Real Men, Real Life & other Thoughts

Happy Wednesday friends.

Sharing two things today!

One is a video, that really speaks to my heart.

As you know, I am so VERY passionate about my man and all he does for our family.

This video is such a a great reminder about what is needed from our men,

and what they provide for us.

Thank God for the love and strength we find in them! 

Also, I came across this devotional today and wanted to share some of it:

So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of you tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. Matthew 6:34

King George V wrote on the fly leaf of the Bible of a friend,

"The secret to happiness is not to do what you like to do,

but to learn to like what you have to do."

To many people think of happiness as some sort of will-of-the-wisp thing that is discovered by constant and relentless searching. It is not found by seeking. It is not an end itself. Pots of gold are never found at the end of the rainbow, as we thought when we were children; gold is mined from the ground or panned laboriously from a mountain stream.

-Billy Graham

**************

A few thoughts on this Wednesday....

Sometimes our situation seems bleak,

and our circumstances unfair,

we all have to work to overcome things.

Know that this is your life.

Own up to your life.

If you can, make it right and then move on.

Make things happen.

Don't give up.

Don't forget that love is what matters the most.

Don't neglect the ones who love you.

Don't forget to pray.

Don't forget that you are not alone.

Don't forget that every one of us is dealing

with some sort of trial.

Don't forget that a life of success,

is often filled with struggle and stress.

Don't forget that God has a plan,

but you have free reign,

so make your choices wisely.

Don't forget you get what you give, so give good!

Don't forget to be grateful for what you do have.

Don't forget to love yourself in the process!

Life IS what we make of it, each day counts,

so let's make today a good one!

I am off to enjoy another day with the kiddos, on this Spring Break day.

Toodles! <3>

A Beautiful Creation

THE TEA CUP

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup.

There was a time when I was a ball of clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, let me alone,' but he only smiled, 'Not yet'.

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled, "Thus hurts!" And I knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.'

"Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

"Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head, saying, 'Not yet.'

"Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and patted, but if I just left you, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have not have had any color in your life, and if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held and you would not be strong enough. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'

*************

Isn't this beautiful?!I read this story yesterday and I couldn't wait to share it with you! I know there have been many times that I have found myself feeling like that little tea cup.

With many of the hardships in life, we find ourselves praying to our Creator to take the pain away or even asking Him...why? Why God am I hurting? Sick? Sad? Why did I get into a car accident? Why did I lose my job? Why is my family struggling financially? Why haven't I found someone to love me? Why haven't I had children? Why is my parent ill? Why me? Why the people I love? Why...?

We don't understand the trials we must endure in this life and many times, we just want it all to stop or to get easier, but it doesn't, at least not right away.

We don't have all of the answers we would like, and life can be a struggle at times, but I like to think that we are much like the little tea cup. 

We are imperfect in the beginning-going through life, enduring the hardships, and all the while God is carefully molding us into His beautiful creation.  

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and

lean not on your own understanding"

Proverbs 3:5

Saddle Up and Enjoy the Ride

As I sit here doing laundry today I am wondering a few things. The first one is why my daughter took it  upon herself to cut holes in the knees of her jeans?! lol!!

She is seven not seventeen, but some days I feel like I am raising a teenager. Isn't it funny how when we are children we can't wait to grow up. Then once we become adults we cherish the memories of the carefree days when everything was fun!

Last night my hubby and I used my birthday gift card for Texas Roadhouse. Next to us was a booth filled with 80-something-year-old people celebrating a birthday. They were having such a good time!

They were talking and laughing and when it came time to sing to the birthday boy, who just so happened to be the oldest man in the group, he gladly climbed on the saddle while everyone sang to him. He sat there on that saddle and he looked like enjoyed every minute of it. 

I don't know about you, but some days I don't feel all that grown up and I wonder if when I'm 80 I will feel any different. I have learned a few lessons from experience in my life, but at 33 I am still making my fair share of mistakes. 50 years from now, what will I have accomplished? Where will I be? What kind of people will my children be?

I'm sure the people at that table had lots of advice and wisdom they could have passed on, but just the birthday boy's actions were enough to give us something insightful to walk away with. We were reminded how precious every day is. 

We are never too old to enjoy what the day has to offer. Good friends, good food, good times and of course, more than that...things like doing the laundry and pulling out a pair of your daughter's cut up jeans. It's about finding the blessings in the things that make you giggle AND the things that make you cry.

So my final thought for the day is inspired from a line I remember in Married for Life, by Bill Morelan.

Life is full of challenges. Life is full of blessings! Deal with the hard times and embrace the good times. 

"We haven’t been confined to a corral; we have been saddled up to enjoy the ride of our lives!"