Did you ever stop and realize that you are free to start over today? The old is behind you and you cannot really change it, no matter how hard you may try to pay for your mistakes. It is done with. Who said to you that you had to carry all of that past on your back as you enter into tomorrow? What unwritten lie have you believed?
Now there is a sure entity called guilt, and that is only dealt with by the precious blood of Jesus that washes us deeper than our thought processes can go, deeper than the wounds in the heart, and a thorough cleansing is absolutely necessary if we want to go forward. Yet when that is done, you are totally free to let go the past and embrace a new you. You probably don’t even know what this new you is like! Why don’t you find out? You might like yourself a whole lot. There are territories to conquer, people to love, dreams to dream and destinies to fulfill, and you will surely be hindered if you drag with you all that you ever were .
Take a deep breath and give yourself permission to start over.

You are very welcome.

My life is quite simple really: I wake up in the morning, spend time with my Lord, go for a walk/run, then go to work. After work, I run errands if necessary, then go down to my gym for a strength work out. At night, after I spend some time with my husband sharing supper, sometimes I work, or go for a walk, sit in my sunroom with my wonderful husband and share a glass of wine, write, read, watch television, and then go to bed, and start again the next day. But my life is exciting, because I find Him in all that I do.
Week-ends are different, as I get ready for the week to come as much as I can, go to church, and we make a point to be with our friends as much as we can. Two week-ends ago, we had dinner with the Halliwell’s and pondered the Lord’s faithfulness together as we have seen between the four of us a total of 6 kids grow up to become responsible adults who walk with God. We watched a wonderful DVD together “How great is our God ” from Louie Giglio and were motivated to go on with God. Last week-end, we had a wine tasting with some very dear brethern at the Mencer’s and we loved every minute of it; they are such gracious hosts, and we learned so much once more about wine. The winner was a Shirah from Australia. On Sunday, we had lunch with two friends. This week-end, we had our monthly dinner with Paula and Susie at Susie’s house this time, and we discussed weapons and the Lord’s protection.
The more time I spend with God’s people, the more I see how precious they are. We have been in this church for quite a while now, and we know each other pretty well–well enough to know each other’s quirks and to aggravate each other… but in a way, that is wonderful, for it is like family. We have accepted each other as we are and we travel together through life’s adventures–good, and not so good. We are growing old together one day at a time, and I see the Lord maturing us as we move on toward the goal. I like it.

This is a partial list of things I would rather not do without. None of them are essential to life–even though I may argue that point at times, but they add qualify to my personal life and make things so much more enjoyable:
~candles–all kinds: tall, skinny, square, fragrant, small… they add atmosphere and I love them.
~cheesecake–nice and very rich; plain, lemon, pumpkin, pecans
~hottub–I love it!
~my garage: I simply love that my car doesn’t get frozen or overly hot.
~Coffee in the morning, the hotter the better
~Music–it does a soul good!
~Great books that entertain
~Wireless Internet
~Exercise
~Flowers, outside in the yard, and fresh flowers indoors as often as possible!
~Sunshine at every season
~Wine
~Cozy blankets and socks

Reoccuring events I would rather not do without; these are close to essential to life:
~Our Fridays with Susie and Paula
~My evenings in the sunroom with my hubby
~Saturday morning time
~Prayer time with the girls
~Personal Worship and time with Jesus
~Wine tastings at the Mencer’s
~Christmas Eve’s traditionions, including fondue and dollar gifts
~Regular phone calls with my kids
~Spa times with Maelys
~Piano time with Daniel
~Hanging out with Matthieu and Amber monthly
~Going on long drives with my husband

I am thankful for my life.

When major events happen in my life, I tend to journal, or write little vignettes. It’s one of the ways I deal with things, that’s how I am wired. The words wind up full of emotion, and they fly right off my fingers without any thought. Then I go back, and I refine them, playing with them until they become a well balanced dance that gives me a sense of satisfaction.
But life has gotten in the way somehow, and it has been months since I have taken the time to write. So when I was drawn to the empty page this week, I felt a little nervous, not quite sure how to start, and very much aware that I was more than rusty.
The page called me each day, and I wrote a few words about my surgery experience. The story didn’t come together; it was choppy–no threat that made sense. What did I want to say? And how was I supposed to communicate my feelings too deep for words? I thought that maybe I had lost my gift.
But I am a writer, so I kept at it. Tonight, it all came together and my story was birthed. My heart feels liberated, and I am gitty, like one feels when spring has sprung. Maybe I should pick up this writing-thing again.