I love so many different genres of music, it doesn’t seem fair to pick only one.
There’s the music my mom listened to when I was small.
There’s the colorful Jams of the 80’s from my high school days.
Then, there are all the children’s nursery rhymes and sing along songs, from when my girls were little.
Now we can add all of the music I listen to these days, which can range from Contemporary Christian Worship to hip hop, and nearly everything in between!
As long as there isn’t foul language or questionable lyrics, this girl loves her tunes!
I simply find it beautiful that music has a magical way of impacting ones emotional and physical state.
My neck and back are stiff from all the firework rubbernecking I did, and I need at least a day to recover from all the food I ate last night, so all I got for you today is a cup of coffee.
Don’t you dare ask me to even look at a cookie, right now! Yikes!
On any given day, I suppose I could attempt to be an authority in a number of differing subjects!
Today, however, you’re in luck! As this is a day of celebrating our nations independence, I so happen to be planning to become an authority on what we’ll be eating this afternoon…
Food glorious food, as Templeton from Charlotte’s web sings it the best!
Here, I’ll share more than just plain ole cookies…
There is no one, real, definition of romance, as far as I’m concerned!
Love displays itself in many ways, and romance could be considered one of them, but as soon as we try separating the idea of romance from all the other aspects of love within an intimate relationship, everything suffers.
I so wish folks could understand that if a person jumps past the important parts of love, to get to the good stuff, so to speak.
I don’t hold to any specific rule for successful romance, but rather, observe my husbands general attitude toward me, in our daily lives.
While we do not have money for romantic dinners, outings and/or vacations, nor would there be any room for fancy gifts inside this old RV, even if we could afford them, an attitude of love and tenderness makes all the difference!
Regardless of what my husband does to express romance, the fact that he thought about making the effort to win my affections, is why he always wins my heart.
I shall not squander the life given to me by my Creator! In the words of someone I admire,
“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” Jonah 2: 8,9
You can call me selfish, I suppose, but I want every single ounce of grace that God is offering. I’m not forfeiting any of it!
So, I suppose you have been wondering about my last comment from episode 1. What is funny is that I have been doing the same thing all week, ever since I made that comment about the desert…
For as long as I can remember, I have made sense of myself and this world in two realms of thought. One realm of thought is in the actual and physical sense. What we see, do, talk about, eat and feel are in the here and now… The second realm of thought is what I think of as my storybook, or cartoon version, if you will. Let’s call this part the “Behind the Scenes of My Truths”, the adventure version.
What follows is written in storybook version…….
I am wild from the top of my head all the way down to my toes! It is all that I can seem to remember of myself. My journeying, or running if I am being truthful, has always found me far out in the desert. For as long as I can remember, there has been a path worn, from one hidden oasis to another, by my feet. I have hidden them well, though, so most that wander by are unaware of my presence. As the years of my life rolled forward, I found that there was One who had been following my footprints, always leaving little packages of love for me. On one of my journeys along the outskirts of the Cities of Souls, I came to realize that the One whom I had sensed, was in fact my True Father! It was both joyful and difficult to become aware of Him.
I stayed…
Before I knew it, time seemed to have sped forward in my journey, by a great many years! I discovered that I had settled down right inside the walls … building relationships with others, and trying to live and do things the way all of the others thought was right. My Father showed me the gifts given to me, but instead of being at peace, I became fearful…I believed that I was losing myself, and would simply become a nothing…moving along by habit…so this wild child ran!!!
I fled into the desert with as much speed possible, for my feet had become softened over time. I tripped many times, stumbling over rocks and debris that had been left on my paths. Had it really been that long? I was not sure if the way had become obstructed or if I had simply forgotten my exact path. Many seasons were spent wandering, clearing out my old and unused paths. Time rolled on…
Oh, I would come near the outskirts, just close enough to remember what I left behind. The intensity of my pain and fear, along with the guilt over my failure, drove me away again and again…
My last act of running into the desert, or defiance as I see it, nearly cost me my very life, but that is for another time. For now, I leave you with this thought…I am still that wild child inside, but my Father has been revealing to me the graceful Phoenix that He is rising up from the ashes of her truth…
Journey With Me! 