Well, at least there’s that...

So, what’s the worst possible and most frustrating thing about yarn? I mean, when used properly it produces soft and lovely products .  But... if you do this one thing wrong you can literally waste hours and end your day frustrated and feeling useless. I learned how to crochet. Yep, took a few times, but now I get it.   When I was growing up I was given a tangled up mess of yarn and I would spend hours untangling it and rolling it  into a ball. Why? I have no idea. But I proved that I was the most patient person in our family or maybe... the world! Lol!  If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have developed “super” patience.   So, back to my “yarn”. Yes, I just did that.  I bought some fabric to make what are called “lovies” for children in crisis. If you want to help with this cause there’s a foundation called, “Joy in the Cause”. http://joyinthecause.org/ You can find them online. It’s a great organization and it’s why I learned to crochet.  “Lovies

Every year I hear someone declare “A word for the year “. Many have been absolutely correct others just rhymed well.  So as I was praying and I asked the Lord what was one of the biggest problems facing the church (His body of believers) today. And I saw in my heart what I will call “decoy devils”. Decoy devils distract from the truth using a partial truth as an aversion. Let me give you an example. As I was growing up there was great debate about the validity of the “Living Bible” translation. I remember people literally saying ,” if the King James was good enough for Paul then it’s good enough for me!”  You think I’m kidding but I’m not. Let’s link this thinking. When people who used to ride the bus started to go by plane all they had to compare their experience to was a bus. So when one sweet lady with only a bus mentality purchased her first plane ticket she told the agent that she didn’t want to sit by a window because she’d just had her hair done. Well now most people are awa

 I've lived a life of "I told you so's". What I mean by that is people have always told me what I needed. Television offers to sell me what I need...whatever that is. I was told that I needed an education...check... I needed to get married...check....I needed a good job...check...I needed to be the best mother on the planet...not so much...check....I needed to be a good wife....not so much ...check...I needed to follow the rules...check...I needed to practice my music...check...I needed to give to those less fortunate than myself...check... I needed to try harder (anybody know what that means?)...check...I needed to unleash my creativity....check....I needed to get a dog...check....now next comes the tricky part. Here is a list of the things I'm not supposed to need: Someone to take care of me, someone to have fun with. I don't need to work outside, I don't need to work too hard, I don't need to go sky diving or zip lining or ride a four wheeler..

Merry Christmas! Last time I talked about depression. This time I want to talk about Christmas. It may be in a way you've never heard before, so prepare for a surprise. Most of us have heard the "Christmas Story", but how many of us have thought about the secret plan of God and all the restraint it took God to pull it off. He snuck a Savior into the world. He was so excited about it, but he couldn't tell anyone. Well, he did tell some "Wise Men." He also went into the fields and let the angels tell the shepherds secretly. The Wise Men were probably a little gullible. I mean, they went to a king to ask him where the New King was being born. Even if Herod had been a saint he would have been jealous or even felt threatened. Since Herod was not a saint he felt those things times one hundred. He was afraid and he was angry. So, he did what most people do when they are afraid or angry....he lied. "Oh, please tell me when you find this king so I can

 Christmas brings great joy but depression often leaves its victim guilt ridden because they can not experience the same joy as others.That's why I titled this. “Wait, it’s only depression “.  Many people see depression as a choice, a phase, an inconvenience.  It's often dismissed, but depression is very real and is a horrible state of mind. Some people do not recover from it. When you experience something for a long period of time it becomes normal. Depression doesn't really go away. I know, there are miracles and medication, but unfortunately we live in a fallen world and when something has a hold on you, it really doesn't want to let go. The same thing is true of depression. It creates pathways in the brain and those pathways becomes more and more "normal".  When you don't feel depressed and you have felt depressed for a long time it's hard to believe that depression won't sneak up on you again. But guess what, the truth of the matter is tha

The past year has been very enlightening. Have you ever struggled with ideologies? Things you just knew were true... so true that they even defied common sense. Got your attention? We’ve all been given advice that we "shouldn’t" do things because they “can cause cancer”. I avoided all of those things and guess what? Got cancer anyway.  Was that my fault? Absolutely not. We live in a fallen world and one thing is certain... we’re all going to die. Don’t you feel better now?  I mean seriously who can live a “perfect “ life? What is “perfect”? I don’t know. For example let’s talk about parenting. If you are a parent then you will probably know the meanings of the words “guilt” and “regret”.  I think those are the two most tormenting words in parental language. “I wish I had or had not done”.  “I thought I taught them better than that” “They are having a hard time and if I’d only done....insert word here... they wouldn’t be going through this”. Guess what? You are both right

Growing up in church was very confusing. I heard the phrase “judge not, lest ye be judged” then outside of the church... no I mean right outside of the church people would be gossiping. I heard people say things like. “I knew he was no good, “ or  “I told you to watch out for her!”  What is that? Are gossiping, judgement and discernment the same thing? There's a fine line between them. They are similar , but not the same. I had a Dr use that term about a medication I needed. One variety made me sick and one helped me get better. They were similar, even in the same “family” but different. I find it interesting that margarine is said to be one molecule away from plastic.  We would never eat plastic... see it’s interesting.  Do you know that people will not believe a lie unless there is a little bit of truth in it? Think about it.  The first lie... “Didn’t God say...?” “ Well, let me tell you why...” The rest is history.  The Devil twisted what God actually said and made it into a

Yep, you read that right.  I’ve been bell ringing for the Salvation Army in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Good times! I really enjoy it.  I’ve  been singing throughout my whole shift and have seen great results. I bet you’ve seen your share of “bell ringers” let’s talk about a few. No one was harmed in the writing of this blog!  Ha! Ok. So I’ve seen the “scared to death” br (bell ringer). They don’t make eye contact, they look like they are embarrassed to give out candy. I had one lady hand me the whole strip of candy canes. Almost apologetically. I didn’t take any of them and I gave anyway. I’ve seen br’s stand in the corner , away from the door and basically hide. I’ve seen them sit behind tables as if to protect themselves. Realistically, I can understand their concerns. They are probably introverted souls that have given their time out of love.  Anytime you give with love it’s amazing! I’ve also run into a couple of “hostile takeover” br’s. Nobody is supposed to do this, I mean i

I have heard one particular phrase most of my life. There was even a song or two written about it. One particular song was entitled,”Don’t Give Up on the Brink of a Miracle.” A truly inspirational song with a wonderful message of holding onto hope. But what I want to talk to you about today is not tomorrow’s miracle... today was full of miracles too. Can you think of something you’ve longed for, prayer for, hoped for and now it’s yours? Maybe it was a child, a home, a car, a mate, a dog, a horse... still waiting for my horse.... Just sayin’. I remember trying to get through college. I dreamt of the day that I’d walk across that platform with my own two feet and shake the Deans hand and get my diploma.  Do you know what the Dean whispered in my ear as I crossed the platform? He said, “well deserved.” That was a miracle. When I had my senior recital and needed to sing 13 songs from memory, while standing and I’d had bilateral Bell’s palsy, double pneumonia with lung failure and had b

Thank you for coming back and staying with me during my "figuring things out." So, here's what happened next. I was trying to stay afloat in every way imaginable. I was working my business and trying to go on with what was left of my life. I was absolutely alone. One day, I was driving down a road (and you may have read this before) and my car threw me into a house going 55 mph. Knocked the house off of its foundation and my car was a tin can. The engine dropped and I'm sure that had a lot to do with my survival. If it hadn't fallen, as it was designed to do, it would have crushed me completely. The ambulance and fire department workers worked fervently to get me out of the car. They ended up cutting the entire drivers side of the car off. They tried using the jaws of life, nothing, they tried taking out the windshield, the drivers side windshield, the sun roof, even the door. Nothing. I was trapped by the seat belt and that's all that was holding me tog