Category: Uncategorized
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Reflections in Italy
I think it’s easy to go through life making assumptions about people and presuming things have always been the way they seem. We often don’t know everyone’s backstory, especially when we meet them in our later years. We don’t comprehend the amazing ways God has worked in their lives and what would have been, without…
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Draw Near to God
I grew up celebrating the birth of Jesus. The stockings were hung, the tree was trimmed, packages were lovingly wrapped, and tantalizing foods were prepared. Wreaths adorned the doors and lights illuminated each window of the house. We counted down the weeks of advent at dinner each night by lighting candles of purple and pink.…
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48 hours
Picture a 12-passenger van filled to overflowing. Every nook, cranny, and crevice utilized. Stuffed animals, pillows, parkas, and parcels disappear into spaces we’ve created out of nothing. We even have an impressively large Nesco cooker stuffed between the front two seats, the inside accommodating snow pants. Where are we headed? Onward to Massachusetts, for the…
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Christmas 2014
We wrapped up a long week of driver’s education, wrestling, schoolwork, laundry, and last-minute gift buying. We headed for New England while the rest of the Eastern Seaboard slept. It’s not that it’s easy for us to travel for the holidays… but when reality stares you down, and you understand that none of us are…
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Cheesecake Fixes Everything
When this whole trial began, I immediately felt as though I was under some kind of spiritual attack. An attack intended to elicit fear and sabotage my trust in Him. I know this sounds super hocus-pocusy, but stick with me. I had recently been reading the words of Jesus as though for the first time.…
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Hilton Head 2014
Y’all, we had been looking forward to our beach vacation for forever. We were headed to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. A place that feels warm and tropical. A place filled with fond family memories. We chose a house that had plenty of room for us all!
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Update on the Joyners
It was difficult to celebrate Father’s Day over the weekend without thinking about the Joyner family. I first introduced you to them here. James and Tracy Joyner have nine children. They live in Selma, NC in a modest older home in need of many repairs. James was diagnosed over a year ago with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma…
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Legendary Pizza Bread
Oh it was a long time ago now, and one of my favorite couples was visiting. I don’t believe they had any children of their own yet and my kids were a whole lot younger. Picture this amazing duo coming into your home and knocking things off the to-do list, providing loads of entertainment, having…
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A Couple’s Weekend
When our children were younger and we needed some ‘us’ time… we would simply wear them out, feed them an early dinner, and scoot them off to bed. We affectionately called this ‘Flex Time’ and it was oh so rejuvenating for us and our relationship. As our children have grown and multiplied in number… bedtimes…
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Bless This House Day
One day, quite a number of years ago, my dear friend Julie opened my eyes to a truth which I had lived out for forever but never plainly understood. Chaos drains my energy. Cluttered rooms, fingerprint-covered windows, piles of dirty laundry, Legos strewn across the floor, a sink filled with dirty dishes, sticky messes, crushed…
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Pursued
My dad was a Catholic priest. How’s that for an attention-getter? I’m sure your brain is now intensely processing, trying to figure out how this happened. 😉 He was a priest before meeting my mother, a pretty young thing working in the rectory office. But that is a whole other story.…
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Beyond Ordinary
I normally avoid marriage books. They offend me. I’ve never really been able to figure out exactly why this is. I know the buckets, the recipes, the suggestions, the essential ‘must do’s’, have always been very unappealing to the romantic in me. True love does not have a recipe as far as I’m concerned. It…
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Jesus Calling
I am really enjoying this devotional book. I downloaded it onto my kindle a few weeks ago and I love reading the daily entries. Seriously love it. It’s simple, yet profound. I read it as I sip my morning coffee, brain still fuzzy and eyes only partially open. It has been a blessing.
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God’s Creation
This trip has been both refreshing and restorative. Far removed from many obligations and a busy calendar, the burden of appointments and activities lifted, I’ve been able to relish and rest in the ordinary moments.
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Saturday in Tennessee
My Saturday morning began with something quite luxurious… my husband let me sleep late. When he jumped out of bed with our two little girls at 7:00ish, I blessed him repeatedly and expressed my unfailing love. Unfortunately, I was pretty convinced I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. Yet somehow I managed the impossible.…
