Shine Today

It was about 38 degrees out when we started. We ended when it was just over 40. We went out, cooked & served some food, handed out soap & toothbrushes, jackets & blankets, and they thanked us, some even said “God bless you.” Us. Us, who get to turn around and go home, put dry socks on, in our heated homes. Us, who get to cook whatever we want, whenever we want it. Us, who can use a regular bathroom and take a hot shower whenever we want. They stood in line, patiently waiting for food, and toiletries. Some of them sleep out in this cold, even rain, huddled under tarps & blankets. They all have a story to tell, some share of choices they made that brought them to the streets and others just seemed to always be there. One guy shared about the work he used to do, installing radios & speakers in cars, and how their shop had so much sound coming out, it shook things off the shelves of businesses near by. They all have a story. Today I watched a gal who was so excited to

Nothing prepares you for your children growing up. All of a sudden you are faced with adults who will make decisions and choices of their own and when life comes crashing in, you can’t run in and save them, even if you want to, even if they are open to you coming in. but we can’t. Why? Because. That’s it, plain and simple...ha! Simple? NO. Hard? YES! And it’s not even about our children making bad choices, that’s a whole other conversation. This is just life stuff, you know, job loss, car problems, divorce, money issues, relationship problems… and you want to run and say here I am to save the day, but it doesn’t work that way, and I can’t even explain why, it just doesn’t. And nothing prepares you for that day...NOTHING. It doesn’t matter that we were there once. Kind of like hearing advice from your parents when we were teens, and we grow up saying “if only I had listened…” As a mom it tears at my heart to watch my kids deal with life. I just want to pick them up and tell them it wil

There is so much going on in the world today. I don't know about the rest of you, but it can become overwhelming.  I was reminded today of the importance of keeping a thankful notebook or something of the sort so we can write things down and keep track of what is good. Because even in the midst of the mess there is always something good, even as small as a lady bug or as beautiful as the night sky.  More importantly I want to make sure everyone understands that being thankful is NOT about being thankful for the mess or stress or ugliness in our lives. For example, if someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it's not that we are thankful for this! Yes, there is a verse that tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, but it is NOT saying give thanks for the ugliness. It's about being thankful for what God has done, for who He is, for saving us.  Even more, in the midst of the trial, it can be challenging to say thank you for anything. That's where the list comes i

There are days when things just seem to be crumbling around you-bills need to be paid, house needs to be cleaned, kids are hungry and complaining, you lack sleep, car needs servicing (or replacing), marriage is struggling, there's not much food in the house, depression is trying to take over, job isn't going well or you may not even have one, relationships fall apart, friends move away, you are being accused of something you didn't do....need I say more? How do you go on? How do you keep moving forward when life just keeps pushing back?  It just seems that today we are so focused on everything that is going bad. The news, the paper, magazines, social media--all point to the things that are just messed up.  But you know what? There are things that ARE GOOD. There are businesses that still care (like the one I just bought my rolling pin from), people who still go out of there way to help out. Why don't we hear about them? GREAT question. Hopefully one you can each answe