Rested...Restored and READY!!!!!

My sweet husband and I were able to escape for a few days and oh how refreshing it was!!!



We have a few favorite little spots to stay at the central Coast, this time we were choosing the place we thought would be the most quiet and relaxing. It did not disappoint!!!!

The weather was awesome! It ranged from stormy, rainy, sunny and cloudy and I loved every bit of all of it!

I could feel my worries and anxieties being blown away by the gentle breezes as I sat out overlooking the vast ocean...thinking of God's amazing love for us!

I rested my body and yet we walked everywhere we went.

I read and I sat still.

We talked and we sat together quietly.

I talked to God and I listened to God.

I wrote and I sat quietly.

It was all the perfect combo!!!

I want to encourage you today to find that perfect combo in your heart and life.

To do what you must, but add a dose of what you want!
To take care of those you are responsible for

and to give yourself that same TLC!

To work a little and

to play a little.

To pray to GOD

and then take time to LISTEN to Him!

To sit quietly with those you love.....

really truly LISTEN to them and HEAR their heart.

Sit quietly with yourself and

Listen to your own heart.

Every day there are (and always will be)

challenges and obstacles to overcome.

But each and every day we must remember...

THIS could be our last day on earth....

SOooooooo

How are we spending it?

What impression are we making?

What legacy are we leaving.......

And

Something else I have thought about a lot in my own life lately......

ARE YOU HAPPY???????

Happiness is a choice!

I know...I know

life is handing you a ton of JUNK and it seems like there is no way

out of the muck and the mire of it all.

Remember.......

I KNOW!

I have been there! More than once in my life.

I know the struggle it is to reach up and out when you feel so sucked in

and your very breath seems knocked out of you.

The reality of life is we are gonna have some pretty rough days here on earth.

The enemy is out to "steal, kill and destroy".

Satan does not want you to live victoriously.

He wants you to be down and out and feeling hopeless.

BUT........

I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU

GOD

has a much better plan!!!

He wants you to live a life of abundant happiness and peace.

Are you familiar with the fruits of the Spirit?

If you have the Spirit of God in your heart and life these fruits shall abide in you...

THEY ARE:

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL.

(Galatians 5:22)

I want to encourage you to draw close to the Lord today

wherever you are and whatever you are doing.....call out to Him

and He will touch you right where you are!!!!

If you get a chance, go outside, whatever the weather

and take a few big deep breaths...

breathing in the good and exhaling out the bad.

Lift your hands up to the Lord and whatever cares you have been carrying around,

imagine them in your hands....

Hold them OPEN and RELEASE them to He who is capable!!!!

Today is a new day...

Go and enjoy every moment!!!!!!!!!

Love & Blessings!
XO

Sherry

Feeling Upside Down??

Isn't he adorable!?

This is my youngest grandangel, one of the sweet JOYS of my life!

I just love this picture cos it just seems to be fitting of me these days...upside down, but smiling anyway! :)

There is always something to smile about..something to THANK GOD for!

In Max Lucado's message tonite at the "Change The World Tour" he made a very good point (of course he did he IS Max Lucado!!!)

He said: "many of you are going through difficult times and feeling overwhelmed by it all. I can not promise you that your situation is going to change and be better..but I CAN promise you that GOD IS WITH YOU and HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU! He has your back!!!!! He will never leave you nor forsake you."

It is so true!!!!

When nothing else seems to make sense, nothing seems to be going right, you just have to keep the faith, keep moving forward, keep on keeping on.

I am learning that is not always easy, some things are so much easier said than done!

BUT it IS the right thing, the thing that God would have me do....and YOU DO!

If you find yourself struggling to stay upright some days, to keep the emotions at bay, to fight the negative thoughts, to keep a good attitude......FIX YOUR EYES UPON JESUS!!!!!

Max went on to explain that the bigger you make GOD, the smaller your problems will become.

Keep Him in focus, keep your eyes upon HIM.

SO...If you find yourself feeling "upside down" and "beside yourself"....

KEEP FOCUSING ON JESUS!!!

Make him bigger and your problems smaller and smaller.... and SMILE!!!!!

XO

Love & Blessings!

Family FUN!

I love AUTUMN!!

I love the fall colors, the cooler weather (although today was in the 90's here in sunny California!)

I love the sights of pumpkins and fall leaves and ....

all the fun things about it!

Sooo what fun I had this evening when we joined our oldest daughter and her family doing something I have never done before.....going through a corn maze.

We had a blast!

We laughed, we trekked along, we chased the little guy who kept trying to find his own way in the maze.

It was so much fun!

After we made our way through the maze and everyone was plenty dirty and tired of the game of it, we ventured on over to the pumpkin patch.

My silly little 1 1/2 year old grandson, Alyxander (we call him Xander) thought he was in heaven....he thought it was a field of orange balls and he loves balls!!!

He found one perfect little pumpkin, picked it up and proceeded to throw it! He thought it was pretty funny and repeated the game over and over........he had us all laughing so hard.

Family fun is the best diversion, the greatest way to really realize and remember what life is all about! Tonite I am thanking GOD for His amazing blessings in my life and for the fun diversion of a little corn maze and a pumpkin patch!

I hope you are enjoying FALL wherever you live.

Tell me what YOUR favorite thing about autumn is........

XO

The Clouds Are Parting....

The fabulous sights of God's creation never cease to amaze and thrill me!

I saw this sight on my way home from a long day of work recently....I could not pass it up.

I had my camera with me so I pulled over, jumped out of my car and snapped several pics.

I am sure the people who were passing by me at

lightning-gotta-get-home-speed were thinking I was nuts,

but I knew better.

The very act of me stopping to take in this scene was a HUGE part of the progress I am making.

For a while I was so submersed in the deep dark hole that I could not see ANYTHING.

That happens sometimes.
It is not fun, nor is it anything I am proud to admit.

It seems to come with the territory of LIFE

and life with a chronic illness that takes a HUGE toll on the 'ole AGING body!

I don't talk about it much, I actually prefer to act like it is not even there.
(the fact that I have been struggling with a condition called Fibromyalgia for 7 years now)
Which has been part of my problem.
If you act like something is not there it does not magically disappear!
Go figure!

Some times the pain and agony in my body is so intense that it takes a terrible toll on the rest of me, my emotions, my mind, my attitude.

Yea, my attitude was starting to get pretty bad....
that is probably why God had me in a little "time-out".
Can't say I blame Him!

Every year around my birthday time I make it a point to STOP
and ponder, pray, seek GOD, re-evaluate my life and the things that are filling it up.....
However, this was not the "feel good, catch a break, get-away" kind of fun reflection I prefer!

I gleaned several lessons during this little time out,
most of which I am still digesting.
I can tell you though,
that if you are seeking GOD amidst all your troubles and trials,
He will be there. He will NEVER fail you.

People, on the other hand, might consistently disappoint....
that is when we must remember that
we are all just human beings striving to do our personal best
while we are here on this earth.
In the end what really, truly matters is doing God's work.
Being and doing the things He has for us, and us alone.

There are several talents and gifts we each possess that come packaged uniquely in us.
That leaves us each with a huge responsibility
to do everything we can to use them to the fullest for HIS glory.

I hesitate to post this.....I hesitate to be this REAL..
but you know what,
this is life.
This is what real life is like.
I know I am not the only one who struggles, who finds themselves
stumbling and falling down under the pressures of life.
I know I am not the only one to struggle with health issues that take a
tremendous toll not only on ones body but also the mind and emotions.

You know that saying....
Remember that the person you pass by today is fighting a harder battle than you.

I have only shared this with a few people but this leads me to the perfect illustration;

The day my mother died, back in January of 1997.
I had been in ICU with her, I witnessed her take her last breath
and then lie perfectly still, never to breath again.
I was with her as her spirit left her body.
As I walked out the door into the hallway just moments later...
there was a complete stranger who was in an all out, gotta-get-there mode
who was going so quickly that he/she
(I do not even remember!)
brushed my shoulder and nearly knocked me over.
Probably because I was already feeling very unstable.
That person had no idea that my mom just died!
I even remember thinking that.........
They don't know what I just experienced.

I wonder how many times we brush past someone who is facing one of their bleakest moments?
How many times we can brighten someones day by a simple smile?
How many times we have been thoughtless and inconsiderate,
never thinking about what that person is dealing with.

I do my best to remember this lesson, and to treat others gently and kindly.
We all deserve to be treated kindly.

Let me tell you.....whatever you are facing today GOD is bigger than it.
No matter how buried you feel, how submersed you feel,
how hard it is to even stay upright....
GOD IS WITH YOU!
HE LOVES YOU!!!!!!

Hold on tight & BREATHE!!!!

If you see a breathtaking sight.......
STOP, take it in and know that God is sending you a message of LOVE.
It is like a little postcard mailed directly to YOU!!!

Love & Blessings!
XO