Young Girls and Neon Green Pencils

As with any one of us, I'm sure this world just beats you down after awhile.  I think part of that problem is I watch too much news. It would be great if the news was upbeat, and there are a FEW upbeat stories they share, but for the most part, the media just tells about all the bad stuff happening in our world.  If you let that stuff fill your head, after awhile, you don't think there's anything positive, and it really affects your thinking.  We watch too much TV and/or spend entirely too much time online.  What if we just shut everything off and listen to God for a change? We don't hear His voice because we constantly shut Him out with all of our noise. I'm just as guilty as the next person. People can't figure out why I love Belize so much...I'll tell you why. It's because there is no noise there. My cell phone only has internet where we stay, but when we are out in the field, I can't use it at all other than to take pictures, and I LOVE that.  I am not able to see TV the entire time I'm gone either, and that is beyond fabulous.  I actually HEAR God in Belize and that is because I am forced to slow down.  This, THIS is why I LOVE Belize, and why I would love to live there. To get back to simplicity that we have thrown away here. We used to have simplicity in this country when we spent our time outdoors and visited with our neighbors and friends. We engaged in real face to face conversation that didn't occur through text messages and email. We weren't in such a hurry or had schedules to keep. I don't know how people with kids do it now days, there is ALWAYS something they are involved in.  If I had kids, that would just make me nuts, and maybe that's why I'm not meant to be a mom.  Because my kids would hate me for making them stay home. ha! I've always been introverted, so I loved staying home when I was a kid, and I still love staying home and not being around people. I live for the days that I have nothing to do, no one to see, and nowhere to go because I can take that time and use it to worship God. I know people probably think I'm nuts and over the top the way I carry on about God or see Him everywhere.  And that's ok if people think that because there's nothing that I'm more passionate about than my relationship with Him. There are times in my life when I'm not close to God, I think we all go through that, but then there are times when He is right by me. He shows me things that I sometimes might overlook when I'm not close to Him.  Today was one of those days where He was right there...in my face. I turned off the noise, and I heard Him and saw Him. I had to pick up my contacts at the eye dr., and when I pulled in the parking lot, I see 2 young girls and a woman walking in front of my car.  As I waited for them to cross in front of me, I couldn't help but notice the young girl who was white as a ghost with no hair.  I wouldn't say I felt sorry for her for being sick, but it just put things in perspective for me when I saw her. I can get so bogged down on the trivial things in life that I forget to thank God for all the blessings in my life.  I think I have problems, problems that no one understands, but when I saw this young girl today, I realize I have no problems.  As she was walking with her friend or sister (not sure which it was), she was laughing and jumping and smiling....just filled with so much joy.  I thought to myself, "If this young girl who has probably been going through chemo treatments can be filled with so much joy, then what do I have to be down and out about?"  I've never had cancer, I've never had an illness that couldn't be healed. Even with my eyes being messed up for months, they healed, and I can see again.  Why can't I just be more grateful for the blessings in my life? The problems that I don't have?  Focus on the things I do have, instead of the things I want or don't have.  I needed that young girl to touch my heart today, and she did just that.  And another side note to this story that I feel is a God thing, when I came out of the eye dr. after getting my contacts, I saw a neon green, unsharpened pencil on the ground. It was lying on the ground in the parking space of the car that this young girl got into.  I saw the pencil lying there, and I almost left it, but as I walked by it, I turned around and picked it up. It was from a dentist's office that is located in the same building as my eye dr.  I'm sure one of those kids or both had an appointment there today, and that's where they were coming out from when I saw them.  I kept that pencil. I have no way of sharpening it, but that's ok.  I plan to keep that pencil in my car and look at it every time I get in to drive somewhere. That pencil will serve as a reminder to me of that young lady I saw today, and it will serve as a reminder to me to be thankful for my life and all of the blessings the Lord has given to me. I know most people would think it was just a fluke that that pencil was lying there on the ground, but not me. I'm pretty sure God wanted me to have that pencil as a reminder to me...a reminder to be grateful.  That young lady touched my life today, and she doesn't have a clue. But I know my God knows the impact she left on me, and that, my friends, is the only One who matters. I'm thankful God slowed me down today and let me see Him through that young lady. Oh to turn off the noise. It is amazing what you will see in the quietness.   Let's all try to be more grateful. God has blessed us all with so much.  Have a blessed week!

The Perfect Seat At The Table

Being in Durant, I have the opportunity to travel all over the place and meet lots of new people. Being an introvert, this has always been a bit out of my comfort zone, but I'm working on it.  You'd also probably never believe that I HATE being up in front of people, especially large crowds.  So while I love music ministry, it is WAY out of my comfort zone being up on a stage and having lots of eyes looking at me.  I have never liked having attention, never.  But....there is a time when you have to get over yourself and use the talents God has given you.  This is why I've pushed through this fear.  Sure, I've always wanted to sing in an acappella group and spread the news of God through music, but it also terrified me thinking about being in front of people.  I still refuse to speak (if I can) at any of our concerts because I get tongue tied and just feel so insecure. So if you ever see a Durant concert, you'll notice that I'm one of the two people who don't speak other than telling my name and what part I sing. Believe it or not, I'm really not nearly as shy as I used to be. I was that kid who always hid behind my mother's leg. I was painfully shy as a child.  Over the years, I've had to overcome that shyness.  And I know, those of you who really know me are thinking, "What? She never shuts up." :)  I don't mind "talking" behind a computer screen and type out what I want to say because I've always felt I was a better communicator through writing than actually talking.  I've also never really been listened to when I try to talk, so being behind a computer screen, I have "the floor" per se and people have no option but to listen.   So, I wrote about this a little on my Facebook page the other day about meeting a man this past weekend who just touched my life.  Do you ever meet people and you just find yourself thinking about them often?  That's been this man with me this week.  I'm going to just be honest here, so here goes. And I bet in my honesty, you can relate and have probably felt just like me before.  Durant and a few people from church went to lunch after services Sunday morning. I think there were around 10 of us.  Well, you know how it is, you try to find that perfect seat at the table.  For me, that's sitting with Durant...in my comfort zone of people I know because sometimes when I don't know people, I have a hard time striking up a conversation.  Well, all the seats filled up quite quickly. I knew about "this man" coming, and here's the honest part.  And when I say this, I am not proud of myself at all, but I just need you all to know that I am not perfect and I mess up daily.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "I don't want to sit by this man. It makes me uncomfortable.  He's not like me in the way he was dressed, he didn't smell good, he's single which means he'll "like" me because those are the ones I attract...." on and on these negative thoughts were flooding my head.  It was kind of that good angel, bad angel on your shoulder thing. The bad angel was telling me all of those negative things, and the good angel is smacking me and telling me these are the kinds of folks Jesus associated with. That's when it really struck me...."These are the kinds of folks Jesus associated with."  Who in the world am I to think I am "better" than someone just because they are different than me?  So as I sat down across from this man, I can't remember who started the conversation, but the next thing I knew, this man had me in stitches. He was hilarious.  But as he shared his story with me, I couldn't help but be sad by how he was treated by our brothers and sisters in different churches when he was looking for a church family.  It was that same kind of attitude that I had before I sat near him.  And it really broke my heart.  His story made me sad, but I think what truly made me emotional, and what broke my heart is myself...my selfish thoughts.  How I had had these negative thoughts of him fill my head just minutes before, and how Jesus never had these thoughts about me and my filth. People tell me often that I have such a good, tender heart. Not really.  As much as I appreciate people saying those things to me, I am not as good hearted as I appear.  Are any of us?  We all mess up, we all have these same negative thoughts, we all have our own selfish thoughts of people who are not "like us".  How many times have I driven past the homeless man on the street and ignored him? How many times have I turned people away who are asking me for money because I've been told "They'll probably just use it to buy drugs or alcohol.".  How many times have I mistreated a brother or sister in Christ? Just like this man I sat across from at lunch....he is my brother in Christ, and I didn't want to be near him for a short period of time. He had no idea of my thoughts, but my God knows my thoughts, and I fall to my knees asking forgiveness. And you know something else?? He was on the front row at our concert Sunday night, and he was worshiping our God more than any other person I saw that night. This man has lived on both sides, and he knows the freedom he has in Christ. Wow.  And I made sure that he was the first person I talked to and put my hands on after our show to thank him for his heart.   I know God placed that man in my life for a reason.  He took me out of my comfort zone and insecurity to actually get to know a person....a person just like me. God taught me a lesson to get over myself. My heart was broken in a good way from this incident. This man has been on my mind all week because he taught me something. He has no idea the impact he has left on me, and I'm forever grateful for that. So as I scoped out seat after seat at that lunch table to find the perfect seat, Jesus had already pulled out my chair...the exact spot where He would have sat.

IGBOK

I'm sure you're wondering what on earth the title of my blog means today. Well, bear with me and I'll tell you. :)  I've been working on exercising more lately. I go through spells of walking every day to not walking at all. Well, since my life seems to be "on hold" at the present time, I figure I might as well get back to exercising on a regular basis.  I'm more motivated as well since a married couple bought all of Durant one of these UP Band/Fit Band things that counts your steps and monitors your sleep and calories (if you're into that calorie thing. ha!).  They are pretty cool, but boy what I'd give to have had one of these bands when I was a kid. I would have KILLED my steps every day as much as I was outside. I sure miss those days sometimes.  Well anyway, today is just one of those days when I'm in a funk. We all have these days, it's called life.  To clear my mind, walking and listening to music is always therapeutic for me.  I have anxiety issues, and the only way I can relieve that sometimes is to brisk walk.  It's also a good time for me to talk to God, to let him know that I'm just frustrated and sick of everything. Today was one of those days where I'm just angry. Angry at myself, angry at the world with all that is going on, angry that nothing ever seems to work out for me in my life, angry because I look around and see that everyone else's life just seems to fall into place, angry with job searching, angry with people constantly using me, angry that I'm always the nice, happy, go lucky girl that no one truly knows the loneliness I face day after day...you name it, I'M ANGRY.  Then I start questioning things..."What if I'd not moved to Tennessee?" "What if I'd married that one guy?" "What if I'd taken that job that I turned down years ago?" "What if, what if, what if...."  I can make myself crazy asking "What if...",  and I try not to do that often.  But on the downer days, Satan likes to throw that in my face, along with telling me I'm a loser, telling me that nothing ever works out for me. He tells me this so much that I start believing it, then I just don't care about anything anymore, and I just want to run away and not tell anyone where I am. Just completely go off the grid. But the cool thing about it is, I can go to God about all of this, and I can throw it on Him. I can tell Him exactly how I feel when I have no one else who will listen or give me the line, "I'm praying for you."  Nothing wrong with that, and I'm glad people are praying for me,  but sometimes, you just need more than those words. You know what I mean? You need someone to actually be there, to hug you. Only single/lonely people understand that.   So this brings me to IGBOK.  As I was walking through a neighborhood today, I passed a truck parked on the side of the road. I could see a bumper sticker on it that said, "IGBOK". I thought, what in the world?  As I got closer, I could see words underneath it that said, "It's Gonna Be OK."  It was close to the end of my walk, and I'd been griping to God the entire walk, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw that bumper sticker. Because I don't think it was coincidence that I just "so happened" to see that bumper sticker at that time.  I think that was one of those God moments. I know some people are probably thinking I'm nuts for thinking that, but I really believe God puts things in our paths like this just when we need it.  I don't think they just happen.  And I know that's God's way of saying, "Will you trust me? It's gonna be ok."  I don't understand life. I don't understand why some things seem to work for some people and not for others of us.  I don't know what I'm supposed to do sometimes. I don't have it all figured out. And you know what?? It's gonna be ok that I don't have all the answers.  All I have to do is TRUST. Trust The One who holds this entire crazy, nutty world in His Hands. Trust The One who keeps it turning day after day. Trust The One who holds my future, who holds YOUR future.  Why is it so hard to remember this?  So today, if you're having a tough day like me, I hope God puts something in your path that tells you, "IGBOK" because, yeah...it's gonna be ok.

January Walks

My favorite thing to do to clear my mind is to go for walks alone.  It's a time for me to clear my head, to reflect on important things, and spend time with God.  Today has been a rather weird day when you go for an interview and the person interviewing you obviously hasn't even looked over your resume' when you hear the words, "You've not even worked in an office atmosphere." Um, what?  I only have spent the past 25 years of my working career in an office atmosphere. I quickly informed her that I had worked 8 years in the corporate office of a trucking company near downtown Nashville from 2003 - 2011. I didn't go on to inform her of all the other office jobs I'd had. I was really refraining from sarcastic comments by this time.  She then says, "Oh, so I guess you did."  I'm not sure this girl liked me from the get go. Not sure why. But it's ok.  Clearly I'm not supposed to have that job, and I know God has other plans for me. What those plans are, I don't know, but I'm open to wherever He wants to take me.  So I decided to take a walk today after the weird morning I endured.  We've got some great nature trails not far from where I live, and I just took off on one of those to get some fresh air and pray. I know I say this all the time, but I LOVE being in nature. Just being outside.  I've always loved the outdoors and getting fresh air in my lungs.  God's creation always blows me away. And how often do I take it for granted? As I walked around this trail today, there were birds flying all around me, and squirrels scurrying around. It was cold, but it didn't even matter because it was so peaceful.  If you get out in nature and look around, you just see and hear God everywhere.  It's so easy to get so busy and caught up in the things around us that we just don't take the time to walk outside and literally, smell the roses.  God made all of this for us to enjoy, and how many times do we just go through a day and not even notice the sky, the clouds, the sun, the birds, the squirrels.  We are too worried about "stuff" here, and just don't take the time to live and take it all in. All that He has made for us.  When I'm in His creation, I always think of these verses.  Matthew 6:25-29  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."   BAM!!! Those scriptures hit me hard.  We worry so much about "things", storing away in barns, and clothes, and the latest styles.  Heaven knows I'm not a fashionista by any sense of the word because honestly? I just don't care.  I never have.  And these verses right here pretty much tell me why I shouldn't care.  Because it's NOT important. The lilies of the field are dressed in more splendor than any of us can ever be because they are dressed by God, and He takes care of them.  Oh, His creation.  What  a joy, what a splendor.  Even in January, when it's cold, His creation is still beautiful.  You just have to look.  Enjoy it today, no matter what kind of weird, crazy, or even bad day you may be having.  God cares.  He sees you. Even when I get angry with Him, when I don't understand what He wants me to do or where He wants me to go, I know He can handle me and my anger. I know He understands, and I know He cares.  Man. What a peace that brings to me.  I hope you're feeling His peace today no matter your circumstance. He's there.  Be blessed, my friends, and take just a moment today to notice His creation.  He made it for you.

Belize

My first mission trip was to Belize in March 2013. It's funny how God drops things in your lap when you least expect it. And that's exactly what He did in 2013.  I have always wanted to go on a mission trip, but just never had an opportunity, working full time and never having enough vacation time.  Well, in April of 2011, I walked away from my job, and since that time, God's blessings have been immeasurable in my life.  Granted, I'm not rich for doing so, but somehow God makes a way for me to pay my bills every month and allows me to have the freedom to do HIS work.  It's been pretty incredible being free of the "American Dream" for the past almost 4 years, even though I have friends and family who don't understand what in the world I'm doing. I am looking for work, but I am trying to get something flexible that will allow me to still travel with Durant and do HIS work because that's all I long to do.  I joined Durant in the summer of 2012.  That August, we sang in the little town of Denver City, TX. If you've never been there, well, if you blink, you might miss it.  Considering I'd never been to Texas until that time, I was excited to be there. It was another state I could mark off my bucket list. I know, many of you are thinking how did I ever make it to age 39 without going there?  And the answer is, I don't know.  But it finally worked out, and at this large youth rally where we sang was where my dreams started coming true.  Durant opened for Acappella that night, and it was such a fun concert.  It was hotter than all get out in Texas, and we sang out on a football field because apparently, football is a BIG DEAL in Texas. ;)  This town had nothing, but they sure had a nice, big high school football stadium. :)  Anyway, this youth rally had A LOT of kids there.  It was just a great time, and it was my first "official" concert with Durant, so I was on cloud 9.  Well, after that concert, some guy had come up to one of the girls in our group and said he wanted to take us on a mission trip to Belize in March of 2013.  She laughed because she thought he surely meant Acappella, not Durant.  No one really asked Durant to do such things.  When she told him he must have meant Acappella, he said, "No. I mean you guys...Durant."  I remember her telling all of  us this story, and I just couldn't believe it.  Here I was about to be 40 years old and I might just FINALLY get to go on a mission trip. I wasn't working other than my own business, and I could schedule my OWN time off and not worry about about a boss or if I had enough time built up to take off... I finally wasn't tied to a desk and I could do this.  I think that night in my life was the most excited I have ever been to do anything.  Even better than attending the St. Louis Cardinals World Series game in 1987.  This FAR exceeded any sporting event, any vacation, or anything I had ever done in my life.  We had all of our expenses paid for the trip, and I seriously still can't believe it.  The main reason I always wanted to do mission work was not to only spread the good news of God, but to have my eyes opened to how spoiled rotten we are in this country and all the things we took for granted.  The first thing I noticed was when we were picked up from the airport.  The roads were HORRIBLE.  I mean HORRIBLE.  Pot holed roads with no concrete. Just dirt roads. You would hit your head on the top of the van if the driver didn't slow down going over some of those holes, and there's so many of them, it was impossible to dodge them all.  I thought to myself I would never complain about the rough roads again in America.  After that, we got to our hotel and I found you were lucky if you ever had a hot shower.  This is a nice "resort" where we stayed, but you still don't have the luxuries that you have in the States. So you learned to take very fast showers. :)  Even though I missed a hot shower, I could not get over the peace I felt being out of the States. It was quiet in Belize, it was peaceful in Belize, it was an atmosphere of no description. When I looked up at the sky during the day, all I saw were palm trees and tropical birds flying around and singing. There were no noises of "busy-ness". At night, I could go outside and look up at the sky and actually see stars because there were no signs of city lights. I felt I was truly in God's presence the entire time I was there. It was just different than living here. I don't really know how to describe it, but I felt a peace, a happiness that I'd not felt in a long time. I really didn't want to leave. I think I was the only one in Durant who didn't want to come home because I knew what coming home meant....busy-ness. I don't like busy-ness. To me that is the devil's handiwork to keep us so busy that we forget to do the Lord's work. And we are in such a hurry here. It makes me nuts. We live by a watch or a time clock, are we really living?  Since that time in March 2013, I have longed to do full time mission work, but how? How does a single person, especially a female, do that? I actually don't want to go alone, but I would love to work with a team.  I feel God calling me to do more than live in the States, work a job, retire, and die.  I want to do more. I want to make a difference.  So as I write this blog today, I don't know what my future may hold, but I know I'm going back to Belize in less than 2 months. My flight was booked last night, and March 14-18, I will be in this beloved place again.  Having traveled to the UK, Africa, and Belize, my heart longs for Belize out of all of those places.  I don't know why. Maybe it's because it was my first mission trip, but I know my heart is there. I'm just sad that our trip has to be cut short this year because we have a trip to take to Wisconsin as soon as we get back.  I hear the others in Durant saying "Can't wait to get home", and I think to myself, "I'm already home and I don't want to leave."  One day, some way, somehow, I would love to live in Belize.  How or when that may happen, I don't know, but I do know all things are possible with God, and if He wants me there, it will happen.  Things don't seem to work out for me here in the States like they do for other folks, and I don't think that's coincidence.  So, I sit here now counting down to the days I get to go to Belize. I am excited. If anyone had told me 10 years ago I would be doing what I'm doing right now, I would have never believed them. God has surely been patient with me, I'm not sure why, but I am thankful for His grace. Bring on Belize 2015!!

The Failed Blogger....

That's it. I can finally admit it. Yes, my friends, I am a failure...as in a failed blogger.  Not posting anything since September has donned me with this award.  I'm hanging my head in shame, and I will wear the letters "FB" on my forehead for "Failed Blogger".  I can admit defeat.  But, maybe, just maybe with the new year upon us, I will pick myself up, dust off this blog, and get with it again.  Does anyone else feel rejuvenated when a New Year starts?  Boy, I sure do.  I get a clean slate, a chance to start over, a chance to try again at things that didn't happen for me in the previous year.  I do set goals every New Year, I'm not sure I would call them "resolutions", but goals.  Do I always make those goals? Heavens no, but one of these years, I WILL make them.  This year is no different, I have some goals set in my head.  I don't usually tell them to anyone, that way if I don't reach them, the only one who knows is me. But it doesn't stop me from trying again in the New Year. There are some goals I made last year that I never met, but some I did....like traveling to/being in 5 different countries in a year.  That was actually a goal I didn't really set, but kinda fell in my lap. Still pinching myself about that.   But there are some goals I didn't meet last year, and so I've set them again this year, and I believe I will achieve them this time.  I'm just waiting for God's provision and timing. I just want to stop talking about things and actually make them happen.  The problem I have with not attaining some of my goals is lack of self esteem and belief in myself to do something, then I just give up and don't care.  It's a problem I've had most of my life, but this year, I'm going to try and work on that. Because, face it, if you don't believe in yourself, who will? And how will you ever achieve anything just always giving up? These are just some rambling, bumbling thoughts going through my head today.  So what about you in this New Year of 2015?  What are you going to go for? What are you going to change? Maybe it's changing careers, or taking a mission trip, or relocating, or just having more self esteem. What do you want to do in life to make a difference in someone else's?  One thing about it, we are all in this crazy journey of life together, and God loves each and everyone of us that He sent Jesus to die for all. Even though I mess up daily, I'm thankful He STILL loves me...right where I am, low self esteem, failures, and all. Keep your chins up, my friends.  The year is just beginning.  And I'll even work on becoming a better blogger....because I know, your day is just not complete without a few ramblings from Jewels.  Let's do this! Love y'all!

Rambling Thoughts....

I'm not the best blogger if you haven't figured that out yet.  I used to do real good at blogging every day, but somehow I've fallen off that wagon of blogging lately. I think back in the day, it was cool to blog, and now? Meh...I just get bored with it or think people really don't care what I have to say. haha!  I do most of my blogging in my head now days or in my own personal journal.  But today, I've had some good down time, to just sit outside in nature and enjoy a makeshift waterfall nearby, and a lovely deck to sit on.  One of the many reasons I love pet sitting because I get to come to these "escapes" where I can think and be alone with a dog, cat, birds, or in this case...all of the above. I actually came outside to read, but here I am....blogging.   I love nature. I love to be in it, I love to hike in it, I just love the serenity of God's creation. I've always been a lover of the outdoors because it always brings me closer to God. It can be in the woods, the moutains, or it can be sitting on the beach listening to the sound of waves rolling in.  It soothes my soul. It refreshes me to be outside.  It gets me away from the "busy-ness" of our world.  I sit outside writing this blog right now and it is SO quiet, I love it.  I sit here today thinking about my life over the past several months. And by that, I mean the mission trips I've been on.  5 different countries in the span of less than 6 months.  First Belize, then the UK where we went to England and Scotland, then South Africa, and Malawi. If you put the U.S. in there, that's 5 countries.  This is the girl who used to be such a homebody, who never cared about traveling. Who was terrified to fly (still not a huge fan of flying, but after 16 plus hours to Africa, it's getting easier.). The girl who missed out on SO many opportunities in college to "see the world" because I wanted to be home.  Man. If I had only known what I was missing by not traveling when I was at Harding. I turned down the opportunity to go to Europe as a Freshman when I was in chorus at Harding because I was "homesick" and wanted to go home.  Now, I kick myself.  But I digress.  I thank God every day for my life for the things I get to do and see now in my early 40's. Things I never dreamed of getting to do, and it's given me the traveling bug...BAD. Now I can't stand being home for long periods of time, and I feel like there is a plane out there to catch to go somewhere else. :)  I think I could make my career traveling.   It's just such a blessing to travel the world and meet so many new people, but the thing I'm most thankful for are the opportunities God's shown me to help me be more thankful. More grateful for all that I have.  Believe it or not, the majority of the world doesn't live like us, and sometimes? I'm jealous for that.  I long for a slower pace of life than what we live in this country.  I often times think I'm supposed to do mission work somewhere else, and maybe that opportunity will come. It's definitely not out of the question for me. Whatever God wants me to do, I'll do it.  I don't really care what I do in life anymore other than making a difference in someone else's life. Making a difference in the world. Showing people the love of Jesus and knowing Him.  And what better way to live your life than making a career out of doing the Lord's work.  I don't know what the Lord holds in my future, but I know He holds it, and that's good enough for me.  I trust Him.  I look forward to the future and where He may take me.  Well, these are just some of my rambling thoughts today. It is a gorgeous day to be outside....and now? It's time to really soak it in. Be blessed, my friends.