Quote for the day - Fresh Start

“IF YOU HAVE MADE MISTAKES THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR YOU. YOU MAY HAVE A FRESH START ANY MOMENT YOU CHOOSE.”

Mary Pickford

Came upon this quote today and thought it was a fitting complement to my New Year's Post. I'm guessing this is my message for this time in my life. I have a lot of changes in the works and God must be trying to tell me something. Each and every day is a new opportunity to make different choices, better choices. Working on my health and still trying to get on my feet from our car accident a year and half ago. It turns your world upside down when something like that happens. Still working on getting it turned right side up. :-)

Be Blessed!

Life Jacket vs Life Boat

Question:
If the boat you were in capsized, which would you rather depend on to save yourself and your loved ones, a life jacket or a life boat? Why do I ask?


Well, the past couple of years have been more than challenging. There have many times when I literally felt like I was drowning. This morning as I was praying I realized that the mistake I've been making is trying to do too much of it in my own strength. It's as if I was really drowning, in the ocean, and I had to choose between a life jacket = doing it on my own, or a life boat = letting God carry me through. I have been choosing the life jacket!! How crazy is that when you look at it like that? Why do I continue to struggle with turning things over to Him? Is it simply human nature? Or is it more deeply rooted in the way I've learned to cope in a world that hasn't always been a safe place? Whatever the cause, I intend to seek Him harder, and cry out to Him more, rather then trying to keep myself afloat I think I shall choose to seek refuge in the life boat. Which is exactly the way He wants it. That I am sure of!


Be blessed!

Time Really Does Fly! Believe it!

Yesterday was Samantha's 19th birthday! Where does the time go? When I was youger, older people used to tell me that time really flies and they just didn't know where it went, now I truly understand. Life is like the blink of an eye! Make the most of it! Thankful for a wonderful day spent with two of our wonderful children!


Be Blessed!

Happy New Year

Another new beginning. Another chance to do things differently, to make better choices, to learn from our mistakes. Another opportunity to evaluate our lives and see what is working and what is not. New dreams to dream, new adventures to have, new opportunities to explore. There is something about the New Year that brings about those feelings, and yet in truth, each moment holds these same opportunities. Every morning we have a fresh start, every week we get a new beginning, but truth be realized, we don't have to wait for these times to start fresh. At any moment in time we can stop, take a look at our lives and make choices to start anew and afresh. To change course, to let go of things that need to be left behind and to start something new. At any moment in our lives we can decide to chase an adventure, to dream a new dream. So, while it's great that this is the beginning of a brand new year and the obvious opportunity to evaluate and change things, let's not get stuck in the muck and mire of life. Let's remember all year long that we have the opportunity to make changes in our lives! To begin again. Remember, His mercies are new every morning, and so are the opportunities He puts in front of us. What would you like to change? It's not too late to make a new start.


Happy New Year!!


Be Blessed,
Colleen

Restarting, again!

So, for the past year we have not had internet. The hardest part about not blogging for so long is where to start? So, I will start with the fact that once again there are major life changes going on in our lives. Our youngest daughter will be graduating high school in less than two weeks. I can't even type those words without my eyes brimming with tears. Such a bittersweet moment. Luckily for me, she will still be home and learning with me daily as we ease into this next chapter of our lives. I am so thankful to have this time with our kids to enjoy a deepening friendship as they mature into full-fledged adults. I am doing all I can to savor each precious moment with them while they are still in the nest. Learning to enjoy my journey. Getting a little better at it each day. God willing I will continue to get better and better at this! Of course it's always easy when life is going well, but I do think I'm getting better at keeping the joy going when it's bumpy. Probably the hardest part is having my kids throw my words back at me when I'm grumbling. lol! I worked hard to teach my kids contentment and not to grumble, and for a long time I did very well with it. Then suddenly life seemed to take a tumble and I struggled to regain my footing, but with God's help, and my kid's encouragement, I am finding my way back to contentment!


May you have a blessed day today.

Learning to Enjoy the Ride

Wow has the roller coaster continued to twist and turn this year! Last year we moved to the high desert and started a little farm. I thought it was the adventure to end all adventures, but I was so wrong! I had hoped to record the journey here but life had other plans. As usual. As my friends say, my life is never boring! That is an understatement. Well, we just got internet back after many months without it. So, here we go again.


About 6 months ago I learned that I was going to have to undergo another surgery to repair some damage from my surgery last June. Before I could do anything about that we got into a pretty major car accident so the surgery is on hold while I try to recover from my injuries. I am so grateful that we were all able to walk away from the accident. Everyone suffered varying degrees of injury but we all walked away alive after hitting a semi truck head on so I consider us blessed! However, after 4 months I continue to suffer unbearable pain and extremely limited mobility. I have faith that eventually I will be healed, I have a great doctor who is dedicated to seeing me through and I trust him and his staff. But I am ready to move on now, and once again I am sitting and learning patience. The story of my life. I'm never heading in the direction I'm wanting to go in, and I'm constantly learning to trust and enjoy where I am today.


I won't go into details about all the unpleasantness of the past year, but it has been an extremely difficult year with many trials. I would love to say that I handled them all with grace and faith and was the epitome of a gentle Christian wife and mother through it all, but what's the point of lying? lol I did NOT always handle things well at all. Through it I struggled with anger, depression, fear, and did more than my fair share of murmuring and complaining. All things I thought I had put behind me long ago. But I continue the journey towards being the woman I long to be.


The newest chapter of our life is that we have moved full time into a travel RV. We still have two of our four children with us so we bought a two bedroom trailer with a bedroom for us and a bunkhouse for the kids. We can actually accomodate more of our kids if they choose to come, but for now it is just my husband, myself and our two youngest. We are excited about what God has planned for the next chapter.


And as this new chapter unfolds I continue to learn not to murmur, complain and focus on the negative. Some days are better than others, but I am learning. :-) Do you ever feel as though some days you have more of a stumble than a walk? I do! But I hope to continue to get more sure footed in my journey.


Years ago when I was struggling with murmuring issues the Lord showed me that the Israelites never got into the promised land because of their murmuring. I thought that was enough to teach me to control my mouth, and for awhile it was. But little by little I let the habit creep it's way back into my life. Recently as I have really struggled I decided to do a little study on complaining and lo and behold what I found stunned me! I found Deut. 28:47-48! Here is what I found:


"Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of all things; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you." (emphasis mine) Wow. I think I would like to get a grip on my attitude now! lol


Here's the thing I've learned about attitude, if I don't get a grip on my attitude during the bad times, I won't have a good attitude during the good times either! It is shocking how hard it is to switch tracks once things turn around in life. I've also learned that it is definitely easier to get through the tough times with faith, joy and a good attitude, than with worry, fear and a bad attitude. Yet even though I know that, and have experienced that many times, I still struggle with it! I am such an Israelite!


So, my journey for the moment is to learn, yet again, to walk in joy and faith. And to enjoy where I am now, not continue longing for where I am going. I guess I am a destination kind of gal living a journey life. I am always focused on getting to where I am supposed to be, but what I believe God wants me to do is to learn to enjoy getting there! I hope you'll join me as I take this new chapter one day at a time.


So, for today I leave you with this thought: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Prov. 3:5-6


His ways truly are better than mine, all the time. And this stubborn girl is determined to walk in that!


Be blessed!
Colleen

Happy 2010

Well, it's been over a year now since I started my blog. And as I feared, I didn't keep up with it as I had hoped. But guess what? It doesn't matter! I wrote when I could write and when I couldn't nothing dramatic happened! There were many times I wanted to write something but life just kept getting in the way. And that is, I guess, how it should be. Life should come first. And it has. Whether for better or worse. It has been quite the rollercoaster year in our house! Two surgeries later I am finally, slowly, getting back on my feet. We also moved twice in the past year. Once as I documented here, and again at the end of the year which I have yet to talk about, but will, soon. Today I am sitting here recovering from a very nasty stomach virus that has had me in it's grip all week! Thankfully we enjoyed our youngest daughter's birthday Monday before this horrible virus grabbed most of us on Tuesday night! I am still very shaky and weak but think I can see the end in sight! So, as I sat here looking around I decided to pop in and make a very brief entry to begin the new year by wishing you the happiest and grandest of new years! Be back soon.


Blessings!