Ignoring Dishes and Loving the Precious Few

May has been a CRAZY month. With school ending, baseball eating away at our schedules, life happening, and my intensive self-study wrapping up, I am very much looking forward to my beach vacation in a few weeks, with just my husband and my kindle to keep me company!
As I contemplate our summer ahead, I realize how little time I have to enjoy those lazy summer days of summers past. My boys are growing up, taking part in other activities, finding independence during the day to play with friends instead of looking to me for entertainment.
Precious, little time left.
But the minutes become mundane and I drag my feet to revel in the treasure of time each day. The chance to snuggle on the couch and read a story, or to play a game or take a walk. After a busy month of pouring myself out over and over again, I am handicapped in my reality to do anything but fret about what's to be done.
Stagnant, I guess.
And yet, well aware of the instantaneous change that could occur, where I CHOOSE to embrace those precious few moments to what I WANT to do as a loving mother, instead of what I HAVE to do as choremaster and schedule maintainer.
Funny, I just picked up the book, Unglued by Lisa Terkeurst, and she talks about our emotions, and how to use your emotions to experience life, not destroy it. I haven't read very far, but if I just apply that concept to my use of time...a time to experience life, and not miss out on it for things that don't even matter in the long run, then I can make those few moments, great ones!

So I am shutting the computer off now. Going to hold my babies and ignore the dishes. Hope you have a chance to do the same!

When God Ushers In Friendship

I can't stop smiling.

This past weekend was a great big dose of Joy. My writer friends joined me at my house for a writer's retreat...but it was so much more...and they are so much more than just "writer friends".

They are the deepest meaning of friendship, of sisters in Christ.

When you can stay up until 3:30 in the morning talking everything from silliness, hopes,

devastations, dreams, politics, fictional characters, and nail polish, with a roomful of women...WOMEN....and say goodnight and hit the pillow WITHOUT thinking, "did I say something to offend someone"..."what are they thinking about me"..."am I too much"... and just rest assured that within that group you are loved--no matter what--THAT is special.

Rarely do I find unconditional love outside of my family. And to think I see these girls once a year, and mostly in the environment of competitive selling of our manuscripts, how could we clique so well? How could all of our emails back and forth really establish a closeness like that?

I am most confident in saying, it's ALL GOD! Of all the differences in our group, of all the varying opinions, struggles, and writing styles, we have our friendship deeply rooted in the love of Christ, and this weekend I realized how ALIVE and REAL my God is.

Sometimes it is difficult for me to tell someone how God has worked in my life...I mean, I know he does, and so many times I see His hand...but my memory is fleeting, and I teeter when I am asked about specifics.

But this weekend was a great big unveiling of God's roadmap in my life, and through many conversations that happened, and God-ordained occurrences (wink, wink to all my Alleycats), my breath is stolen from my lungs as I humbly recognize He's got me in a very special place alongside these women.

I am blessed.

I'll just admit that in the most humble, pointing-to-God, inspiring, exciting, treasured way.

 And it's safe to say that I am sharing that blessing with nine amazing writers for Christ! Check out our blog at thewritersalleys.blogspot.com