Imploding Today

What is going on?  Do you ever have those days that everything blows up in your face?  I do.  Not often it seems, and as long as I'm keeping my footing on the right path with my eyes on the light that my Father has shining on my path it seems to be easier to stay there.
I must have taken my eyes off and started out in my own direction.  Well, that's how I feel.  I've been working on a project and while my intention was to alleviate some stress that all of us feel, I was probably looking a little too much inward and at how this affects me.
When I take on a project I have expectations.  Expectations that if I have questions the veterans of the project will have answers.  I guess if I'm in that "veteran" position and I'm trying to teach someone else about something I expect myself to come prepared.  If I wanted to teach you how to make a casserole I would have all the ingredients there and a pan.  If I only had half the ingredients I couldn't prepare and serve you a meal.  No different than if I had the ingredients but no pan, I still couldn't feed you.
I'm also not one for making things harder than they need to be though either.  Nor is that ever my intention.  I'm not the one for drama, I'd like to think I'm not going to go around stirring it up either.  I want us to make plans for a project, I want to set deadlines to complete the project and I want it all to come together smoothly.  Will there be ripples and affects from things that aren't "perfect"?  Heck, yeah!  I just prefer to avoid the crashing waves and like to anticipate as much as I can.  Besides, I will never ask for perfection in anything.  That's pointless.  What is perfection?  As far as I'm concerned it is something utterly unattainable in everything humanly done.  God is the only one that creates perfection.
I will simply ask that we're all on the same page and that we keep open and clear communication.  I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well.  I'm learning to do all that I do with the effort that to Him is the glory, truly where it is due.
Okay, so this probably makes NO SENSE to you, but I feel so much better being here and spilling some words onto this page.  Thanx for listening, okay, reading.

DV-NMV

Chosen

Huh, who knew I was so important? It is a good feeling though!
LuvNHugz - SupportNPrayerz
DV-NMV

My Bridge

Gypsy Mama talked about how she went from a commute and a job that was merely drudgery to her everyday walk of encouragement.
She does it so well!  I enjoy seeing her email to me and I'm not faithful about it but I LOVE five minute Fridays.  She spoke that sharing her heart via her Gypsy Mama blog has been amazing.
I see God working through her daily, loving on all of us.  And for me that is precious.
FnF is my bridge to capture the random moments in life where God is leading me.  Something to look back on when I need the reminder that shows me just how beautiful my life really is.  These faithsteps along the path I'm on that walking, learning, growing, leading and following.  The footprints that show where I've been and to remind me of all the beautiful places I've seen, dances I've taken and times I've stumbled but regained my footing.
I love my time I spend here reflecting on how great our God is.  Seeing the dreary and glamorous days just as they are.  Seeing that highs are nothing without the lows.  Realizing that the sunshine is so much brighter and warm thanx to the times of cool darkness.  I used to feel alone and now I know that I'm never alone, my Daddy is always there to converse with and love on.  I know that when I feel like a stellar failure as a parent that it will last for just a moment and be yet another lesson for growing on.  In my heart I also know that when I have a floppy disaster day in wife mode that he'll come home anyway and we will wade through the muck that life sometimes is and step out the other side because we're here for better and for worse.
Lessons learned is a life well lived.  A life well lived is about setting forth and learning new things every day.  Gaining wisdom, growing and changing each day because that is the only way to live.
God gives us each day as a gift, make the most of it!  Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, it's all worth doing as well as you can and in a way that honors your Father.  Remember Gitz too and CHOOSE JOY!
Thanx Gypsy Mama, it felt great starting my day with this!

DV-NMV

Family

What a beautiful thing family can be.  Families are formed in so many various ways.  It’s not even just about the ones that you’re related to by marriage, you can form an amazing family by heart connections with the most amazing friends.

I am blessed to have an abundance of all of these things.  I not only got the BEST in-laws ever but the Lord keeps giving me the most amazing friends ever.  They so are my family too!

I grew up with a God-smack of cousins (yes God-smack) because only He can bless a family so abundantly.  We had our ups and downs and we’re spread all across the country, well around the world too, but who cares, you’re only ever a heartbeat away from family anyway.  We’re all so different, but the same, connected because two people (technically four – Joe & Betty and Don & Helen) fell in love.  I have more than 35 cousins and on one side of my family we have nearly two dozen great grandkids as well.  My grandparents on that side of the family just celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary.  It is such a blessing to see them still celebrating and walking through their lives together.  My other grandparents celebrated their 54^th last year, also such an amazing blessing!  God is so good!  It does a heart good to recognize these things on a regular basis.

I came into writing this because I want to acknowledge the family that I tie to myself by choice.  My friends.  The ones that I don’t have any obligation to because of blood but yet I feel almost even more blessed by because they love me as I am, because they chose to.  I had the awesome privilege to spend time with two of my favorite women last weekend.  They are my soul sisters, the sisters that your heart recognizes.  The kind that you can go without seeing or talking to for weeks and yet you pick up right where you left off just as if it was yesterday.  They are the peas I want in my pod when I’m wrapped up under pressure, they are the monkeys I want in my cage when I just need to let loose, they are the ones that I know will be there if and when I need them.  There is NOTHING like the family of your heart.  Like I said, I love them exactly as they are, because of who they are and I am thrilled to spend time with them, laugh with them and love with them.

Family means so many things to so many people.  I love being part of God’s family and enjoying all that He has planned for me.  I couldn’t do this any better than He already has.  He has already given me so much and yet I know that there is so much more in store.  It’s that feeling in your bones that tells you “God so loves you!!!”  I know this in part because of the family He borne me to, also in great part because of the family He married me into and lastly because He has given me a heart-family to be loved in.  Little sisters, soul sisters, big brothers, oh yes, so blessed am I!!

LuvNHugz – SupportNPrayerz

DV - NMV

In-Laws or Out-Laws

In-Laws and Out-Laws
I am blessed to have the most amazing in-laws. I’m sure that 12 years ago none of us imagined we’d be where we are but just the same God makes great plans that we aren’t privy to. This time twelve years ago Jayme and I had been dating not even two months. God is amazing at little surprises and by March we were planning a wedding. I could’ve been ruled quite the out-law (maybe I was) at the time. Even then Wynne and Patty jumped right in with us and helped pull it all off. I spent most, maybe all, of my wedding ceremony in tears. Standing in front of our families and friends, making vows of for better or for worse, starting down a path that we couldn’t begin to fathom what it held. I remember looking down on two people that I didn’t know but could already tell were pretty amazing. I swear my eyes weren’t the only wet ones.
Today those two people are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. I repeatedly say thank you at their house. It probably sounds fairly routine to them, but I honestly could never say thank you enough. They are my go-to sitters for kiddos, if I need help with anything the number I dial is theirs. They inspire me in so many ways and really are Dad and Mom. We can go to them for advice and they’re so good about listening and giving perspectives and yet not telling you what to do.
Wynne is an amazing grandpa, I love that he takes the boys in the tractor and teaches them things about farming and being Iowa raised and a faithful servant, because of him they dream big, work like farm kids should and play harder. I’m always happy to say that he’s my father-in-law. Patty is a grandma that all kiddos dream of, who doesn’t want to go to grandma’s for cookies? She truly is valued far above rubies in my book, a mother-in-law women dream of. A mom to my heart and a loving pair of hands that serves Christian love in all that she does. I always say I’m so spoiled and it’s simply because I have the best in-laws ever living just across the way.
I write this because I’m willing to tell the whole world just exactly how awesome I believe these two are. They inspire me to parent my children with Christian ambition, raising them to have servant hearts and being the gentle guides and holds of the hand that any person is ever looking for. I could never thank them enough for everything they do. I could never thank God enough for sharing them with me. These two and the last twelve years of crazy that we’ve shared with them is absolute proof that God is absolutely amazing and good in all that He does. Definitely not out-laws but in-laws here!

Wynne and Patty,
I wish you, my in-laws, a blessedly beautiful 35th anniversary from the bottom of my heart. I can’t wait to celebrate dozens more with you. I love you Mom and Dad, well to be honest all seven of us do!
Jayme, Nicki, Jayden, Andrew, Mackenzi, Madeline and Quinten

LuvNHugz!
DV - NMV

Gone Too Long

It's been ages since I grabbed time for penning words. Inspired I am this morning, so here I am. A short one it's likely to be as I don't really know what to write. I just know it is nice to be back. Here in my space, where I can ramble and capture whatever is in my head. So much happening yet sometimes it feels like I've accomplished nothing at all. Surely I'm not the only one with days (or weeks) like that.
The chaos and crazy that is life as we know it. Coming and going, losing and finding, climbing and falling, dirtying and cleaning. It is sometimes quite the vicious circle. Oh, well.
Refocusing and returning to the ultimate guide. GOD. Taking the time to quiet myself so that I can listen to Him. He is always there for me, I just have to remember to quiet myself enough to let go and let Him do what He does best. Love me and lead me.
DV-NMV

Takin' Five on Friday - Grow

Just as Gypsy Mama says - five minutes, as is, no edits.

Go for it!

Growing, it's painful.  Stretching and learning and realizing that sometimes these things are not easy to do.  Stepping outside of that comfort zone.  My mom will be (is supposed to be) moving in with us soon.  It's not that I don't want her here, I worry that we'll hinder her ability to "grandma" to the kiddos.  And she'll feel something like the sore thumb.  A change like divorce followed by the realization that you can't live on your own has got to be one of those times when the growing pains really hurt.
I remember when I learned the hard way that we don't plan our family size or timing.  That was a grow-ing time for me.  I grew in understanding and love, developed a stance on compassion and loss through miscarriage that I had no idea was such a common and real thing.
Go and grow.  Through life, through the pain, in the love and strength of Our Father.
He will water us and feed us so long as we turn to Him.  He will ease those pains, those growing pains when it all seems overwhelming and impossible.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  Yup, sounds like the best advice yet.

STOP

Thanx, Happy Friday!!

DV-NMV