"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." -Proverbs 31:25-18
This is by far one of my favorite Bible verses and is also the title of my favorite devotional website, but it holds a completely different meaning to me as well. In my opinion, I was blessed with an amazing mom who truly embodies these verses in her daily life. My mom growing up was never my best friend, she was my mom. I always knew that I could go to her for anything, but she was always my mom first. Don't get me wrong, I am and have always been extremely close with her. I talk to her everyday and sometimes multiple times a day. She taught me that kindness is key in life, and how a household full of love is good for the soul. Also, if she were to wear my Fitbit, I'm sure it would start recounting several times because she never sits down. Gradually over time, my mom has became my best friend. I love hearing her laugh, and love the little inside jokes that we have together. It's those little unexpected mother/daughter moments that I have grown to love. Today, I am very thankful that God made sure that my mom was a mom first, and then became a best friend later in life.
"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and refuge in the day of my distress." -Psalm 59:16
If you are like me, when you are sick or sad or something exciting happens, you want your "mama". If I ever get sick, all I want is for my mom to come take care of me. Maybe cook me some soup and homemade biscuits or just be with me.... Gosh I sound like I am a little kid..haha! You see my mom is my fortress and refuge here on Earth. I think that God specifically placed someone in our lives to give us that daily presence when we need it. However, on those days when we need a higher power, he is our fortress and refuge. Over the weekend, a storm with lots of lightening and thunder rumbled through Raleigh. I love thunderstorms especially when they occur in the afternoon. It kind of forces you to take a nap:) On this particular day, my Lilly (who is scared of thunderstorms, fireworks, gunshots, etc) jumped up on the bed with me after hearing the thunder. I don't think there was a single inch in between her and I. While I may not have children yet, this was my mommy/daughter moment. For in this little unexpected moment, my Lilly (my dog) needed me to be her refuge. As I sat there petting her during the thunder, she eventually calmed down and fell asleep. For those of you who don't know, Lilly is my hyper child who does not listen and kind of marches to the beat of her own drum. She is the explorer at the dog park who would rather take off on her own path that play with the other dogs. Yet, I love her independence in life and how excited she gets over the simplest things. I am thankful that God gave me this little unexpected moment to have my typically independent dog curled up beside me during the storm. (On a side note...she is also the dog when I am sick that is right beside me and can tell when I am sad or had a rough day. Dogs are pretty smart, and she is great at reading emotions.)
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice."-Philippians 4:4
The older we get in life, the more we need to take advantage of those little unexpected moments God places in our routines. It does not always have to be those big, grand, lavish experiences that bring us happiness, but those smallest in detail. Every day we will not have the opportunity to do something grand, but we can do something grand in a small way. I love phone conversations (phone not text) that create laughter in my daily routine. Drives to Oxford with the windows rolled down to enjoy a home cooked meal with my parents. Summer smells of rain that just hit the hot pavement. Saturday night excursions to Snoopy's for hot dogs. That second glass of wine with your best friend because the conversations are just too good to leave. And giggles, laughter, and one liners. Those are some of the things that I know God places in my life daily that make me put my hands in the air and rejoice in Him.
"And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
Each and every day I thank God for those blessings both large and small that he placed in my life. I am thankful that I see the happiness in those small, unexpected moments. God placed some pretty special people in my life as family and friends, and at the end of the day I rejoice in the Lord knowing He loves me unconditionally. In the mornings, I wake up knowing that "all things work together for good" and well I kind of like it that way.
Faith... Patience... and Love to all! Thank you for reading my blog post!
This is by far one of my favorite Bible verses and is also the title of my favorite devotional website, but it holds a completely different meaning to me as well. In my opinion, I was blessed with an amazing mom who truly embodies these verses in her daily life. My mom growing up was never my best friend, she was my mom. I always knew that I could go to her for anything, but she was always my mom first. Don't get me wrong, I am and have always been extremely close with her. I talk to her everyday and sometimes multiple times a day. She taught me that kindness is key in life, and how a household full of love is good for the soul. Also, if she were to wear my Fitbit, I'm sure it would start recounting several times because she never sits down. Gradually over time, my mom has became my best friend. I love hearing her laugh, and love the little inside jokes that we have together. It's those little unexpected mother/daughter moments that I have grown to love. Today, I am very thankful that God made sure that my mom was a mom first, and then became a best friend later in life.
"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and refuge in the day of my distress." -Psalm 59:16
If you are like me, when you are sick or sad or something exciting happens, you want your "mama". If I ever get sick, all I want is for my mom to come take care of me. Maybe cook me some soup and homemade biscuits or just be with me.... Gosh I sound like I am a little kid..haha! You see my mom is my fortress and refuge here on Earth. I think that God specifically placed someone in our lives to give us that daily presence when we need it. However, on those days when we need a higher power, he is our fortress and refuge. Over the weekend, a storm with lots of lightening and thunder rumbled through Raleigh. I love thunderstorms especially when they occur in the afternoon. It kind of forces you to take a nap:) On this particular day, my Lilly (who is scared of thunderstorms, fireworks, gunshots, etc) jumped up on the bed with me after hearing the thunder. I don't think there was a single inch in between her and I. While I may not have children yet, this was my mommy/daughter moment. For in this little unexpected moment, my Lilly (my dog) needed me to be her refuge. As I sat there petting her during the thunder, she eventually calmed down and fell asleep. For those of you who don't know, Lilly is my hyper child who does not listen and kind of marches to the beat of her own drum. She is the explorer at the dog park who would rather take off on her own path that play with the other dogs. Yet, I love her independence in life and how excited she gets over the simplest things. I am thankful that God gave me this little unexpected moment to have my typically independent dog curled up beside me during the storm. (On a side note...she is also the dog when I am sick that is right beside me and can tell when I am sad or had a rough day. Dogs are pretty smart, and she is great at reading emotions.)
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice."-Philippians 4:4
The older we get in life, the more we need to take advantage of those little unexpected moments God places in our routines. It does not always have to be those big, grand, lavish experiences that bring us happiness, but those smallest in detail. Every day we will not have the opportunity to do something grand, but we can do something grand in a small way. I love phone conversations (phone not text) that create laughter in my daily routine. Drives to Oxford with the windows rolled down to enjoy a home cooked meal with my parents. Summer smells of rain that just hit the hot pavement. Saturday night excursions to Snoopy's for hot dogs. That second glass of wine with your best friend because the conversations are just too good to leave. And giggles, laughter, and one liners. Those are some of the things that I know God places in my life daily that make me put my hands in the air and rejoice in Him.
"And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
Each and every day I thank God for those blessings both large and small that he placed in my life. I am thankful that I see the happiness in those small, unexpected moments. God placed some pretty special people in my life as family and friends, and at the end of the day I rejoice in the Lord knowing He loves me unconditionally. In the mornings, I wake up knowing that "all things work together for good" and well I kind of like it that way.
Faith... Patience... and Love to all! Thank you for reading my blog post!