Roadtrip Landscapes
Here is some of the beauty I saw on our way to Ohio and during our vacation there.
Christmas 2015
Christmas brings families together. Christmas is always is about the gift of Jesus. The Son of God. Wrapped in flesh. The light of the world. Our Savior. This Christmas we wanted to celebrate family. From the seven month old infant of our great niece Emma, to my 98 year old grandmother, to all of those in between. We spent much needed time with Bernie's nieces and Emma, who is the center of attention when she is in the room.
We saw Star Wars the Force Awakens. My niece Kim is the biggest fan and she waited to see it with us. She made sure everyone was decked out in Stars Wars gear. I will remember that for a long time.
Another great moment was meeting Emma. She's is beautiful. She growing so fast, so alert. I got to give her her bottle and I rocked her to sleep and loved every moment!
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Spending time with my grandma was special. It was harder to say goodbye to her this time because she is 98 years old. Who knows when God will call her home but you have to take advantage of these moments.
This Christmas was focused on family and making memories. No one can take those away.
Quiet Moments
It's the weekend and the weather is going to be above average on this December day. The warmth in the air and the sunshine on my face does this body good.
This morning in the quietness, before I turn on the tv and get ready for my day, I am gazing at my decorated mantel and my tiny real life Christmas tree. There is something about Christmas, maybe more so than any other holiday, that makes you long to be with family.
As I look at my mantel, the stockings are hung with care. We have people and fur babies that are no longer with us. As I was getting the decorations out of their boxes I just couldn't bring myself to not hang those stockings that are engraved with Doug and Osa's names on them. They belong to us. Family. People we love. Loved ones we will never forget.
So as painful as that may be, it also brings to mind memories and the promise of Jesus. The hope in that baby born on Christmas Day. A gift for us from God the Father.
Photo credit: laurajdake
Photo credit: laurajdake
Can't have hope without grief
I saw this quote today. Thank you Debby for sharing! This week we lit the advent candle at THQ (work). Bernie read the passage and I lit the candle. How fitting it was for us to talk about hope. I'm tattooed with hope and so is my family because almost two years ago we claimed hope for my brother who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We have a hope and his name is Jesus! This resonated in my heart today.
"It's precisely because everything hurts that we prepare for Advent now. We don't get to hope without having grief. Hope dares to admit that not everything is as it should be, and so if we want to be hopeful, first we have to grieve. First we have to see that something is broken and there is a reason for why we need hope to begin with." Sarah Bessey
photo credit: lauradake
#GivingTuesday | Warby Parker
I love fashion...clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories. If you've ever seen my walk-in closet you would know. ;)
I especially like companies that have a pay it forward message. I have already posted about The Giving Keys.
I also love Warby Parker. Buying glasses/sunglasses should be a fun experience. You can pick out five frames online and try them on at home. They send them to you in a box and after five days you place the prepaid return label and send them back to Warby Parker. Order your new glasses online and in days they are delivered to you door.
These statistics are taken from the Warby Parker website, almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses, which means 15% of the world's population cannot effectively learn or work. To help this problem, for every pair of glasses sold a pair is distributed to someone in need.
Consider giving back to those who are less fortunate not just today..the day someone has called #GivingTuesday but every day. As one of my other favorites say...need has no season. #thesalvationarmy
Pray for Paris
Tonight I am so saddened about the terrorist attack in Paris. A beautiful city that I love. What has happened to this world and when will the madness stop?
Praying for the families of those who died. Praying that there are no more deaths from these attacks. Praying for the leaders and law enforcement of France. Praying for the world we live in. Praying for peace.
We Dance
I have been listening to Bethel Music a lot lately. The words and melody speak to my heart in a beautiful way. The words paint pictures in my mind.
I love the visuals this song paints. Dance seems like a foreign language but it is so beautiful and graceful. I am unsteady. Wobbly. Uncoordinated. I don't get the steps right. I trip and fall.
Like a child learning to walk, the thought of our father picking us up, placing our feet in position and holding our hand...we start to walk. Our heavenly Father does that for us. Not capable of the movement on our own, he places our feet in position and we start to move. He leads. We follow. I follow.
Even when my faith is tired and it seems that all hope is lost, The Father reminds me of the song that He wrote for me. He spins me round and we dance. He has ransomed me. He gives me joy every morning. He has chosen me. He has set my feet to dancing.
May we always be aware of the Father's great love for us. He will pick you up...every time!
We Dance
Written by Steffany Gretzinger, Amanda Cook
You steady me
Slow and sweet, we sway
Take the lead and I will follow
Finally ready now
To close my eyes and just believe
That You won't lead me
Where You don't go
When my faith gets tired
And my hope seems lost
You spin me round and round
And remind me of that song
The one You wrote for me
And we dance
And I've been told
To pick up my sword
And fight for love
Little did I know
That Love had won for me
Here in Your arms
You still my heart again
And I breathe You in
Like I've never breathed 'till now
And I will lock eyes
With the One who's ransomed me
The One who gave me joy for mourning
And I will lock eyes
With the One who's chosen me
The One who set my feet to dancing?
Ordinary Beauty
Partnering with my friend Debby Hudson this month on her Ordinary Beauty writing challenge.
I had a chance to travel this summer. I went to London and Paris. I love Paris! The architecture and food are amazing! I love to go to new places. Experience cultures, architecture and food. But those photos are for another post. Today is about ordinary beauty.
A few weeks ago I went with a family to take their annual family photos. Four years and counting. We went to a very familiar place to me. A beautiful park here in Georgia called Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain is only a couple miles from where I live. After we were done, I stayed and captured some of the natural beauty.
I absolutely love it. There are walking trails. You can climb up Stone Mountain...literally a huge granite rock! You can walk the 5 mile course around the base of the mountain. When you do that you see the beautiful lake. In the morning you can witness the sunrise and the water just glistens. Keep walking and the road goes a little to the right and then to the left. The road goes up, up, up. Your legs are burning waiting for the road to level out. Then the downhill!
There are so many beautiful nooks and crannies and sights and sounds. A place where you can find quite...right in the middle of this metropolitan city and suburbs we call Atlanta. A place where you can mediate on the beauty that God created for us to enjoy.
You don't always have to travel to another time zone or country to experience the beauty that surrounds us.
"As as the beauty of nature is constant; so is God who made it."
Through it all
Today was the wedding anniversary of Doug + Melissa. I remember how beautiful that day was. A gorgeous fall day in Virginia. Perfect.
Fast forward to today. No one...I mean NO ONE ever thought that a few short years later the Lord would call Doug home, to live with him in Heaven. Who on their wedding day thinks that you won't have a lifetime together, having a family, traveling the world together, growing old together with this person you love more than anything? But here we are. Wishing we had more time with our husband, son and brother. Making memories and growing old together as a family.
This morning, I was listening to Bethel and one of my favorite songs came on called It is Well. I have to believe and trust that God knows better than me his perfect plan. I am so happy that Doug knew the love of Jesus and trusted him.
Listen to this song. Continue to pray for our family.
#neverforget911
We lived outside of Washington, DC 14 years ago. September 11, will be one of those days that will be etched in my mind for the rest of my life. This is probably one of those tragedies (besides the Space Shuttle Challenger) that I can say, "I remember where I was when..."
We walked the grounds of the Pentagon that very first evening serving with The Salvation Army. The wall collapsed earlier in the day and it just didn't seem real. I remember seeing the workers that had working dogs sitting on the ground completely exhausted. Being a huge dog lover, I was attracted to these workers and their four legged companions. The Salvation Army band played at multiple church services offered at Camp Unity where The Army continued to serve weeks after.
Just last weekend we went to New York City. We didn't have time to take in the tourist sites but as we were driving to Brooklyn, we could see One World Trade Center. I took a few shots from the car with my iPhone hoping for at least one good shot.
We also went to Eagle Rock Reservation in Orange, NJ. It has amazing views of the New York City skyline. Breathtaking! They also have a 9-11 Memorial there with statues and the names of lives lost that day. There is also a piece of steal beam from the Twin Towers.
As my friend reminded me, today we just don't remember those we lost, but we need to remember we survived and we are still building!
Photo credit: lauradake