I Can Only Imagine

 

 

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.

3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you

need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them

in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And

the heart of this community..

 

OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on:::

 

Imagine…

 

 

 

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The song blared from my car radio. The song was “I Can Only Imagine”, by  Mercy Me. The tears came into my eyes, I tried hard not to blink, for fear that once started, they would be difficult to stop.

 

“Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine…….”

 

This song came out the year before my husband died. It became really popular the year he died. The  song was on the radio, the band members were interviewed and the words were memorized.

 

The truth is, at that time in my life, I could relate to that song in ways that most could not. I pictured my late husband kneeling before Jesus, utterly speechless in His presence.

 

I would not see my husband’s face again or hear the sound of his deep voice….not on this side of heaven.

 

But, there was comfort in the lyrics to this song, because I knew where my husband was. At that very moment and for all the moments to come.

 

He didn’t have to imagine anymore. Not then. Not now.

 

He knows.

 

 

 

 

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Connected

God Winks.

 (Photo credit: deeplifequotes)

Miracle Moments.

The threads that bind us all together.

Touch.

God’s Sovereignty.

Providence.

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Touched by these things.

People’s lives intertwined with others.

The decisions we each make, both large and small, all matter.

For it is those decisions that have us where we are. Right now.

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We are not victims of our circumstance.

God has a plan.

The puzzle pieces all fit together…even if we don’t always understand how.

Realizing that it might never have been, had His hand not been in it.

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The decision to go to the college out of state. The friend of a friend that introduced you to him. Saying, yes. Saying, no. Reaching out and making a friend with that quiet girl. Taking time to say “I love you”, not knowing it was your last opportunity. Picking that dog at the pound. Having a baby…or two…or three. Bumping into someone. Remembering a face. Taking a chance to meet. Moving out of state.  A kindness. Paying it forward. Crying tears of joy. Knowing the bite of pain. Choices we make, both good and bad, set us on a course. Each and every day.

God has a plan for me. He has a plan for you.

I don’t have all the answers, but I know the One who does.

There is a peace that comes with that knowledge.

I can’t mess up His plan…even if I try.

God works it all out, for my gain and His glory.

 

 

 

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Pictures From Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My view from the front yard. The evening is a favorite time of day, when the shadows starts to fall across the lawn and field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A freshly mowed yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you lookin’ at?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The town’s water tower.  A view from the back yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fencing in the back acreage. Slowly, but surely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The close of another day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening slipping into night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz….”Are you taking another picture of me?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ace…. Taking a break from his daily patrol of the back perimeter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Llama Mama watching me from across the road.

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Remembering

This day is the day to remember…

all those brave men and women who sacrificed…

those that laid down their lives for their country.

They knew what so many of us often forget…

Freedom is never free. There is always a price to pay.

Thank you to the families of those fallen. They know and understand that sacrifice is real.

Thank you to those soldiers who paid the ultimate price.

May we, and this country,  be worthy of their sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thoughts Weigh Heavy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have something on my mind. Thoughts weighing heavy…

All kinds of emotions intersect those thoughts.

Don’t we all have times like these in our lives?

The things life presents don’t always feel like a present.

Wondering what direction to take.

Not sure how the situation will work itself out…

or when…

or if it will work itself out.

Waiting to see…and it is not easy.

It never is, is it? The waiting…I mean.

And so, I struggle.

 

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Faithful Friend

My heart aches this morning.

I really hate death. It just hurts too much.

Yesterday afternoon, our elderly dog, Junior, died. Now, I am not comparing his death to other losses I’ve experienced. The deaths of loved ones are definitely not the same as the death of a pet. But, death still hurts. It always does.

My husband found Junior, laying in the yard. It is as if he had just laid down, the last moments of his life winding down…until he just stopped.

We were just getting ready to leave the house for evening choir and church services, when my husband, from across the yard, answered my question, “Is he dead?” He solemnly nodded as I ran across the yard, tears streaming down my face.

Yes, he was about fourteen and a half years old. Yes, I know he was old, and yes I knew he wouldn’t be with us much longer.

But, none of that mattered. Not at that moment.

I met Junior when I married my husband in 2005. He was about seven years old then. A brindle colored mutt. Maybe some sort of bird dog/boxer mix? He liked to walk with me through the years, even after his aging joints made walking difficult and painful. He always had a lick for everyone and would bark with excitement when the family drove up the driveway. Our collie, Ace, will miss his friend. I’m sure he will be lonely without his buddy.

The last year and a half of Junior’s life was a struggle. I faithfully gave him his glucosimine and chondroitin every day for his arthritic joints, picked him up when the steps to the deck got to be too much, and slowly walked him over to the barn on the coldest of winter days, where he could snuggle in the hay with barn kitty.

Grief is the price one pays for loving someone, or in this case, loving a dear pet.

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Happy Birthday!

It was on this day eighteen years ago that my life changed forever…the day I became a mommy.

I was grateful for this day, because I realized that this day might never have been. My doctor’s words that had echoed in my heart,
“Your auto immune disease might make it difficult for you to even get pregnant.”, were now replaced with the hungry cries of my newborn son.

My perfectly formed, perfectly healthy, little boy. A gift from God.

Thank you, Jesus.

The last eighteen years have gone by far too quickly. Even as I type this post, I see him growing up. My memories are enveloped in each word.

My son is now a young adult. Independent. Making his own decisions.

I am so very proud of him.

But, no matter how old he gets, he will always be my dear child.

And, “I’ll love him, for always….as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENDRICK!!!

Psalm 139:13-16  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

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Here Comes Summer!!!

I’m ready for summer to get here. Not the heat, mind you. I don’t do well with the heat. I mean I really don’t…and it is not just the fact that I don’t like to sweat either.Heat. Ick.

There is a lot to like about the approaching summer months. The somewhat slower pace, more flexibility with schedules, laying in the hammock, reading a book, sitting on the front porch, grilling out, fireworks, road trips, staying up late, lightening bugs, ice cream cones, swimming, vacations, and no school.

                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                   

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Dream Big

I recently saw an advertisement for a book that I want to read. The book is about having God -sized dreams. It sounds interesting. The reason I

think so, is because I have dreams…some of which I’ve never dare mentioned aloud. It’s because I am afraid. Afraid that others will think they are silly, or crazy, or well…..too big.

Sigh.

Doesn’t God want us to have big dreams, because He is so big? And because nothing is impossible with God? (Luke 1:37)

Can’t He take the smallest and seemingly insignificant things and turn them into the extraordinary?

Didn’t He say that He would use the weak things of this world to shame the strong? And don’t I often feel weak? And can’t He use me for something great?

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27 NIV  

On days when I feel insignificant, overwhelmed, or frustrated, I need to remember. 

I need to remind myself ……“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”. Ephesian 3: 20 NIV

More than I can ask or imagine.

That is pretty big.

 

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Today I Am Thankful

The day is just beginning…… a bit colder than normal for May 13.

The sun is up, but not really out. Gray clouds blocking some of the light.

Nonetheless, a new day. A new week. A new chapter.

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Today I am thankful for:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The neighbor across the way, whose tractor rumbles into Spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black and white cows in the pasture behind our house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh eggs each day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz eating her breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind blowing in…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Llama mama taking a rest near the mailbox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love taking pictures of the neighbor’s barn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a good day.

 

 

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