A time to stretch......

Lately Mr. Wonderful and I have been talking about vacations. Every summer for years we would pile the kids in the car and drive for two days to go visit the grandparents.

It was an obligation but never a vacation. We were so intent that the children behave and not spoil anything in my parents "no-no touch house" that we were always on edge and exhausted . I remember hearing my dad exclaim that he had to paint the hallway every time we came for a visit.

It seems that my children had a hard time walking down the hall without touching both sides of the wall. It didn't seem to matter to them if their hands were clean or not.

Mr. Wonderful suggested recently that we go camping. Easy for him to say......I still have everything to do that I do at home except without the convenience of my household appliances. Sleeping in a tent without air conditioning? Cooking over a campfire? Just kill me now and get it over with.

We all need to jolt ourselves back into life's fullness now and again. We need time off, not just because we're physically tired. Often times it's because we're feeling dull and closed off, mentally and spiritually. It's time for a "soul stretch".

We've all had the sensation of sitting too long in one position and the relief that shifting or standing can bring. So it is with a soul stretch.....a getaway whether solo, with your spouse or a friend, keep these rules: You must do something unlike your daily routine, and you can't let your mind turn to household or job trivia or phone more once to "Check in".

Don't think you have to think big thoughts. Just notice, and appreciate, all that is around you: colors, sounds, the body language of passersby. It's a type of mediation, one that's as refreshing as the sound of waves on a beach or children laughing. For me it's sitting on the porch swing in the evening watching the fireflies , digging in the dirt in the garden, listening to music or catching a glimpse of the divine in the ordinary .

A soul stretch is often more refreshing than a plunge into a swimming pool and more exhilarating than the fastest roller coaster. I highly recommend it.

Tasty Tuesday.....Beauty Secrets

Is it Tuesday already? Welcome to Tasty Tuesday! On Tasty Tuesdays I give myself permission to focus on non-food items that feed the brain, the spirit, or the soul.

As a young wife and mother I used to think of myself as "Cotton Candy"......sweet and fluffy but not alot of substance. So I began to read and study the lives of women I admired to see what the "it" factor was.

So much of a woman's identity is caught up in how she looks. We are constantly bombarded on a daily basis of pencil thin anorexic actresses who are held up as examples of beauty. We are told if we use a certain toothpaste that our smiles will be gleaming, and certain shampoos will make our hair irresistable. The emphasis is helping women look good on the outside. Never mind the inward reality; go for the "quick-fix" .

I'm fed up with "the secret keys", "the 22 ways", and the surefire plan. I'm fed up with the phony masks of self-styled Christian experts and the dishonesty of those who proclaim one thing while living something completely different. I'm tired of looking at the superficial, the fake, the phony, when " the real thing" is within my grasp.

With each passing day, I become more determined to know nothing except Chirst and him crucified. I don't have all the answers. I haven't arrived. I don't have the perfect marriage, or the perfect children. I only know that Jesus Christ has done something incredible in my life. My circumstances haven't changed a bit but I am changed none the less. I used to be at Point A now I'm at Point E. Hey it's not Point Z but it is forward progress.

I may not look perfect on the outside, but I am changing inside. Nothing magical, but I've lost a pound of sin here and an ounce of crummy attitude there. I blow it every day of my life, but I'm not who I used to be and I'm not who I would have been.

I don't want people to look at me and say, "Wow, what a remarkable woman. What a remarkable Christian." I truly want people to look at me and say, "What a remarkable God she must serve. If God can work through an ordinary woman like her, maybe he can work through me too."

The woman God can use knows where her value comes from. She is precious because of Who created her. She is valuable because of the One Who dwells with in her, not because of the material he used to fashion her or how he chooses to use her. There you have it...... If you want radiant skin, beautiful clear eyes, and a glowing personality start by working on "inward beauty".

What are your beauty secrets? What feeds your soul?

Tasty Tuesday......Perpectives

(Banner totally and unashamedly stolen from Yellow Rose's Garden.....Isn't it awesome? )

Welcome to Tasty Tuesday. On Tuesday's I give myself permission to concentrate on something non-food related that either feeds my mind, my soul or my spirit.

My sister recently sent me this email. Perhaps you have read it before but it reminds me that the way we perceive things affect our attitudes.


Often times a situation is what it is.......Our attitude toward the situation influence how we react to it. In the story below, putting a different "spin" on the situation resulted in gratitude for our ability to see what is all around us on a daily basis.
The Blind Man

One day, there was a blind man sitting on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read:
"I AM BLIND, PLEASE HELP."

A creative publicist was walking by and stopped to observe. He saw that the blind man had only a few coins in his hat. He dropped in more coins and, without asking for permission, took the sign and rewrote it.

He returned the sign to the blind man and left. That afternoon the publicist returned to the blind man and noticed that his hat was full of bills and coins.

The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was he who had rewritten his sign and wanted to know what he had written on it.

The publicist responded: "Nothing that was not true. I just wrote the message a little differently." He smiled and went on his way.

The new sign read:

"Today is Spring and I cannot see it."