Releasing Our Grip

 When I read my devotion for the day in "Jesus Calling" I knew immediately that I wanted to share this with you in light of our"Back to School theme''....

Here it is.....

**Entrust your loved ones to Me; release them into My protective care. They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands. If you let a loved one become an idol in your heart, you endanger that one - as well as yourself. Remember the extreme measures I used with Abraham and Isaac. I took Isaac to the very point of death to free Abraham from son worship. Both Abraham and Isaac suffered terribly because of the father's undisciplined emotions. I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.
When you release loves ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand. As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower blessings on them. My presence will go with them wherever they go, and I will give them rest. This same Presence stays with you, as you relax and place your trust in Me. Watch to see what I will do."**


WOW! Talk about hit you where it hurts. I will admit that I am guilty....oh yes, VERY guilty!!!!

Idolatry?!? I sure never thought of it like that!! Ohhh mercy!!!
Endanger??? Oh no!!!!

I have often found myself consumed with concern over each one of my kiddos and my grandangels. Oh I know it is not OKAY to be worrying (that's why I used the word "concerned" ha!) yet I know I am only fooling myself.

This is an ongoing issue that I am consistently working on and trying to be better at. To release my cares and my loved ones unto Him. He is the ONLY ONE who is capable, He is the Master controller over everything!

Oh Lord I pray you will help me day after day to remember that I am helpless and it is not (and never has been) my job to cling tightly to my precious ones. 
 Oh Lord please help me to release my grip.
Help me to remember that there is nothing I can do that you cannot do.

I entrust my loved ones to you Lord and I promise I will try my best not to be an Indian giver!

XO Love & Blessings!

BACK TO SCHOOL

I thought I would share this in honor of all the kiddos heading back to school.

I was one of those moms that actually did not have to peel my little one off the tree to get her/him to school. They all were pretty excited, it was me who was apprehensive. Especially on their first day of kindergarten, I hated that they were growing up and moving on.

I may or may not have driven by the school to be sure they made it on the bus."

I was definitely the one clinging to them when they moved away.

I think I have shared here before a little bit about my transition into the empty nest.

It was not easy breezy by any means.

 I would probably have kept them in the nest for the rest of their lives!

I have three grown up kiddos.

The first little chick a dee flew the nest in  a hurry. After finishing beauty school and beginning her future in that field she suddenly decided she did not want to miss out on the college experience and would be heading out in a few short weeks! We hustled getting her all pulled together and ready for the big day. We spent the weekend getting her settled in and attended the welcome to college life meetings. One called Issues to Tissues"where a lot of parents were voicing their sorrow of how they were gonna miss their kiddo being at home, their weekly rituals, stuff like that. I cruised through it all, I was having a good time with my girl, getting to explore her new digs, getting her all settled, meeting her new friends....

UNTIL............

It was time to say good bye!!!!!

I nearly fell into a heap in the parking lot.

I had to pull it together and get out of there with some dignity.

I found myself on the 4 1/2 hour drive home sobbing my heart out.

Her life was flashing through my mind....

To say it was an adjustment would be an understatement!

I may or may not have went into her room and cried on a regular basis.

We adjusted.

Life went on.

It was not the same. It never would be again.

 But life was not over

That little chickadee flew back home.

Only for a short while......

THEN......she and her baby sister decided to fly off together.

So, now I was saying good bye to BOTH my girly chick a dees!!!!!

My heart ached.

BUT.......

They were only moving 25 minutes away.

I was still a sad momma bird.

I missed my girls.

I had a hard time adjusting.

 But I did still have one more to keep me busy, my boy.

It wasn't long til I was bidding him good bye as well.

He was leaving on his 18th birthday to become a US Marine!!!

YUP, that was a tough one!!!!!!

Momma bird cannot just pick up a phone and call her baby then!

MANY days/weeks would go by without hearing his voice.

OUR NEST WAS EMPTY.

and truly, so was my heart.

The house was empty...

SO, I took one of the rooms and made it into my very own,

first ever...

craft room!!!!!

I called it my consolation prize!

I learned to adapt.

I crafted a  lot!

I prayed a LOT!!!

 I cried a LOT!!!!

But I am here to say that it was all a part of the growing process and in retrospect I might have cried a few less tears. (maybe)

I have definitely adapted to the empty nest and have to say.......

It's not bad!!!!!!!!!!!

Granted, there are days/times, when I feel the ache of days gone by when it was a family of five hanging out, laughing, playing, living......together!!

I have the added "prizes"now of "grandchildren"and they sure do make life sweeter!

There is still nothing like hearing my kiddos'voices on the other end of the phone or feeling their hugs when we get to see one another.

During all those years they were home in the nest we were creating tender memories, the foundation they are now building their lives upon.

It was vitally important.

It was what made them who they are today.

So, to all you moms out there sending your babies off to school.

I wish you well.

Know that you WILL get through this.

It hurts.

No doubt about it!!!!

One day you will be enjoying the peace and quiet you are craving today.

You will actually miss the sticky kisses and fingerprinted windows.

 (well maybe not the work of cleaning it up, but you know what I mean! ha!!)

Growing up is a process for us as well as for our kiddos.

This is the beginning of a new season, embrace it as best you can.

Send them off with love and prayers and know that no matter how old they are, your job as MOM is never done, it is just ever changing!!!

Love & Blessings!
XO

You are a TREASURE!!!!

You matter more than you will ever know.

God loves you more than you will ever realize.

If you can know anything today, those two things would be plenty!!

Have you really stopped to think about how valuable you are?

Do you know that God made you JUST AS YOU ARE,

with all the specific and unique talents, traits, abilities, gifts, personality.

He had a plan and a purpose for you so He created you for just that.

If you have never read it....Psalm 139 will spell it out for you.

"For you have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's womb.

 I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

 Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well."

YOU ARE A TREASURE!!!!

There really aren't too many days that we feel like a treasure, or maybe not special at all. BUT if you stop and think about it, think about the fact that HE created you just as you are AND then He GAVE His one and ONLY son to die so you might live....

then, you might begin to grasp it.

Right now, I hope you can pause and just soak in the love of God,

 to FEEL treasured and cherished.

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;

 yet perhaps for a good man someone woud even dare to die.

 But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were still sinner,

 Christ died for us."

Romans 5:6-8

You are special

You are wonderfully unique

You are beautiful, just as God created you

You are loved

You are treasured!!!!

XO

Love & Blessings!

Sherry

DoN't bLinK!!!!!!

I do realize it has been forever....geez, how does the time go by so swiftly!?

 Time is the equalizer of all mankind and yet I find myself feeling as if I am particularly short of it most days. I know I am not the only one, nor am I the busiest person ever. In fact I have had much busier times in life, yet....time is escaping me at a rapid rate these days.

 Anyone else feel this way?

Is it just how it is for most people these days?  More than likely it is just another ploy of the enemy, trying to make us feel like we just cannot keep up.
I sure feel like that most of the time!

Back in the day (meaning several years ago when I was a young mom) I read a book "More Hours In My Day" and followed the author Emile Barnes. She had no "great secret" either,  it was just all about managing our time and doing things that will be more effective and purposeful.
I am pretty sure I am utilizing as many time skills as possible, yet it seems to escape me.
Once again....I KNOW I am not the only one!

When I was a mom of "younguns" I felt like the days were so long
. So much to do, so many demands on me, my time, my energies..... YET....I knew then, and it is even more apparent now...the days were fleeting!!! No matter how much I enjoyed my babies and my time with them, they were all gone before I knew it!
Oh how I miss those days of being mom, with all my little chickadees here in my roost.

Ah, but life in an empty nest sure isn't bad at all I have to say.

When I have the chance to tell young moms, I like to tell them...the days are LONG (there is SO much to do, so many demands on you in every direction) BUT the years are fleeting....
so be sure and enjoy every moment while you can!

 It is something you will never get back....EVER!!!!!!!

 'Whatever you do.....don't blink!!!!!

One of the things I like to do while I am not "blinking"is to capture the moment in my heart, like a photograph. I like to close my eyes and take it ALL in..the sights, the sounds, the faces, the memories. I look around and take  a mental photograph that will live on in my heart forever! As the years have gone on I have revisited some of those mental photographs and they are just as precious as those physical phot.ographs

SO, take it from the mom of an empty nest....one who at times aches for the sights and sounds of her precious kiddos being close at hand, little ones who still needed their mommy.

DON'T BLINK!!!!!!!!

XO

TRANSITION

There is a whole lot of "transition" going on in our lives these days.
Between my husband and I and each of our jobs, the word is being spoken in volumes

As I was walking and praying in the crisp cool, dark and peaceful air at 4 this morning, .... I was thinking about this stage of our life and it reminded me of  another type of transition.

 When we had our children we took Lamaze natural childbirth classes. In the coaching and teaching they described the various stages of childbirth. There was this one specific part of the labor and delivery process that they warned us about and gave us specific tools and tips to get through.
I remember that they told the coaches that this was going to be one of the hardest parts of their "job"  and they would have to hang in there and offer loving support at this particular time. They also made some strange (or so it seemed at the time) warnings that it was during this time that although you might be whispering great encouragement as you lean in to this laboring momma to be....you might also be prepared for a sudden turn of events in that she just might take you by the collar and begin screaming at you and blaming you and acting a little bit crazy!!!! For the mommy to be this was a time marked with nauseau, extreme pain, & sudden bursts of emotion (thus the collar-grabbing-screaming-at-the-coach).

This difficult stage of the process is called TRANSITION.

 Although I never did grab my husband by the collar I sure do remember pleading and begging at that point for someone to just GET THIS BABY OUT! I was done, I had enough, I wanted to just get up and walk on out of there and have someone ELSE take over. It is a desperate feeling. Yet, there is NO way out. It is impossible to get that baby out without the process.
So, we have to keep on pushing through and endure the process.

There are times when our lives are "pregnant" with possibility and new things to come. Yet until we go through the entire process of labor and delivery of sorts we will never come to the end result, and lo and behold transition is an essential part of this.

 It is the hardest part.

Just as it was when I was having my precious babies, there shall be a prize, a perfectly wonderful GIFT, a light at the end of the tunnel.   The end is near.

I recently saw an illustration that describes this perfectly.
The illustration is a dissection of a picture of  someone digging their way out of a  tunnel. They are digging and digging and digging and then, they just get too tired, too overwhelmed, they stop, turn around and walk away. The bad thing is, when we look at the picture (seeing that which they cannot see) we find that had they just pressed on another few inches...just a little bit more digging and trying and giving it their all, they would have reached their reward!!!!
 The end was RIGHT THERE!!!


Transition is HARD...SO hard. We are desperate, we are tired, we are DONE with this. It is times like this that we need our coach to bend down and whisper in our ear, YOU CAN DO THIS. HANG IN THERE, YOU ARE ALMOST THERE.
If you are in a time like this, let me be the one to tell you...........HOLD ON...Just keep on digging, your light at the end of the tunnel is close, soooo close.

Just keep on keeping on.

When you feel ready to give up, visualize that tunnel scenario and remember you might be walking away JUST when you are about to break through!!!

XO

A Mother's Day Lesson from Momma Bird

Since we went to church last nite I was able to wake up leisurely and just hang out, a lovely treat indeed!!

I meandered onto the patio and was immediately welcomed by the cool, fresh early morning air (it is getting in the 90's here now).
 The MANY birds that have been hanging around our home lately were busily singing and flitting around. Right away my husband noticed that a little baby bird was making it's first attempt to fly out of a nest that had been built up in the gutters of his shop. He watched it try to set sail, only to drop the 20 feet or so to the ground. Then it began hoping around trying to muster up the strength it would take to get back to the nest. It would flutter up as high as it could, very close to the building, and then it would slide down the side of the building....back to the ground.
 Attempt after attempt.
Hopping, fluttering, flopping.....

Immediately I thought...this poor little birdy needs some help.

 Where is it's momma!?!?!?

 As quickly as I had that thought, I knew the answer.........

Momma bird is purposely NOT helping her precious little baby so it will gain strength, determination, and confidence to do it on it's own.She is probably watching from a spot close by, staying out of sight so her little fledgling will keep on trying.  Each time it flutters it is building the necessary muscles that will enable it to one day soar on it's own.

 Momma is a wise old bird.

I was struck by the correlation of it being Mother's day and me sitting here witnessing this little life lesson being played out before my very eyes.

 I admit, I have struggled with this concept of motherhood, stepping aside and allowing my baby birds to struggle and hop around trying so desperately to succeed. I tend to want to swoop in and pick them up and set them back, safely in the sweet cozy little nest. I like nests, I like cozy and safe and hassle free living! ;)

Although my little birdies have long ago flown our own little cozy, sweet nest, I am still finding I have to step back and watch them struggle and hop around....building strength, confidence, determination, ON THEIR OWN.

Who knew I would STILL be doing this?? Oh, they are fine on their own, this momma just thinks she has to be right there helping and supporting and watching ever so closely to be sure that her baby birds are safe and protected from any vultures that might come upon the weak little birdy as it struggles to find it's wings, lest it be devoured.

Lord knows we have had plenty of experience in this. All three of my kiddos have had to endure some pretty rough patches as adults. Times when they were once again learning the ropes of flight. Gaining new strength and confidence, determined to fly in the face of adversity and the pain that had tossed them from the cozy little nest that was once theirs.

Lessons from an empty nest come just as hard as those when the nest was full and bustling. But now, I must stand further back, I have learned even more how very important it is that I ALLOW them to feel the struggle and the anguish of defeat, in order that they then find the thrill and strength of victory.

The greatest desire for this momma bird is that no matter how many times my precious baby birds fall or get tossed from the nest, that they never forget where their strength comes from. We have but one source of strength within ourselves and that is God Himself. When we ALLOW Him in to rule and reign in our hearts we gain a strength that we would never otherwise have.

To all of you moms out there who are experiencing your little fledglings flutter and hop around learning how to spread their wings to fly....stand back dear ones, allow them the space they need, but be close enough to see if danger is eminent. They need time, they need practice and one day they will be soaring so high and you will feel so proud.

As I continue to watch our own little back yard birdie flutter and hop around I am reminded how very important our role is as momma bird. Knowing when to step back and when to step in. When to allow our little fledglings to struggle and even fall, before stepping in to save the day. A lesson I have to master so I can have the healthiest, strongest. most confident baby birds soaring high overhead!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Momma Birds out there!!!

Love & Blessings,
XO

Feeling Fabulous!!!

I usually like to stick to encouraging YOU and things of that nature on my blog but today I just have to share something with you!

I am going to give you a little background first..........

I grew up being the chubby kid and much of my "issues" have stemmed from my being overweight the mojority of my life. Not that I feel defined by my weight, just that I have NEVER felt secure and comfortable with it.
 That may have been quite a contradiction.
Here's the thing.
 I was TOLD how big and clumsy I was so I believed it and it became my identity.
So even when I was not, I felt I was.
When you are living with  those old tapes playing in your head it is difficult to believe otherwise. I have come a long way from that, yet as I have aged I have found it more and more difficult to lose weight and stay at a healthy weight.
Not only that,but I have also been living with a chronic condition called Fibromyalgia (I know I have mentioned it on here before). Those symptoms can be quite painful and debilitating. So I am always striving to find a way to improve those symptoms and to rise above them.

On to the GOOD news!
I began a "nutritional re-balancing cleanse" and after 11 days I lost 16 pounds and feel FABULOUS!!!!
I am far from a "goal weight" but more importantly I feel as if I have found something that is helping me to feel good internally! My body is feeling the positive effects of cleansing out the toxins and being balanced with proper nutrients. It's truly amazing!

My husband did the program with me and he lost a whopping 21 pounds in the same amount of time! He does not have much to lose, but he was all for losing a bit and gaining some energy and good health.

I would like to share this video with you.....
If you are interested in this product when you are done, just let me know!!!!

We are not defined by how we look or how much we weigh, yet if you are like me you want to look good and feel good so you can live your best life for Christ!!! When we are at our best we are more strong and confident.

XO Love & Blessings to you!!

http://isamovie.com/whatsAgingYou.html