If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then you would realize how special you are to me.

My friend Taryn posted this quote beneath a photo of her four kids on Instagram. Her kids aren’t little anymore, two are in college, and the other two are in middle school. They are well past the “everything you do is adorable,” stage. They have lives and opinions and dreams of their own now. They are old enough to have experienced things that have begun to form opinions about who they think they are and what they might possibly become. Taryn see’s the innocence and childlike qualities, she always will, they are her babies.

Somewhere along the way in life we begin to see ourselves in a certain way. We either label ourselves based on past experience or we get labeled by others and right or wrong we take those words and let them form who we become. When I was young people told me I was personable and friendly. I liked this label and it has propelled me to be a person who enjoys being around others and has given me the confidence to be open and outgoing which has fostered a multitude of lifelong friendships.

Another label spoken over me that I held onto for years and years is that I wasn’t pretty. I hit that Jr High awkward stage right about the same time my sister hit the senior in high school beauty stage. My mom was in her 40’s and well, they got a lot of attention. At one point someone said to me, “If you ever want to be a head turner you will need to dye your hair, get a nose job and a boob job.” I was 15. It wasn’t true but it sure shaped how I viewed myself for the next 10 years.

…”Wow! You look so much like your dad!”

I became the family historian and have spent the last several years pouring over family photos. I ran across my freshmen year school picture the other day and other than the frosted hair and blue eyeshadow, I liked what I saw. I was pretty. I wished I could go back to the awkward 15-year-old me and tell her it was a lie and that she had so much to look forward to as she would grow up to be a college graduate, wife, mom, small business owner, runner, breast cancer survivor and a writer.  Her beauty is different than that of her sister and mother but she is still pretty. The confidence that knowledge would have given me would have saved me from years of poor decisions trying to make up for what I thought I lacked.

I loved Taryn’s quote because it reminds me of what God sees when He looks at her, her children and all of us. He sees the whole picture. And he likes what he sees. What if we lived  life seeing ourselves through our Father’s eyes? How much different would our lives look? How much more confident would we be? I’m guessing we would spend a whole lot less time thinking about ourselves and get on with the business of living.

Have A Beautiful Day!

The older I get the more  I am discovering how much I forget. Don’t get me wrong, I have always failed a bit in the whole short-term memory category. These days however, if it’s not written down, it’s not happening.  No matter how big or small, whatever the event or task that lies ahead it needs to be on a list or on a calendar and there have to be several notifications to remind me.

In January of 2016, I wrote a post called … Don’t Forget To Remember. It was me reflecting on my cancer diagnosis and how faithful God had been in orchestrating the diagnosis and all the hurdles we were able to jump in order to come up with a treatment plan. I wanted to remind myself to remember his faithfulness because life is super hard and if I can remember that He was faithful then, then I can know He will be faithful in the future.

Fast forward another year and a half or so and I am finding other areas of life where I can find reminders of God’s love and faithfulness. If your phone is nearby, pick it up and open your photos. Scroll. Look at all those faces of people you love and who love you back. I’ll bet you have a smile on your face right now. Such a simple act but a powerful reminder of what and who God has placed in your life.

On those days when I have seen one too many photos of someone’s fabulous vacation on Instagram or I have allowed the accomplishments and achievements of others make me feel like I am not enough and will never achieve anything, I remind myself to look at my photos. In biblical times God instructed his people to set up altars to remind them of what took place. He wanted them to pass by these altars and remember what He had done.

 In the ancient world the altar was almost exclusively built as a monument to remember or commemorate a divine occurrence which took place at a certain location. In ancient Israel altars were very significant, they symbolized communion with the LORD. They were a place of worship and a place to remember His covenant. The “altar’ was a place of “approach”, a place to call upon the name of the LORD and remember His glorious promises.

Photos are my Altars. They remind me of my place in this world and that without me some of those faces wouldn’t even exist. God created me to be exactly who I am and He placed little reminders along the way to show me how much I am loved and needed in the lives of the people he has given me. Take the time to look. Look at your life. Let your photos remind you about your significance in this world and how much you love and are loved in return.

Photos bring me great joy. They are my glimpses of love. They help me remember.

Have A Fabulous Day My Friends!

I read my 1st article of the season about gratefulness yesterday and it flipped the switch for me. I think I am ready to enter the Fall season. I am aware that many schools across the country have already begun but here in Oregon, we do not go back to school until after Labor Day. It’s kind of nice since August and September are our two best weather months of the year.

I was a bit worried I wouldn’t be ready for summer to end. Living on the Oregon Coast does not provide a ton of opportunities for warm weather so when the warmer season comes around, I cherish every single second. I am grateful we were given so many opportunities to enjoy warm weather this year. The beginning of Summer found us in Phoenix and San Diego visiting family. Shortly after this, we spent a week in Myrtle Point, at the Coos County Fair with our kids as they readied their sheep for auction through our local 4H program. On a side note, I have to mention that we have the best 4H program ever. The local businesses come out in droves and generously support these kids, many of whom are trying to earn money for college. Auction day is amazing and a great reward for all those who get to participate. Best of all? Myrtle Point is 45 minutes south and inland from us, so it’s warm.

After fair, we spent the next two weekends camping on two of the most beautiful rivers in Oregon. The Rogue and the Umpqua. Our son squealed in delight as Jerry’s Jet Boats came screaming by on the Rogue and went out of their way to spray him with water. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, Bridger or the passengers. While on the Umpqua we floated calm waters in inner tubes and kayaks as well as snuck in a few hours of fishing. The rivers?  Inland and warm. Are you sensing a theme here?

These adventures led up to last week which I posted about here. School registration begins this week, along with eye Dr. appointments, sports physicals and hair cuts. My dad is coming to visit for a few days next week and then we are off for one last camping adventure over labor day weekend. I am hoping for warm.

The article on gratefulness came at a perfect time. With Mr. Wonderful’s hand surgery last week we have had several hours of down time and moments to reflect on all that has occurred over the last few months. We have a lot to be grateful for. We have been able to spend a significant amount of time as a family which doesn’t happen as much during the school year due to kids activities and tax season. Don’t get me wrong, we have meals and attend events together but there is just something about leaving it all behind for a few days, floating down a river and sitting by the campfire. It’s togetherness in a whole different way.

I began dreaming of these moments on December 31st, 2014. We had gotten off track and lost our sense of family and fun. When I was forced to stop and given ample opportunity to reflect on our life and the direction it was heading, I made a vow that when I was healed, all would be different.

Look at us! Here we are, living. It’s not extravagant by any means, in fact, most memories of this summer involved a camp trailer, floaties for the river and marshmallows. Okay, the water park in Phoenix was pretty great as well. The point is that for the 1st time in many years we spent Summer, together. We laughed, played, worked and even shed a few tears as no season no matter how great is perfect. But overall it was wonderful and the glow of these memories will keep me warm during the next few seasons.

Water Park! Phoenix, AZ 2017

Have a Fabulous Day My Friends!