Guided By Grace Life Coaching

Well, it's official: our vacation is actually coming to an end. I mean, yes we left Florida on Sunday morning and arrived home safely last night...but today was still vacation day for Dave, so if he's home it's still vacation. Oh well. The end was inevitable. We were blessed with amazing weather (Florida had cold/rainy weather before we got there and after we left, but was just about perfect every day we were there). And even though we didn't "do" a whole lot other than whatever we were in the mood for, we still managed to create lots of great memories and take lots of fun pictures. I've come home much more refreshed and energized to re-enter our busy schedule. I was going to put busy "routine", but I've decided there isn't much routine about my life. So, I have to share a story from our trip home. You know I'm always looking for the lesson in everything and wondering what God wants me to learn next. So, of course there was such a mom...

It's hard to believe that our vacation is at the half-way point already. I'm finding it interesting how much my brain has been working overtime the last couple of nights. I've been having dreams that are full of people I know and full of drama too. Do you ever have dreams that are so realistic that when you wake up your mood is altered because of what you've been dreaming? Well I've had a lot of that the last couple nights. And me, being the introspective deep-thinker that I am, is thinking that it's a sign of some things God is trying to work with me on. I mean, why in the world would I be having dreams full of jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger while I'm on vacation?! I should be having dreams full of fun and laughter. As I was awakened last night and pondering my latest dream, I was thinking about the possible reasons that this could be occurring. I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that when I'm at home, I'm so busy ...

(This photo is of Hannah the last time we went to Florida. She was only 15 months old. Wasn't she adorable?!) As I finish up the last pre-vacation chores, I'm taking a moment to contemplate. I'm little by little, getting everything packed and done and checked off my list. But, I have taken my fair share of pauses today. Partly because it helps me to think (and make sure I'm not forgetting something), but also because I'm not wanting to even rush through the vacation preparations. Why? Well, because even they are noteworthy. Not necessarily the kind of noteworthy that the day at Disney will be, or the trip to the ocean or even the 22-hour long road trip. But noteworthy just the same. Why? Because with kids, even the mundane is momentous. Now, of course, I don't always acknowledge that or act as if it's true. But it is. You know how they sell those little cameras that you can put on your pet so you can "see the world through the eyes of your dog" ...

I'm having one of those unsettled kind of days. Supposedly nothing is really much different today than yesterday, but my "chi" sure has changed! All day today I've been a bundle of nerves and my mind has been infiltrated with thoughts. Not that thinking is the problem, but the thoughts that are filling my head are full of: condemnation, self-loathing, fear, worry, etc. I've been praying a lot today, in God's Word today, and asking for peace to replace the stress. But here it is almost 5PM and my anxiety level is still high. I'm definitely feeling attacked! I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, really, I should almost laugh at the enemy's pitiful attempts to get me off track. Then again, how pitiful are they if I've succumbed to them once again? But the enemy's timing is of no surprise. Yesterday was a really good day. So it only stands to reason that today he'd be trying to knock the wind out of yesterday's sails. Why, oh why, have I f...

After all the things I heard last night at the homeschool mom's group I went to, my brain is still stretched almost beyond capacity. Well, that's not true...I mean, if I'm being accurate here, our brains can hold about 94% more than most of us ever use. That's a whole other interesting topic (like why would God make our brains so big and able to hold so much when even the smartest person here on earth uses only a fraction of their brain power? could it be so that when we get to heaven we're able to absorb and learn all we're going to throughout eternity?). Anyway, back to my point here: of course what I mean is that my brain is just working overtime to process it all. So here's the part of all the information that I'm struggling with ~ before going last night, I felt pretty good about what we're doing in homeschool . I felt I was in the zone...the comfort zone. But as I sat there listening last night to all the ideas these other moms were sharing, I...

I think I'm finally starting to grow up. No, not that I'm really immature (I think I've always acted older than I was...maybe a whole other issue I need to work on). I think I'm finally starting to achieve a mild amount of spiritual maturity! Now, God might disagree, but here's why I say this. I am finally getting to the place in my life where I care more about what God thinks of me, than I do about what others think of me. For me, this is huge. I've spent most of my 38 years caring about what everyone around me is thinking. Never feeling like I fit in anywhere but wanting to fit in everywhere. Can you relate at all? I have always been super-sensitive to the opinions of others. Even if the message others were sending wasn't directed right at me, I took it personally if the intended recipient had any similarities to me. Like if someone was making fun of some overweight person, every word they said about that person I knew they must also be thinking about me s...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R3K0sqgfvM I am someone who is moved by music and its lyrics. Whether it's because of my 30+ years of playing the violin or just the creative side of me, I hear God speaking through music on a very regular basis. As I've been praying for direction in certain areas of my life recently, I heard this song. It's message spoke to me loud and clear: don't be afraid to go after your dreams...God is right there with you. So, I just had to add this you tube link to my blog. Enjoy!

It's been an amazing first week of March here in Michigan. We've had sunshine for seven straight days! Spring is always such a wonderful reminder of God and His abundant grace and mercy...but this year it seems He's offering us so much more. As winters go, this one here in Jenison was a fairly mild one. Not too much snow or even much extremely cold weather. Unlike our neighbors to the south (my hometown of Watervliet in particular), we skated through winter fairly easily. Yet even though the winter wasn't too harsh, it still seems forever since we've enjoyed the sun and warm air on our faces. So what a joy it has been this last week. To have the sun shining into the house and warming up everything (including our hearts) has been actually pretty distracting. I'm not complaing, mind you, just saying. This last week it seems that my desire to stick to the schedule of homeschooling and housework has gone right out the window. Of course it's probably spurred on...