Everyday Blessings...

Here is the bird feeder. Here, seeds and crumbs. Sprinkle them on and see what comes. One cardinal, one chickadee, one junco, one jay. Four of my bird friends are eating today. A wee bit of heaven A wee bit of heaven drifted down from above- A handful of happiness, a heart full of love. The mystery of life, so sacred and sweet- The giver of joy so deep and complete. Precious and priceless, so lovable, too- The world's sweetest miracle, baby, is you. -- Author:Helen Steiner Rice Little bird, little bird, fly around, Up to the sky, down to the ground. Little bird, little bird, flap your wings. Open your beak and sweetly sing. Little bird, little bird, fly to your nest. Now it is time to take a rest.

From this baby announcement picture last August above to this lovely little girl miracle picture below. Being a grandparent so far is precious beyond words. Wow. This is some emotional stuff going on here. Being a grandparent. When your own child has a child it is it is a different emotional heart filled experience. Near to bursting your heart. I have always prayed for our children, of course, but now the need and urgency to ramp up the prayers is strong. Seeing your own child learn about how much deeper and bigger his heart for someone could become is a sobering and incredible thing. I realize I am not making much sense but truly, making sense of these feelings and putting into words is hard. This new little beautiful life is theirs to love and take care of and imprint the love of the good, good Father on her own little heart. What exciting and lovely times ahead no matter the heartache or problems or whatever. Lord willing she will be around long after I am gone fig...

We took a fast trip to our ranch a few days ago. Sometimes the need is so great to just get out of town and the hustle and bustle and walk into the quiet and peace of the countryside.  We need to remember that in the busyness of life that our souls and minds need to unplug and be still and quiet. Often. I think it is a practice and we need to figure out ways to be still and quiet even in the midst of our busy lives without having to go somewhere to feel that. Ah, but the times we can...what a blessing. I have joked that I want to call our ranch the "Red Bird Ranch" because there are so many Cardinals everywhere out there. All of the men in our family stomp their feet and pound their chests in protest saying that it is too feminine of a name. Not tough enough. Oh well, whatever. It is still Red Bird Ranch to me and someday, Lord willing there will be a Red Bird Ranch Bed and Breakfast on the back side of the property with yours truly running it. Dreaming... When our...

Good morning! I wanted to share two ideas that are really helping me to be in the Word and focus more everyday on being obedient to God and getting to know Him better. Neither are new ideas but they are so so helpful to me right now. My Mom and Dad gave us all a one year bible for Christmas. It's been the most wonderful gift and a good accountability tool. It's nice knowing that most all of our big family are reading the same words of inspiration every day together. (Or cheering each other on through Leviticus.) ha! Sometimes we get to talk to each other about what was inspiring or challenging. I love it!!  The lovely journal bible (above) has also been such a blessing. It was a sweet surprise gift from some precious people. I am NOT a great artist at all but have enjoyed drawing and coloring and slowly writing out verses. It is so helpful to me to rewrite the scriptures that I read. I'm not too good at memorizing verses so writing things over and over especially w...

There have been so many things written on why our kids are not interested in being involved in a church and when they go to college they don't attend anymore. I don't have any great answers but here are a few thoughts... *Teaching kids to love Jesus starts when they take their first breath not when they are going into Junior High or High school.  As our kids grow and hit these years we begin to realize how important it is/was to take them to church and to have relationships there.  Our kids see what is important to us from the beginning.  There is so much to forming healthy habits. Having our families in fellowship at our churches and giving them the opportunity to form good relationships there is so important. It helps to mold what the rest of their lives will probably look like.   It is NEVER too late to focus on Jesus and be in fellowship with other believers. Ever. It is just a great idea to do it from the beginning. T he key: doing it with joy ...

I've drawn courage from my little Christmas cactus today. I've had it for about 5 years. It bloomed the first three and last year not at all. This year it has been dying. I love this plant. The blooms are just glorious when they decide to live. There have been days in the past year I have felt like I was dying too. Physically, emotionally, and at times spiritually. I know you've probably felt that sometime too. We took a leap of faith a year ago stepping out into our own business. I thought it was just about our livelihood but it was really all about deciding to truly trust God for all of it. I cried and protested and trembled in fear at times but He taught me to breathe and that its just one day at a time and I can fully give it all to Him. The peace I've been given through letting go has been the most powerful thing to happen in years for me. I praise Him for it! A few days ago one little section of my Christmas cactus decided to come to life. There's one b...