I cannot believe it has been almost a year since my last blog post! Wow. Where did 2012 go? I am going to try and rededicate myself to posting to my blog on a more regular basis. Today is SuperBowl Sunday, and it seems the entire world is dedicated to that. So, surely, I can dedicate myself to logging my thoughts, desires, funny moments, informational pieces, etc. to this page. I am looking forward to a very prosperous 2013! (Go Steelers! I know, they did not make it to the SuperBowl, but I still love them.)
Lemon
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Monday, January 30, 2012
Almost February
Wow, can you believe it is almost February. January has flown by. We have had a mild winter, with unbelievable temperatures in middle Tennessee. Today is a beautiful, sunny day, and as I sit here in front of my window, I think of how wonderful our God truly is. He has made everything. The earth, the sea, the sun, the stars, even little ole me. I am so excited about my upcoming Cd release, but also nervous. Yeah, I admit it, I'm a little apprehensive. Why? Because something that I have worked on for a long time is coming to pass, and it seems so surreal. There is much still to be done to prepare for the actually release party, but I see it all falling into place. I just pray that the words on the songs that I am releasing will bless those who hear them. Enjoy your week my friends!
Lemon
The Barren Woman
Friday, December 16, 2011
Merry Christmas Everyone
Wow, wow, and wow! Where did the time go between Thanksgiving and now? How about between January 1, 2011 and now. We are almost at the close of another year. Christmas is only 9 days away, the day that we celebrate the birth of our Saviour (well those of us who choose to celebrate it on that day). I hear many argue about when he was born, when he was not born, etc. etc. It matters not to me if the 25th is the correct date or not. I am just so glad He was born! Lord, I thank you so much for life. For my life. For the good times, bad times, trying times. I thank you for allowing me to take a breath each new day. God is the joy and the strength of my life. I am not ashamed to proclaim it to the world! He is everything to me. I have truly seen Him turn my "mourning into dancing; my sorrow into joy."
You might not receive a lot of gifts this year. You might not have a "boo" or "booette" (as my Pastor calls them) to spend the holidays with. You might not even have a family. But guess what we do have. We have Jesus. The baby that was born of a virgin. The one who was born, lived, died, and rose again for us.
Take the time this season to share a smile with someone less fortunate than yourself. Give them a hug. A kind word. A gift! But please do not let this Christmas pass you by without lifting your hands and saying "Thank you Jesus."
I love this song: "Jesus, Jesus, oh what a wonderful child; Jesus, Jesus, so holy, meek and mild; new life, new hope to all He brings, listen, to the angels singing. Glory, Glory, Glory to the newborn king!"
Everybody sing it!
With love and gratitude, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.
Lemon
The Barren Woman
Monday, November 28, 2011
Still Giving Thanks
Although I do not want anymore turkey or ham, I am still giving thanks. This was a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and the more I look around me, the more I realize how truly blessed I am. I was able to spend time with my family, and that means so much to me. There are so many who do not have a family at all. So many spent this weekend alone and sad. Although I would have loved another day off, I was BLESSED to have a job to go back to today. There are so many who do not have a job and are in dire need of one to take care of their families. Although it was a cold, rainy day, I still had shelter when it was dark. There are so many who will spend the night in this cold dreary weather with no form of physical shelter. As I was giving a man a donation today for the paper, he said, "It is so cold and rainy out here." I realized the truth of what he was saying. He was homeless and knew that the night would only make it worse for him.
Truly, we have so much to be thankful for. And we have so much that we can give back to others. Please do not allow this season to pass without giving something to someone less fortunate than yourself. It might not always be in the form of money. It can be your time, a kind word, a gentle touch, a smile.
Luke 6:38
New International Version (NIV)
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Be blessed,
Lemon
Truly, we have so much to be thankful for. And we have so much that we can give back to others. Please do not allow this season to pass without giving something to someone less fortunate than yourself. It might not always be in the form of money. It can be your time, a kind word, a gentle touch, a smile.
Luke 6:38
New International Version (NIV)
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Be blessed,
Lemon
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Forgiveness, Memories, and Trust...what a combination!
I have tried and tried to get this thing off of me for the last few nights, but I cannot. I have been awakened at least the last three nights, feeling that I needed to write this blog. Each time, I would just make excuses, saying things like, “Oh, I don’t feel like getting up and turning on the computer...etc., etc.”
But if I have learned one thing in the last 3 years it is this, when God says do something, I had better do it. It could be to help just one person. Well here goes.
The issue is not forgiveness, (this time), it is remembrance. I have been hurt “to the quick” (as they say) by men (two husbands) who said they loved me dearly. I often say (to myself), that they both left me for dead. They were able to walk away from our marriage and never look back. One after 12 years, and one after only 5 years (I guess he figured no use of staying any longer…) Now believe me, I have had to do some soul searching myself to see why they “love me and leave me.” I have come up with a few things (smile).
But the issue here is that although I “feel” that I have forgiven both of these men, (and some others…let’s not go there), I cannot seem to forget. I know, I know. We always say “I can forgive, but I can’t forget.” But, should those times of remembering cause you to get so worked up that you can hardly think or focus? Should they cause you so much sadness that you want to retreat back to your “safe” place, but you remember how long it took you to get where you are; so you dare not go backwards.
There are many things that trigger my memory. It can be something on tv, something that I hear, something or someone that I see. And then, it is like “boom”, I am thrown back to the early morning hours of October 25, 2008, when my husband stood in our bedroom doorway (with his “bag” packed) and announced “I am leaving now.” He was going to be with his pregnant mistress who would give birth only a few days later.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because I want you to know that when I say I understand your hurt, I truly mean it. I know there are different types of hurt, and I know that we have all been hurt in some way. But the only hurt I can really tell you about is my own.
So I asked God the other night, why the memories? Because honestly, if God wanted to, He could wipe away all of the hurt and pain, and memories. (And I am not saying that I want Him to do that, because I don’t want my memory taken away.) But He “reminded” me, that the memories “remind” me of what an awesome God He is! How can you feel you are living in a dark hole one moment (or in some cases one year or more) and then you look up one day and life has gone on. You did not die (physically or emotionally), and suddenly He has turned your mourning into dancing.
Do I like having these memories? There are many more…too numerous to even write about. No, I don’t particularly like them. But they do help me to see that there is nothing too hard for God. There is no hurt that He cannot heal. There is no pain that He does not feel. There is nobody greater than our God!
And then I realize the bigger issue is really not the memories, it is the issue of trust. I would not be honest with you if I told you that my trust in mankind has been restored. It has not, and I just know that God will help me.
My dear friends, please do not be so hard on yourself because of the memories. You do not have the power to wipe them away. But you do have the power to decide how you will handle them when they arise. I want you to be encouraged today. God makes no mistakes. If He brought you to it, He will definitely see you through it. Until next time….
Lemon
The Barren Woman
But if I have learned one thing in the last 3 years it is this, when God says do something, I had better do it. It could be to help just one person. Well here goes.
The issue is not forgiveness, (this time), it is remembrance. I have been hurt “to the quick” (as they say) by men (two husbands) who said they loved me dearly. I often say (to myself), that they both left me for dead. They were able to walk away from our marriage and never look back. One after 12 years, and one after only 5 years (I guess he figured no use of staying any longer…) Now believe me, I have had to do some soul searching myself to see why they “love me and leave me.” I have come up with a few things (smile).
But the issue here is that although I “feel” that I have forgiven both of these men, (and some others…let’s not go there), I cannot seem to forget. I know, I know. We always say “I can forgive, but I can’t forget.” But, should those times of remembering cause you to get so worked up that you can hardly think or focus? Should they cause you so much sadness that you want to retreat back to your “safe” place, but you remember how long it took you to get where you are; so you dare not go backwards.
There are many things that trigger my memory. It can be something on tv, something that I hear, something or someone that I see. And then, it is like “boom”, I am thrown back to the early morning hours of October 25, 2008, when my husband stood in our bedroom doorway (with his “bag” packed) and announced “I am leaving now.” He was going to be with his pregnant mistress who would give birth only a few days later.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because I want you to know that when I say I understand your hurt, I truly mean it. I know there are different types of hurt, and I know that we have all been hurt in some way. But the only hurt I can really tell you about is my own.
So I asked God the other night, why the memories? Because honestly, if God wanted to, He could wipe away all of the hurt and pain, and memories. (And I am not saying that I want Him to do that, because I don’t want my memory taken away.) But He “reminded” me, that the memories “remind” me of what an awesome God He is! How can you feel you are living in a dark hole one moment (or in some cases one year or more) and then you look up one day and life has gone on. You did not die (physically or emotionally), and suddenly He has turned your mourning into dancing.
Do I like having these memories? There are many more…too numerous to even write about. No, I don’t particularly like them. But they do help me to see that there is nothing too hard for God. There is no hurt that He cannot heal. There is no pain that He does not feel. There is nobody greater than our God!
And then I realize the bigger issue is really not the memories, it is the issue of trust. I would not be honest with you if I told you that my trust in mankind has been restored. It has not, and I just know that God will help me.
My dear friends, please do not be so hard on yourself because of the memories. You do not have the power to wipe them away. But you do have the power to decide how you will handle them when they arise. I want you to be encouraged today. God makes no mistakes. If He brought you to it, He will definitely see you through it. Until next time….
Lemon
The Barren Woman
Thursday, November 10, 2011
So Far, So Good
Since we last talked, I have continued my pursuit to greatness...i.e., my weight loss goal! I am still pressing my way to the gym at least 4 days a week, and the Zumba is getting a little better. I am carefully restructuring my eating habits on a daily basis, and trying to make better choices. I am now focusing on what I can do to up the ante on my exercise plans. I think I need to add some things. The most important part of all of this is that I know I can and will do this. With God's help, all things are possible for me. I have set a 2-year goal to meet my weight loss plans of losing at least 150 pounds. I know! WOW! That's a lot of weight to lose. But, it was a lot to gain. Believe me, I feel every bit of it.
God is so good to me, and I thank Him for His mercies each day. I cannot tell you that I am at the point where I WANT to get up each morning and go to the Y to workout, but I DO get up. That is a major step for me. To God be the glory for the things He is doing each day. I pray that I can be a walking example of what you can do if you trust Him and work hard.
Friday, October 14, 2011
It's A New Season
Wow, so much has happened since we last talked. In September, I sold my home. It was only on the market for 1 day, and we closed in exactly 30 days. The whole story is a miracle in itself, and a testament of what God will do if we (I) just trust Him. We have to take Him at His word, and dare not doubt for a moment. With the way that our economy is, to be able to open and close on a home in 30 days is nothing far from a miracle from God Himself! And I thank Him every, every day.
Now that I have relocated, I have decided to tackle this one major thing that I have tried to fight, ignore, hide from, for so long. My weight. Although I believe I am a beautiful person (hey, if you don't think so, who will?), I still know that I am not a healthy person. After enjoying a beautiful trip to Bahamas on my birthday, I came back to the realization that there is no better time than now. I have trusted God with every area of my life (not to say that I have always done what He said...I would not dare make such a bold statement.) But now, I must trust Him with that one area that will require a great deal of work from me in the physical sense. I must now redirect my attention to this physical vessel. So, beginning this past Tuesday, I began my "visits" to the local YMCA. I have been using the treadmills, bikes, and strengthening and toning equipment. I have developed a healthier eating plan, and am trying very hard to stick with it. I know that for me eating healthier and exercising regularly, prefaced with much prayer, is what will help me to become a healthier version of me! No fad diets or quick fix programs will help me (not for long anyway). I attended a Yoga class this week that had me sweating as though I had run a mile. (And everyone else in the class was a senior adult. They seemed to have no problems. haha) Next week, I will "attempt" to begin the Zumba class.
As Oprah says, this one thing I know for sure. I know this will be a long road, but I am taking it one day at a time. With the help of God, I can do this. I encourage you to face that one thing that you dread the most. Ask yourself if this is the time to face it. Take baby steps. What can you do this week to begin the process of correcting it.
Take care, and I will update you on my progress soon.
Lemon Drops
Now that I have relocated, I have decided to tackle this one major thing that I have tried to fight, ignore, hide from, for so long. My weight. Although I believe I am a beautiful person (hey, if you don't think so, who will?), I still know that I am not a healthy person. After enjoying a beautiful trip to Bahamas on my birthday, I came back to the realization that there is no better time than now. I have trusted God with every area of my life (not to say that I have always done what He said...I would not dare make such a bold statement.) But now, I must trust Him with that one area that will require a great deal of work from me in the physical sense. I must now redirect my attention to this physical vessel. So, beginning this past Tuesday, I began my "visits" to the local YMCA. I have been using the treadmills, bikes, and strengthening and toning equipment. I have developed a healthier eating plan, and am trying very hard to stick with it. I know that for me eating healthier and exercising regularly, prefaced with much prayer, is what will help me to become a healthier version of me! No fad diets or quick fix programs will help me (not for long anyway). I attended a Yoga class this week that had me sweating as though I had run a mile. (And everyone else in the class was a senior adult. They seemed to have no problems. haha) Next week, I will "attempt" to begin the Zumba class.
As Oprah says, this one thing I know for sure. I know this will be a long road, but I am taking it one day at a time. With the help of God, I can do this. I encourage you to face that one thing that you dread the most. Ask yourself if this is the time to face it. Take baby steps. What can you do this week to begin the process of correcting it.
Take care, and I will update you on my progress soon.
Lemon Drops
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