents...and i love you.