In one of the groups I belong to we do a highlight from our week and then discuss an insight that we gleaned from it.

I really enjoy this practice and I would love to share it with you my readers so that you could learn to enjoy this practice. The reason is because it reminds us how God is in our life so profoundly.

As an example this week my highlight will be:

Thanksgiving and what a beautiful time it is with family. My insight is that when we are grateful for what we have and who we share life with, then our time together is even sweeter.

What would you say is your highlight and insight for this week?

The Bible contains many verses about thanksgiving, such as Psalm 100:4, which says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name!” Another popular verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which states, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Father, help us to approach every moment and opportunity in life with thanksgiving, as you are the creator of all things. You know what plans you have for us and they are for our good.

The last two weeks have been tough on my emotions. A battle with cancer for the husband of a dear friend has been coming to an end. He passed peacefully on January 11th at 7:10 pm into the loving arms of his sovereign Lord. My friend began asking me for help last week, in communicating with others. As a widow of 6 years and 8 months it hit my emotions so hard. It’s difficult to watch someone walk the path you’ve been down. It’s even traumatic as your own memories surface and you are walking through your own grief again. However, I knew I was being called to help her in a special way. I knew the Lord was asking me to do something well and in a way that others couldn’t because as much as they wanted and did help, they weren’t a widow, as I am.

Through many tears I’ve kept up communication with other dear friends, helped with her business by communicating with leaders who needed to know things. Now my focus shifts… it shifts to helping her through the next few days, weeks, months and years. Widow to widow.

There is this saying “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” God also doesn’t call the mighty in heart, He gives the mightiness to those who say “yes” and are willing to serve when He calls us to difficult tasks. Please look at each thing you are prompted to do as a privilege God is entrusting you with. He will be there to guide you, to hold you and to see you through that task. He alone allows us and empowers us to love well with the love He showers on us daily. Who better to ask than the person who has already walked the path? While it may be hard because it brings up so much in you, you are the perfect person for the job in God’s redeeming perfection.

The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Gen 39:23

Father, You are a good and loving Father. Help us to trust You when You call us to a task, to serve, to be Your hands and feet. Help us to know that You are trusting us with a privilege and not a burden. Amen

Grieving… so much of the time feels dark and heavy.

A friend has a book and it talks about running into the darkness to chase the light. God is there through the darkness holding us in His arms till we find the light.

I find that I’m running into the darkness again. I’m grieving my late husband again as an 18 month relationship has come to an end, because if Rob hadn’t gone to Heaven I wouldn’t be in the dating world. If Rob were here cherishing me and loving me as Christ loved the church I wouldn’t be suffering a broken heart again. I’m grieving what I thought that 18 month relationship was.

People will let us down but our Heavenly Father never does. I know we are all human, and all sin and make mistakes, but some people purposefully sin daily, laughing in God’s face while they pray, read their devotionals and scripture.

All I can say is that its hurt people that hurt people. I can’t imagine the depths of his pain that caused him to do the things he did. But my friends God wastes nothing.

I have to own that I didn’t listen to my gut and my friends. BUT God answered my prayer with the FULL truth. I love God moments. Moments when you know it’s only because of Him that something happened.

“You shall know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;”

Father, no matter what brings the darkness today please grant us the strength to run into the darkness chasing the light that is at the end. Help us to know you are holding us in your loving arms through the darkness. That the light we are chasing is Your perfect peace.

As you start reading this blog you will realize I wrote it back in April. Not sure why I never published, except that there was no scripture and prayer at the end of it. So, it just sat here unfinished. Today I’m finishing it. Someone may need it today…

It’s happens (being undone)…. And so much can come into it. Rob, my late husband’s bday is April 9th… this year it landed on Easter and this year on the 28th he’s now been in Heaven for 6 years…. And l’m undone! In addition I have a dear friend with a brain tumor diagnosis, another friend whose been in the hospital over two weeks, a third friend back in the hospital who has been in and out for over 18 months, another friend whose husband is battling cancer and having urgent prayer requests…. And yet it’s Easter and all we love to celebrate about our Risen Lord. And I’m undone … Satan loves for it all to be too much!! Praise for the Peter’s of this world who say “let me help”, or “just come to service with me” or “just put your feet up and relax” or just hold you and say “I hope you feel secure” (what my guy did yesterday!) It takes a village and I’m so grateful that we have our God fearing loving village. Loving husbands, parents, fiends… cups of Diet Coke (I may have to go get some fancy coffee drink today… I’m out of good coffee creamer!!) – but I’m focusing on gratitude instead of all that has me undone, and guess what … just like that gratitude has flipped my brain! My tears are dried up and I’m ready to dig back into work. Ready to help the next soul who is walking in the “satan’s working hard on me today shoes”.

Be vulnerable and share with someone you trust, someone loving who will come along side you with the warmth of the Lord and be there for you. Help you to be grateful and flip your brain from undone to ready for your next thing.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I Cor 15:58

God does not waste what we go through and neither does he waste what we do for others. Hugs my friends.

Father, help us to realize that when we minister to others you redeem that for Your glory and our good. Maybe we rest in Your loving arms and be aware of the precious people in our lives that bring us comfort then may we look for opportunity to minister to others. Amen

I’ve experienced two very memorable Christmas Miracles that relate to my life, verses the birth of our Savior which is for all mankind. The first was in 1980 when I came home for Christmas. My first husband and I had three days to be home and be at 5 different homes – or so I thought. We saw his parents, then each of his grandparents – three visits down.

We then went to my home town 40 miles away. When I walked into my Grandmother’s my mom greeted me and then said “oh by the way, you’re dad will be at Christmas dinner”. Snotty 19 year old that I was I asked “yeah, who invited him Grandma?” She replied “no, I knew that you had limited time to be here and so I invited him.” To this day it’s still the best Christmas gift of my life. My parents separated when I was 4. I asked my dad for most of the child support payments and we just knew they were only civil in public. They had come together a couple of years before this to help my brother who was in some trouble with the law, and they had managed to be decent at my wedding, but I still didn’t expect this.

Today was my second Christmas Miracle. I’ve been divorced from my children’s father for over 23 years. Most of which have been very rocky, as much as that was never what I desired. I’ve just wanted peace. Seven years ago we managed to be civil for a few months after not speaking at all for the 5 years following our daughter’s high school graduation.

Four times over the last 7 weeks I’ve made trips to Kansas with my kids because their grandpa, my former father-in-law was very ill. With this 4th trip being for his funeral. Two days ago I was aware that my former husband wasn’t happy that I was coming. However, it was important to me that I be here to support my son as a pallbearer and my daughter as she would see her dad and speak with him for the first time in over 2 1/2 years, since due to circumstances she uninvited him to her wedding. It’s all a lot of emotions to deal with, and I wanted to be here for my former mother-in-law and other family. In addition, to say goodbye to a man who meant much in my life.

As it came time to leave for the family lunch I became a little anxious. While intending to keep my distance, that felt a little hard to do in a small town church with somewhere around 30 of us for lunch.

We arrived first and I went to the basement. A cousin that I worked with 30 years ago and I were visiting when I became aware of my daughter and her dad hugging. Then I became aware of him waiting for me. He hugged me, said he was sorry and he was glad I was able to come. It was a big change from two days ago.

Then as we were last to leave the graveside service he hugged our children and said he felt like there had been things on both sides (I do believe it’s often a two way street, and there is always perspective that comes into play.) Then I heard him say “Guess I’ve probably been the biggest a** of all, but let’s work on things, it’s what Pop always wanted.” (His mom told me as I hugged her to leave, that Pop had prayed for years for things to be resolved between Mike and Whitney, and Mike and Me.)

Matthew 18:20 (NIV) For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

I asked many people to pray about today and I’m so grateful to be part of a village of praying people that brought the Father to be with us today.

Father, I thank you for the blessing of Christmas miracles as we all strive to be more like your Son who came to earth as a baby to be our Savior. We have hope of seeing our Pop in Heaven because of your grace, and we have hope in the restoration of our earthly relationships when we seek to be godly. Amen

In 2018 I decided to work on a puzzle during my weekend away to celebrate my late husband. I was struggling to get the frame all together (my preferred way to start a puzzle). My daughter got to the condo and said “I think this red goes down in this corner” and the whole right side became the bottom of the puzzle!

Isn’t this so true of life? Things look one way, and sometimes we are just sure it’s right! I might not have finished that puzzle because I was so sure it was right. How many times in life do we think we have something figured out, only to discover we didn’t? The puzzle wasn’t fitting together until we took a different direction, or considered things differently.

Another thing to consider, to learn about life is that we can’t do it alone. Both my son and my daughter helped me finish the puzzle.

God created Eve because He knew it was not good for man to be alone. We are created to be in community with each other. To enjoy each other’s company, to help each other and to be there for each other. We shouldn’t try to do life all alone and even more we are called to be there for others.

I think we get a lot wrong in life…. our puzzle pieces aren’t in the right place, but this is one place we can work on daily. One thing is we can right and have the puzzle coming together. Just be there for others.

Phil 2: 1-7 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Father, may we understand how You are placing the pieces of our puzzle to form the picture of our life. Make we work with You so that others are not alone and thus neither are we. May we look forward to each piece creating the master piece that is our life. Amen.

Good morning! I’m so happy because today is the release of a special book: Just.You.Wait. By Tricia Lott Williford

Tricia’s story is much like what we all face, times of waiting… but maybe you’re blessed in that the “waits” of your life aren’t so tragic. Whether our waits are tragic or just incredibly painful and long, there is much to learn and treasure when you learn to wait well.

Tricia became a young widow when her husband died suddenly of an infection that was hidden by the flu. The doctors words ring in her memory of when they told Robb that the flu wouldn’t kill him, but he would be so sick he would feel like it was going to kill him; and twelve hours later he would pass in her arms. A waiting time began.

Years later Tricia meets Peter who becomes her second husband. Peter has had a wait of his own as he battled addiction and even had jail time to wait through.

Read their story and learn what can come during the wait, when you lean into God and learn to wait well. This is a real gift of time even though we often can’t see it at the time. Learn how you aren’t alone and how God hasn’t forgotten you. You will never view a waiting season in the same way again.

Check out Just.You.Wait. On Amazon and Good Reads. It’s available for purchase today!

I know we’ve all had seasons of this in our life. I’m definitely having a season now and I’m praying that the season is at the end.

In 2019 alone I’ve had the following mishaps:

• Burned my hand with scalding water just out of the electric kettle, because the travel mug wasn’t closed and I bent over to pick something up. Pharmacist said not to pop the blisters. Bandaid covering blisters pulled skin off of back of hand where hand was burned but not blistered. Cost: weeks of tending to said area to avoid infection and hoping for no scaring. Only I notice the area of the burn, so I did pretty good!
• Failed to put my late husband’s pickup in park, which meant I didn’t get it completely turned off, resulting in two dead batteries and a failing starter. Cost: $500
• Tried to put something in my hard top convertible I shouldn’t have. Messed up roof liner. Cost $1000
• Metal signs from Hobby Lobby are great. Had one above my door leading to the garage. It fell. Decided to put it back, but it’s now warped and fell off the wall hitting me in the nose. Cost: possible permanent dent in my nose. Temporarily very sore nose that means it hurts to wear sunglasses and I need to be very careful wiping my eyes. That nose is like a sore thumb that you bump every time you turn around. Thankfully blowing my nose doesn’t hurt. Prayed for no black eyes and I think that one has been answered.
• Still no dishwasher in my home. Old one sprung a leak in October 2018. Overwhelming to try and pick a new one! Cost: continual need to hand wash dishes and otherwise what do you want to spend? $500 and up! I was going to pull the trigger, but the vehicle repairs kinda put a damper on that. Oh and of course I still get overwhelmed when I try to shop for one. Thinking I’ll just have to go take whatever is available in scratch and dent and call it good!
• Finally… mice! I just can’t get rid of the mice this year. It’s July 7th so it’s kind of like there’s only 80 days left till Christmas. It could quite possibly be only 60-80 days till it’s cold enough for the mice to come in again!! But it will just be new ones joining the ones that apparently have become my pets. Cost: not sure… 3 kinds of traps, wall plugs and boxes of bait have not done the trick. Really, really don’t want a cat, an NO I do not want a bull snake either!

What does this have to do with “Grace Under Pressure?” Sometimes you run out grace… there is just no way to maintain your perspective, to be joyful, to be positive. Sometimes you take a deep breath, breath a prayer asking God for favor that your blunders are over. That somehow you can have your brain back and just stop the foolish things that are happening. It was this way early in my grief, as hard as I tried to be careful I just couldn’t. Crazy, expensive things happened then too. So then you go into “extra careful” mode and you survive it. Well folks, I’m back in “extra careful” mode. With a divot in the bridge of my nose, it’s all I know to do. Slow down, be very intentional and pray for Grace to return.

“Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28:26‬ ‭

Father, please keep me safe and help me each and every day to walk in wisdom. Help me to lean on You rather than trusting in myself. Help me to see what it is I’m supposed to learn in this season and to learn it quickly. Amen

I have two friends that celebrated a loved one’s birthday in Heaven the other day. One a mom who lost her son to suicide just after his 21st birthday. She asked us to do a random act of kindness in his memory. The other a new widow going through all the firsts after a long loving marriage. She is going home to be with her children and other family to celebrate her husband’s birthday. These are beautiful ways to celebrate our loved ones.

I wanted to ponder birthdays in Heaven. GriefShare tells us Heaven is beyond what we can imagine, which makes sense. When we think about Heaven it’s limited by what we know here on earth. There is just nothing here that compares.

Who will we celebrate with? How will we celebrate. I have three birthday twins in the Denver Metro area…. imagine how many birthday twins I have in Heaven? I imagine it is some party with an amazing amount of birthday twins… what if we have the same birthday as Peter, or James or Paul? Wow, can you imagine getting to share cake in a place where no one has trouble with gluten or sugar anymore; ice cream where no one has dairy issues, and where the party stretches for miles? And by the way, there is a celebration every day! There is no day without a birthday celebration!

In the midst of all this merriment, is the best praise band of angels, and as we celebrate and give thanks for our lives and the family members we are celebrating with…. well wait, just think about that a minute: I barely remember my great Grandparents on my mom’s side. I never knew my great Grandfather on my dad’s side, but that great Grandma lived to be 102! So I knew her well, but I think we are going to get to celebrate with generations way beyond that. Isn’t that mind blowing? Maybe that birthday we share with Peter, James or Paul comes being related to them! Who in the Bible would you want to be related to and why?

Isaiah 25:8a he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces

I googled verses about Heaven and this is the first one that came up, another beautiful thing about Heaven, especially for those of us that are in the “throws” of grief, still gripped in the journey that we simply must continue to walk through.

Father, help us to realize that our sorrows here on earth will someday be fully redeemed when we meet you face to face. While I may have tears today in my grief, once I’m in Heaven You will wipe away all my tears. Death is no more for our loved ones who have gone to Heaven ahead of us. What a beautiful thing to understand. Amen.

I had a remarkable birthday last month, and I didn’t really expect that. Most of the month I’ve been telling people I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to celebrate my birthday. My late husband made birthdays so special, but I think my biggest struggle is that the anniversary of his passing is only 6 days after my birthday. This year marks the second anniversary. It doesn’t help that Easter was the day before my birthday this year. That’s a lot of activity and emotions in 8 days time.

My family will be going to Texas memorial weekend for my niece’s high school graduation. So my first thought was that we should just celebrate in Texas because it’s been a very long time since I’ve been able to celebrate with my family that lives there. My day ended up being very special and I truly am ready to keep moving forward with my life and to celebrate me. Rob after all would really want that for me.

I had a special lunch with a dear friend. We share so much in common, she was someone I could cry about how I wanted to celebrate and yet I didn’t. She took me to Seasons 52 and they do up birthdays right! Shot glass desert, candle in glass of sugar to make a wish along with a bowl of fruit to make the plate pretty, glass of champagne, and birthday wishes and a rose delivered by the manager. Reminiscent of the kind of special birthday Rob would have seen to.

Flowers from my biz partner, 250+ Facebook messages, texts, phone calls and cards in the mail round out the day. Unplanned dinner with my daughter that held an amazing conversation. The authentic kind that just draws you closer was a sweet ending to the day.

The next evening I went dancing. I hadn’t been able to go on Tuesday’s since January because I was attending GriefShare meetings. It was the teacher’s birthday but she knew mine was the day before, so she made sure our friends sang happy birthday, but I didn’t let her get away with not being in the picture frame with me.

When I arrived home I had some time to visit with my son. To tell him some things on my heart and he had some things to share as well. Another very authentic conversation drawing us closer, provided a sweet ending to a second day.

It’s these two conversations with my children that exceed anything bought or hand made. Nothing else could delight my heart in the way these conversations did. These conversations even surpass the amazing posts they made on Facebook as they wished me happy birthday.

Prov 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed.

Striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman is a goal I should work on daily. With the help of the Lord and Godly people in our lives, I believe my children meet the definition of verse 28 with their posts to me. I am humbled by their words and certainly blessed that we have the relationship that we do.

Father, I pray that I might continue to be a Godly influence in my children’s lives. And above all else that others be drawn to you because of what they see in us. Thank you for the gift of these relationships, the gift of authenticity and transparency between us. Help us always work towards supporting each other, working to bring out the best in each other, all while showing You to a lost world. Amen