Early morning blessing

This morning as I was having my quiet time with the Lord, one of the devotionals I was reading posed the question, "in what areas are you resistant to change?" this triggered the question in my mind " what would I like to change into?" (which was not the intent of the question at all, but that's how a narcissistic mind works, it's all about me, my needs, my shortcomings , etc). Anyway, as I thought through my version of the question, I said, 'I'd like to be more like so and so, a doer, a worker, a getter done person.' Which led to the thought, 'I should call her and tell her how much I appreciate her.'

Suddenly, I found myself awash in tears, as God profoundly told me that he made me the encourager and her the worker. That those are our gifts. That He loves us. And that He loves to see us utilizing the gifts that He gave us.

Wow, what a way to start your morning! What a lovely little blessing. Now back to the question at hand....

Intentionional joy

Proverb 17:22  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

What brought me joy, or a smile or a giggle today? If we are willing to give it some thought, we can all find something.

I had a wonderful day yesterday.  I met a brand new friend, I worked from Starbucks (my favorite place to work from), I rested, I spent time with the Lord, I jacuzzied, and I watched a couple episisodes of my favorite series.   It was a day full of joy. (I wish all my days could be so stress free.)

My new friend's name is Mindy.  I met her at GPS, one of my business networking meetings.  She is a lovely woman, who owns a home and pool service business.  We met for coffee and muffins and spent a lovely couple of hours chatting and getting to know each other.  We found out that we have several things in common. We both like to dabble in art, both republicans, both love to decorate.  One thing I regret about our conversation is that we didnt talk about the Lord.  I'm sad to say she doesn't know how much I love my Lord.  I will be intentional about this the next time.

The meeting brought a sweet feeling of joy to my morning, which then lingered throughout the day.  The scripture was right; a joyful heart is good medicine.  I want to be intentional in finding joy, peace, contentment in the everyday, small things of life.  Then maybe I won't be searching for them in the things that won't bring them, like food.

What brought a smile to your face today?

home safe and sound

Yes I realize it is a full week after returning from the famous vacation. And my promise to try to blog every few days failed when I got on the ship and we didn't have regular internet access. Todd did buy a package, but after i got booted off a couple times I gave up in frustration.

...so i will try to recap the high points....

It wasn't the vacation we planned, but if you have a sense of adventure, a strong will to have fun, and don't really mind not knowing what the next day will hold, I highly recommend jumping on a plane to a city destined for a hurricane in a few days. Not knowing if your ship will come in (literally to a closed port, lol) is highly recommended to help keep the sense of wonder in your trip. If you really like hanging around hotels and hoping they will let you stay another day, than this is the trip for you. (Thursday, we were told that they were all booked up and would not be able to stay another night. Todd had determined that he would homestead in the room if he had to. Finally, after getting word that we would be able to sail on Friday, we were also informed that there was a cancellation in our hotel, so we wouldnt have to become squatters.)

If you love jumping on to a ship full of grumpy passengers (What? I thought everyone would be as excited as us), and an over-extended crew (many were at the end of their contract and had to stay on because of the flight situation), to go on a shortened cruise, to a less desirable destination, into choppy, post-hurricane waters, (if you have fond memories of morning sickness, this will help you relive them) than this is definitely the trip for you.

But seriously, we had a super time! While on extended stay in NYC, we got to see 2 Broadway productions, Phantom and Wicked. Both were fantastic! and, though the cruise was shortened, they did not shorten the amount of entertainment. We got all the same entertainment that was planned for the 9 day cruise. It was practically round the clock!

Bermuda, our new destination, was an absolutely beautiful Island, and the people there were gracious enough to open everything back up for us, after the close of the season.

Norwegian Cruise line took wonderful care of us and graciously refunded us for the days missed of our cruise and offered us 25% off on our next cruise.

So. For high adventure... take a cruise in a hurricane. You'll never forget it....

I'd love to hear about some of your more adventurous vacations. Please share them by responding to this blog.