"One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering."

Ida Scott Taylor


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Brave Girls Club and my Birdie





So excited that my little birdie painting
"Young At Heart" was
featured today on
  "A Little Bird Told Me" daily encouragements.
Brave Girls Club was founded by two wonderful  women,
artist, Melody Ross and her sister, Kathy Wilkins.
You can sign up for yourself to receive these 
motivating and encouraging words here.
Or click on this button below and it takes you 
directly to the sign up page.


 Here is an example of the daily email  from
 the Brave Girls Club. 
♥♥♥♥♥♥
Dear Blessed Girl,

There is enough for everyone. If we have what you need, and if we work hard for what you want, this absolutely does not take away the ability or opportunity for others to do the same.

There is plenty of goodness for everyone to be surrounded by it. There is plenty of money to go around in the world. There is plenty of love for everyone to be bathed in it. Sometimes it is somewhere different than where we are looking, but there is always always always enough...more than enough!

PLEASE, wonderful friend, PLEASE do not let yourself get tricked into the idea that if your dreams are coming true, or that your life is good, or that you have found peace....that it means that you took that opportunity away from someone else.

AND PLEASE do not let yourself EVER believe that because someone else is living the kind of life that you want to live, that “those kinds of lives” are all taken up....it just is not so! There is enough for you, too.

We all have our own paths to take to find what we are seeking. We are all meant to seek for different things! Just be who YOU are and let others be who they are. Cheer each other on. Support each other....remind each other that there’s plenty to go around.

Life is so good...and you are so loved.
xoxo


♥♥♥♥♥♥   ♥♥♥♥♥♥   ♥♥♥♥♥♥

Hope you all have a
 "young at heart day"
and do something child like.
That means a lot of laughing going on
and maybe even kicking up your heels!!

Big Hugs,

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Walking on through




Just came home
from taking a much needed
walk out in nature!  
(the old covered bridge is on my walking path by the river) 
The trees provided wonderful shade
as I walked the pretty and peaceful  path through them.



“Trees are the earth's endless effort
 to speak to the listening heaven.” 
Rabindranath Tagore, Fireflies, 1928

Have you ever thought about how
much we are like trees?  
Like the way we have to go through seasons
in our lives along with
 having to give up or let go of our leaves,
(things that we are comfortable with or love)
so to make room for new growth when
the new season arrives.


Sometimes I think it takes a 
mighty strong wind 
to loosen 
those leaves before they will drop.
Just like when God has too bring along
something strong to get us to loosen our grip.

I could go on and on about the many 
times it took a very strong wind 
to loosen my leaves.
I guess I hold on a little too tight sometimes!

"All good things on earth
are to be enjoyed, but holding
them loosely works best-
for where your treasure is,
there your heart
will be also."
Kay Rader

One of those windy seasons
( yes, I have many more than one)
was the beginning of the empty nest time for me.
That was about 7 years ago,
so I'm through it now,
but at the time, I felt like my trunk had just been hit
with a tornado!!! 
God had so much more planned for me
but I had to let go
to find what new step, what new song,
he had planned ahead.
And an even greater thing to look forward too is
the BEST is yet to come!

How about you? 
Do you hold on extra tightly to anything?



"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.
They are like trees planted along a 
riverbank, with roots that reach deep into
the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the 
heat or worried by long months of drought.
There leaves stay green, and they go right on 
producing delicious fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)



I have had a special
love for trees ever since I was a  little girl.
I was in 6th grade
when my siblings and I went to live
with our grandparents.
They had just built a beautiful brick ranch home that
sat in the middle of many old and very tall oak trees.
I remember being so thankful every morning,
for a secure and happy place to live,
as I looked out
of my bedroom window and saw 
the
beautiful tall trees blowing in the wind. 
They were always there, through the storms, in
all of the changes through the seasons.
They remained secure and growing 
as they reached up to the top of the
sky to see the sun (SON).
Just as I learned to do at that age,
as I followed their example
and looked to the SON, my Savior, my creator
and loving Heavenly Father.

To this day, walking through the trees
makes me feel as though
I could touch God as if he were right there painting
a masterpiece and a word picture just for me.



If you are right in the middle of having to
loosen your  grip and let go
of something, or fearing the possibility 
of having to let go in the future, 
remember you are not alone. 
God has a new song, a new season planned
just for you... It may be scary now, not knowing 
what is ahead, but you can trust that 
His plans for you are good. 
 We will never know His Best if we don't let go.

You are always invited to come over and 
sit under the shade tree with me. 
I'll even make some sweet tea we can share.
I'm a much braver girl when I have 
a friend beside me.

Hugs,


Some wonderful words that encouraged me from
Brenda Waggoner 
author of  the book, "Fairy Tale Faith"


"Perhaps it takes some years of walking with 
God to learn to relax in his presence,
to realize that he's there even when
he seems absent and that he's not put off 
when we get distracted from him or go
to sleep in his lap. 
He isn't even shocked at our worst
foibles and follies, though we often are."