Forgiveness

But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;

and you overlook the sins of men that they may repent.

For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made;

for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.

And how could a thing remain unless you willed it;

or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?

But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord......

Wisdom 12:23-26

I am grateful that the Lord forgives.  All we have to do is ask.  The Lord forgives so easily, but it is a struggle for us.  Holding on to anger and resentment is keeping you and me from living a life of Thanksgiving.  I believe forgiveness is more for the forgiver than the forgiven. Forgiveness will free us of the disappointments and pain of the past and allow us to LIVE in TODAY.  Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves.  Sometimes we need to forgive others. Sometimes we need to ask for forgiveness.  Whatever your situation may be, take care of it today so you can LIVE in TODAY.  Thank the Lord for giving you the strength and courage to help you through it.

Many Blessing,

Linda

Birthdays are for Celebrating!!!

We recently hosted a Birthday Party for our daughter.  With 12 of her friends coming over,  we needed something to keep them busy!  Here are some of the fun activities we did.

1. Everyone made a wishing jar. I posted directions for the jars below the pictures.
2. Each girl made a personal pizza with cheese and pepperoni
3. They decorated a chocolate jumbo cupcake 

    WISHING JARS

These were a big hit at the party!

How to make wishing jars

You will need: 

• 1 jar per party guest.  I used glass jars for canning

• Glitter

• Beads

• Shells

• Food coloring

• Ribbons

• Glue

Have each child decorate their jars and fill them with the items listed above.  Add two – three drops of food coloring into each jar.  Fill jar with water then secure lid tightly.  Shake the jar and make a Wish!

Many Blessings,
Linda

      

My Works

After a day of heavy storms, there was quiet.  Have you ever listened after a storm?  It is very peaceful and calm.  I took that time to thank God for sending the storm, because my grass really needed it.  I thanked him for the quiet after the storm, because I really needed that.

The quiet after the storm was soon followed by the meltdown after school.  It was time for my first child off of the bus to do homework.  For all of the parents who have or have had school aged children, you know where I'm coming from!  "Thank you Lord for this child, meltdown and all".  That is what I said over and over in my mind to get through it.

Being a parent is hard work.  You worry about their happiness and success.  You struggle through the storms and enjoy the quiet.  Am I doing all the right things to raise these children to be loving, thoughtful selfless adults?  Are my actions showing them how I want them to be?

Entrust your works to the Lord,

and your plans will succeed

Proverbs 16:3

My family is a part of my "works".  I know God has a plan for all of us.  I choose to trust in him.

I trust in him to give me patience to get through the storms

I trust in him to give me the quiet after the storms

I trust in him to give me the wisdom to teach my children what is right and just;
                              not only by my words, but my actions as well.

Being a parent is hard work, but the best things in life are worth the hard work.  The rewards of having children far out weigh the hard work.

Many Blessings,

Linda



Can we walk the walk? With helpful tips

I have often wondered if I am really living my life in a way that is pleasing to God.  I can pray daily, go to church every Sunday, volunteer at church and talk to others about how wonderful God is, but do ALL of my actions match my words?

We all have good intentions and we can also get busy with life.  When things start to pile up at home or work gets demanding, it is easy to loose sight of our purpose. My purpose is to live a life that is pleasing to God, keep things simple and be thankful for the things in my life.

To keep things simple, I made a list of ways to keep chores from piling up (my husband will like that I made a list!)  I try my hardest to keep to the list, but we all know that life can happen!  Here are a few helpful tips:

• do one house cleaning chore a day. Monday- dust, Tuesday- clean floors, Wednesday-clean bathrooms........and so on..... You get the picture.
• do one load of laundry a day; wash, dry, fold and put away.  I always have trouble with this one! :)
• empty the clean dishes from the dishwasher before you go to bed or first thing when you wake up.  Your dish washer will be ready for the days dirty dishes.   Hopefully, the others in your house will rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
• If you have children that go to school or daycare, make lunches and set out clothes the night before.
• don't forget to give thanks daily 

My house is not spotless by any means.  These daily chores just keep it from becoming a total wreck. You can tell that there are five people and two dogs that live here and I am thankful for that!!!

This is one of my daily prayers from Psalm 119:33-35

Lord, teach me the way of your laws;

I shall observe them with care.

Give me insight to observe your teachings,

to keep it with all my heart.

Lead me in the path of your commands.

for that is my delight.

Many Blessings,

Linda

After Christmas, I started a gratitude journal.  Thank you Ann Voskamp for the idea!  Each day I write 3 gifts from God in my journal. I am trying to make it to 1000 by next Christmas. The gifts are not big.  I look to find something special in everything around me.  Some days are easier than others.  The days when the dishes and laundry are piled up; the children and husband are cranky or I'm cranky;  I have to sit quietly for a while and gather my thoughts. 
My journal may look something like this.

35. grumpy children in the morning
36. cranky husband after work
37. laundry that is piled high

I haven't gotten through much of the bible, but I have found that giving thanks and praising God is mentioned just about everywhere.  That must mean that it is pretty important to God. We should praise him and give him thanks to him for the sacrifices he has made and the gifts he has placed in our lives.

My favorite verse is from Ephesians 5:20
     giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father

Try it today.  Look for 3 gifts from God.

Many Blessings
Linda



  

Where do I begin?

I started this blog because, well I just wanted to write one.  Not sure where to go from here, so I'll just pick a point in my life and start.

I am just a busy wife and mom just like most of the women I know.  My family and I lived in a big city for 15 years, then moved to a small town suburb.  It was then that I realized life was going by fast.  I have two children in High School and one in Elementary School.  It seems like yesterday when my husband and I brought them home from the Hospital.  This is where my journey for living a life of thanksgiving begins.

I have always been a religious person, but It has been in the last 2-3 years that I have worked on being  more spiritual. I started listening to a Christian radio station. I loved it and my radio stays on KSBJ.  It was there that I found out about Proverbs 31 ministries www.proverbs31.org.  I went to their website and signed up for their daily devotions. I then set a goal for myself.  I was going to read the entire Bible starting with the book of Proverbs.  I have tried this before with little success.  To be honest, it was hard for me to understand.  Now, years later, in my early Forties I am going to try again. I have read through Proverbs, The Book of Psalms, and Song of Songs.  I spend a little time each morning with my bible and prayers.  So far so good.  There is a lot to be learned from the bible.  It seems to me to be Gods rule book for life.

That's it for now.  Time to go make dinner!
come back soon,
Linda

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