When the Howdy's linger...

"Howdy!"

Such a darling greeting where one feels good and passes the feeling on to others.

We've had many "Howdy's," of late. With the fast approach of the 4th of July, I'm getting used to saying hello to fireworks, late nights, and the hug of good friends! It's like the celebrating of "Halfway to Christmas!" Or in our case...Thanksgiving when we will see these crazys again...

Michigan was a great time; visiting with friends and family and celebrating. Twice in a month made for a lot of driving, but oh so worth it.

I wish I could live in both places. Be with everyone I love, all the time.
They'd probably be over it long before I would but the memories made are such a gift.

We had to say goodbye. Return to our home and continue running our race.

Some of us use scooters...

And sometimes Kayaks...

We said hello to a dear friend, and found our hello lingering as we knew that all too soon we would say goodbye, for now. We said those words two weeks later, almost to the day. I've never felt so inspired or encouraged by a funeral. Several times I found myself sitting on my hands trying to not break out clapping, or leaning close to my mom, sharing with her my inappropriately timed humor just to keep from bursting. Whether from tears or laughter, or both. Ken Miller was a good man and led a great life. He truly finished well. His legacy played out as his family, friends, and elder friends lay him in the ground and returned him to the dust from which we all came.

My "howdy" lingered, because goodbye was stuck in my throat. It felt too final for what my faith was believing...that Ken is in the presence of The Lord. The One, the Only. Hello was just the beginning for him, when he breathed out his last broken breath. His next inhalation was one of exhilaration-- that would keep him alive forever.

So, as I've returned home, the only normal around here is the setting on my dryer--you know, the one never used. I've let my "hello" linger. Because it is today. And normal is the "right now." Stay there. Stay present.

And learn to linger. Because today's "howdy" is a gift.

Let it linger...

When the Howdy's linger...

"Howdy!"

Such a darling greeting where one feels good and passes the feeling on to others.

We've had many "Howdy's," of late. With the fast approach of the 4th of July, I'm getting used to saying hello to fireworks, late nights, and the hug of good friends! It's like the celebrating of "Halfway to Christmas!"



Michigan was a great time; visiting with friends and family and celebrating. Twice in a month made for a lot of driving, but oh so worth it.



I wish I could live in both places. Be with everyone I love, all the time.
They'd probably be over it long before I would but the memories made are such a gift.

We had to say goodbye. Return to our home and continue running our race.

Some of us use scooters...



We said hello to a dear friend, and found our hello lingering as we knew that all too soon we would say goodbye, for now. We said those words two weeks later, almost to the day. I've never felt so inspired or encouraged by a funeral. Several times I found myself sitting on my hands trying to not break out clapping, or leaning close to my mom, sharing with her my inappropriately timed humor just to keep from bursting. Whether from tears or laughter or both. Ken Miller was a good man and led a great life. He truly finished well. His legacy played out as his family, friends, and elder friends layed him in the ground and returned him to the dust from which we all came.

My "howdy" lingered, because goodbye was stuck in my throat. It felt too final for what my faith was believing...that Ken is in the presence of The Lord. The One, the Only. Hello was just the beginning for him, when he breathed out his last broken breath. His next was one that would keep him alive forever.

So, as I've returned home, the only normal around here is the setting on my dryer--you know, the one never used. I've let my hellos linger. Because it is today. And normal is the "right now." Stay there. Stay present.

And learn to linger. Because its today's gift.

Evolve

With the HGTV shows reaching new levels of success and milestones, it proves to me that all of us love a great show. Not just any show, but one that proves that the
"stuff" that we have is the stuff that we need, with just a little TLC. It's the perfect redemption story. Taking what was and making as new. Evolving.

I love Fixer Upper. I faithfully tune into to Property Brothers. Love it or List it? You bet! Any and all...I simply adore what they do. Each of these individuals are visionary and we NEED them. They play their note so well. I hang on their advice and learn. I, too, have the same drive in me to take things and make things fresh and new. Loveable. Stunning. I think it's just in our nature to want beauty around us.

When Cade was little, I would babysit here and there. Mostly to fill in where grandma's and babysitters were unavailable. During this time, I watched a darling little girl named "G." Her personality was such that Cade was smitten and confident that vows would soon follow. To date, "G" is a solid 14 inches taller than him and they are worlds apart in interests. Though they rarely see each other, her mother Kara and I have remained close.

I have said it often...EVERYONE needs a "Kara."

 Isn't she DARLING???


She has the knack for making something out of everyday products and yes, your OWN stuff. It is my absolute pleasure and honor to partner with her and her business, Evolve Designs, to bring YOU the latest on home décor, DIY ideas, and even "how to" videos that will be posted to her blog. Yes, she will have a space to share it and you will NOT want to miss this! Stay tuned for her blog address and for some incredible ideas that are DOABLE, affordable, easy, and unconventional to achieve "the LOOK" that you are going for!

Without further ado...please welcome my beautiful friend Kara Hamberlin of Evolve Designs...and a sneak peak of her work!

AAANNNDDDD...stop over and see her brand new blog http://evolvedesignsforyou.blogspot.com

This beautiful, crazy life

My heart is broken.

One of my very favorite singers has finished her race with grace-filled endurance, and is home.

Joey Feek is a woman who I would have loved to meet. Adored by so many and crazy in love with her family. I'm absolutely certain I would have cried just to meet her as my nerves would have taken over. Her humility in life is something I most admire about her. What a beautiful legacy in this beautiful, crazy life.

Rest well, Joey. 💖
You can read their story here:
http://thislifeilive.com/

Bless the Lord

My kids speak with just a bit of a southern twang. They come by it honestly from their dad. Here in the south it has been said that "Bless your heart" is an extremely polite way of saying "You're an idiot," or "So glad it wasn't me!" (Loose translations here as there are MANY)

So much for empathy or sympathy.

We have had an extremely busy couple of months. Too much stuff to unpack just yet, but it was more than enough. My kids have inherited their sense of sarcasm (again from their mom dad) and have started expressing their feelings through heavy sarcasm. Bless their hearts. (Ha!)

Libbi is three now and sass-tastic! She loves calling out the inconsistencies in life and the every present question of "WHY." Bless. Her knowledge of life at this point is limited to her sight. What she sees. We protect her from having the experiential side of learning in most things until she can understand them.

Cade is flourishing in the fourth grade. He is approaching 10 rapidly. He too loves to keep us on the straight and narrow; pointing out our "strengths." Yes, it is that season of life. He is learning now through experience that life can be hard and we find ourselves protecting him from the full blow. It's in our nature isn't it? To protect.

Living the life of a pastors wife is precarious much like motherhood. On one hand you have everyone trust you with "stuff" that they don't want anyone else to hear. (Hello.) Then clear on the other side you have those who don't trust you at all. You go from being a normal mom, friend, or sister in the Lord to "suspicious." Overnight. It's precarious. However, it is no different from being a mother. Mom. Mama. Ma. The very same pendulum swings back and forth over mother hood with the same steady cadence. Always loving and protecting. Back and forth.

This year, I made one resolution. To bless the Lord at all times and to let His praise be on my lips. Every circumstance. Every day.

God is good, isn't he? Replacing words of complaint, (or sarcasm) with words of praise. Blessing.

We had a mouse in the house...bless the Lord. (I LOATH mice)

The schedule has been PACKED full...Praise the Lord.

My heart has been overwhelmed with needs and hurts I cannot fix...Bless the Lord...the healer and fixer.

Feelings of failure and inadequacy...bless the Lord.

Sickness and death...Bless the Lord.

To bless someone is to give them praise. Bless your heart! To bless the Lord is to praise Him. We are called to let it be continually on our lips. Praising the Lord in every circumstance can cause many responses, but one translation...Praising the ONE who holds us all together and does not sway like a pendelem.

The mouse is dead. I know you were anxious for an update.
There will always be days filled with trouble and anxiety over things out of our control. We know the one who holds today, and tomorrow and guess what? He is coming back. And the closer He gets to making His glorious appearing, we will continue to see the things we have known be cast now in the SHADOW of His glory and grace. When things look dark, focus on the Light.

Come my friend, let's bless the Lord together.

Weary mama? Bless the Lord. You've got this.

Troubled soul? Praise the Lord. A heavy spirit will not survive in the presence of praise.

Burden carrier? Bless the Lord. He carries the burden for you.



I pray you are held today, resting in the knowledge that He inhabits in our praises. He is near. Bless the Lord.

The Struggle is Real...

I've struggled this week.
This month.

Every time I turned around, there was something else.
(Yes, that is poop smeared on the red haired doll. )

Adulting is just plain difficult sometimes! Kids are just so darned forgiving when you completely fail.

The struggle is real.

Really hard to handle sometimes.

I've struggled
to find words to comfort as a sweet mama slept, so did the baby inside her, forever.

I've failed miserably
to stand on the sidelines and cheer as two loved ones make a final lap around this life as their days have been numbered and they run with endurance. When in truth all our days are numbered from our very first.

Clapping through the tears, and shouting "Well done, my friend! Well DONE!" Knowing full well that I, and so many will come undone when your final lap is complete. And it's well and good because we trust you have not been cheated of ONE day.

I've fallen to my knees
Blessing the Lord's name as I watch my friend do it, through eyes that have been clouded by a sight as fragile as glass. That when the lenses fade in time, you will have, with greater knowing, the four other senses. To feel, and smell, and taste, and hear that God is still good. Even in darkness.

Yes, the struggle is real.

Real funny
that even something as a simple bear hug and a trip to the Chiropractor, has now left me shoulder sore and  rib lame. Though nothing broken in bone, my anger at my failures has now floated to the surface like a broken ship. To the surface that as I try to cry, I cry out in pain. Even the smallest cough sends stars across my sight.

And isn't it just like God to remind me to look up in my brokenness, like a captain at sea does, to chart his course by those same stars.

Because in all of this, we are reminded that this is not our home.

Because the struggle for every one, every heart is real. Real hard. Real fun. Real funny. And real maddening. A cycle that repeats and releases just a bit more, our grip on LIFE.

There are weeks, like this one that challenge me with all that I have within me. This is one third of what I have heard and seen. One third of the other things greater, smaller and in between, but one thing I know. The God who called out the stars to shine in the sky, is calling us to Him. To see Him in the darkness, the struggles, the anger, the pain, the joys, and laughter. To see that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And regardless of our failures or our successes, He is our biggest fan. Clapping and cheering us onward and upward.

"Well done, my child. My friend. My son. My daughter. For when you were your weakest, I was your firm foundation. When tears clouded your eyes, you were able to see me as though the Red Sea had just parted."

Faith that is sure, is faith that has been tested. Tried. Laughed and cried.

The struggle is real, my friends.

But it's worth it.

My 77 Steps...

Do you wear a FitBit? It's fun...when it works. I have "friends" on my account with FB that join in on these challenges where you walk so many steps, etc. The app on my phone updates on occasion or doesn't when it wants to. Last week it said I had  walked 77 steps. Yes, I'm a rockstar. You would want me on your team, right? Turns out the battery is going out on the Zip and it won't update to conserve energy. Lame.

Just because a "tracking device" doesn't track, does NOT mean that there wasn't progress. (I mean even the Jews traveled more on the Sabbath than 77 steps. Amaright?)  Sheesh.

However, the Lord has been good and is showing me so much about the little things that I do that aren't "tracked" or noticed. They matter. It usually isn't the big things in life that side track us, is it? But the little things that over time whittle away a chunk at a time where pretty soon the foundation is gone.

Whether the battery works or not, I desire to be faithful. To walk my steps. To fulfill my word, and to show up when that's the only thing to do. As frustrating as life gets sometimes, just show up. Walk your 77 steps or your 10,000. Be there. What you bring to this life, matters.

We saw evidence of that in DC. Yes, we still are talking about it. GO if you can. It is incredible! The men and women who founded this country...whew. They showed up and went the distance. Inspiring, and encouraging to build and rebuild a solid foundation.

(Oh, and if you go to DC...be prepared to walk a bit more than 77 steps...)