Monday Blessings and a Winner!

It snowed last night--just a thin layer of snow--but enough to make the roads slick. We encountered three car accidents on our way home. It forced me to slow down, pay extra attention to the road and other drivers.

This week I'm applying that focus to life. It's time to pay extra attention to the details and slow down. Yes, I'll be Christmas shopping, but I will try harder not to get stressed about all the things I still need to do. I'll sing along to the Christmas songs instead of leaving them on as background music. Maybe I'll bake. Maybe I won't. :)

On Saturday I spent a few hours helping out at our church's Christmas for Kids. Since I adore children, it was a win-win! I got to hold a sweet baby, play with a few toddlers, and help preschoolers make simple crafts. My favorite part of the day was simply saying a silent prayer for each of those precious children. I'm so thankful for parents who share God's word.

So today, I'm sending you Monday blessings. I pray you find joy in this Christmas season!

Congratulations to Virginia Winfield!! Virginia won the signed copy of Jody Hedlund's latest book, Rebellious Heart! Thank you to everyone who entered!!

What can you focus on today to bring joy to your life? 

Have a wonderful day!

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Winter Highway at Dusk

I drove at dusk recently and marvelled at the beauty of January in northern Ohio. I doubt many people would find a stretch of midwest highway pretty in the dead of winter, but this part of the country is embedded in my soul, and I can't help but love it.


See, the sky is prettier on snowy January days. Indigo clouds are outlined against a peach and wheat-colored sky as the sun descends. The dark brown and gray tree trunks and branches add mystery to the view. Now and then you'll see a hawk perched high on an electrical wire, watching the fields below for mice and other dinner choices.

Tiny wisps of snow swirl for a few miles then disappear.

Forests get broken up by large fields, and you have to stay alert for deer who love to leap on the highway as the sun goes down.

Exits sometimes lead to small towns that welcome the highway with their glowing lights. But I like the stretches of nothing the best. It's where my head clears and I hear my life.

There's something magical about a winter highway at dusk.

How is your weather? Cold, warm, balmy? Do you enjoy this time of year?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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The Upside to a Busy Life

I'd finished putting all the groceries away, started a batch of buttermilk biscuits, thrown a package of chicken breasts in the crock-pot, and had started placing a dozen eggs in a pan to hard boil when it occurred to me how fortunate I am.



See, I've been thinking about balance a lot lately, and that particular morning had been rushed. Monday mornings always are. I'd been mentally lamenting all that I still needed to do. As flour poofed on me from stirring the biscuit batter, a memory of my deceased grandmother flashed to me.

I gained perspective in an instant. Didn't even have to think about it.

She would have loved to have my life.
Don't get me wrong, my grandmother was content, but I'd had enough discussions with her over the years to know she'd had dreams of her own but hadn't lived in a nourishing environment, probably hadn't even solidified her dreams. She'd been proud of her days as a working gal until she got married and had to quit. Then her life had sped by in a blur of babies, farm work, cooking, cleaning, and coping.

She'd never had the opportunities I have, and they wouldn't have been acceptable in her social circle regardless.

We live in an exciting time. A fast-paced time. An era where women and men are urged to go after their dreams.

I might have to balance household, family, and my career, but how blessed am I that I have the three to balance? A few generations ago, I probably would only have had two to balance.

Technology and progress have brought many downsides to life, including a fast pace, but they've also brought some wonderful things.

What are some of the blessings progress has brought to your life?

Join me on Wednesday when we'll discuss the endless list of things we balance.

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