Author: Wendy

Hurricane Reflections

Posted on by Wendy
We should seek and hold onto joy whenever we can.

As the pictures of the devastation from Hurricane Michael keep rolling in, it seems to be the topic of everyone’s conversation. Part of it is because, Florida is our next door neighbor and so many of us in Georgia, have been to those places that were hit so hard.

We have so many memories of wonderful times spent there.

Personally, I have scanned the internet daily for a business in Panama City called Goofy Golf. It’s a putt-putt place that’s been there since the fifties. My parents took us to play putt-putt there every year on our family vacations. My mama’s parents took her to play there and I’ve taken my own kids to play there. Although it’s just a place, I desperately want it to have survived.

A few years ago, when the entire town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee was on fire, I frantically searched the internet, hoping that the chapel that my hubby and I got married in, was still standing. It wasn’t like our marriage would have no longer been valid if it burned, I just really wanted it to have survived.

When I think of the people who actually have homes in that area, that were there one minute and gone the next and the people who have severe storm damage, my heart breaks for them. As I have prayed for the folks on the Florida Panhandle the last few days, I’m reminded that our lives can drastically change in the blink of an eye.

As we go through our everyday lives, we can get so complacent, that we take it all for granted. It had been since the 1850’s that, that area had been hit by a hurricane of that magnitude. No one is even alive that would remember it, but I’ve no doubt that those people living back then, were just as devastated.

The aftermath of Hurricane Michael reminds me that we should soak up every moment we are given with the people we love and with those who love us. It reminds me to tell the people we love that we love them. It reminds me to seek and to hold on tightly to joy and to let anger and pain go. It reminds me that we should forgive easily and anger slowly. It reminds me that nothing on this side of Eternity is permanent, no matter how strong we may think it is.

Life is a gift. We should remember that every morning when we wake up. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Warriors Among Us

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I’m thankful for the warriors among us.

Wednesday night, we held our breath as Hurricane Michael headed our way. It had already decimated everything in its path in Florida and Georgia was next. We had seen alerts most of the day and were under a tornado watch until the wee hours of the morning.

I had felt uneasy all day long. The air outside just felt heavy somehow. My daughter was in South Georgia and my parents were in Middle Georgia and both areas were in the hurricane’s crosshairs and out of my reach.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I got a message on Facebook from a family friend checking in with us and letting me know he was praying for us. He’s a warrior who became family on a mission trip a few years back and he always has a way of letting me know he’s praying for us especially when things feel particularly out of my control.

I immediately felt better.

A little while later, another friend who I met on that same trip, also a warrior who has become family, messaged me to let me know that he too, was praying for our family.

There was definitely some comfort, knowing we were being prayed for, when we didn’t even ask. There are certain situations when it becomes abundantly clear that prayer is the only answer. I was so grateful they had reached out to me. I had no doubt that they were following nudges from God.

It made me wonder if I should do a better job at letting people know that I’m praying for them. I think we can sometimes forget how powerful that spiritual connection can be. There are times when I feel called to pray for someone, but I rarely tell them.

Maybe they need to hear it. It certainly gave me some peace.

Thankfully we suffered no damage overnight, but the next morning, I still hadn’t heard from my daughter. I received a text from another warrior from that same mission trip to tell me she was praying for us and asking how we were. I thanked her and told her we were fine, but I hadn’t heard from my daughter. She reached out to her as well and I’ve no doubt, continued to pray.

It was a few hours later when she finally checked in. The weather had kept her awake, so she had slept in, but all was well.

I marveled all day at the power of prayer and the peace we can get from it. I stand amazed at the people who God puts in our paths for such a time as this. He always has a plan.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Blessed Reassurance

Posted on by Wendy
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

I had the day off on Monday and I was determined to get outside and go for a walk. My regular cardio routine has become irregular at best, due to some painting projects, an injured tendon and quite frankly, the oppressive heat that has refused to let up.

As I sat at my kitchen table drinking my coffee, (Who in their right mind would take a morning walk before coffee?), I noticed how dark it was outside. I knew I should go as early as possible, because of the heat, but I just didn’t want to go out under an overcast sky.

Something nudged me to wait.

When the sun finally peeked through the clouds, and I went to get my running shoes, it was 9:00. I strapped my cell phone that I’ve been lugging around to record every step I take, securely around my arm. I knew I had probably waited too late, but I was determined to go anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped outside. It was cooler than it had been the past few days and there was a breeze. I was thankful I had waited for the light and I was reminded that it’s always going to be warmer when we seek to walk in the light.

As I walked along, I found myself praying for some wonder, for God to show His presence. The past week had been a long one filled with bad news, not for me personally, but for some friends and extended family. I felt like my prayers had become a long list of cries for intervention and comfort. My heart felt heavy.

But, as I walked and felt the cool breeze on my face, I felt thankful, thankful to be alive and to be outside and away from a desk and as I was giving thanks, a hawk flew across my path and landed on a tree branch right in front of me. I stopped and wondered if it would remain there while I took a picture. I doubted it.

I never exercise with a phone. I find them cumbersome, but I had mine because of the step counting, work contest. I carefully took it off my arm, expecting it to fly away any minute. It didn’t. I tried to zoom and then I moved closer and walked to the other side of the tree to get a better shot. The hawk never moved. He kept his eyes on me, but stayed put until I finished and walked away.

I marveled at God’s faithfulness and His timing. If I would have gone earlier, I would have missed the encounter. If I wasn’t counting my steps, not only would I not have been able to get a picture, but I wouldn’t have been been amazed at the hawk’s patience with my photo attempts.

My heart was much lighter as I continued to give thanks. My circumstances hadn’t changed, but I had been reassured of His presence, His timing, His plan and most importantly, His love.

Perhaps you needed some reassurance today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Happy Columbus Day!

Posted on by Wendy

Due to a house full of company this weekend, followed by a frenzy of activity that lasted all weekend, I don’t have a post today. I hope you have a wonderful Columbus Day!

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Brick House Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Our faith can be as weak as straw or as strong as bricks and mortar.

Yesterday at the elementary school where I work, our first graders had a fairy tale ball. They had just finished their unit on fairy tales and to cap it off, they were told to dress as any fairy tale character of their choosing. Not surprisingly, there were lots of princesses, but there were also quite a few pigs from the, “Three Little Pigs,” and some wolves, and even the grandmother from “Little Red Riding Hood.” The “Wizard of Oz,” was also well represented.

Their creativity, was as always, inspiring. The possibilities and perspectives of the very young always inspire me. Later in the day, one of our teachers asked me if I remembered what her son wore the year before for his fairy tale ball. I didn’t, so she shared her pictures.

He had come as the houses in the, “Three Little Pigs.” In his mind, the most important character in the story, wasn’t a character at all. It was what the characters built, that spoke to him. Each house was represented on a side of a box that he wore.

I was fascinated and I thought about those pictures and his perspective long after the fairy tale ball was over.

As humans, it seems that what we tend to focus on is other humans, whether they are good or bad, or are for us or against us. But, the truth about all humanity is that it’s not permanent. We are only here for a short time before we move on to eternity, but the things we build can last a lot longer than we do, and the love and faith we pass down to the generations who come after us, can last indefinitely.

And when I think about it, “The Three Little Pigs,” has some deep lessons to teach us spiritually. When we are building our faith lives, it’s important to take time and care like the little pig who used the bricks, because we too, have a wolf character who comes after us from time to time, just because we are children of God.

It’s not a matter of if, but of when. If we haphazardly build our faith, like the little pig did with the straw and his house, it will easily collapse when an attack comes. But, if we take the time and pray, and read the Bible and spend time with other people of faith and build a brick house faith, it can withstand any kind of attack, just like the little pig with the brick house did and we can help shelter others too, just like the little pig did with his brothers.

The fairy tale ball reminded me of the importance of what we build while we are here. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Making Your Steps Count

Posted on by Wendy
In the end it’s not how many steps we take, but where those steps take us, that matters most.

There’s a little contest going on at my school. It involves how many steps someone can take in a day. There are teams. The team with the most steps at the end of the contest wins. It’s pretty straightforward and it’s a fun way to encourage each other to move around more. There was a similar contest last year. I didn’t participate.

First of all, I don’t have one of those little step counter watches that everyone is wearing these days. I know they are super cool and trendy, but they remind me of 1980’s fashion and I’ve been there and done that. Secondly, I’m just not very competitive. I exercise because I have to to stay fit, not because I get great joy out of it and I’m certainly not going to devote entire weekends of running or swimming, so I can get a shirt.

But, this time, there was a team that was short and so I reluctantly agreed to participate. The tricky part is, I have to carry my cell phone everywhere I go if I want credit for my steps. My embarrassingly low numbers are evidence that I often leave it behind.

I’m sure by the time the contest is finished, I’ll be carrying it around as reliably as a mama kangaroo and her joey.

But, as I was lamenting about the situation the other day, it occurred to me that just because my steps don’t get recorded on my phone, doesn’t mean that I didn’t take them. Just because they don’t count in the contest, doesn’t mean that I’m not more aware of the need to move more.

We are currently living in a social media crazed, show me, world. We may go on the most spectacular vacation of our lives, but if there are no pictures posted, was it less spectacular?

As Christians, our faith calls us to something entirely different. The Bible even tells us, “But, when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

Our work contest reminds me that I probably need to be more physically active, and that’s a good thing, but it also reminds me that instead of counting my steps, I really need to focus on making my steps count. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Toddler Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes your path may only be clear to you. Not everyone will understand your calling.

One Sunday, a few months back, when the time came for the choir to go to the front of the church and sing, my friend Linda, had to leave her grandson Malachi, in the pew with his mama, so she could sing. As soon as she left his side, he began to wail loudly. It was of no concern to him where his grandmother was going. All he knew was that she was leaving him.

But, when the music began and she joined her voice with the rest of the choir in worship, he quieted down. When the song was over, she returned to his side.

I thought about that incident long after that Sunday. So often, when God calls us to do something, those around us might not understand. They might not have the vision that we do, that like a church choir, we are joining in with others to produce something beautiful for God, something much bigger than we are alone.

I also reflected upon the fact that Linda didn’t turn and go back. She kept walking to where she was called, knowing that she needed to go. She knew that not only was Malachi completely safe with his sweet mama, but that he was about to witness why she left him for those few minutes.

When we choose to walk with Jesus, we are sometimes called to make difficult decisions. We can find ourselves called to a different job, or a different vocation altogether, or a different city, or sometimes even a different church.

Sometimes the people around us will cheer us on. Sometimes they won’t. Change is often hard for everyone involved and some people are going to react like little Malachi did that morning. But, when we are deep in prayer over our dilemmas and opportunities and we know we are going where we are called to be, our friends and loved ones will eventually see what we knew all along: God always has a plan and He was always working in the situation even when He was unseen.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Acknowledging the Tough Seasons

Posted on by Wendy
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

I was recently taking a walk and I ran into a neighbor who I hadn’t seen in a while. We live down the street from each other, but rarely get to talk, We usually wave as we pass each other in the road. I love to talk to her. She’s always laughing, always has funny stories and always has encouraging words.

I stopped in front of her house and we started getting caught up on each other’s lives. Her kids are a little older that mine. One is in college and one recently got married. I was chattering on about my summer and she was telling me some funny stories about hers.

Then she told me that her daughter had suffered a miscarriage. She was going to be fine, but was really disappointed. It was fairly early, but they had seen the heartbeat. My neighbor was thankful that she could be with her. They would try again soon. A little later in the conversation, she told me that her son’s dog had run away on the same day that they were scheduled to be out of town for a wedding and also on the same day that he was scheduled to be a pall bearer at the funeral of a friend who had died suddenly and tragically.

But, she was happy to report that they did find the dog. I stopped her at this point and said to her, “You had a terrible summer.”

She took a breath and acted a little surprised at my words and admitted that, yes, it had been a rough summer for them. I told her how sorry I was to hear it and that I would keep her family in my prayers and she thanked me.

We chatted a little longer and said our goodbyes. I thought about what a tough season she had been through and how she wasn’t complaining at all, but just telling her story. I thought about how important that it was for her to be able to tell it honestly. But, perhaps most importantly, that she could acknowledge, and have someone else acknowledge her tough season.

I think that many of us believe that to be good Christians, we are supposed to smile through the pain, no matter what and just count our blessings, because we have so many. Sometimes we can be guilty of telling others to do the same. Being a glass half-full kind of gal, I always attempt to look for the blessings in my own life.

But, sometimes, there are valleys. Sometimes we suffer through rough seasons. In those seasons, we should remember that it’s okay to acknowledge our pain and disappointment. It’s okay to share it with others and it’s okay to cry out to God, remembering that we never walk alone and the season will eventually pass.

A conversation with a neighbor reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Trusting the Builder

Posted on by Wendy
Someone with skill can create beauty out of what seems like chaos to the casual observer.

After combing the internet for several weeks, looking for end tables for my daughter’s college apartment, and not finding what I was looking for, I went to my hubby and asked him if he could make her some. He asked me what I had in mind. I showed him a couple of pictures and he told me that he would be happy to make them.

We went to Lowe’s and gathered the materials. Now, I can spend plenty of time in that store, looking for everything from plants to light fixtures, but I tend to get bored when we are buying building supplies. I love to paint the finished product, but I’m terrible in the planning process and truthfully, in the building process too.

We wandered through Lowe’s, and he looked for a type of screw I had never heard of and a special bit for his router and some wood to trim them out. While I wasn’t super interested in what we were looking for, I trusted that these items were important because he’s the builder and I am not.

When we got home, sure enough, there was an important use for all of those items and he made the tables I described to him, just beautifully.

Later that evening, I found myself reflecting on how often we ask God to give us something. Sometimes, He starts building our dreams and we aren’t even paying attention. He puts together all kinds of abstract pieces, using our experiences and circumstances like little nuts and bolts.

We often don’t understand the why He does what He is doing, like I had no idea why my hubby was buying the items he was buying at Lowe’s, but do we trust that the end there will be something beautiful and useful?

If I’m honest, I often find myself frustrated in the building process. I want to hurry up and get to the finished product, so I can decorate and use it right away. I sometimes forget that building something important always takes time.

My hubby’s tables reminded me the importance of planning and that patience is so very important, when it comes to building. All that time consuming measuring and waiting is for a reason. In the end, we have to make the intentional decision to trust the Builder.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Crowded Closet Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
When we keep our hearts and souls uncluttered, we are open to all kinds of beauty on our journey.

I was taking a walk a few weeks ago and ran into a neighbor who I hadn’t talked to in a while. We were talking about our kids and our summer. I told her I had been refinishing furniture all summer. When she asked me where I got it from, I told her my parents had a barn full of stuff no one wanted and that we had a few pieces stashed in our own storage, that needed to be used.

She laughed and said that at least I hadn’t put it all in my closet. She went on to say that after her mother-in-law passed away that they didn’t know what to do with a lot of her things, so she just kept putting sticking things in her closet. She confided that her closet had already been a mess with things crammed everywhere, but all of the extra items actually collapsed her floor.

I thought she was joking at first, but she wasn’t. She had to get a contractor to come in and rebuild her floor. She laughed and said the entire incident was incredibly embarrassing, but that now her closet was so uncluttered and organized that we could probably eat dinner there if we wanted.

I thought about my neighbor’s closet long after our conversation ended. I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around having that much stuff in my closet, but as I looked around my own closet, there were things in there I hadn’t worn in years. Why was I holding on to that stuff?

I also thought about the things we keep piling into our hearts and souls that do nothing, but create clutter and weight. Things like old hurts that we refuse to let go of, anger at people or situations that have long since passed, all kinds of fear ranging from getting hurt to failing, or anxiety about circumstances that we just can’t change, can fill us up completely.

Like the old bride’s maid dresses hanging in my closet, those emotions probably were needed at some point. But now, at best, all of the heart and soul clutter causes unnecessary crowding that takes up space that should be for the good stuff, like hope, trust and love. At worst, it can get so heavy to carry around, it can collapse us completely, like my neighbor’s closet.

My neighbor’s story inspired me to go home and go through my own closet and weed out what I no longer need, items that once served a purpose, but don’t any longer. Her story also inspired me to do a heart and soul check and rid myself of unneeded baggage there as well.

I was reminded that there’s freedom that comes from traveling light. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂