Finding Grace #306

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Bird, Blue Tit, Winter, Tree Branches, Frost, Frosty

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fun week! On Sunday before church, I spent a little extra time snow blowing and shoveling. It felt good to get my driveway cleaned up! And, it set me up well for when it snowed again later in the week.

This was the first full week of work I have had since the beginning of December. With traveling, Lydia being sick, and the holidays, it’s been a while! Perhaps that sounds like a luxury, but it felt good and I really love my team. I’m glad I was able to help some with some extra patients. We have some new coworkers, too,  and they fit in really well. Also, this week I met a Veteran who worked with Dave at Caterpillar!

I made more progress with my Ruth journible. It is such a rewarding experience!

On Friday, we had more snow. It was less than expected, but Lydia was able to do some remote learning for school at the Y (since they closed schools the night before). We had a good day; I went to Costco and picked up Lydia early. We dropped off a little gift for a friend and then watched a movie together!

Today, we stayed home and knocked a few things off our to-do lists. It always feels good to get caught up around the house! And, I’m grateful for the moments I have with Lydia!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #305

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Landscape, Winter, Forest, Snow, Plantation, Sun, Japan

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a cold, snowy week! The cold and snow are both very normal for this time of the year, so I was not too worried about them. But, a few other factors made for an interesting show of God’s grace!

On Wednesday, Lydia had an unexpected snow day off from school. It was a last-minute decision by the school district. I agreed with what happened, yet Lydia could have been left outside all alone. (The day before, I left her at the bus stop because the bus was running late and I needed to get to work.) I ended up staying home with her,  and we reviewed what to do in that type of situation. I also gave her a house key!

Usually, I work a half-day on Fridays, but this week I was able to work a full day and basically swap my hours from Wednesday when I took off. Essentially, I was able to take the equivalent of a half-day off instead of a whole day. Plus, I was able to cover for a couple of coworkers who were gone on Friday, so it worked well all around!
Friday also happened to be my 14th wedding anniversary (my 9th without Dave here). Lydia and I always miss him, but we had a nice dinner and watched a movie together! A friend sent me a picture of someone reading my book at a gymnastics class. It made my day a little sweeter knowing someone was reading about us!
Today, we went to brunch with a friend/coworker. Then, we went to “help” her pick out a dalmatian puppy! We played with thirteen puppies, and Lydia had fun cuddling one in particular. We are not getting a puppy at this time, but it was sure fun to dream! In reality, I don’t have the bandwidth right now to put in the effort a puppy would require. But, my friend does, so I’m sure we will get to play with her puppy soon!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #304

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was another interesting but good week. We stayed home on Monday due to Lydia not feeling well and the blizzardy weather. It turned out to be a good thing since her daycare opened late and closed early anyway.

I discovered my car battery was close to dead on Tuesday, but thankfully, I found a charger hidden in plain sight on the workbench. (Thanks, Dave, for always being so prepared!) I bought a new battery and had it installed on my way to work because at 8+ years old, the original one was on borrowed time.
As we arrived home that night, the thought occurred to me… perhaps God kept us home on Monday so I wouldn’t get stuck in a blizzard with a dead battery and sick child. Our doctor was closed, and daycare closed early, so we had just chalked it up to another day of rest. But, of course, God always sees what we cannot.

We made it to work and daycare for three days, and now have a three-day weekend! It might be rough going to work and school for five days next week!

Last night, we had a great time hanging out with some new friends for NYE. It was so nice to be invited! Lydia even lasted past midnight and was in bed by 12:45 a.m. She slept until 11:50 this morning!

Today, we are mostly relaxing and preparing for this new year. We watched a couple of movies, started our new yearlong Bible reading plans, and did a few chores. We also decorated some Christmas cookies since Lydia wasn’t up to it last week. Overall, I love January since it is usually a little slower-paced. It’s below zero today, so it’s been good to stay in! Happy New Year!!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #303

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a good week, though a bit unexpected at times! We had a fun time Zooming with family and work went well, too.

The unusual part was that Lydia started feeling sick! On Tuesday, she displayed typical allergy symptoms. By Wednesday morning, she was on her way to school after a negative COVID test. Then, a few hours later, I receive a call at work to pick her up. She had a fever.

She woke up with a fever on Thursday, too, so it was good we had already decided to stay home. Thankfully, I have plenty of sick leave available. Also, I am glad to have a good team at work to cover my duties, though I was bummed to miss the white elephant holiday gift exchange. I let someone else use my gift, so it will be fun to hear how it went when I return next week!

Because of the holiday weekend, I took Lydia for another COVID test, just to be sure. We both tested negative again. (I’m grateful we received the vaccine.) Anyway, it probably is some other virus, so a good reason to just lay low and rest!

Yesterday, because Lydia still wasn’t 100%, we stayed home and watched the Christmas Eve service online. We canceled plans with friends, but they were so kind to bring us a gift and some yummy food anyway! Thank you!

This morning, before Lydia woke up, I made a fresh pot of coffee and spent some quiet time with the Lord. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, especially as light snow started falling. We should be getting snow over the course of a few days, so I may get to use my new snowblower!

Today, Lydia felt pretty good. She’s still coughing and is mostly resting, but we watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” opened presents, watched some movies, played some games, and just relaxed. It was good to celebrate Jesus, I hope you have had a Merry Christmas!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #301

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Barn, Red, Christmas, Wreath, Farm, Rural, Landscape

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was fun and short! On Monday, we had friends from church over. We enjoyed some treats and had shared many laughs. We also shared some struggles and prayer requests, then offered support to each other. It was such a rich time!

I took a couple of days off from work to spend time with family. That meant I had to cram a whole lot of tasks into just a few days. At home, I kept things simple. At work, I got everything finished thanks to a friend/coworker taking one of my patients!

Sometimes cramming a lot into a little space of time is stressful.  I tried to keep things in perspective and invite Jesus into each situation. And, I took lots of deep breaths.

We enjoyed seeing extended family and celebrating some December birthdays! We pulled off a big surprise for my dad. It was so good to see them since we all live so far away!

This week, I sent out more books and enjoyed hearing from several people about what my words and story meant to them. If you ordered from one of the online retailers, I would appreciate it if you could leave a positive review. Thank you very much!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #299

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fairly relaxing week! On Sunday night, we celebrated Lydia over family Zoom. She was surprised with a new scooter! Everyone pitched in, and she has been riding it in the garage now that it is chilly outside!

Monday through Wednesday was spent working, but I got a lot done in a short amount of time. The holiday mood makes the workday go by faster!

On Thursday, Lydia and I enjoyed a relaxing Thanksgiving. We enjoyed seeing the new movie Encanto! Then, we visited with some friends and made some yummy food.

Then, I was able to take Friday off. Woohoo, a four-day weekend! It’s been good to relax and catch up around the house without rushing. I always have a long to-do list, but many of the tasks are quite simple. I have been able to cross those off my list, so I am glad about that! I also worked on signing some books before sending them out!

Today, we worked on a few things around the house before our afternoon and evening plans. We caught up with a friend at a coffee shop earlier, and tonight, we are going to have dinner with other friends! These friends were a great help to me when Lydia was little, and they are in my book. So, I am happy they will be receiving a copy of it tonight!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #298

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was an amazing week! On Monday night, I had some friends over for a monthly gathering. It’s always good to hear what God is doing in their lives.

As many of you know, on Wednesday, I went live with my book! Fear, Faith, and Moving Forward is now available for purchase! It was fun to see encouraging comments and feel all the love! I have sent out three batches of books so far!

For the last few weeks, we have been planning a Peanuts-themed birthday party for Lydia. Her party was today and it was a blast! The nine girls played balloon volleyball and did a relay race with marshmallows. We did Peanuts trivia, mad libs, and BINGO, as well! The girls loved the peanuts stickers we used for prizes. We had fruit, chips, and ice cream cupcakes from Dairy Queen. Lydia received many cool gifts and enjoyed the photo booth at the end. I am grateful all these girls could celebrate with us!

Tonight, we are watching the Peanuts movie, and Lydia’s birthday is tomorrow!

This was a full week, and I stayed up late every night. I didn’t get much sleep but saw God’s grace all around me. He kept me focused and going strong. Thanks again for all your support and prayers. It really makes all the difference!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #297

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Pomegranate, Exotic Fruits, Fruits, Cut, Sliced, Open

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was an exciting week! We had a fun time with friends during trick-or-treating. That seems like a whole month ago, though it has only been one week! Lydia dressed up like a phoenix, rising from the ashes.

Lydia received her first COVID vaccine, and I am so proud of her. She said the needle was even smaller than expected! As soon as we got back in the car, she wanted to call a friend who is immunocompromised. She is her daddy’s daughter… always thinking of others! Interestingly, Lydia said several of her classmates have been talking about getting the shot, too. I find that to be amazing… the kids are eager with no politics involved!

One morning before school, Lydia had a little episode of sadness and crying; she was missing Dave. We just sat there together giving space to her emotions so they could pass. Later that day, she came home as ‘the leader of the pack,’ which is an honor given to certain students each month. They are chosen by the teachers as a reward for being good students (beyond just academics). This year, Lydia earned a sign in our front yard! She was happy and it helped make the day a little more sweet.

Today, we celebrated a special event for a friend and then Lydia went to another birthday party! It was for one of her classmates at Skate City. Thankfully, Lydia had fun and didn’t fall down too often! It was good to meet the girl’s parents, and I listened to the mom tell me about her breast cancer treatment. I will be keeping this family in prayer, and I am thankful they already know Jesus!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #296

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a really good week, busy but manageable. We had a fun time with friends during trick-or-treating. That seems like a whole month ago, though it has only been one week! Lydia dressed up like a phoenix, rising from the ashes.

I signed up Lydia for her COVID vaccine, which will be next week. Of course, it takes a while to get both shots, but she is a trooper and is on board. I’m grateful for the opportunity to add another layer of protection to our household… and her classroom.

One morning before school, Lydia had a little episode of sadness and crying; she was missing Dave. We just sat there together giving space to her emotions so they could pass. Later that day, she came home as ‘the leader of the pack,’ which is an honor given to certain students each month. They are chosen by the teachers as a reward for being good students (beyond just academics). This year, Lydia earned a sign in our front yard! She was happy and it helped make the day a little more sweet.

Today, we celebrated a special event for a friend and then Lydia went to another birthday party! It was for one of her classmates at Skate City. Thankfully, Lydia had fun and didn’t fall down too often! It was good to meet the girl’s parents, and I listened to the mom tell me about her breast cancer treatment. I will be keeping this family in prayer, and I am thankful they already know Jesus!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #295

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Wooden Bridge, Autumn, Fall, Season

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

On Monday evening we went to a friend’s house for a dinner meeting. We had a really good meal and some great conversation! I am grateful for godly friends!

Yesterday, I got my COVID booster shot at work. (I qualify because I am a healthcare worker.) I feel a little sore today and have a headache, but otherwise, I feel well. I hadn’t thought much about getting it, but I decided it was a wise idea because it’s been almost a year since I got the first shot. I am still glad I got it.

Last night, Lydia went to a “glamping” birthday party. It was so cool! A local company set it all up, with heaters, little mattresses/bedding, etc. The girls did each others’ hair, played, ate pizza, watched a movie, and slept outside in the tent. The weather was cool, but perfect for a celebration! Definitely a fun, unique experience!

Today, I did a little cleaning, cooking, and organizing while Lydia was still at the party. Then, tonight we are going to see my aunt who is nearby visiting some of her relatives. It will be great to see her!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!