Memories!

Memories, come and go and little things or big things trigger them...the past few weeks I have been reflecting on my memories with our home church Northwood Alliance Church, Blaine, WA.

Changes are one of the things that gives rise to memories and change is coming to NAC as Pastor Charles & Margaret prepare to retire from ministry there this coming Sunday.  I wish I could be there but it just didn't work out...so I find myself sitting and thinking...

We first met Charles & Margaret when our sons, Jon, Jamie & Brandon played soccer together and Margaret being the school nurse and my working in the elementary and primary schools.

We first began attending Northwood in November 2001 after my dad passed away and the struggles and issues that arose at Birch Bay Bible Community Church happened.  I could bring up the negative but what good would that do?  So let's just say, for the better of things, our marriage and relationships we moved on from BBBCC to Northwood and it was a good move for us.

Northwood is and has been my family for over 19 years.  And like most families we have had our great times, our good times and even some hard times but what family doesn't share some hard times AND hard times allow us to grow and become stronger.

I was our church secretary for 7+ years and I remember when Ron and I left to go to work for the Carnival (Spring 2010) Charles put in the bulletin..."it's not often one's church secretary runs away with the local plumber to join a carnival!" 😍

My memories consist of family diners, Thanksgiving and cooking/serving a 48+lb turkey, Christmas Eve Candlelight services, potlucks and Bible studies, lots of hugs and even tears but through all the memories is woven

LOVE

and my devotions this past week have also focused on love, loving one another, loving unconditionally, loving others and showing grace.

Memories of coming together when we were hurting over the loss of a special friends...specifically thinking of Dee and Jack Nixon...they showed so much love to me, my family, our boys and demonstrated how to love one another through the difficult times 

AND THEN

celebrating marriages:
Julie & James

Jon & Rayna

Elizabeth & Chris

and so many others...

I'm thankful for my Northwood family

and as they/us face this new change of selecting a new pastor to shepherd the Northwood clan

and as we encourage and celebrate Charles & Margaret

and our Northwood family grows and expands

I'm thankful that we can love from afar for those of us not living in Blaine right now.

I'm just thankful for my Northwood family!

Blessings to Charles & Margaret!!!

Time to Write Before Today Get's Away From Me

I am exhausted...I think 4 mornings of getting up at 5a is taking its toll...

it started yesterday evening...I fell into bed before 9p

and when the alarm went off at 5a this morning I just wanted to stay in bed and had a flash I hadn't written a blog post yesterday ~ UGH ~ 

I didn't...I got up, washed my face with cold water, that seemed to help a bit and started my day.

I fixed a bottle of water

and sat down with my Bible, my pens, my planner, my daily devotional,  and a prayer book I got from my bestie...I gather everything pictured and a cup of coffee or like this morning my bottle of water

and snuggle into my recliner.

I love the first paragraph of the intro into the Pocket Prayers for Mom ~ "Hello, my name is Max.  I'm a recovering prayer wimp.  I doze off when I pray.  My thoughts zig, then zag, then zig again.  Distractions swarm like gnats on a summer night.  If ADD applies to prayer, I am afflicted.  When I pray, I think of a thousand things I need to do.  I forget the one thing I set out to do:

PRAY!..."

When I opened this book the other day I felt like this guy gets me...I feel like such a failure so often when it comes to my prayer time and was so encouraged that I was not alone!!! And was super excited and thankful that my Bestie had thought of me...this little book is a wonderful gem.  The introduction is 10 pages!!!  and I have only gotten through the first three...tomorrow will be more reading...like the "Discovering Joy in Philippians" study that I am using, I am going at my own pace.  I have learned if I set these gigantic goals I will fail so I am learning, finally at 62 to set the pace and remember life is a marathon not a sprint!!!

I spent about forty-five minutes this morning with the Lord.

Here is a look at yesterday and today's prayerful journal...the place I write by hand...

nothing fancy, just notes, scriptures and thoughts.

As you can see yesterday I wrote a bit more, today a little less,

some days the whole page is filled up with no room to write down happenings of the day.

and that is what matters!!!

This morning I was reminded again to FOCUS on what I need to focus on, don't worry about what others are doing or not doing and reminding myself that worrying really doesn't get me anywhere...and how true that was for me when Jamie was in Iraq...I spent most of the year he was there worried sick, I was paralyzed a lot of the time, cried a lot of the time and looking back I can't really tell you what I did do for most of that year...well like I said above...

I cried and worried myself sick!!!

And to keep my TRUST in the Lord

and know that He knows what I am dealing with.

In the corner of my planner this morning I wrote

"Remember God CHOSE me!!

Be tenderhearted (soft like a marshmallow)

Extend mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience

Lord help me to demonstrate these things in my actions and interactions.

Be faithful and consistent!!!"

I have had a great day...spent time with my hubby, 

had breakfast with my framily,

worked on some stuff on the computer, 

took a nap ~ thank you Ron!!!,

had a good chat with my boss,

had great interactions with the kidlets even during some difficult parenting moments,

laughed with the kidlets before and after school

and had another WIN for dinner...okay it was cold cereal for them

but hey...

it works for me!!

***

How about you??

What tools do you use on a daily basis?

Do you find time to laugh even during the difficult moments?

Do you ever eat cold cereal for dinner?

which leads me to

What is your go to dinner when you are tired???