Five Minute Friday Fun: INFLUENCE

Hi friend!

What day is it?

It's Friday!

And what does that mean?

It's time to party and have us some 5 Minute Friday fun! 

The party is hosted by Kate. It's a linky party  or blogger flash mob or  free writing exercise. Whatever you want to call it, I say it's just plain fun - blog land style.

Everyone spends five minutes writing using the same one word prompt for that week. If they have a blog, they link up to the others over at Kate's place.

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This week's word prompt is: INFLUENCE

and GO!

When my Kyle was about middle school age he took Karate classes for a year or so. His instructor, Buddy,  was a great guy who had a saying he'd tell the students every now and then.

Buddy would say, in a thick southern drawl, "If you hang around a barber shop long enough you're gonna get a haircut." You see, he tried to teach more than just karate. 

He wanted them to know that who you hang out with and where you hang out can have an influence on what you do. 

And he was so right. 

When I am around people that are critical or complain a lot I may find myself with the same mindset of finding fault. However, if I am with people who are joyful and optimistic it will rub off on me and it makes my heart happy.

Just two days ago, during my morning devotions, I read my Bible verse of the day:

"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide (influence) your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves." Galatians 5:16 {Parenthesis mine}

And then in my devotional for that day there was this verse:

 "... but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."  Romans 8:6b

So, no, I don't tend to hang around the "barber shop". 

But, I do still need to be careful about what and who I allow to influence me. 

and STOP!

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Whew! It is so hard to write for only five minutes. lol
I'll keep trying though.  I do love the challenge.

Love ya, 

Five Minute Friday Fun: BETTER

Hi friend!

What day is it?

It's Friday!

And what does that mean?

It's time to party and have us some 5 Minute Friday fun! 

The party is hosted by Kate. It's a linky party  or blogger flash mob or  free writing exercise. Whatever you want to call it, I say it's just plain fun - blog land style.

Everyone spends five minutes writing using the same one word prompt for that week. If they have a blog, they link up to the others over at Kate's place.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

This week's word prompt is: BETTER

and GO!

How many times have I heard someone comment at the end of a year that they "sure hope this next year is better"? 

I'm not sure why, but it makes me cringe and kinda sad. 

Why do we do that? Was the whole year, all 365 days, so terrible? 

Now,  I understand there are some seasons we go through that are so very hard and of course we would want something better in our future.

But a whole year? 

Were there no blessings?

No precious memories made? 

And yet as I type these words and ponder this I can't help but think maybe we should hope the next year is better. 

That we are better. 

I don't mean it being out of regret for the past year's failures, heartbreak or disappointment. 

But that this year I am better at remembering God's promises when the hard things happen. That I remember I am held by Him and He is forever faithful. 

I want to be better at living intentionally and savoring each day as it comes. 

And then at the end of the year I may just be one of those people that say "I sure hope next year is better." 

And what I'll mean is that....

 …. I will be more apt to rejoice than complain.

…. see the joy instead of the disappointment

…. be thankful for this beautiful life the Lord has given me to live. 

I will live each day better. 

and STOP!

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Whew! It's been over a year since I joined in the fun at FMF. It's been nearly as long since I've blogged. It's not my best for sure and I may have tweaked it just a slight bit. [I promise to work on that perfectionist habit of mine} But it was fun! 

Love ya,  

Three Christmas Wishes From Me To You

Hey there friend!

My three Christmas wishes and my prayer 

for each of you this Christmas and for the New Year:

^“I pray that God, the source of hope,

will fill you completely with joy

and peace

because you trust in Him.

Then you will overflow with confident hope

through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

Love ya! and Merry Christmas my friend!

25,6,1 & 11

Hey there friend!

Kinda a weird "title"?  All numbers.

And noooo, it's not numbers for a winning lottery ticket.

It's how long I got to be Kyle's mom … 25 years, 6  months and 1 day.
Before he went home to live with Jesus in heaven 11 years ago.

I'm still "Kyle's mom". Always will be.

Here is a favorite picture:

I think he was helping a friend work on his car. A hammer wouldn't be my tool of choice, but oh well, boys!

When I see my Kyle Matthew in this photo I smile back. 

I mean how can you not?! 

See..... 

… the joy?

… the love for life?

… the being always ready to help a friend?

… and always wanting to be doing something? 

Today, with the Lord's help, I will focus on this picture and the things that brought joy to my life by being "Kyle's mom" for 25,6,1. 

And that 11? Well, yea, I've missed him and thought of him -  every. single. day. 

But once again, as another year has gone by, it means I am one year closer to seeing that wonderful smile of his again.  

God is forever faithful! 

Love ya!

Hello again!

Hey there friends!

Hope all is well. Ummmm…… it's been quite awhile since I've stopped in.  Are you still there?

I've truly missed writing and sharing life with you. I'm praying for a fresh vision for my place here.... nothing drastic. Still love my layout. It still feels like home.

It's been almost a year since I last stopped in. The windows need to be opened wide to let some fresh air in. And hopefully some fresh inspiration to write.

I'm dusting off things and clearing out the cobwebs here at Finding Hope & Joy.

I've got to get back to this place of processing life {writing has a way of doing that for me}, the joy of sharing what the Lord is doing in my life and hopefully encouraging you along the way.

So "Hello again". Looking forward to meeting again real soon!

Love ya!

Happy Monday Morning ~ Who You Can Count On

Hi friend!!!

Happy Monday Morning! 

I thought this would be a great way to start our week and this second Monday of the New Year.

Yes my friend, it's a crazy and sometimes scary world we live in.

So thankful that I know Who I can always count on......

.... for help
.... to never forsake me
.... is forever faithful
.... who's love for me is never ending

I sure hope you know it, too.

Love ya, 

What a Loooonnngggg Pause It's Been!

Hey there friend!

It's been so very long since I was here. I never got to share one single thing with you in 2017.

The funny thing is that my One Word for 2017 was PAUSE. 

No, I never thought it would be a year long pause from sharing life with you all here in blog land. 

Yep, I succeeded this year with truly focusing on my One Word. And in more ways than one. Actually, I didn't really have a choice. I had to learn to pause.

2016 ended with a BANG! Like literally!

The day after Thanksgiving I tripped at work and my face hit the tile floor. Broken nose, loose teeth, sprained wrist and various bruising were the least of it. It was the cognitive and memory issues I experienced from a concussion that forced me to learn to pause.

It took a few months to recover. And at one point, after weeks of slowly but surely feeling like the post concussion symptoms were almost gone they came back. Scary stuff!

Once again, through it all God was faithful, hubby was patient and encouraging and I'm thankful to now only have a "concussion brain" moment once in a while. 

So let's get you caught up with a few things that happened while I was learning to pause. 

Here are some things from 2017 (still can't believe a year's gone by) and leading into the New Year -

* In February I celebrated my 60th birthday. {so maybe some of my "concussion moments" should now be considered "senior moments"} 

* Hubby and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary in October. {after all this time I refer to him as my "hunk-a-munk-a" and he calls me his "hot tamale"} 

*In November it was 10 years since Kyle went to live with Jesus in heaven {still miss him every day but am ten years closer to seeing him again}

* On 1/10/18 it will be eight years since I posted for the first time here at Finding Hope & Joy!


I have my One Word for 2018 already chosen and I hope to get back here much more often in the coming year. 

So friend - Happy New Year!! I sure hope you'll drop by often in 2018. Lord willing I'll be here -sharing life to encourage you. 


Love ya,

Doing a Little Happy Dance

Hey there friend!!


Who's doing a little happy dance??

This gal right here!








So wanna guess why? Sure you do.




Hint: something is new on my sidebar

No, not that... Silly! I still believe!

Nooooo... I haven't had another birthday. I'm still Ahem "50-something".

Guess again! Go ahead guess! {jumping up and down now}

Nope..... still been married 40 years to my wonderful hubby. Although in one week I will have to change that to 41 years. Yay!

                                      Keep looking... 

Oh I can't stand it! Tell me you see it!

Yep! I'm a contributor to the Five Minute Friday book
that just launched yesterday.

Want your own copy? Grab your copy here!

All profits from the book will be divided equally between two ministries in South Africa: The Vine School in Cape Town, and The Ten Dollar Tribe!

A HUGE Thank You to Susan Shipe who came up with this great idea and worked so hard to make the dream come true.

And another BIG Thank You to Kate Motaung who hosts our Five Minute Friday Fun Nights each week in bloggy land.

I ordered my book tonight and can't wait to get it in my happy little hands.

Five Minute Friday Fun: Listen

Hi friend!

What day is it?
It's Friday!

And what does that mean?
It's time to party and have us some 5 Minute Friday fun! 

The party is at Kate's place in blog land. It's a linky party / blogger flash mob / free writing exercise. Whatever you want to call it, I say it's just plain fun - blog land style.

Everyone spends five minutes writing on the same topic. The truly fun part is that you write with freedom. There's no emphasis on grammar or spelling. Punctuation is also worry free {yay! 'cause I love me a bunch of commas when I write}. Pretty much the only "rule" is that you visit the blog of the person who linked up before you and leave some encouragement. 


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and GO!

LISTEN

How does she do it?
How does she hear when I don't say the words?
How does she just know that there's something "up with me" as she puts it?

I guess it must be because she knows me in a way no other person on this earth does. Our hearts beat together for 9 months or so {not sure when a baby's heart starts to beat and hey I only have five minutes to write this out so no time to look it up} before I even came into this world.

Moms have a way of "hearing" their children even when there are no words said.

And that's the thing that is so amazing to me - she somehow just seems to know.

I've come to the conclusion that it must be because she doesn't just listen with her ears.

She listens with her heart.

And she knows....
... when I'm stressed
... when I'm sad
... when I've had a great day
... when I'm thoughtful or pensive
... when I'm content.

And when I'm finally ready to share? That's when she listens with her ears.

Then it's my turn to listen.

And she speaks....
... hope and love 
... of faith in the great and good God we both love
... encouragement and wisdom
... joy and more love.


And today I'm thankful for a mom who not only listens with her ears, but also her heart.

and STOP!



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Love ya, 

Five Minute Friday Fun: PATH

Hey there friend!

It's been a while since I've been here. After taking the summer off and hitting the Pause Button I'm ready to start back visiting with you here at my place in bloggy land.

I truly hope you'll stop by often.

Especially since I have some very exciting news to share in the next few weeks.

But for now I'm linking up with the Five Minute Friday gang. Thankfully they won't mind me being a day late (again).


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and GO!

PATH

Recently I've begun using Bible verses and praying them. Usually out loud.
Psalm 25:4-5 is one of my favorite verses and a great one to pray.

Oh how I want the Lord to lead me down the path He desires for me.

The path He chooses for me is a path of ...
... joy,
... hope,
... safety,
... contentment,
... and peace.

It is a good path.

It may be a bit rocky at times. 
I might even stub my toe on a big old rock.
But, I know He holds my hand and won't let me slip.

It may get pretty steep.
Sometimes things in life can be hard and I become weary.
But, I know He will lead me to places of peace and safety.

It may be hard to see where I'm going.
Not knowing where to take that next step can be pretty scary.
But, I know He already knows the way and has a perfect plan for me.

It's where I want to be. Following His leading, wherever He leads. 
And that's the right path.


and STOP!



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I'm so thankful that God has a plan for each of our lives. Go ahead and pray Psalm 25:4-5 for yourself. Then put your trust and hope in Him. His ways are always best.

 Love ya, 

Hitting the Button

Hey there friend!!

Does life ever seem to get too busy? And you start to feel stressed and overwhelmed by all there is to do?

Yea, me too. I'm tired of feeling like I've crossed one thing off my ToDo list only to have two more things added.

While praying last week about this and asking the Lord to help me know what to do and how to prioritize or what to give up or put off...... well,  I had an A-ha moment. 

It's not a question of how.

How do I work full time, take care of a home and some of the yard work, blog, quilt, be involved in our church and have time for family stuff? How do I do all the things that need to be done and some of the things I enjoy doing??

A-ha! Guess what? I realized that I can't get it all done.

Ha! I just. Can. Not. It's that simple.

So now what??

I mean sometimes I'm at the point where I want to hit the button....

..... the reject button - and reject anything else anyone asks me to do
..... the panic button - and cry, pull out my hair and eat a whole box of chocolates
..... the eject button - and bail out and hide in my closet

Now that's a pretty sight - crying, half bald, screaming NO!, with chocolate smeared on my face.

Oh my!

What to do??

I'm thinking maybe the best button for me to hit would be the pause button.

 

 

The next six to eight weeks my calendar and ToDo list are full and I'll be super busy. {Yes, I do have a calendar and a ToDo list. This gal right here is a bit of an overachiever in the planning dept.}

 

Honestly, I had thought about closing up my little place in bloggy land. Maybe this whole Sharing Life to Encourage You here at Finding Hope & Joy was only meant to be open for friends to visit for a short time and not forever.  

 

Was it time to pull up the Welcome mat, shut the blinds and hang up a CLOSED sign?

 

Even though so far this year I've only been able to post something once a month, it would be one less thing on my list. And I don't know about other bloggers, but it usually takes me quite a bit of time and effort to get my thoughts out and typed. Then proof, retype and repeat. And there's always the task of finding or making a graphic to add for your viewing pleasure.

 

As I took a look around FH&J, I saw the posts I've started still sitting in "draft" status. Some are a bit dusty from sitting there for over a year. Yikes!

 

But, something was stirred in me and I know that I still have things to say and share and hopefully encourage you with.

 

So, I've taken a deep breath and made a decision. I know there are some things in my life right now that must be a priority over blogging. I've prayed and asked the Lord to help me live each day with joy and peace as I keep my focus on Him and His plans for my life.

 

And yea, that whole idea of sitting on my closet floor, crying and half bald from the stress I feel? That's kinda scary. Though not the chocolate part. Chocolate is never scary.

 

I think I've figured out what to do when you're stressed to the max and want to hit a button.

 

Yes, go ahead and hit the button. 

 

That is, the pause button.

..... pause and take a deep breath

..... pause and pray

..... pause and ask for help

..... pause and reevaluate

 

For now I'm hitting the pause button on blogging. I hope that some day in the not too distant future I'll find more time to write. Now is not that time.

 

My home in bloggy land is not going anywhere.  

The Welcome mat is still out. 

I've left the blinds open so you can always stop by, peek in and read some of my past posts.

 

And I've hung a sign on the front door -

 

 

 

Love ya,  

Happy Monday Morning ~ I said Wow!

Hi friend!!!

Happy Monday Morning! 

"Stars" posted on Photobucket by Karie N. Damon

"Look at the sky and see.

    Who created these things?

    Who brings out the stars one by one?

        He calls them all by name.

Because of the greatness of His might

and the strength of his power,

    not one of them is missing."

Isaiah 40:26

Sometimes, when I read a Bible verse all I can think to say is -
Wow! God that is so awesome!

After reading Isaiah 40:26 that is what I said. Out loud. And with a smile on my face.

How cool is the thought that in our night time sky the stars are brought out one by one?!

I mean really! It does look that way, doesn't it?

As the sun sets and sunlight starts to fade, the brightest stars begin to show. As the night moves from dusk to darkness we can see more and more stars twinkling high above.

On a clear night I do love to look up and see the stars. Oh so pretty!

So many.... too many to count. But God knows each one by name. Wow!

Some of us have a hard time remembering the name of the kiddo we're yelling at calling to -   "_______ come here!". You know what I mean. You call each of their names (maybe even the dog's) until you get to the right one. Ha!

Yep, God is so powerful and great that He keeps track of each and every star. He marches them out each night and then when the roll call is complete not one is missing.

So friend, if He does that for the stars, surely we can believe that He is more than able to keep track of us.

And that may just be the biggest Wow! of all.

That God, Who created each and every star, Who knows them by name and never, ever looses track of even one, knows You, too.

Don't think so?

Well, then let me share what David says in Psalm 139:1-6

God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!

 

You may want to go ahead and read the rest of  Psalm 139.
And I bet you'll be saying Wow!, too. Maybe even out loud. And with a smile on your face.

He knows you and loves you friend!
Believe it!

Love ya,