Reflecting on My Day

Late summer and early fall are my favorite times of the year......if you don't count late spring and early summer, that is. Today was not one of our Slow Sigh Saturdays, but one that started early and at a fast pace. My husband had an event in Nashville, a reunion with his military buddies and I had an event in Clarksville with some of my home business team, so we went in opposite directions this morning. It would have been great to spend the day lounging and taking our time on deciding what to do, but we had obligations that spoke for us......no regrets, just looking forward to next Saturday that belongs to just us.

This has been another picture perfect day, one that makes the freezing winter, the floods of spring and the30 plus days this summer with near and above 100 degrees seem distant and fuzzy in my memory. As I sit in the late afternoon shade and watch the sun slowly set, I long for the chance to have this day again and spend it looking out over our little piece of paradise after watching the sun come up, listening to the first chirp of the birds while the little community around us awakens to the breath taking start of the weekend. But I will enjoy this chance to see the beauty of a peaceful, relaxing Saturday afternoon and thank God I have some down time to reflect on what a joy this day has been for both of us, spending time with friends. It doesn't matter how much I dream of doing nothing........that is not what life is all about. Life is about building and renewing relationships and it has been one of those days.......Thank you Lord for a good day!!!!

Down on the Farm

In the summer of 1995 we moved from a small apartment in Bellevue TN to a kid friendly neighborhood in Dickson TN, to my long awaited big white house where I dreamed of a white picket fence to go with it. After settling into suburbia life, we were content to watch our daughter grow up with a friend next door, celebrating birthdays together, sleepovers, ballgames, bike wrecks, karate, first dates, school dances and her first car and to watch our son romp the neighborhood with all the other little boys, competing in video games, enjoying camping trips, skate boarding, bumps and bruises and the joys of all the things little boys are made of, while we became workaholics, burning the candle at both ends.

Early in 2004, we got restless to make a change in our lives.... as the kids grew, so did the need to find out what else was out there. Our daughter was graduating and our son was getting ready for middle school and work was becoming more stressful for me, so I knew the time had come.......

My journal reflected my thoughts at this time in and on February 2, 2004 I wrote;

"the year is ticking by and like a wisp of smoke, January is a distant memory. My plans to journal daily have not taken off, but maybe this month will offer me a new start. The week ahead promises to be a busy one at work as well as preparing for Crystal's graduation and looking at the new property that may just be the change we are looking for. We have a lot of praying ahead of us about this one and then waiting for God to open the door".....

Well God opened the door and later the next year on May 10, 2005, my journal entry went like this.....

Philippians 4:6, "never worry about anything, but in every situation let God know your needs in prayers and requests while giving thanks".

"It has been awhile since I put anything on paper, but that does not mean there has been nothing to write about. The last year has taken us from suburbia to down on the farm! "back to our roots" you might say. Who would have guessed we would wind up here at a time when most couples our age would be looking at down-sizing to a place with less physical labor......we find ourselves on a farm where the days are never long enough to complete all there is to do! Sometimes I cautiously allow myself to think of all we have gotten ourselves into, with no end to the repairs and maintenance of our piece of paradise.

During these times I'd feel an overwhelming fear start to surface and then I'd  remember our prayers in asking God to open the doors for us, if this was his plan. So, here we are and if this is were He wants us to be, then I am sure he will provide us with the strength to maintain it".

Life on the farm has been an adventure and some of my future posts will recount those adventures with our children and our grandchildren. Though we have survived,  6 years later, we feel that restlessness stirring again. Our daughter has married, our son is getting ready to graduate in the spring and the wander dust is starting to swirl......where will it take us? Only as we turn the page in our book of life will we find what God has in store for us.

Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to to give you hope and a future.

Dream Chaser

I read somewhere that when you stop dreaming you die.....well if that is true, I will live forever. What is life if there are no dreams? Dreams are Hope and if there are no Dreams there is no Hope! I have always had dreams; dreams of achievements, dreams for my future, dreams for my children and dreams for my children's future....my dreams keep me motivated, passionate, enthusiastic, in turn I try to encourage motivation, passion and enthusiasm in others, especially my children. My daughter Crystal has always been so positive and focused, but occasionally I have had to remind her of what a wonderful creation she is when she has let herself feel defeated and without purpose.....an entry from my journal describes a time when she was still in high school and struggling with her studies. She had a test coming up and could not grasp the concept of the subject.....feeling defeated she was ready to give up and settle for a failing grade. As I watched her in despair, my early morning journal entry reminded her of who she was....a Child of the King!

November 6, 2002~~~~~Today my heart is heavy with the pain I see in your struggles to learn. I know you have the ability to succeed in your studies, but feel you are selling yourself short. You are smart and intelligent, but often seem to want to be so hard on yourself. Sometimes, we find it easier to give up on something than to overcome it. I know you can accomplish anything you set your heart on, but it takes desire and trust in God to get you through the difficulties you come up against. The Bible tell us in Proverbs 1:7- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Don't be a fool and turn away from learning, but rather turn to God for the knowledge you need. Then don't expect God to do it all, but have faith the He will open your mind to absorb what He puts before you to learn. Your attitude is the first thing you need to turn over to God because learning starts with the desire and desires begin with the attitude of our heart. In Proverbs 23:12 it says, "Apply your heart to instruction and ears to words of knowledge" and in II Timothy it goes on to tell us, "may the Lord give you understanding in all things." This is my prayer for you, baby girl.....please don't give up and let life pass you by. Don't let these things defeat you and rob you of the vast world of knowledge that God has created for you. Don't let anyone tell you can't!

As my daughter was getting ready for school that morning, I copied what I had written and took it to her room. She got though her test that day and passed....my faith and encouragement in her made her believe in herself, believe in her dreams and believe the future held great things for her......

Life on the Farm

Did I ever say I liked animals? Well, if I did, I don't anymore! I had this beautiful afternoon and I wanted to just sit beside the pond and listen to the water fall, let the sun warm my back while I take in the beauty of the afternoon on this breath-taking day....My quiet relaxation was interrupted by a scratching dog and a snorting horse swishing her tail and breathing down my neck-----I am ready to leave this peaceful country life and try my luck at a relaxing afternoon on the balcony of a high-rise overlooking the hustle and bustle of a noisy city somewhere far away from horses, cats, dogs, chickens, donkeys and any other animal we have befriended, housed and fed over the past 6 years....so much for an evening of solitude! I think I will just sit within the confines of the fenced in area of the barnyard where the animals can only look at me from afar....now I will pen my thoughts about this wonderful day~~~~~~~
2 weeks ago, my husband and I started our SSS....Slow Sigh Saturdays....we had our second one today. Every other Saturday is great if we can't make it every Saturday. Our SSS begins with no alarm going off at 3:15am and we get up when we wake up...me around 6:00am and he around 7:00am. I sip my morning tea on the screen porch until he gets up and then we make coffee. This morning I had to have a blanket on the porch....love this cool fall like weather...Somewhere around 9:00am, we go into town and have breakfast at Ace Diner then check out the local shops and thrift stores just doing what we want and forgetting about the clock.....
Today has been the most beautiful day with fall in the air, a welcome surprise after the summer heat that has beat down upon us for the last 3 months. Our adventure today took us to Vanleer, Tennessee- a beautiful rural area, even more primitive than our little corner of God's country in Tennessee City. As we drove slowly along the very narrow country road, it seemed we were the only thing moving. Time stood still as the bright sunshine fell across the quiet country homes nestled back under the trees as the bright blue sky peeked in from above.....it was truly breath-taking......we visited a bustling Mennonite store out in the middle of this quaint country setting where folks came from near and far to get home-made breads, sweet pastries, home canned jams and jellies or to lunch on fresh made-to-order sandwiches and hot homemade soup simmering in a crock pot in the eating area that doubles as their worship center.......we continued our slow drive home with our goodies from the store in hand and the memory of this day in our hearts....loving a Slow Sigh Saturday~~~~~

Christmas and God's Gifts to Parents

It felt like Christmas today....I got home from a big event to promote my home business and found a gift from my company in the mailbox...a beautiful watch:) Thinking about how getting a little surprise can put a smile on my face and a giggle in my heart, I starting thinking about how excited my kids always were on Christmas morning....the anticipation, the Christmas lists that kept changing as they saw new toys and gadgets during the holiday season. Often we hear that Christmas is for the children, but for me, Christmas is the gift of children.

When our children are small, Christmas is watching their faces light up as they rip through the paper and bows, unwrapping surprises and desires, but when they grow up and have lives of their own, Christmas seems to be a time to remember and count your blessings. Those precious gifts who once had the wide-eyed wonder on Christmas morning sometimes face problems that can take the joy out of a joyous season.

That was the case a few years ago on Christmas morning when I wrote to my husband in my journal......."as for today my love, Merry Christmas. I am so happy to be here with you, so happy to have you in my life and so happy that God has blessed me with you and our family. At the same time I am sad that life happens so fast that sometimes we don't have the chance to enjoy the present before it becomes the past. It also saddens me that things are not perfect in the lives of our children, but I keep reminding myself that we are not in control and we have to leave it in the hands of the One who created them. That is not an easy task for a mother who's heartstrings stay attached long after the apron strings have been severed. So I will trust that there is a purpose for the trials in our children's lives and feel blessed that God has entrusted us with healthy, intelligent gifts and He is not finished with them yet".


As I write this post, I can't remember what was happening at that time. Evidently the trial passed, something was learned and joy returned to us all. I have been truly blessed~~~~~~~

Merry Christmas to me!

My Kind of Weekend

This has been a great weekend after a long work week and non-stop commitments last weekend. Saturday morning was spent relaxing on the porch with a cup of tea, then strolling down Main Street, Dickson browsing in the neat little shops after having breakfast at a new diner we didn't know existed until then. Ace Diner, my new favorite place to eat.....we have not spent a day like that in ages and we really enjoyed the slower pace....could this be a taste of what it will be like when I join my husband in retirement and I am not controlled by my employer's clock??? I could get use to ......waking up when I'm finished sleeping, taking my time nursing my cup in the morning while I decide what I will do with the rest of the day.....aaahhhh, yes, I could get use to that. In the meantime I will get up in the morning, go to work and try to make it through another Monday.......I hope no one asks me to make a decision tomorrow because it is Monday and I don't handle Mondays well......

But it isn't Monday yet, so I will take a deep breath and keep it slow for a few more hours.

                                          lake scene from Paris Landing, Tennessee

Childhood Memories

Have you ever heard people say, "I am so bored with my life" or "my life stinks", or "I hate my life"? I see these comments quite often on face book and more often see it on the faces of people as they rush through their day, filled with stress and tension.
Life is a "Gift from God" and a gift to be treasured. God expects us to value the life He gives us and to use our lives to glorify Him and fulfill the purpose for what He created us for. I was born to a mom and dad who lived their lives as an example for me and my three sisters and loved us with a love that is only second to the love of God. We were not rich in material things, but we were rich in love. Not long ago, the second summer after we moved to the farm, I wrote in my journal about my childhood summers in relationship to the kind of day I was getting ready to have during my summer break from work..........

June 21, 2005- the first day of summer. Such a wonderful time of the year and a day expected to be sunny, hot and humid....right on cue! My memories of summer days as a child were filled with excitement and anticipation of playing with my sisters in the makeshift playhouses constructed with planks, cans and dirt. The days were never ending as our imaginations took wings and we were transported into faraway places with exciting adventures, our dreams soaring with the fluffy white clouds in the beautiful blue sky. We were always secure in the fact that Mama was nearby, usually on the porch swing reading her Bible or singing her favorite hymns. We were not rich in earthly possessions of expensive toys and games or manufactured play equipment, but we had an imagination that was priceless and a mama and daddy that treasured and protected us beyond any price tag.

Today my plans are to play in the dirt (plant flowers) with planks and cans (garden decorations and flower pots) out in the yard ( mow the grass) and tonight I might even run and play in the cool breeze and catch a few fireflies as I listen to my Daddy tell a few stories on the front porch.....well, maybe I'll just sit and watch the fireflies light up the evening and remember four little girls, a mama and daddy and let my imagination run wild.........These are the kind of memories I want for my children ......a childhood filled with laughter, feelings of security and most of all, unconditional love....