Linking up with Lisa Jo again this week to participate in Five Minute Friday.

Today’s word is SHE– ready, set go –

She is my only girl, a sweet surprise after 3 boys and difficult times trying to conceive. I always knew that if she was added to our family that we would give her my dear friends name.

When the letters G I R L were typed across the ultrasound screen I couldn’t believe it! She would finally be ours. Sharing the news of her coming was something I will never forget.

She is independent and adorable and sassy all wrapped up in one.

Some days I wonder what she will grow up to be like. She loves her brothers fiercely. She wants to spend all of her time doing what they are doing.  She likes to collect “cada’s” and pet them and then she rips their wings off….

She isn’t quite the princess that I imagined she might be – but she is perfect in every way. She is ours and I count my blessings every day that she is a part of our lives.

Linking up with Lisa Jo again this week to participate in Five Minute Friday.

Today’s word is WORSHIP– ready, set go –

Music has always been in my soul – the one way that I connect best to God.

Singing in my car, music cranked up and praising God for all He has done in our lives.

When everything around me was falling apart and I felt like God wasn’t there – I sang anyways because it was all I knew how to do.

When I lost my best friend and wanted to honor her….singing was way that I best knew how to do that.

But singing, music isn’t the only way we can worship. My son Gabriel who is 9 just doesn’t sing. AT.ALL.

But man can that boy pray!  He learned the ACTS prayer and he has such spirit when he gets into it…eyes closed, worshipping God.

One day I asked him why he didn’t sing in church on Sundays. He told me that singing wasn’t the way that he was going to talk to God – prayer was.

Very well then! 😉

But he reminded me that worship is a unique experience for each of us and I am just so grateful that he has found a way to connect with God too – even if it isn’t the way that I do!

What form of worship best connects you to God??

Linking up with Lisa Jo again this week to participate in Five Minute Friday.

Today’s word is LONELY– ready, set go –

Yesterday I was going through the saved voice mails on my phone and suddenly her voice was there. It was during one of the last visits where I was able to see her alive.

“Have you landed at the airport yet?”……

We were both so excited for the visit, eager to spend even the weekend together sharing life. Because we knew we wouldn’t be given many more opportunities to do so.  So we shared a lifetime’s worth of love in a much shorter time.

It has been almost 3 years now.

And yet the lonely creeps in, especially when I hear that message again. A message I haven’t been able to erase because I don’t want to forget her. Forget how she sounded….a voice completely unique to her.

When you lose your best friend it is hard to “replace” that. I don’t know that I even want to fully replace it. But it is lonely when there isn’t “that person”, “that girlfriend” to share life with.

I may always live a bit of my life lonely for her. But I celebrate who she was, and hear her name every time I call out to my daughter…her life is such a big part of who I am, even today.  So I recognize that this lonely will be a part of me until we celebrate together at the feet of Jesus. And I thank God for the time we did have and that I was lucky enough to know her and love her.

Missing you friend….

Linking up with Lisa Jo again this week to participate in Five Minute Friday.

Today’s word is STORY– ready, set go –

For many years I lived angry about how the story of my life was playing out.

Bitter about the trials and disappointments, only seeing what was unfair and constantly comparing myself to every one else’s joy…my life felt like a defeat.

I wanted a story that was “normal”.

I would cry out to God to change my life, make it easy, make it better and I couldn’t see, I wouldn’t see that each trial was making me stronger. Causing me to rely on God and building a foundation of faith.

I wanted the easy route and I didn’t get it.

Today I stand with a different view. I can see how God was shaping my story. Molding me so that my story is less about me and more about Him.  It isn’t the way that I wanted initially, this refinement process isn’t one that I would have chosen. But I can finally see the beauty that has emerged.

And I am grateful.

I don’t know that I do “normal” well, and I am not sure that I even know what that is!

And that is ok. Each of us walks a different path, God has a story planned out for all of us. Some get to walk the easy a little longer than most. Some trudge through the difficult on a daily basis.

But I have become convinced that each path is a walk that can bring us closer to God and when we seek Him, lean into Him during the journey we will see a story emerge that is one of beauty and blessing because of Him.

And that my friends is a story that needs to be told!

Linking up with Lisa Jo again this week to participate in Five Minute Friday.

Today’s word is BELONG– ready, set go –

Growing up I had friends but I never felt like I really belonged. I always felt a little like I was on the outside looking into the party that was happening,…so close to being invited inside, but not quite.

This feeling has followed me into adulthood.  I think I can be my own worst enemy and I will tell myself the lies that I don’t fit in and I won’t ever belong….so I stop trying to be involved in the very community that I crave.

But God has gently pushed me outside of my comfort zone, called me to community with other women who have made me feel that I DO belong. These God-Sized dreamers have encouraged me, walked along side of me, prayed for my family and cheered me on in my little triumphs.

I am seeing over and over again that God created us for this – community with other believers.  And I am so grateful. Grateful that God brought this group of women together. Grateful for the opportunities that have come from saying “yes” to something that seemed scary at first. Because of you beautiful women I finally feel like I belong, and it is a party!