One Word

Last year, instead of a New Year's resolution, I opted for one word, moderation.  One word for the entire year and I participated in the OneWord365 community.  I was surprised at how much that one word continued to crop up in my life and affect some of the decisions that I made. 

So, I am doing this again this year.  It took me a while, but I have decided on this year's word and wanted to share it with you.

 



Love is something that is universal.  We all feel it in one way or another.  In ancient Greek, there are 4 distinct words to describe love because of the complex nature of it.  There have been many, many songs written about it.  Books and poems abound about it.  Lives have been lost over it.  The bible mentions it over 500 times.  It is something that has existed from the beginning of time. 

 

Yet, we have a tendency to fail to practice it.

 

Love is something that can easily overflow to the people around you and can change whole lives and it can just start with a smile, but we have to be intentional about it.  When I practice love, whether it is a kind word or an act of kindness, it changes something in me as well as the one I am doing it for.  Then it has a snowball effect.  That person has a little more love to share as well to brighten someone else's day. 

 

Christ calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  This is not an easy thing, but as with most things, it gets easier with practice...so that's what I am going to do. 

 

I have always loved babies and at one point...back when I had NO idea what I was talking about...I wanted to have 10 children because of my love for babies.  So, I have stepped out and become the director of the Morgantown, WV chapter of Newborns In Need.  This is a national non-profit Christian organization that provides essential items to be distributed to babies and families that need help.  I am in the process of collecting items and donations to get this chapter started.  I am gathering volunteers to help collect or make needed items and help with fundraisers to purchase the items that aren't donated.  We will be meeting on a monthly basis and doing our best to help as many babies and families as we can.  If you would like to help in anyway, please let me know. 

 

 

 

 

A Day of Remembering and Love

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  Unfortunately, I can participate in this somber event.

Fourteen years ago, I was 16 weeks along with my first child.  It was around this time that I felt the baby move for the first time.  I could not wait to hold this newly minted life in my arms.  I was eagerly and nervously counting down the days and dreaming about meeting my child for the first time.

But dreams sometimes turn to nightmares.  I got to see my son for the first time as they were wheeling him past to take him to a bigger hospital that could handle such a sick child.  You see, he did not start breathing on his own, he never woke up.  My baby held on for five days while we did everything to memorize every tiny detail.  We sang to him, rocked and cuddled him, opened the window so he could feel the fresh air, we baptized him and then we gave him permission to go.

My heart will never be the same.

I have been told that there is a reason that this happened.  I don't know what that reason might be, but I know that he taught me much in his five days in this world.

Dear Christian,
    Thank you for teaching me to never take your brothers for granted.  I snuggle them a little tighter.
    Thank you for teaching me that every life is precious.
    Thank you for preparing me to minister to other moms who have went through this horrible tragedy.
    Thank you for showing me that love can be so strong that it transcends pain and separation.
           You will never be forgotten.
                      Love, Mommy


If you have been touched by a loss like this, I would ask that you join in today.  At 7 pm where ever you are, please light a candle and keep it lit for at least an hour.  This will create a wave of light and love, starting on the east coast, it will extend over the hours across the country.  We all just want our babies to be remembered.

Wanna change the world?

The other day, I was having a conversation with my son about things that have happened in school.  He told me that he just wanted the teachers to simply say, "Good job."  Now, I try very hard to let my children know how proud I am of them...because I am unbelievable proud.  But that got me to thinking.  Isn't that what we all want?  We just want to be acknowledged.  We want our efforts to be noticed.  We want to be loved.

It all comes down to this, doesn't it?  We just need to be loved.

So many problems would vanish if we could just love each other the way we want to be loved.  Radical love is possible and it would change the world!  So, how about it?

My Favorite Guy in the whole wide world!!!

Today is a very important day!  It is the day that my favorite person was born, 36 Now 38!) years ago.  :-)  This post is dedicated to him!  I love you, baby!

I think I will just give a few reasons why he's my favorite person, but if you know him, you already know!  Enjoy the pictures!

1.  He loves me more than I could ever have hoped to be loved!  Just for who I am.

2.  He has a heart for God.

3.  He's a wonderful father to our children.

4.  He's my best friend.

5.  He's the funniest person, EVER!

6.  He never gives up.  Even on me, when I have.

7.  He's a ROCKIN' guitarist!

8.  He can admit when he's wrong...usually.  :-)

9.  He builds gorgeous guitars!  Agape Guitars  (Had to get his blog in here somewhere!)

10.  He inspires me to be a better me!


This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Rich.  I've been with him for 16 (18!) years and I am still learning new things about him.  He's a fantastic guy and I can't imagine what my world would be like if not for him.  He has taught me a lot, and I'm not even close to being done with him!  So, make sure you tell him Happy Birthday!