Deep Thoughts and Little Happenings

I've recently had a "light bulb" experience.  What did I learn?  I am the common denominator in all of my relationships; therefore, my relationship with myself is going to influence all my relationships. How did I get here?  Well, it was by way of an experience which left me feeling misunderstood, exposed, and full of self-loathing.  It happened in a blink.  One minute I was confident in my relationships.  The next minute I was wallowing in my failure as a friend. This called for some major "hunkering down" with the LORD.  That's what I call getting alone with the LORD, pouring out my heart (in prayer), and pouring over His Word (the Bible) in search of His answers. His answer was unexpected.  He helped me remember some things.  He set me on this path almost three years ago!  He used Scriptures about my identity in Him and our relationship.  He gave me music and friends that spoke into my life.  My delight in Him grew exponentially.  I experienced His

I had the fun-est phone visit with a friend last week!  We talked about all sorts of stuff.  Lots of catching up was sandwiched around the sweet stuff of girl talk.  We had dessert first and finished with the meat of the conversation...what the LORD's been doing in our lives. My friend shared the "circle" the LORD just finished for her.  She pointed out all sorts of little happenings.  Each one pulling her toward new understanding and a transformation of her thoughts.  Each one leading her to grasp the next until she came full circle and saw a complete picture. I imagined standing inside that ever widening circle and curiosity had me googling growth rings.  I didn't do oodles and oodles of in-depth research.  I just wanted a simple understanding of the growth rings in a tree.   Did you know tree growth is increased or stunted according to how much light and water come during the growing season (spring and summer)?  I'm sure I did, but I've never put it i

My parents have discovered how to do what I call the Marriage Dance, and they do it well. They've been married 60 years!  Six decades of sharing life and all its joys and sorrows, ups and downs, triumphs and struggles.  That's a reason to celebrate for sure.  But my parents aren't just married; my parents are happily married!   You may be asking, "What's a Marriage Dance?"  I picture marriage as a dance.  It's two people committed to dancing through life together instead of alone.  They persevere in learning their part of the dance; they don't try to do the other's part.  They don't give up when they step on each other's toes, stumble, or get hurt.  It's two people choosing to remain with their partner when the music changes, when they don't know the new rhythm, or which step to take.  It's never walking away until the music of life stops for one or the other. This picture began forming when I was a very young girl.