A New Heart

How many of you are thinking right this minute that your heart will never be whole again?

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Are you thinking that your scars are too large or numerous for you to ever have a day without that distant aching reminder of all that pain? Have you wondered if your life will ever feel like it did before all the tragedy and hurt came along? Have you?.I want to share some Scripture today to encourage and support you in this your hour of need. God has a plan and He will be with you in every way. Just hold onto Him. There is healing in the hem of His robe. Read on....

"[Insert your name here...] Michelle, recognize beyond all doubt and acknowledge assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (the Messiah)—this Jesus Whom you crucified (by my own sin). 37 Now when they heard this they were stung (cut) to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles (special messengers), Brethren, what shall we do? 38 And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself." (Emphasis is mine)
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Acts 2:36-39 (AMP)
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Now as I consider this verse something resonates so deeply. My heart recognizes that Christ did not die for sin's sake. He died for our Sake. Not because Adam sinned, but, instead, because I SINNED.
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Cut to the Heart.
What does that look like?

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SO - Would it be reasonable to say after this revelation my heart might have a scar or two?
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Cut to the heart. Have you been cut to the heart?
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Behold, [in the future restored Jerusalem] I will lay upon it health and healing, and I will cure them and will reveal to them the abundance of peace (prosperity, security, stability) and truth.
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Jeremiah 33:6 (AMP)

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God gave me Jeremiah 33:6 recently as a promise for our marriage. Here is what He told me about Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the "HEART" of the Promised Land. In this particular passage of Scripture He goes on to say that He will not only lay upon them health and healing, cure them and bring them an abundance of peace, prosperity, security, stability and truth - He also says in verse 7 that He will cause the captivity of the two Kingdoms or "HOUSES" of Hebrews to be REVERSED and will REBUILD them as the first. I want to paint for you a picture of a heart that is battered, cut, bruised and bleeding. A heart in need of mending to be sure. This heart is wrapped tightly in gauze and beating furiously, but there is no healing to be found as the owner of this heart takes it to person after person. But the only thing the people do is wrap it again with more gauze and as they do the heart bleeds right on through. Never healed.
Now, put your own heart in this verse of Scripture.
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"6 Behold look here and see what I am showing you, [in the future restored _YOUR NAME HERE_'s (I.E. Michelle's) Heart ] I will lay upon it health and healing, and I will cure them (everyone I love) and will reveal to them the abundance of peace (prosperity, security, stability) and truth. 7 And I will cause the captivity of [Your Husband's Family Name] and the captivity of [Your Family Name] to be reversed and will rebuild them as they were at first. ... 9 And [YOUR HEART] shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth that hear of all the good I do for it, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace, prosperity, security, and stability I provide for it. ... 11 [There shall be heard again] the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing as they bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord, Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever! For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed and return to be as it was at first, says the Lord." Emphasis Mine
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Jeremiah 33:6-7,9,11 (AMP)

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Can you receive God's promise to begin by healing your heart, releasing the captivity of the generations of your family and bring restoration and reconstruction of your back to the way it was at the first? CAN YOU POSSIBLY RECEIVE THAT?
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26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone (the broken, the bruised, the damaged and scarred heart) out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (a soft, new heart completely healed and restored as NEW!). Emphasis mine.
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Ezekekiel 36:25-26 (NKJV)

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Sometimes, as we learned in Genesis from the story of Jacob, the wrestling and the wounding comes from God and if that is the case then the remnant of the scar shall remain as a reminder of what God has done to deliver us out of our own flesh and desires. But, sometimes there is so much crippling and destructive hurt in our lives that God, in His mercy does not just leave the wound sealed by a scar... He gives us a whole new heart. One that has never hurt, never ached and never been broken. Would you receive that from Him? A new heart.
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1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

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2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,

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3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord,
that He may be glorified."

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4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

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5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

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6 But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.

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7 Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

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8 "For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
And will make with them an everlasting covenant.

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9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed."

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10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

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Isaiah 61:1-10 (NKJV)

How are you doing?

We are doing well. Living a new dream. Restoration and healing came in this year over grief and opened the door for other areas to begin to recover in our family life.

God is doing such an amazing work.

How are you all doing?

Please do leave a comment and be greatly encouraged. I am going to be back and writing again. I hope you find that God moves and opens the doors of healing in your life soon. May His mercy be renewed for you every single day. (Lamentations 3)

"...AND the days of your mourning shall come to an end." Isaiah 60:20 (my paraphrase)

Family Issues Have Arisen

My sweet friends here at Heart to Heart. I have been away from here too long, but realize that I have some pressing issues with my husband to address in our marriage.

I wish this worked out differently. I am writing about these issues more at my personal blog (BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...) It would seem that as I have sought the Lord in my grief over the death of my son, I've abandoned my husband and hurt him in ways I cannot even go into here.

My husband is a good man, and he is hurting. We've both hurt each other --- some days one more than others but there are offenses on both sides. We are working with God to restore our love, our hearts and our marriage to a place of wholeness, healing and truth. It is going to be a process - and one too painful to recount.

You know there is a saying in ministry, "Hurt(ing) people hurt people."

I can offer you this. If you are reading this and in the throws of grief over the death of your child or your spouse's child. Don't assume whatever you have to do individually to get through the grief is okay. Do your best to dialogue about what you are going through and even if you don't know how or what you need from the other - express that you need them to be a part of your grief journey rather than shutting them out of it. Our marriage was almost undone because we both needed more of the other but did not communicate that to each other. One Word: Counseling - it may be difficult, ugly and painful, but it is also necessary. (Discovering our Love Languages, [Dr. Gary Chapman's book "The Five Love Languages."] helped us to begin relating to one another in meaningful ways. It also opened up the doors of communication and sensitivity to one another's needs in a way we have never been before. )

I'm so sorry I've been absent. I will return from time to time to check in and update you. But for now, the ministry of this blog is on standby.

I pray you are well and ask that if you have prayer requests do leave them so I may pray for you as you have need. I love you, God loves you and He is working a new season of healing in my life so I may share it all with you. Blessings and love to all.

Milestones and Holidays

A few helpful tips for negotiating the holidays. At the WARM place and even at HOPE (the two support groups I attended with my children in the early days of our grief) we heard and were taught a lot about holiday plans and grief.

In short, they said to make a plan and even if you did not stick to it to write it down. Some even planned to do nothing, so "NOTHING" was written across their Holiday plan in bright bold letters. I prepared a lesson for my "Heart to Heart" girls at church this fall and thought sharing the points might help you a out a bit as you begin navigating the Holidays this week. If you would like for me to email you a PDF of the Holiday planning sheet that I included with this lesson you can email me HERE.

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"Family traditions and rituals observed around milestones and holidays represent an express of the values and relationships that we hold most precious."

~ Adapted from Article: "It Won't Be The Same This Year" by Dr. Linda E. Jordan~

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For the bereaved parent any holiday or milestone can be both traumatic and emotional as the family tries to find their bearings after the death of a child. First holidays are typically the most difficult, though in some cases reports of the second year's experiences being more intense have occurred. As we grieve, it is important to acknowledge before we are in the midst of the holidays that nothing will be the same this year. Things simply are not the same, our child is not here with us and we are not the same person we were before the loss.

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There are ways to not only survive, but also still observe meaningful and special times with your family even in a state of grief. Some will be comforted by keeping the traditions the same while others will want to change everything about the special event or do absolutely nothing at all.

Before we get to the list, I want to ask you to journal through the following questions:

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What concerns do you have about the upcoming holiday season?

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How are you feeling about observing the holidays?

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Do you have any other special days or milestones that are approaching which give you concern?

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What are they and when will they occur?

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Do you have a plan for the holidays?

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To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

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When negotiating the holidays there are several key things we can do to help us get through these milestone and tradition related events.
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"Intentionally choosing what is meaningful and eliminating what is stressful will go a long way in making the holidays and other special days more bearable."

~ From the article "It Won't Be The Same This Year" by Dr. Linda E. Jordan~

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1. Do your best to maintain a QUIET TIME.

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This may be the most vital part of your holiday plan. Staying connected to the Lord through His Word and prayer is a powerful tool in negotiating difficult seasons of our life. My pastor, Robert Morris, has taught a series called Elevate that is available through James and Betty Robinson's television program (http://www.lifetoday.org/). In that series he gave four basic steps for maintaining a 15 minute quiet time each day.

1. Quiet Your Mind. (Psalm 131:2, Psalm 46) Be still and know that He is God. Put your "to do" list away and slow down. Sit quietly and let the busyness of your day fall away.
2. Focus Your Mind. (Psalm 100:2,4) Worship is a great way to focus. Put on some praise music and worship, or - as Pastor Robert said, "Sing the song to him that is in your heart." A few weeks back, I woke up every day with the song, "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston "playing like an 8-track" on repeat in my head. I kept repeating the words as I did the dishes or put on my make-up until finally after 14 days I cried out to God, "Why is that the song in my heart today?" No sooner had the words come out of my mouth than I looked back in the mirror and for the first time in my life saw myself through the Lord's eyes. Not the broken down, overweight woman who had lived hard and loved hard all her life. But, instead a captivating heart with a soul and mind to match as the Spirit seemed to shine right through me. He wanted me to know that He is the Greatest Love of All and that He is happening to me... all the time. SING THE SONG YOU WAKE UP WITH IN YOUR HEART TO GOD. If your voice doesn't sound great, sing it in your head or go in your closet so as not to upset the family... but sing with the sincerity of your heart in worship to God and recenter your mind on his goodness and his greatness in your life.
3. Pray Your Mind. Allow yourself to enter into His presence and talk with Him about what is on your heart and your mind. Your quiet time with God should be a time when you pray until the burden shifts. Praying is truly about releasing the burden from our shoulders to God's (Matthew 11:28-30). Part of being a good steward is praying over everything God has given you. Have a conversation with God. Conversations involve two things: Speaking and Listening. This is not the time to pray your lists or fill out forms trying to complete successful "quiet time" formulas. This should be a time when your entire being becomes centered and focused on who God is and what He is doing in your life... and How He wants you to respond. Your quiet time should never add more stress to your life. If you are still burdened after you pray... You haven't done it right. Pray until the burden shifts.
4. Renew Your Mind. (Romans 12:1-2) The Bible is the key to renewing your mind. Read His Word and journal through it. All you need is a blank page, a pen and a passage of Scripture. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see and ears to hear what God wants to reveal to you that day. You will find Him when you seek Him with all of your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Allow Him to reveal Himself to you in revelation and quiet love. If all you can handle is one verse of Scripture hang onto it and allow God to minister it to the deepest places in your heart and soul. His Word is a healing balm that brings restoration (Psalm 119, Psalm 107:10).

2. Make a WRITTEN plan.

Writing down our intentions is one of the best ways to be intentional about our time. God's Word says that He has a plan for each and every one of us. (Jeremiah 29:11) When we don't know what to do we can always trust His heart. When in doubt, pray it out. And make the written plan based on what the Lord is telling you to do. (For a copy of the written plan form that goes with this lesson, email me.)

3. Give yourself permission to do NOTHING this one time.

4. Allow your FAMILY to help you plan.

Including other members of your family in the Holiday planning and assigning responsibility will help to take all the pressure off of you to determine what to do or not to do, what traditions to maintain and which ones to do away with... "Test everything, hold on to the good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV).

5. Expect MIXED EMOTIONS about the holidays.

6. Give yourself permission to CRY.

Crying helps us to process our loss. It is an expression of our sadness and when we cry tears of sadness and grief it causes our body to release the stress that is related to that sadness. The Grief Recovery Institute did studies related to crying and grief and found that those who simply cry do not heal as fast as those who cry and talk through their feelings as they cry - find a place to let it out whether it is a good friend who offers their shoulder or a support environment with a counselor or others who are grieving as you are. Allowing yourself to cry is healthy and it is not a symbol of weakness to express your God-given emotions about your loss.

7. It's okay to KEEP everything or to keep NOTHING the same.

8. If there are small children in the home, try to keep the holiday or milestone as NORMAL as possible. They need a SENSE that some things in their life are the SAME.

9. Keep it SIMPLE. Don't try to do too MUCH.

Simplifying your life and your schedule will do much to alleviate stress in your life. Do what is meaningful to you and your family and discard traditions that hold less value. I used to send out an extensive Christmas card list. The first year after Justin died, I signed every card with the SEVEN names of our family, Justin inlcuded. It was too painful and difficult for me to process so I just did not send those cards out. I have not reinstituted the Christmas card tradition, though I try. I sent out Christmas letters the year after Justin died, which seemed to help more.

10. Take CARE of yourself.

Make regular hair appointments, get a massage or go to the nail salon for the afternoon. Be sure to go to the doctor and get a check-up as you grieve. Grief takes a toll on our physical body and you may need the attention of a physician to fully recover. Make time to do things to take care of yourself. It is quite all right to take time out of your schedule to relax in a hot tub, sip a comforting beverage and read a good book or light a relaxing, fragrant candle. Make time in your plan for you.

11. Help OTHERS during the holidays.

We usually select a male child from our church's Christmas charity program and spend the same amount on that child we would spend on Justin. Because our new church has a spending limit assigned to each child, we usually pick two and so we bless others in honor of our son. It is just one of the ways we can give back from the blessings we've been given. And, it helps to have somewhere to focus the time and energy I would spend missing buying him gifts on others. If buying gifts isn't possible, sign up to distribute them or to serve meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas days. It will help you to pass the otherwise difficult hours of the day by focusing on others needs rather than your own.

12. Allow yourself to experience the ANTICIPATION EMOTIONS.

In my own grief, I've found the build up to holiday and milestone events is more emotional than the actual days. So by allowing myself to process those emotions as they come, I am better prepared to move into those difficult seasons and days with less stress and fear of how I will respond. Plus, by processing my anticipation emotions with God, I get his perspective in many ways that help me to make decisions and overcome any negative feelings I may be having. Dr. Caroline Leaf's book, "Who Switched Off My Brain?" is a great read on the subject of why we need to process and release toxic emotions in our lives.

13. Don't AVOID the lead-in to holidays, anniversaries and birthdays.

Stuffing is never healthy. Again, Read the comments for point 12 - and allow yourself to anticipate upcoming difficult days so that God's mercy and comfort can guide the way.

14. PRAY.

Allow God to deal with how you feel, what you are going through and allow Him to fill the empty places inside of you with His Spirit and His love. He will see you through.

Remember, holidays, anniversaries, birthdays and other milestone events are days the Lord has made and designed for celebrating....

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

He wants us to trust Him when it hurts the most.

Baby Grands and Oreo Turkeys

One of my greatest joys at this season in my life, is the time I get to spend with the grands. My little gang of three keep me on my toes spiritually, physically and emotionally. Challenging me daily with a unique wit, wisdom and faith that is often found in members of the pint size set. They prove time and again that out of the mouths of babes God will be known and praised.

The fall and winter after my daughters death, a large part of me wanted to hunker down, stay indoors and hide from everyone in hopes that I could ignore the annual parade of holidays until it passed.

The one-two celebratory combo of Thanksgiving and Christmas held some of the sweetest and most cherished memories of times spent with my girl. Lauren was a self proclaimed homebody, who loved her family and revelled in all occasions that brought the family together.

I made the silly assumption that because we were so recently bereaved, no one would expect the usual Thanksgiving fair. Those who usually graced our tables would make other plans to spend their days in more joyful surroundings, with brighter spirited people.

I could not have been more wrong.

This family of mine barraged me with request for all their favorite dishes, I had parties inviting themselves to dinner as well as their latest love interest. We were to have a crowd.

What was wrong with these people?

Despite my intentions to sit out that inaugural year, my family had other ideas.

With help from my dear husband along with emails and phone calls from in laws and outlaws we assembled a menu, filled the cupboards and prepared for the pending celebration.

My family had high expectations and good intentions-committing to do everything they could to make this festival of thanks go smoothly and with little effort on my part. There were many promises of what would be done and how they would help, promises that ultimately were broken as most fell into their normal holiday habits that included watching lots of football, Christmas movies and naps by the fire.

But not the wee folk.

Seems my baby grand girls would have no part in my boycotting the holidays. My girls begged to know what we would be having and how they could help put on this party.

From decorating the house to baking pies my two K's hijacked every plan I made to sit the season out, instead setting a course for a holiday wrapped in true thanks.

At just over 2 1/2 years old, these two little sprites were formidable.

It was Thanksgiving by golly!

They knew what to expect if we were doing this holiday up right and they were tenacious enough to keep me from collapsing on my memories and shutting the whole thing down.

To that end, these two girls were on me all the time: my kitchen, my bedroom, my bathroom, my world. From early in the morning to late at night they seemed determined to miss nothing.

With my two little sous chefs and Paw Paw in tow, we went about preparing a Thanksgiving feast.

We measured, stirred, whipped and baked.

The girls wash dishes, shucked corn and deviled some eggs.

We read volume's of thanksgiving books, played lots of birdie in the nest

all when we weren't

swinging and sliding all over our backyard and everyone else's.

My crew painted, colored and had all manner of tea parties that effectively filled every

dark corner of our big ole house with waves of love, laughter and other reminders of how much we truly had cause to give thanks for.

Those two girls wore themselves out with it all...they were so determined to be thankful!

By the time we actually sat down for dinner that year my heart overflowed and I dared to mention the unmentionable...the empty chair....

Lauren.

As with many families we traditionally take time to share something we are grateful for before going to God in prayer.

I was first to take a turn.

I thanked my loved ones for putting out all the effort, changing their plans and pushing so hard to be there in a home that no one in their right mind would want to be in - the home of a dead girl and her grieving family.

What kind of fun could that be?

Where's a cause to celebrate and give thanks?

Yet they came, made me stay, face my loss and ultimately blessed me so. It was a bittersweet day of thanks.

What a family I have!

I am blessed and abundantly so!

This year, no one will be traveling over the river and through the woods to this Maw Maw's house. It is not our turn to prepare their feast.

Instead, we prepare for a party of five.

Baby grand and I have been busy creating menu's, writing grocery list and making decorations including place card holders made of Oreo turkeys all while anticipating the baking of our first pumpkin pie this season.

For this I am thankful.

My son and daughter in love are expecting again...a miracle in itself as Elizabeth has unique medical anomalies that have kept her from successfully carrying 3 other pregnancies to term, so we lift them up in prayer and praise God.

For this I am thankful.

Same precious daughter in love gave her heart to Christ earlier this year and has been waiting to be baptized here in Georgia. Lord willing, Elizabeth will take this next step of faith when the family comes to stay throughout Christmas and New Years.

For this I am so thankful.

Little Man K has been living with his Mama full time for almost 3 months now, they seem to be getting along well.

For this and so much more I am thankful and ever

Now it's your turn, please share.

How has God blessed you and what is your testimony of thanks?

This post is a part of the Thanksgiving feast at L.L. Barkat’s Seedlings in Stone. Join us at the table. When you do, drop a comment by L.L.’s blog to let her know. L.L. will link to you in the Thanksgiving Celebration post (and Christianity Today and High Calling Blogs will link back to said post, so their readers can check out the full celebration).

Negotiating Firsts - A Message About Holidays

He has made everything beautiful in it’s time….
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)

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Negotiating first holidays, anniversaries and birthdays as well as other milestone events can be one of the most difficult aspects of your grief season. It is probably because the more of these special family times that pass, the more real your loss becomes.

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My son left a muddy pair of tennis shoes sitting right outside the front door on the porch the day before his accident. Those shoes remained on the porch until we moved the next summer. They were then relocated – in their muddy glory to the back porch of our new home. Those shoes became important and if the suggestion was made that we should remove them or get rid of them I would – yes, FLIP OUT!

About a year after his death, those shoes were cleaned up and deposited in our garage. They still have a home in the garage. I see them each time the garage door is raised. I cannot bear to part with those shoes. Maybe someday I will, but not today.

This is not the only traumatic issue we have had. The first Christmas we had after Justin’s death was very, very traumatic for our entire family. You see – Justin was the one who would grumble and complain all day as he watched me lug the huge box containing our enormous Christmas tree out of the closet. He would mill around while I carefully and painstakingly assembled each branch and unfurled it so it appeared to be a “believable” fake tree for the holiday season. He would wait and watch all day while I went through this awful tradition – torturing myself and killing my back to make the house a beautiful holiday creation!

About bedtime, I would be tired, cranky and quite frankly a little smelly. He would come to my rescue – “Sit down, Mom. I’ll do the rest.” And so began our annual holiday tradition.

When the holidays began to approach after his death my husband seemed very indifferent while both my girls had very distinct and opposite opinions about how the decorations should be handled. The eldest wanted the Christmas tree but refused to help put it up. The younger wanted no decorations at all declaring the entire ordeal to be too painful even to think about.

I wanted a Christmas tree. It is my favorite time of year and my heart’s desire was to do something special but not particularly taxing for my family at Christmas. My solution? Purchase a new, improved – and much skinnier and shorter – pre-lit tree on sale at Garden Ridge. I saw the ad on television, I checked the bank balance and set out one cool December night while my family was at church to buy and decorate the most beautiful Christmas tree we would ever see.

Yeah right! While at Garden Ridge I found several ornaments that I could incorporate and of course there was the new angel for the top – since the old one simply would not do. The show – stopper in my mind, was the new, fancy Christmas stockings that I purchased special for this “new beginning” we were about to have. I went home unloaded the goods and set about decorating our house. By the time my family arrived back home I was done… I was sitting in a recliner amid a room full of emptied boxes and bags looking with great pride at my holiday creation. If I could have patted myself on the back I would have.

The girls came in took one look at the tree and stockings and lost their minds… I mean seriously. The eldest burst into tears and muttered in dismay, “Where are our stockings?”

The younger who had not wanted any tree at all, took one look at the new tree and said, “I HATE IT! You’ve changed everything.” She then ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.

I stood up to defend myself and sat back down dumbfounded by their response. I looked at the tree, my weeping child and my confused husband. I declared, matter-of-factly, “Well, I like it and it’s staying. And that’s all I care about right now.”

The entire holiday was a bust. I traumatized my entire family and we were all a mess. We were supposed to be. Firsts are hard, they take a lot out of you and they are not very rewarding, but they pave the way for better days so just hang in there and hang onto God – He has a plan even when we don’t.

“I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Love, God.

(Jeremiah 29:11 MSG – emphasis mine)

A Message from the Owner

I had been preparing a post about Milestones and Holidays to get up last Thursday and then life spun off into orbit and I am just now settling back down.

It is crazy how time flies now that my husand is away.

I will suspend the Thought Filled Thursdays post until December. That is when things slow down for me and I will have some time to think.

There will still be posts and various opportunities to share in the days ahead, but just not to the same degree that we have been pressing forward these last few months. I'm not giving up on you, please do not give up on me. I love you all so much - to pieces really.

Please write to me and tell what you struggle most with in your grief or your personal journey. I want to help you and to pray for you. Please write and share with me. If you don't feel comfortable leaving an email. Click on my picture or my name in the Sidebar and email me a message. I will be back as time permits to write to you from my heart. God is doing good things ladies... let us rejoice today and be glad in Him.