42 Things I Like About You

Today is my WH’s celebration of the creation of his belly button. A little while back a friend of mine wrote a blog post about her husbands birthday and she listed things that she loved, admired, respected and just generally liked about him. The same number as his birthday. I thought it was a great idea and so I’m going to do my own today for WH. Too many times I know I am quick to complain, nag, or be negative in some way and just assume someone knows how I feel about them. This year I want to make sure that those that I care for know how I feel and how much they are appreciated.  Happy birthday my love.

1. He makes me laugh.
2. He is one of the smartest individuals I know.
3. He is one of the kindest individuals I know.
4. He is a very giving man.
5. He has more patience in his little finger then most people have in their entire body.
6. His eyes. Just his eyes.
7. He listens to me.
8. He likes my cooking, a lot.
9. He is solid.
10. He is my sounding board.
11. He holds back the tide when I feel overwhelmed.
12. He can fix anything
13. He cooks and enjoys it.
14. He looks sexy when he grills
15. He is willing to try anything.
16. He is willing to let me try anything.
17. He listens to my dreams.
18. He tolerates mood swings from all the females in the house.
19. He is a very safe driver.
20. He doesn’t mind me camping out in bookstores.
21. He never fusses about how much we spend at bookstores.
22. He can teach himself anything.
23. When he decides to do something there is no stopping him.
24. He is very wise.
25. His prayers are powerful.
26. I would follow him anywhere.
27. When he wraps his arms around me I feel like I can do anything.
28. I can come to him in tears and emotional and when he holds me all the worry and stress goes away.
29. I love to talk with him and listen to his view on things because we think very differently.
30. Even though we think differently we are very similar in our likes and dislikes.
31. He has an enormous capacity to accomplish great things.
32. He has a quiet faith that runs very deep.
33. He stands up for what he believes in, no matter what.
34. He doesn’t allow other peoples opinions or views sway his.
35. He isn’t afraid to admit when he is wrong.
36. He isn’t afraid to say he is sorry.
37. He takes amazing photographs.
38. He loves my daughter like she was his own.
39. He loves my parents like they were his own.
40. He loves me
41. His laugh warms my heart.
42. I can see us growing old together, and I cannot wait to see what God is going to do in our life.

I love you. Happy Birthday Day.

What Christmas is all about

In all the different times I have heard "The Christmas Story" this is by far my favorite. Simple, to the point. The complete passage can be found in Luke 2  At Luke 2:10 the angel states "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." 

ALL

THE

PEOPLE

Everyone.  Not just a few, not just one or two, but for ALL PEOPLE.  That's one of the things I love about my Jesus.  He is an equal opportunity Savior.  Not based on skin color, height, weight, hair color, eye color, politcal or economic views.  All based on your heart.

I pray your heart is filled with the love and joy that today holds and if I could give you one gift it would be that every day would be Christmas for everyone.  Think how much better the world would be if we celebrated Jesus every day. 

Happy Birthday to my Lord and Savior.  Thank you for giving us the most important gift of all, You. 

Merry Christmas everyone.

I'm celebrating the creating of my belly button!

Today, 40 years ago, I entered the world. I had no idea how fast the time would pass, no idea the many adventures I would embark upon, nor how much heart ache and tears I would shed over the past 40 years. I’ve been a bit apprehensive about this birthday. It’s like a pinnacle in some respects and no I don’t mean that it’s all downhill from here, it’s more like now I am officially 100% an adult but I don’t feel like one. I certainly don’t feel 40. I don’t feel like those adults I saw as a kid who looked and acted so old. Yes, the hair is a bit gray, and there are lines on my face that weren’t there a few years ago. My eyes have officially become 40, I look like I’m playing with a yo-yo when I answer my phone in order to see who is calling. But, I still wanted to sit on Santa’s lap when I saw him at the store yesterday and tell him my hearts wish and my secret wants. I still get excited about seeing my friends and spending time talking with girlfriends. I recently reconnected with my oldest friend, the sister of my heart, and it has felt like a piece of my heart has been put back in place and that makes me feel young.
There have been a lot of challenges throughout my 40 years, but now even though I don’t feel very mature in some situations, I have matured, matured in a way that I didn’t know I would or even could. My faith has grown up. I no longer feel like a child in my walk with God. I no longer need to be spoon-fed and I don’t need someone to hold my hand and walk me through passages of scripture. I have gone through the rebellious period that teenagers go through when God wasn’t cool and I could do it all myself. I think I was spiritually stunted in my growth for a long time because it took a while to turn back to my Heavenly Father. But I have grown, grown to the point that I can be thankful for everything that I have experienced.

Every. Single. Thing.

I still have questions about things, the intricacies of certain scripture passages and how to apply it to my life, but now I have more then just a religion. My faith is 100% totally based on my relationship with the amazing God of the Universe. I never thought that the trials and tribulations of my past would be something I would ever be thankful for, but now I can speak to others, share my story, and tell them how much God loves them too but more importantly, because it’s the hardest thing to understand, I can explain to them how He forgives them as well. Knowing that someone is forgiven opens the floodgates to healing and finally peace and joy.

Growing up in my faith has taken years but now I know how to battle Satan and I know how to forgive others and how to forgive myself. But true growth comes from the fact that now I can be thankful for all that I have been through and all that is to come. I know, no matter what, that now I’m growing up in God and maturing the relationship with Him and this is better then all the wishes on all my birthday candles coming true.

Over the next 6 weeks I am going to be doing a “coffee talk” using Lysa TerKeurst book, “What Happens When Women Say Yes To God.” This is one of my favorite books and did a lot to help me grow in my relationship with God. I'm still growing and not just older so some of my girlfriends are going to be coming to my house on Tuesday nights (starting 12/15) for a couple of hours to discuss the chapter that they read and how they are going to be saying “yes to God” in their life. If you are in the neighborhood and want to join us, just let me know.

I will also be blogging about each chapter on Wednesday morning so we can do a “coffee talk” here as well every Wednesday so if you aren't close by and want to join us, just let me know.  I'll be doing some fun stuff on the blog as well while we take this journey.

I am giving away one copy of “What Happens When Women Say Yes To God?” today for my birthday. Please leave a comment on the blog answering the question:
“What was your favorite birthday?”

Contest closes at 12:00 Monday night. Please leave email address so that I can contact you on Tuesday morning!

Congratulations on the Celebration of the Creation of your Belly Button!

Today 13 years ago you, my sweet daughter entered the world.  Your birthday was wonderful and amazing but it was also difficult for me because for 9 months I had protected, and sheltered and provided for you.  You were a part of me.  I was only 3 weeks into my pregnancy when I found out that I would be a mommy.  From the moment there was laughter and joy and the 9 months that I carried you, even with morning sickness, and swollen ankles, it was one of the happiest times of my life

I saw you for the first time at 5 weeks gestation.  You looked like a smudge, we had no idea if you were male or female, but your father and I already loved you.  The first time I ever felt you move I was in the bathtub on the phone with one of my best friends, Judy.  She and I were talking and you moved.  It was amazing and Judy and I both cried.  You grew and did well, no complications, no problems.  You would get the hiccups and my entire stomach would jump.  Those 9 months were the most anticipated, anxious, exciting and wonder-filled times in my life and they were only a foreshadowing of the next 13 years to come.   

A few weeks later the doctors did another ultrasound and found out that you were a girl.  I had known your name since I was 12 years old and had seen the movie Somewhere in Time.  The female lead’s name was Elise McKenna and even though I said I would never have kids, if I did have a little girl her name would be McKenna.  From the moment the doctors said you were a girl, everyone then called you McKenna before you even breathed your first. 

On October 15^th, 1996 when I went into the hospital to have you was an exciting time, but it was hard.  Not just the labor and delivery, but giving you to the world, where I wouldn’t always be able to keep you safe, and protected.  Giving birth was the first step in letting you go.  Early in the morning of October 16th I watched as your father helped the doctor cut the cord  Your umbilical cord, what had connected you and I and had provided everything that you needed for the last 9 months and everything I took in, food, water, corn dogs (your father was wonderful about going to get me corn dogs).  I was very aware of what I put into my body for those 9 months, because I knew that cord connected me to you and that I was responsible for keeping you okay.  And as the cord was cut, the connection severed, it was the beginning of your becoming.  

They placed you in my arms, and I looked into your eyes and while all the love in the world welled up inside my heart, I did the only thing I could think of to do, and I stuck my tongue out at you.  And our relationship has been that way ever since.  I love to hear you laugh, I love to surprise you (which I know you hate but I can’t help it) and I have loved watching you grow and become.   I looked through photographs last night and in so many you are standing with your arms wide open, wanting to hug the whole world. 

 God gave me such gift when He blessed me with you and He knew you even before I did.  He loved you before I did and He loves you now even more then I will ever be able to. 

⁵ "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  (Jeremiah 1:5)

Those who have heard my testimony know that it wasn’t until I had you that I could even grasp how it was possible for my heavenly Father to love me.  The cord between you and I might have been cut, but McKenna, you helped reconnect me to the supplier of all my needs and you continue, as you grow and become, to amaze me at the young woman I see before me. 

You don’t need me to feed you food anymore, you can feed yourself.  You don’t need me to hold your hand as you walk, you have that all figured out, and you have a passion for solving problems and helping others, and a heart that grows bigger the more people you meet. 

All of this in order to become the woman of God He created you to be.  So while you grow up and further away from needing me, please my blessing, grow in your love of God, deepen that connection with Him and allow His hand to hold you. Anytime you feel lost, or alone, or the world gets you down pray to Him but remember your belly button and know that before you breathed your first, you were loved, you were wanted, and you were celebrated, and not just by me, your daddy, and your family, but my darling, by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, your heavenly Father and keep those beautiful eyes on Him.

I pray that you and He will ALWAYS have that connection no matter where you go or what you do.  Don’t ever cut the cord that exists between you and God and never grow up away from Him but keep growing, keep embracing the world, keep that giving heart but no matter what, keep your hand in His, no matter what your age. 

I love you and thank God for the gift of you. 

Happy Birthday Boo.   

Love,   

Mom