How You Live

This is from a new CD I got. This is one of my favorite songs. The words speak so much to how life should be lived.

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How You Live (turn Up The Music)

by Point Of Grace

Wake up to the sunlight

with your windows open

Don't hold in the rainbow

or leave things unspoken

Wear your red dress

use your good dishes

Make a big mess

and make lots of wishes

Have what you want

but want what you have

And don't spend your life looking back

Turn up the music

turn it up loud

Take a few chances

let it all out

You won't regret it

lookin' back from where you have been

Cuz it's not who you knew

and it's not what you did

It's how you live

So go to the ballgame

and go to the ballet

And go see your folks more than

just on the holidays

Kiss all your children,

dance with your wife

Tell your husband

you love him every night

Don't run from the truth

'cause you can't get away

Just face it and you'll be okay

Turn up the music

turn it up loud

Take a few chances

let it all out

You won't regret it,

lookin' back from where you have been

'Cause it's not who you knew

and it's not what you did

It's how you live

Oh wherever you are

and wherever you've been

Now is the time to begin

So give to the needy

and pray for the grieving

Even when you don't think that you can

'Cause all that you do is bound

to come back to you

So think of your fellow man

Make peace with God

and make peace with yourself

'Cause in the end there's nobody else

Turn up the music

turn it up loud

Take a few chances

let it all out

'Cause you won't regret it

Lookin' back from where you have been

'Cause it's not who you knew

and it's not what you did

It's how you live

'Cause it's not who you knew

and it's not what you did

It's how you live

Sleepless Night

You know how there are those people that you meet and you instantly feel connected to them, those that you want to hang out with more just so you can glean some of their knowledge, those that make you feel important the moment you meet them, and you feel like you've known them for years because they make you feel so comfortable around them? I am getting to know a gal who is like that. She is kind and caring, and someone I look up to as a Christian woman. She has a big heart. She is a woman of knowledge and she is a giver. Because of her, I didn't sleep last night. Her husband was killed by a train yesterday, and all I could think of was the heartache, the extreme hurt she was dealing with and my heart hurts for her. They were both just retiring and she was so excited to get to spend time with her husband, as they traveled around and enjoyed the rest of their lives together. Unfortunately, that dream ended last night. None of us know why these type of tragedies happen. We can't answer the why's, and how comes. So, I will continue to pray for her and her family. None of us know how many days we have left, how many breaths we will take until our last one. We aren't guaranteed tomorrow, so live today with great love and passion. Live like you want people to remember you when you are gone. Live a legacy. Live your life so you don't have any regrets.

Weekend in Pictures

We covered a lot of ground this weekend, from Rathdrum to Twin Lakes to Spirit Lake to up above Hayden Lake. It was a beautiful weekend to be out and enjoying the Fall colors. We had a little rain on Sunday afternoon, but it was still beautiful.

Brandon Update

Here's a picture of Brandon Adam. He is up to 5'6" now!

Change of Season

Fall arrived early yesterday! I had to drag a coat out of the closet, turned up the heat, instead of iced tea, I had hot tea, and I tried all day to stay warm. There is fresh snow in the mountains, which seems to have arrived much too early! There was frost on my plants yesterday morning, and when my husband took the covers off the tomatoes, he said it was a sheet of ice. I can tell the tomatoes got nipped but hopefully we will get a few more tomatoes to enjoy. I have an aster that hasn't even bloomed yet, so I hope it survives this cold and blooms soon! The leaves on the trees have rapidly changed this week and some are already very beautiful around the area. This morning, the sure sign of change of the seasons is here-fog! It's the one thing I really don't like about living in this area. Somedays, fog fills the air for the entire day and we are left with a lovely hue of gray. It's on these gray days that we have to find our own sunshine. We have to decide not to let the darkness bring us down. In our daily life, we have to do the same thing. We have to look to Jesus for our light and allow him to penetrate our lives, and not let the darkness creep in. We have to let our light shine bright for others to see so they know they can make it out of the darkness. We have to be a lighthouse in this dark world so those around us can find hope.

You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. Psalm 18:28

Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in." John 8:12

Beauty, Despite the Smoke

I took these pictures over the weekend. The smoke was so thick in the air, it was hard to breathe, but it made for an amazing sunset!!

Lazy Day

It's been a lazy morning. I haven't had one of those in a very long time, so I'm savoring every moment! I slept in a bit, listened to Beth Moore on Life Today, answered long overdue emails, made a few phone calls, and now I'm getting around to blogging while listening to John Waller's CD The Blessing. I love the first song on his CD called Calling For a Flood. There are a lot of great songs on this CD, and in a couple weeks I will get to see him live in concert with Casting Crowns. I'm very excited for this concert. We are going with some friends and I know the concert will be great, as well as time with friends.

I also have plans today to sit down and read, maybe take a nap, and just enjoy my day off. One thing I definitely need to do is figure out this fantasy football stuff. I don't care if I beat anyone but my hubby. We are a bit competitive, and his team has beat me the past two weeks. I have a great team, too, so can't figure out what I need to do, but maybe I will find that magical player this week and get a win. I really don't get it, but I'm trying. I like football, but this fantasy football is a whole different world!! I also need to catch up on laundry and clean the house up a bit, but for the most part I am planning a lazy day. I think we often feel guilty if we aren't continually on the go, doing something all the time, but it's not healthy to be pushing ourselves all the time and I've been pushing it pretty hard the past couple weeks, so need some time to rejuvenate and rest. Why do we feel guilty to take some down time? Why has our society conditioned us this way? I remember when I was a little kid, that people actually took time to rest. Most stores were closed on Sunday and everyone survived, probably better than we do now, because people did take down time. If God took a day to rest, and he is GOD, shouldn't we take a day to rest as well? How can we ever recuperate our souls, our bodies, if we don't STOP for awhile and just slow down this crazy life we live?

So, I'm off to slowly meander downstairs and outside, to water my tomatoes. I may have to exert a little energy because my dog loves to play catch while I'm out there, so I may have to toss her tennis ball across the backyard. I will probably need a nap after exerting all that energy, though.

Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. Mark 6:31

Words

“Never lose a chance of saying a kind word.” — William Makepeace Thackeray

We live in a world where people don't always connect with other people, so we have a lot of lonely people on this planet, in our towns, in our neighborhoods, at our jobs, and maybe even in our homes. Last night, a friend of mine was telling me about a kid who was contemplating suicide, but he came to youth group and an adult leader went over to him and said hi, shook his hand, and asked him a little bit about his life. A year later, that kid was up telling other kids his story, and said that because the one adult came up and looked him in the eye and talked to him, he felt he had some hope in life, and that someone actually cared about him. We never know the impact of our words. Personally, I try to smile at people when I'm in stores. I look them in the eyes and smile. Many people respond with a smile back, some people are taken off guard and give me a weird look, and others give me a cross look and go on grumbling through their day. The last group of people always makes me laugh as I pass them. I probably should feel sorry for them because their lives must be miserable, but instead I just giggle to myself, usually inside, and think how thankful I am that my life has hope and that I can smile as I go through life. Even though I do work on this most of the time, I am going to be more intentional to take time today to smile at those I meet, say hi, and look them in the eyes. I think just even noticing people makes a difference, because may people don't even do that now days, as is obvious as you drive around this area! I'm also going to be more intentional to talk to those around me, at my job, in my neighborhood, in my church. Like the kid above, we never know when we might make a difference in someone's life, just because we took some time to care.

Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. Proverbs 18:21

Freedom Writers

Over the weekend we rented the movie Freedom Writers. I remember seeing the previews when it was in the theaters, but never got there to see it. I thought it looked good, mainly because I've worked with teens for 18 years and thought the story looked pretty real and that there were probably some lessons to be learned for those of us who do work with teens. Not only did I think it was a good movie and a great true story, but it really made me think about the kids I work with, and the people around me.

I asked myself many questions during and after the movie including:
What difference am I making in the lives of those I come in contact with? Am I willing to step out of my normal, my comfort zone, to take a chance and offer hope to someone, to help them realize they can change their circumstances, the norm in their lives to make a better life for themselves? Do I see people for who they really are beneath the masks, the facades, the walls they put up to try to keep others out, and from seeing their true hurts? Do I try to see beyond their hurts, their prejudices, their behaviors, or do I just dismiss them, falling into a type of prejudice myself, and write them off as not worth my time, like some of the teachers did in the life of these kids. Do I take the time to look deep inside of others and really care about them? Do I take the time and the effort, even if they push me away, to try to reach out to them and show that they do have great worth in this life, that they have the power to change their circumstances, and that as long as we are alive, there is hope? Do I invest my time wisely to help others, or do I just go through the motions and move on? Do I truly listen to others and their life stories, and do I respect their stories, no matter what they have been through?

We all have the power to change. We all have incredible power within us, if we are willing to face what scares us, and that which is different from us and the norm of our lives. People matter. All people. Take time to see others for who they really are, deep inside and offer them hope.


But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. Psalm 71:14

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Saturday Stuff

It's one of those weird Saturdays. My hubby has training at work all day, so I'm left to entertain myself. I have plenty to do around here, but after a long week of working, I don't feel much like working today. I will probably go in and do a Costco, Fred Meyer, Pilgrim's run and buy up groceries for the week. I have many food allergies, so have to shop around and buy different things at different places. I ran to Super 1 in Coeur d'Alene and the Flour Mill in Hayden earlier this week, so grabbed what I needed at both those places. After doing my grocery shopping, I will probably come home and maybe sit out in the sun and enjoy a good book. I haven't sat down and read for awhile, so it would be nice to give myself some time to catch up on some reading and relax at the same time. While sitting outside, I can enjoy what is left of my flowers. I pulled a lot of dead stuff out a couple nights ago. I hate this time of year when it comes to my flowers because most of them are done for the year, and the few that are left blooming have a very limited time left. I do have to take care of some tomatoes today, as I have quite a few sitting on the counter that need some attention, as well as some apples from my sister's place. If I keep this list up, I won't get any time to relax today! Plus, the Cougars and Vandals play later today, so I have to make some time to catch part of that game. I don't know which team to cheer for, as I like the Vandals and feel I need to have Idaho pride and stay true to the home team, but the Cougs are usually my team. It's hard to believe that this might be the last year of the great Battle of the Palouse! I guess I will be happy whoever wins. However, one of the guys I work with is a die hard Husky fan, so the rivalry battles on, in a fun way, at work.

I suppose I should get ready to go, and work on relaxing. Isn't it sad when you have to work on relaxing? Seems like we have to do that these days. I do hope to give it a good try today, though.

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it. ~Sydney Harris

Fire Close By

I've been waiting all Summer for this to happen. It's been inevitable considering the conditions. Rathdrum mountain has a fire on it this afternoon. It's pretty low and right behind the old part of town and if the wind would shift, I believe it could be a pretty scary situation. There are many homes close by, not to mention the highway and town. I can watch it from my front porch and it's probably only a mile and a half from our home, so we will definitely keep an eye out, especially since the wind is picking up. I think it's a pretty small fire, but we all know how fast things can change in these dry conditions. There is a lot of smoke in the air from fires in the area. One thing is for sure, the sunset tonight will be beautiful. Even though the smoke is hard to breathe, it always creates a beautiful sunset!

Happy Birthday to my cousin Pam! Hope your day was blessed and very special.