Happy New Year - 2014

Happy New Year!  Yes, it is 2014.  We have never done anything special on this day or New Years Eve for that matter.   I was looking through our pictures and realized that I didn't have a single picture of anything on New Years.  Then I came across this picture of Ken from New Years of 1955 (I think).  Not exactly sure since there are slides from different years in this particular group.  I love that Gwen and Tim have some kind of "party" on New Years Eve that includes their kids and they have photos for them to remember in the future.   Yes, I love this picture. 

 

Today was a snow day!  We have had about 4 or 5 inches and more is expected.  It is clear that this is going to be a "snow" winter.  We have already used the snow blower several times and I know that  more is coming.  It was nice to just stay in all day today - with the exception of the snow blowing and car clearing.  However the bad news is that Ken has the cold I've been fighting for the last week.  So not a great start to the year for him!  But the day inside was great for quiet time!

 

I was so glad to begin that new devotional from Beth Moore.  It is really going to be good to have this to focus on each day.  Today the topic was the name of Jesus.  I confess that I took some time to really think about the questions.  I am not doing this study to rush and get it done.  I really want to achieve a closer, more intimate walk with Jesus through this process.  So today, I am encouraging you to think about the name Jesus and what it means to you.  Say His name and let it sink into your soul.  Let it fill your mind and spirit.  And then write down how you feel about that name after you do this.  I am so thankful for that devotional tonight! 

 

Jesus, thank you for days to just stay in.  Holy Spirit, bring more revelation to me as I continue to ponder the name Jesus.  Remind us all to stop and think and breathe in the name above all names - Jesus.  Jesus bring your healing touch to Ken and everyone who is suffering with illness today.  You are the healer and the restorer.  Thank you for the new year and all that you in store for us.  Amen

 

End of year review

So end of the year.  Wow - 2013 just seemed to fly by.  I am so glad that I have this blog to remind me of the amazing things that have transpired during this year.  I had been thinking of starting a blog for several months.  Even after I started actually writing this blog, I wondered if it was something that I was supposed to be doing.  It didn't take long to see that not only was this blog for me, it was also touching other people.  My second blog post was about being "stuffed".  Hearing so many things from Jesus and not having any way to share them.  Yes, this blog has allowed me to share over and over the words, dreams, visions and thoughts that the Holy Spirit has spoken to me.  I love that I am not in charge of who sees and/or reads these blogs.  I simply put them out there and trust that the right people will read them.  Then I realized that Jesus was showing me something about my generational roots.  There is so much power in knowing and understanding your family.  As I looked at pictures and began to share stories from my ancestors, I realized that I was doing something important.  Not only for me and my children and grandchildren.  But for others.  I have had more emails and comments on the stories about my great grandparents and grandparents than anything else.  I believe that our society has lost the art of "storytelling".  Years ago most family stories were "oral" stories, told over and over at family gatherings.  The sharing of photo's and stories on this blog are stories and I am just telling true stories in a different written format.  I am thankful that this important family history will not be lost. Someday my grandchildren can read these words and know about their family.  And then I love that I can share the little things, the insights from my everyday life.  I just spent some time reading over some of my posts and I am thankful for this open journaling I have done through this blog.  I have years and years (1988 -2013) of journals - I mean storage boxes full of notebooks.  They are very valuable to me and reflect the long and winding path I have taken and reflect years of ups and downs.  The biggest thing in those journals is the overriding provision and protection and guidance of Jesus.  Those journals are for my eyes only.  So I have to tell you, it has been very scary to put myself out there through this blog.  But I have really learned and grown in the process. 

Thank you for reading, for commenting, for giving me your feedback.  It has really been a most wonderful part of my 2013.  As I've said, 2014 is about expecting the unexpected.  It is about seeing from a different perspective and with new Spiritual eyes.  It is about seeing a new path and a new direction.  I am filled with expectation and peace as I close the door on 2013 and open the door to a new year.  I am praying that you will be blessed and prosper as you follow your own path into the future.

Jesus, thank you for all that you have shown me and all the changes and insights you have given to me in 2013.  Holy Spirit, keep our hearts open and our spirits sensitive as we step out in 2014.  Thank you for your great provision, direction and care.  Move us onward!  Amen

The UPSIDE of my job and READING UP!

One of the hardest things about my new job is the constant changes.  Nothing is ever the same.  My schedule changes ALL THE TIME!  And I mean all the time.  I never know what my hours will be from week to week and then actually from day to day or even hour to hour.  For instance, today I was SCHEDULED to work 7:30 - 4:00.  When I got to work at 7:15 I discovered that my schedule had changed and I was now working from 7:30 - 5:00.  And WHERE I am working also changes just as often.  I was supposed to be with the school age kids all day.  That is what my schedule said.  However, when I got my changed schedule this morning, I was now being shifted around between 3 different rooms with 3 different ages of children.  Then about a half hour later, that changed again and I was only going to 2 rooms.  Then at noon time today, I was told that my schedule had changed AGAIN, and I would be going home at 4:00.  And everyday is like this.  This job has been a lot about learning to be adaptable and willing to change - constantly.  FLEXIBILITY!  That's the name of the game with this job. 

But, the upside of all of this is that it is never boring!  Things are always changing.  I am with lots of different children.  And also work with many different people.  The different schedules also mean that some days I don't have to leave the house until much later.  And some days I get home earlier.  I also always have one day off each week.  Now that is a BIG upside to this job.  Once again, it is all about perspective. 

Today I saw this on Facebook.  I really like this because again, it is about perspective.  In this case, when you read it down the page, you see one message.  And when you read UP the page, you see a totally different message. 

This is another great reminder to be looking UP as well as READING UP!  I like this!  There is a totally different meaning to these words when you read them in the correct order.  What a great reminder. 

 

Jesus, today I am so thankful for the job that you provided for me.  Thank you for showing me the importance of being flexible and celebrating the UPSIDE of my job.  Holy Spirit, I love that you remind us to keep looking up in so many interesting ways.  Thank you for this visual that reminded me again that perspective is so important.   Help us all to keep our eyes on Jesus even as we are in our day to day life.  Jesus, give us all a new upward perspective as we go into 2014.  Amen 

Seeing more clearly..........in 2014

Even though New Years is a couple of days away, I have been feeling the "end of Christmas" today.  I can't really explain why, it just seems to be there.  I am already thinking about taking down the Christmas tree.  One of the very best things about the holidays is the being together.  I know that I have said that over and over, but when I think about the year in review..... what comes to mind is the time we have spent together.   I simply adore the picture above.  It was taken at the end of our family Christmas celebration (which actually happened on the 21st).  Nothing makes me smile more than this picture.  Those sweet little ones cuddled up to us.  Yes, this is smile stuff!  It has given me a greater appreciation of how my mom really loved being around her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  There is something really special about holding those babies on your lap and seeing a part of yourself, continuing on. 

I love this picture of my mom and Gwen and Doug.  It resonates with the picture above.  It was taken as we were "celebrating Christmas" just after Thanksgiving when Grandma was here visiting.  I want to have the same close relationship with my grandchildren that my mom had with my kids.  And I love that I see it in that picture above.  It's as if I am seeing new things through these old pictures.

 

Recently there was an Elijah list post    that included this.....

The Lord says, "I am expanding your spiritual perception. In the same way that binoculars are adjusted to see in magnification, wide angle or panoramic view, I am going to open My people's eyes to see things in a new way. For some of you, The Seer anointing will open up to you and you will receive visions and dreams, and your eyes will be opened as the blinders are lifted. There is a door standing open in Heaven. It is not a natural door and I am calling you to come up here and I will show you things that must take place. You shall declare a thing, and it shall be established."

 

Sometimes I feel as if I have been given a totally new perspective as I look back at pictures of my family from the past and reflect on current events.  I love that Jesus is changing how I see things.  I can't wait for an even bigger, clearer vision in 2014.  I have the sense that all of us only see the very small surface of people and events.  There is so much more beneath the surface and around the edges and behind the scene, if we would only take the time and look more carefully.  One thing that I will be doing in 2014 is praying for an expanded view!  Won't you join me?

 

Jesus, thank you for grandchildren and smiles and family and love.  Holy Spirit, will you help me to have that expanded view in the days ahead.  Thank you for those word from the Elijah list.  Give us all a changed perspective and the desire to see beyond the surface.  Thank you for Christmas and celebrations and wonderful time together.   Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 



Feeling a bit under the weather....

So I spent a part of today in bed!  This is really unusual for me.  Its Saturday and I have a lot to do on the weekend.  Yesterday I was feeling a bit worse than the day before with my head stuffy but today I woke up coughing and with a very sore throat.  I really need to kick this crummy cold.  We went out this morning and did a couple of errands but it became clear to me that I just needed to get home and lay down.  So that is what happened.   We came home and I went to bed.  This evening I think I am feeling a bit better.  I can certainly tell when my medicine wears off, but it is helping.  So I am thankful for a quiet day.

It must be because we are moving into a new year, but suddenly Ken and I are thinking of more projects around the house.  Right now he is converting what was our "exercise room" into a camera room.  I can't complain since I appropriated the other spare room a LONG time ago as my scrapbooking room.  So this is only fair!  I love that Ken supports my love of scrapbooking and I am very glad that Ken has returned to photography.  When I first met Ken in high school, he was already a camera guy.  He was in AV and had a dark room at his home.  Somehow, over the years he moved away from photography.  I was happy several years ago when he asked for a new camera.  And I am so proud of all the wonderful pictures he has taken over the last couple of years.  So, I am very willing to clean up that under-used room and make it work for his hobby. 

There is a lot to the "New Year" thing.  This is a good time to clear away the old and get ready to move into the new.  I am glad that we are doing some cleaning and clearing out of our house.  And I am also glad that this is a time to clear away and move into new things in the Spiritual.  I love that this is a "New Year" time.  I just realized that November was a time of great Thanksgiving for me.  December was a month of celebration and memories and joy.  I am looking forward to January and the new things that are in store for me.

Jesus, thank you for healing and health.  You are a God of restoration and new things.  Holy Spirit continue to bring to light all the changes and new things that are coming.  Speak clearly to us and help us to be willing to clear out the old and unused things to make room for the new.  Thank you for Ken!  Amen

A color filled day........

Tonight Ken and I went to an amazing light show at the Morton Arboretum near our home.  Even though I have the end of this nasty cold and my nose is running and I'm coughing, we decided that 37 degrees was the best we were going to have (our predicted high for the next couple of days is single digits!)  So after I completed work today, we left for the show.  The sun was still setting when we got there, but unlike our first attempt at this event, we were directed to the main parking lot.  There were lots of people and cars, but we found a parking spot fairly quickly and only waited in line a few minutes to get our tickets.  There is a mile long walking path with various light displays around every turn.  It's amazing how different the place looks with spot lights and flashing lights of every color.  While it was chilly, it wasn't unbearable.  There were fires burning (which smelled just wonderful) and little concession stands around every turn.  We treated ourselves to a wonderful cup of hot cocoa, which certainly made the last half of the walk more enjoyable.  It was a really neat capper to our holiday celebrations.  Ken mentioned that he would like to put in a suggestion that they have an "adults only" night for members.  I told him it sounded like a good idea! 

Today at work, I was painting with the kids again.  This time we are making snow flakes and mittens to display on the front windows of the center.  Jackie got a great idea off of Pintrest that actually worked quite well.  We made masking tape snowflakes on white paper and had the kids paint the entire paper any color that they wanted.  Then when it drys you peel off the tape and you have a really cool looking white snowflake on a colored background!  So now there will be giant mittens catching snow flakes on the windows. 

I was just thinking how these two things are similar.  Both involve using amazing colors in unexpected ways.  You don't expect to see trees with such vivid colors and you also don't expect to see a snowflake emerge from a painted piece of paper. Both require creativity and thinking outside of the box.    I love that the snowflakes were hidden from view as the paintings were drying.  I loved that kids were so excited to see the finished snowflake.  I love that the trees looked like sculptures and not trees when painted with lights.  Yep, I had a colorful day today.

I am so glad that even when our lives look dark and bleak, much like those woods at the Arboretum actually are, the light of Jesus can change everything.  When Jesus shines his light in us and through us, we become those amazing dancing lights filling the world.  And I am also glad that when we try to just "put on a happy face" when things are not going well (just like those pictures were painted over with bright colors), Jesus knows whats underneath that fake smile. His love and care and compassion can turn our attempt to hide our problems into a beautiful picture when he strips away our false emotion.  Then His joy and love can change that fake smile into a genuine grin.

Jesus, thank you for reminding me that your light changes everything!  Thank you for your love and joy and peace that turns our feeble attempt at false happiness into genuine joy.  Holy Spirit, I love that you show me so much in paintings by 3 year olds and in glorious light shows.  Amen

 

Some things never change...... and some do!

Today I was thinking about our Christmas and the different years when our own kids were little and then I saw this picture of Ken from the early 1950's.  There he is, in front of the tree with all of his trucks.  And I was remembering  Zeke with this year's special toy from Uncle Doug and Aunt Susie.  It was a battery operated Backhoe that shook and moved and lights flashed.  Yes, it was a hit with Zeke.  There is something about boys and their trucks.

Sadly I didn't get a picture of Zeke with that truck. Or the cars and the ramps that he also received.  What I did get a picture of was this sweet shot of Zeke with the doll and blankets and bed that we gave him.  You know, Zeke is going to be a big brother and with a new baby coming soon, he needed his own "baby".  I love the look on Zeke's face.  He was really happy with this little doll.  I was thinking about how grateful I  am that some things DO change.  When Ken was little in the 1950's, no little boy would have been given a doll.  I am so thankful that in 2013 it is totally okay to let boys learn how to nurture and care for babies.  Actually, Doug had a Cabbage Patch doll in 1985.  I guess when you have older sisters, you expect to be able to have your OWN doll to play with. 

After looking at these pictures I was thinking about how much things have changed in the last years.  I am very different than I was a few years ago.  How I view the world and my life has taken a very different direction than I would have thought.  And I know that it is because of Jesus in my life that my perspective has shifted.  I know that even 10 years ago I would never have imagined I would be working in a daycare center.  As a matter of fact, this would have been the LAST place I would have imagined working.  Yet, I know that in this season, it is exactly the right place for me to be.  I am so thankful for the children and the people that I work with.  The days go quickly and I am grateful for the paycheck.  I know that there are many things that Jesus is teaching me in this season, and things that I am to be doing.  As the year winds down and you begin to think about what the new year holds, it is good to remember that things DO change!   So over the next week I will be thinking about the things that I would want to change and the things that I hope will not change in the new year.  I really think that this is a very different process than making "new years resolutions". Or even setting goals for the new year.  Its all about perspective! The most important step I will be taking is to be listening for the direction of the Holy Spirit as I make that list.  I know that is the only way that I will see the true path for the year ahead.   So right now, I am celebrating that some things don't change and little boys still love their cars and trucks (and so do BIG boys!).  But I am also celebrating that some things DO change when I see that sweet expression on the face of my grandson with his baby.  

Jesus, thank you for reminding me that I need to evaluate the new year from your perspective.  Holy Spirit, thank you for once again, using photos to trigger the thought process that leads me to the subject that you are speaking to me right now.  Jesus, thank you that you want to open our eyes, and ears and our spirits to your direction. Help me to continue to look, listen and be aware of all that you are speaking to me in the days ahead.   Amen