Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray to the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray to the Lord my soul he take. If I should die before morning sun. Yβall always remember this mommas fun love. Itβs always in your hearts so deep. Should I die in my sleep. Amen! Toodle Lou tum tums. Razzle berries. Amen. I LOVE YOUβS!!! π π π€ π«
blessed
Memorial Day 2022
Thank you to those that sacrificed the ultimate to keep our freedoms. May we all keep their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers always.
Prayer
I found this prayer on Pinterest and wanted to share it on my blog for anyone that it might help.
π΄πππ π»ππππ
πππππ ππ ππ ππππ ππππ ππ πππ π ππππ πππππ’! π½π πππ ππ ππππ ππππ ππ’π ππππ. πΏπππππ πππππ, πππ, πππ ππππ πππππ π ππ’ ππππ πππ ππππππππ ππππππ. πΈ πππ’π ππππ πππππππππ ππ π πππ π ππ’. πΈπ ππ πππππ ππππ ππ ππππππ π ππ πππ ππππ πππ πππππ πππππππππ. πΈππππππππ ππ ππππππ’ πππππππππππ πππ ππππππππππ ππ’ π πππππππππ ππ ππππππ.
πΈπ πππππ’π π ππππ ππ ππππππππππ’, ππ ππ πππ πππ ππ πππππππ πππππππππ, πππ πππ πππππππ, ππ ππππ π π πππ ππππ ππππ ππππππππππππππ πππ ππππππππ ππππ ππ ππ πππ π ππππ π π πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ ππ.
π½ππ πππ ππ’π ππ ππ ππππ’ ππ πππππππ ππππ πππππππ πππ ππππ π ππππ πππ ππ π’ππ πππ ππ πππππππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ ππ. πΈπ ππ πππππ ππππ’ ππ πππππ ππππππππ π π’ππ ππππ ππππ ππππ πππππππππ ππ πππ πππππππππ, πππ ππ πππππππ ππ ππππππ πππππ’ ππππππ πππ π ππππ. π΄πππππππππππ & πππππππ πππ ππππ ππππππππ ππππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππππππ ππ’ ππππ πππ ππππππππππ ππππ πππππ ππ π’πππ πππππ ππππππ ππππ πππ π ππππππ ππ πππππππππ πππ πππππ ππ πππππ πππ ππππππ π ππππππππππ ππππ ππ ππ πππ ππ π πππππ. πππππππππ πππππ ππππ πππ πππ πππ ππππππππππ ππ π πππ π π πππππππππ πππ πππππππ ππ. πΈπ ππππ, π π πππ ππ πππππ π πππ π π πππ ππ πππππππππ πππππππ ππ. ππ πππ πππ ππ πππππππππππ ππ πππ’ π ππ’ πππ ππππ’ ππ ππ πππππππ πππ ππππππππ’ πππππππππ. ππ πππ πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ, πππππ, πππ πππππππ πππ πππππππ, ππππππππππ’ π πππ π π ππππ ππππ πππππ ππππππ ππππ πππππππππππ ππ ππππ ππππππππππ π ππ’π.
πΏπππππ πππ πππππ. πΏπππππ πππ πππππππ. πΏπππππ πππ πππππ. πΏπππππ π πππ ππππ πππ πππππππ, ππππ πππππ π πππ π£πππ πππππππ πππ πππππ πππππππ. π±ππ πππππ ππ ππ πππππππππ ππ πππππππ πππ πππππππππ ππππ π’ππ’ππ πππππππ ππ’ π’ππ’ππ ππ π ππππππππ ππ πππππ “ππππππ” ππ’ π ππππππππ, ππππππππππ’ ππ ππ ππππ ππππππππ. π ππππππππππππ’ πππ ππππππππππ πππ ππππππ πππππ πππππππππ ππππ π πππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππ’ ππππππ ππ ππ ππππ’ππ ππππ ππππ πππ πππππ’.
π°ππ ππ’π ππππ’ πππ ππππ πΆπππ ππππππ ππππππ ππππ πππππππ ππ ππππππππ ππ πππππ ππππ ππππ π’ππ πππ πππππππ ππ’ πππππ ππππ πππ, ππππππππ£πππ πππππππ. ππππ ππππ’ πππ πππππ ππ ππ πππππ πππππππ π’ππ ππ πππ ππ πππππππ ππ ππππ ππππ π’ππ πππππ ππ πππ ππππ ππππ.
ππππππππ: πΈπ πππππππππ πππππ ππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππ, ππ ππππππππ’ ππ.
π½ππππ ππ ππ ππππππ ππ ππππ πππ ππππππ πππ πππππππ ππππ π’πππ πππππ ππππππ ππ πππππ ππππ. “πππ π΅ππππ” ππππππππ πππ πππππ ππ ππ πππ πππππππ ππ πππππππ πππππππππ. ππππ πππππ ππππππ πππ πππ ππππππ π’ππ πππ’π πππ πππππππ π’πππ ππ π πππππππππ.
πππππ πΆππ, πππππ πππ ππππππππ, πππππππ π·π π πππ πππππ πππππ ππ πππ πππππππ ππ. πΉππππ ππ ππ·π΄ πΎπ½π»π πππ ππ ππππ ππππ π πππππππ ππππ ππ ππππ ππππ π ππππ. π΄πππ πππππ ππππππ πππππππ πππ πππ’πππ π πππ ππππππ ππ ππ ππππππππ.
πππππ’π ππ πππ πππ’πππ ππππ ππππ πππππππππ ππππ ππππ; “π΅πππ ππ ππππ πππππ ππ π’ππ. π΅πππ ππ ππ πππ πππππ ππ ππ”. π³ππ’π ππ ππππππ ππππ ππππ ππππ ππ’ πππ ππππ ππππ πππππ ππππ’ππ πππππππ π’ππ. ππ πππ πππ ππππ πππ πππ π πππππ ππ πππ’ πππ ππππ πππππππ ππ πππ ππ π ππππ ππ ππππ.
ππππ’ πππππππ ππ πΉππππ π’πππ! π·π ππ πππ π ππ’ πππππ. π·π ππ πππππ! π·π ππ ππππ! πΉππππ ππ πππ ππππ’ π ππ’ ππ πππ π»πππ πΆππ; ππ·π΄ π»πΎππ³ πΆπΎπ³.
πΏπππππππππ ππ ππππππππππ πππ π π ππππ ππππππ πππ πππ ππ πππ’ π ππ’.
π·πππ π’πππ ππππ ππ ππππ ππ π’ππ ππππ ππ πππ πππ’.
π³πππ ππππ ππππ π ππππππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ ππππ π’ππ.
Day Afterβ¦
This is what happens for me after an evening of enjoyment.
I feel like an old ladyβ¦ π
Met some family for dinner and I think the chair I used hates me! Back is not good today.
Scripture and Prayer
Exhausted
When I wake up feeling exhausted from a good nights sleep, I know what kinda day my body is going to have. I just want to climb back in bed and sleep it off but duty calls. I will go to work anyway with affirmation of thankfulness and joy to be alive to feel the pain.
Thank you Jesus for giving me another day to live for you and share you with others.
Hospital Week
Itβs officially Friday (the 13th for you superstitious ones) yβall! π
This week was hospital week and I just so happen to work in a little rural hospital. Even though I work in the office part, I still got to be a part of the daily shenanigans.
We have two lovely souls that run our HR department and each day this week they had a sweet little something for the entire hospital. The theme for the week was travel. Each day we traveled to a different country. It was sure a fun week of daily games, food, drinks, and fun. We also played a week long bingo game. Fortunately, I did get a bingo on Thursday and was gifted a $25 gift card to Best Buy. I was so stoked that I actually won something. π Now to figure out what to buy with it π€
For todays finale they had breakfast for us all and a special βsurpriseβ if we wore our badge while getting our plate. I was very happily surprised when they were handing each one of us a gift certificate for gasoline! Yβall that is so HUGE for us employees and our tiny little hospital.
I just wanted to give a shout out to my hospital family, especially our HR department, for always showing us such appreciation. Itβs the little things that keep us motivated to work hard, even through those frustrating days. Our CEO is so good to us all, from the bottom all the way up, and he is always showing us his appreciation.
Summer Heat
I donβt know about where youβre at but in Texas weβve already got that summer heat goin on and it is way to soon!
Typically this time of year it starts mild and gradually heating us up in preparation for July and August. This year, however, we are having July and August in May and June as well π₯΅
Praying for rain and no triple digit days.
Do you hate your life?
Someone told me they hate their life the other day. My response was well I donβt hate mine. I love my life! I really do.
Life is what you make of it. If youβre negative all the time and only focus on the negative things that happen every day then youβre going to think and produce negativity in everything you do and say. What youβre putting in, through tv, games, people youβre around, etc, if itβs rarely anything positive then you will only produce negative thoughts, behavior, and words say about yourself and to others.
I have told my kids their entire lives that you are who you run with because itβs so true. If you run with negative youβll produce negative. In every single situation, whether it be good or bad, there is ALWAYS positive. We may not always be able to find it in the moment, but itβs always in there. Negativity is easy to find. Positive is harder so we must seek it out.
So, no matter what life throws your way, choose to be joyfully happy and find the positive in each situation, instead of focusing on the bad stuff and reproducing that.
π Donβt Worry; Be Happy π It really is a choice we get to make for ourselves.
Mothers Day 2022
Motherβs Days for me are a bit different from the traditional get togethers in celebration of Mom. I am still appreciated just from a distance. I know without a doubt that I am always loved, even when they arenβt allowing me into their lives for one reason or another.
Like any other family, we donβt always see eye to eyeβ¦but God right!?! β₯οΈ God remains true to His promises so I just keep seeking for His Devine intervention and healing.
My babies and grand babies live thousands of miles away due to the military life theyβve chosen and I couldnβt be more proud of each one of them than I am today! And, while their dad and I didnβt choose this lifestyle for them weβve always encouraged ALL of our babies, even our βnotherβ babies, to chase their dreams but to always chase after Gods will for their lives rather than their own. My motto for them, since they were very young, has been βalways do your very best and let God do the restβ but no matter where life takes any one them, I will forever be their biggest supporter.
My husband and I are blessed beyond belief!
Itβs been a whileβ¦
Well I will be back at it, prayerfully. I took a long break from writing because what I want to write about, I think to my self that I probably shouldnβt. But it is my life and this is my blog so I can write about whatβs happening in my life right!?!
Gonna keep praying about how and what to say but I am for sure ready to begin writing, journaling, blogging again.
Hurt Heart
Words hurt and canβt be taken back as Iβve learned the hard way for most of my adult life. The closer with Christ I learn to walk/live the statement in the photo has proven to be more and more accurate. We know a true Christian by how they act, respond, talk, live, etc. Jesus was the only perfect human to ever walk the earth. In saying that, we must remember that walking with Christ doesnβt make any human perfect in any way. Nor does it make us βbetter thanβ any other human on earth. It does however, mean that we should do our level best to represent Him in every way to the best of our abilities. When we do wrong or say wrong, especially when upset, angered, or frustrated, we must repent and ask forgiveness from God and the person weβve offended intentionally or unintentionally.
Repentance (turning from wickedness and seeking Gods forgiveness) is something that we must do moment to moment on the daily. Then we must apologize to those that weβve hurt, whether it be an intentional hurt or not! People know Christianβs by how we treat others, not by mere words alone. Words can be lies used to get something or to make a person seem like they are one way when truly they arenβt that way at all. Lies are NEVER good! A persons actions, whether hurtful or not, speak louder volume than words ever will. Donβt let your actions hinder another persons walk that is still growing in the areas you may have already matured in. We each grow at different paces. We each have our own βdemonsβ, and/or faults, that we battle on the daily.
Donβt be afraid or ashamed to admit failure and repent from it. Donβt be afraid to admit failure to another human being that youβve wronged either. It is okay to say βIβm sorry! I screwed upββ¦.(for me)once AGAIN! Weβre ALL human and WE ALL screw up and make mistakes.
Tree of Memories
When my two kids were home, I looked forward to decorating, inside and out, each and every holiday season. October 1st began the decorating season in our household. I loved putting the βblow upsβ in the yard and changing the inside just enough to show each holiday off as a family to enjoy together.
When the day after Thanksgiving came around it was time to begin decorating our Christmas tree. Their dad and I always put the tree up together and weβd get it wrapped with its garland until our kids were old enough to help. Then Iβd sit in the floor and carefully pull out each ornament to make sure each one had a hook or ribbon to be hung with. As I would hand them off to each child and their dad for them to hang on the tree, I had the pleasure of sitting and enjoying my view of them from the floor. Thatβs a treasured memory in my mind each and every Christmas season now that both kids are grown, married, and have a child of their own. I sometimes wonder if they, once their children are old enough, will carry on any of the traditions that we had created together when they were growing up at home.
As an empty nester now, each year I see so many different themes of beautifully decorated Christmas trees and I think to myself βmaybe this year Iβll do something different with mineβ but I canβt bring myself to do it. Once the decorations for each holiday has been gotten out of storage, there go all of my memories, and I decide to keep my tree decorated exactly how itβs been decorated each year previously only to add one or two ornaments for that particular year.
Such lonesome frustration comes up during the process and begins to create a feeling of dread and why bother when no one is here to enjoy it with these days.
My thoughts and feelings are so different than they used to be. Now I have wishes and/or prayers that my husband, kids, and grand kids could be home especially this time of year to enjoy the process with, that I almost decide to not even decorate at all. As if the part of digging all of the decorations out of the garage isnβt painful enough, thereβs the putting the tree together and making sure itβs all connected correctly. Then plugging it in to see the beauty of the lights come to life, thankfully my tree has the lights already on it, only to begin separating the branches as to fill in the βbigβ holes. Now begins the true headache of separating each ornament and finding the hook that I purposely left on it while disassembling the previous year.
While separating each ornament is not my favorite thing to do, each year I am reminded of so many memories that come back to life in my mind all over again; memories that are not a part of my day to day living anymore. While carefully hanging each ornament on just the right branch to be sure it hangs properly, itβs placement on each branch is very important to me. The ornament has to be hung in such a way to display the correct side of the ornament and not spin around to face the inside of the tree. While the tree topper is not the same each year, it has to be placed in just the right way to be seen when looking directly on the βfront sideβ. Once the decorating is complete with the mess is all cleaned up, only then do I get to enjoy the full beauty of it all as a whole.
I love sitting, as close as my furniture placement allows, beside my beautifully decorated Christmas tree and embracing each and every memory thatβs been made over the years. My all time favorite ornaments are the ones that are homemade by each child of mine. I look forward to those that I pray to receive from each grand child to be added some day. Each and every ornament placed on my tree brings back a different memory to the frontal lobes of my mind thatβs been filed away with the packing it all up the year before.
So while the dread of putting all the decorations out without my family together isnβt always enjoyable for me, once itβs completed, thereβs nothing I enjoy more than sitting beside my very own tree in complete silence with only the lights blinking in the darkness of the room and looking at each individual ornament only to revisit its purpose and meaning for being hung on that branch. There is no other theme that I can visualize for my Christmas tree of memories.
So tell me, what does your Christmas tree mean to you?
Motto
βYour society values people by how much they have; ours by how much we give awayβ
I just heard this in a movie and it resonates with me that this should be the motto of every true Christian.
Ever Wonder?
Do you ever wonder what God means by something spoken to you by The Holy Spirit?
The other morning I was driving to work and decided to turn my radio off and ride to town in silence. I was simply talking out loud letting the Lord know that I was driving my 30 minute journey to work in silence with full expectation of hearing Him and nothing else. I stopped talking and simply listened. So often we are constantly listening to music, tv, etc, or surfing the web, Facebook, YouTube, etc and we forgot to simply listen to God. β Anyone? π€
So that particular morning I wanted to hear from only God. Iβve been, and continue, praying and seek His advice but I havenβt heard a response or maybe I just havenβt been listening for one. After have been driving for about ten minutes already in silence, I came to the point where I usually get to as the sun is in the process of rising. I turned and looked out my passenger window to see itβs beauty, as I always do, but that morning was different than any of them. That morning I seen the beams of light shining beautifully as the hint of sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. The grass glistened from the shine and the road seemed to never end. And it was in that very moment, that God spoke to me ever so plainly. Had I have been listening to the radio, as I do most every morning, Iβd have probably missed it. I mightβve missed hearing The Lord over the radio chatter plainly speak the words βRise Upβ to me through The Holy Spirit that dwells within me. And Iβve heard it every day since.
However, Iβm not sure yet what exactly God is telling me by those two simple words. Who knew two words could be so hard to understand.
There are a few specific things I pray about and have for quite some time. I know that God is referencing my prayers but I just do not know how to βRise Upβ exactly in the way God intends for me to.
I am now praying for clarity in His response, while listening more often, in total and complete silence.
Fork In The Road
Do you ever feel like youβre at a fork in your road of life and so fearful of picking the wrong path that you choose to stay straight?
I believe itβs the salad fork that has three prongs. While Iβve never understood the logic in the different prongs on forks, for this particular analogy Iβm gonna choose the three pronged fork.
Suppose each individual prong is guiding you into different demential places of your life. For me, one prong continues on the path Iβm on right now. I continue to follow it daily and do what is expected of me. Sure Iβm happy on this path, because it makes everyone happy around me, but itβs kinda boring. Thatβs the middle prong. Thereβs no curves, itβs the strongest supported prong of the three, but it is very straight forward. Then thereβs the option to choose the right prong. In the right direction, thereβs a little bit of a curve but Iβd be goin down a path that God has for me, which is ever changing and rarely seems to make sense to the humanist parts in me yet gets me excited about living. Then thereβs a third prong that curves toward the left. Now thatβs the prong that would definitely be most confusing to me. Following down the left prong would lead me in a direction that would destroy the very part of me that God wants to use. It would cause me to begin tearing apart at the seams little by little. I would eventually be led away from everything that I know and love. All of the βfamiliarβ in life would be lost. Sure itβd be fun and adventurous for a time but eventually Iβd get lonely and have regret. None of those attributes comes from God so I have no desire for that path. So in my fork in life thereβs the one path that I know for sure I donβt ever wanna go down.
Now Iβm left with only two prongs to choose from. Thereβs the path Iβm on in the middle that is the most stable and less terrifying because I know what to expect on it and itβs comfortable. Then thereβs the scary path for me. The one that I know Iβm called to be on but am terrified to choose because of the fear of the unknown and I donβt know hows. I feel like Iβd have no sense of direction but itβs the path of obedience and the one I should be on, even at the risk of failure.
While I do love change and challenges in life, the scariest change for me is the fear of losing those that I love and feeling like a failure all over again. In that fear, it keeps me on the path of least resistance. It also causes me to miss out on so many blessings that God has for me. I know He has blessings awaiting me because He has shown them to me. What I donβt know is how to let go and let God work His magic. How do I follow a path that I fear of messing up on? I donβt wanna let God down again. I donβt wanna fail with something Heβs entrusted me with again.
How do I trust God more than I doubt myself? I allow myself to cause such self doubt that it has me paralyzed. Having such doubt and absolutely no confidence in myself of choosing the βright thingβ from God, and knowing how to do what Heβs requesting of me, that is keeping me on the middle prong in my own fork in the road.
2021 Memorial Day
I hope we all enjoy our Memorial Day but please donβt say to have a happy one.
Itβs not such a βHappyβ day for oh so many of those loved ones left behind. I pray that each one of them have peace in their hearts knowing their soldier, marine, airman, etc., died knowing the sacrifices they chose would forever reign. I would to say a heartfelt thank you to them all.
Relationships
I watched a movie this evening that I had watched before but forgotten most of the scenes of. After it started I remembered the story line but decided to watch it again anyway just to refresh my memory of how it all played out. Plus, I figured, given that itβs also a comedy itβs a win win cuz who doesnβt love to laugh right!?!
Without going into the name of it, itβs actors, etc., Iβll attempt to sum it up in a brief explanation, to the best of my ability, and make the point that I got out of it.
The movie from my prospective, in short, is about a woman that has excelled in her career without having had much education at all. However, in her attempt to βclimb the ladderβ of her success it seems she had hit a rather unremovable road block. Her life long bff helps persuade her into taking a job that she had acquired through lies about her achievements. So while moving out the door of her stale career path and heading into a remarkable world of opportunity that turned out to be, in the end, the best thing that had ever happened to her sheβs had a HUGE encounter with someone from her past. While falling in love with her new found daughter, sheβd given up for adoption in her teenage years, she seems to have lost any future with the love of her life and boyfriend of five years. However, her career is at an all time high until…all the lies and hidden secrets begin to unravel.
Of course Iβm leaving out the majority of the movie as to not ruin it for any of you that havenβt watched it. If you have watched it then youβll know the movie Iβm writing about and may decide to watch again yourself.
Now, stick with me and letβs move on.
The moral I got from the movie is sort of a βpunch lineβ said during the movie by the boyfriend. Their relationship began on a lie, or rather a hidden secret that she never told him about, and one that she similarly repeats in the overwhelming love that sheβs acquired for her new found daughter.
βNo relationship based on lies will ever surviveβ packs a powerful punch to me. It is what the boyfriend says to her at one point during the movie. That statement has resonated with me ever since I heard him say it while watching the movie. Itβs on repeat in my brain now as Iβve been pondering why itβs stuck there.
So letβs now shift from the movie and into my own lifeβs relationships. Again, without going into extreme details and, of course, no names will be given but it has given me one of those βπ‘β moments as it plays over and over again in my brain.
It has become one of those βTADAAAAAβ moments to me all of a sudden but I now understand a particular relationship that Iβve been at such a loss about in my life for several years now. A relationship that started out beautifully but has become a thorn that I canβt seem to get to fester for healing. One that has destroyed a part of me that idk if Iβll ever be the same from. As I live and breathe itβs oxygen sucking toxicity at times, I have a love for it that is confusingly exhausting to me when I attempt to understand it. Itβs one of those love/hate relationships that tonight I FINALLY get. I finally understand it somewhat π Duh π€¦ββοΈ Itβs because ANY and all relationships built on lies will never last.
What a powerful statement that is.
Nehemiah
Have you ever read through the entire book of Nehemiah in the Bible?
Well, I hadnβt until tonight.
So so good!
In reading through Nehemiah tonight Iβve come to realize that lots of the same struggles I, and the world, face day to day is very similar to what they faced in the days Jesus walked the earth.
Is that not weirdly exciting to you! I mean we arenβt facing a single thing that hasnβt already been faced and walked through with God. Thatβs absolutely GOOD GOOD NEWS yβall!
Any-who; As I was reading, one of things that stuck out to me the most is how Nehemiah would pray before each response to the enemies. I highlighted each prayer he said so that I can read them easily, especially at a quick glance.
Oh how I pray I can be more like Nehemiah, not only in his praying but in his faithfulness to God Almighty.
βOur God will fight for us!β 4:20b
What a great role model.
Below is my favorite prayer that I read in the book of Nehemiah. I pray that it blesses you as it did me.
Be sure to read the entire book as not to pick and choose the scriptures out of context.
Peace and blessings to ya, Louann
Life and Love 