Relax and Breathe

A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me an email with these words- relax and breathe. I thought it a bit strange at the time, not her usual words of encouragement, but I have not been able to get them out of my mind.
No, this picture is not a page from the O magazine with relax and breathe above it. It's the scene I will be looking at in a few days. I am taking my laptop but not sure when I'll have the chance to post for a bit, so taking a pause for 10 days or so. don't forget me dear blog sisters.
Remember to relax and breathe :)

Checking In

This is my New Mexico girl, my granddaughter. She's been here in Maine at her other grammy's house. Going to get her today so will be offline a couple days.
I'm really not that old :) I had my children when I was very young.

Yadas

For many years I have been leading Bible studies for women in my small hometown, but something changed 3 years ago. God connected me to a small group of women when we did Beth Moore's study Believing God. We began getting together to pray for one another and share our hearts. Then we passed around the YadaYada prayer group series, a set of fun fictional books and our hearts were knit together. There are 6 of us- different ages, backgrounds, careers, personalities etc. Oh, so much fun!
We pray for each others families, heart needs, and even our nation. The best part of all is that Jesus meets with us every time. We gather when we can and can hardly wait to hear what is happening with each other.
I have 2 really close long-distance friends  that I can trust, but now God has opened this safe place here at home. Our prayer is that he will use us to bless other women, too.
In the picture above are Ann and Jo, probably the youngest and the oldest.
We met last night at 6:30 and at 10:00pm, we gasped at the time! Every woman needs a Yada Sister.

On the Road to Love

This morning I am beginning the online study with Beth Moore and her SIESTAS all over the nation.
This summer study is on the book of Ruth. I actually began a couple of days ago because I just couldn't wait. I love it already! I know this is a book about God's Covenant Love.
As I read this morning in chapter 1, it struck me how God loved three very different women. Orpah turned back to her old life, but with the Blessing of the Lord because Naomi had spoken that over her. Naomi was filled with bitterness and grief, but tiny rays of hope were already shining. Ruth decided to follow her, but more importantly committed her life to the Lord and to going forward. I love what Kelly said about we can weep forward or weep backward.
I placed my feet on the road to Bethlehem-Judah this morning- The House of Bread with Praise.

Decisions

I know I have better pictures of our camper but being in a hurry, I'll take this one from my phone.
I love the camper at night with the lights on, campfire burning, cool ocean breezes blowing and the grandkids all tucked in.
We've been in the process of looking at new campers, trying to decide whether or not to trade ours for a bit better one. It's a tough decision and I drag my feet when money, especially payments are involved. That's the quandry for this Monday morning.

I've carried around this sense of failure since last fall about my horseback riding lessons. Each month I purposed to get back but something kept getting in the way. As more time passed, every time I thought about it I felt discouraged- until today. I was reading Kaileen's blog (see bloglist) and she was talking about her love for yoga. She explained that even when she can't get to yoga, it is always with her. as I responded to her post, I began to think about what I carried with me from those lessons.

When I first began I was terrified to even get near the horse. Over the summer I grew to love Apache, pictured above. then i had numerous problems with a tailbone issue that caused me many hours of discomfort, but I refused to give up.
As the summer ended, I changed instructors and realized that I had only just begun to learn. On the third week of lessons with my new instructor, I was forced to face the fact that I had some physical issues that needed tending. I walked away from lessons and spent the time instead at a massage therapist to help with my neck and back. I truly believe that, had it not been for that day on the horse when I was forced to look at the tension in my body, this would have gone on until I had serious problems.

So what did I take with me from this so-called failure?

I can overcome fear with prayer and doing it afraid.
I have determination.
Sometimes I want to focus on one area, when another must be tended first.
Timing is everything. Be patient.

Thaks Kaileen for helping me to see this experience in a different light. I am going to continue to ponder it.

A Single Pansy

I have always hated the rock terrace outside my door. Weeds and dandelions grow through the rocks and I am constantly fighting to keep them at bay. Two years ago I came up with the idea of container gardening and placed pots of flowers all over the space with a little birdbath, a fountain etc. But this spring, with the trip to NM and then cold, rainy weather I haven't had a chance or the energy to dive into this project, which makes me sad.
Then a couple of days ago I noticed this lone pansy growing up between the rocks. It must have come from last years flowers. It seemed to be smiling at me, giving me hope.
Hope seems to be my word of late.
Today my plan is to go buy some flowers to keep my little pansy company. :)

Looking Beyond What I Can See

This is the view during our flight out to New Mexico.

A world in the clouds. This world exists everyday, although its appearance may change. We don't think about it, for our perspective is limited to this side of the heavenlies.

I had a conversation with a friend this morning who has been battling leukemia for many years. Recently her battle has grown fierce, yet in the midst of all that rages against her, she chose to share with me a miracle that happened. She turned her face to the heavenlies and looked beyond where she stands.

I am humbled and inspired.
So often my vision is filled with problems,my own physical limitations, and discouragement. Yet I am blessed with women who pray for me, a happy family and a cozy home.
Lord, help me to raise my eyes heavenward and remember that there is more to life than where I am standing at this moment. I am surrounded with angels, blessings in heavenly places, and the love of God. Open my eyes to look beyond what I can see.

Butterfly Happiness

I don't know who was happier to see the lilacs in bloom, the butterfly or me. I wanted them to blossom before we left for New Mexico and they did. surprisingly when we drove back in yesterday, they were still in blossom. A whole week! What a nice surprise :)