If you've ever had to wrap a stuffed dinosaur, then you know it can be a challenge.

The head is large and the tail is long and honestly, the body shape is ... awkward. Sure, you can pack it in a shoe box and wrap it in the typical rectangle shaped box, but what fun is that, really?
Dinosaurs deserve a special kind of wrapping. The kind of wrap that says, "you are special and loved and wanted."

Because dinosaurs are special. And loved. And wanted.

Just as is the little guy who will be receiving this gift on Christmas day.

He's labeled a "foster child" but he has a name and a love for dinosaurs, matchbox cars, paw-patrols, and stickers.

I don't know him, but I know ... I KNOW ... he is special, loved, and wanted.
​
And I hope this Christmas, he knows this, too.​

ll the feels right here.

My mama on the left, snuggling my daughter, her granddaughter...me on the right, snuggling with my daughter's daughter, my granddaughter.

Oh, to turn back time ... for just a moment or perhaps a bit longer.

I remember those days of being a young mom and cherishing my own mom's wisdom and love. I loved watching her love on my daughter and thinking of motherhood and being so grateful for her.
So much in the moment, I don't recall thinking... "in 30 years, this could be me".

And yet.

Here I am.

Where did those years go?!

Psalm 90:12 says "teach us to realize the brevity of life so that we may grow in wisdom."

Brevity of life = shortness of life.

Life IS short.

Make the most of every season. Be grateful for the memories. And savor each moment.

"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives."

I miss you, mom.​

What holiday foods are a memory trigger for you? 

Sure, there's all the typical foods ... mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, jello, black olives, stuffing, pumpkin pie, turkey, gravy. These foods and others conjur up all kinds of sweet memories. 

But cornbread casserole ... well, that's a food memory that has been tucked away for quite some time ... until just recently. 

Cornbread casserole.  A dish that my sweet mother-in-law often prepared specifically for Thanksgiving.

Suddenly I was back in time to a home on a farm in rural Kansas. With young children running through the house...from one room to the other, passing through the kitchen each time. The adults would "lovingly" yell at the kids all while keeping up with conversations, football games, and food preparation.

Like cornbread casserole. 

Thankfully I kept her little recipe box and took a chance I'd find it. I was not disappointed. 

I held her recipe card in my hands and her memory in my heart. Oh how I miss those days and oh how I miss those people. 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. May your day be filled with all kinds of yummy foods and heartfelt memories as new memories are made with friends and family! ​

If you've ever traveled through Kansas on I-70, you may have noticed a huge billboard that says "NO GOD, NO PEACE. KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE".

Friends ... there's truth in them there words.

Lately I've been having some "big feels". You know ... the kind that bubbles up inside and comes out your eyes.

It hasn't been any one thing in particular but rather lots of little things that have reached the breaking point ... the last straw.

Ugh. Life as a mom, wife, Mimi, friend, human ... it's not always peaceful.

Today I read these wise words ... "seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:14)

If you want peace for a situation, circumstance, or life in general you have to look for it. You have to work for it.

So today I opened my Bible, dusted off my journal, and with a nature background playing through my ear buds, I sought out peace.

It is here where Jesus met me in a meadow (courtesy of a YouTube video) and we had a good long chat about life, love, and my big feels.

It is here where I found peace.

Friends, if peace is what you're searching for, it's always worth the pursuit.
​
No God? Let me tell you about my Jesus and know peace.

No one told me.

No one told me that grandkids have a way of making one relive previous life seasons.

The life seasons when after nap cuddles remind you to slow down and enjoy the cuddles. Even though, at the time, those seasons seemed unending.

Littles need a lot of attention and demand a lot of your time. Time that seems to never end and go on forever

But in reality, time is short.

And time is a thief.

Naps do not last forever.

And cuddles become scarce.

Because littles get big.

And those moments become memories.

Until you forget.

Because that's life.

And then you become a grandparent.
​
And then you remember.

If you've never ridden on a dirt road, then you've missed out.

The powdery dirt that is warmed by the hot sun speaks of summer and silence and peace.

If you've never walked a dirt road, you've missed out.

The dirt that is hardened due to lack of moisture is yet so soft beneath your feet.

Dirt roads tend to muffle vehicle noises and yet the cloud of dust that follows seems to follow for days.

If you've never experienced life on a dirt road, you're missing out.

Find yourself a dirt road.
​
Don't miss out.

​Do you remember being 12?

No longer a child but not yet a teenager.

Not quite ready to give up child-like things like barbies and stuffies and yet shopping for clothes means cropped tops and high heels.

And then there are boys and suddenly the pool water is way too cold (even though it's not) and heaven forbid a ball gets tossed your way and you have to throw it back to them.

Embarrassing.

Conversations bounce from grown up stuff and back to preteen maturity in a matter of moments.

Giggles and tears happen at the same time and no one understands anything about what you are saying, feeling, or doing.

Yes.

I remember this age.
​
This is 12.

"Being chosen is at the core of what we desire as human beings." ~ Redefined, a women's bible study

These words hit close to my heart. After all, who doesn't want to be chosen? Remember Smalls from The Sandlot and that painful moment when the baseball team was being formed and players were chosen...or in Smalls case, not chosen?

I get you, Smalls.

For someone who had zero athleticism, choosing of teams was always a dreaded and humiliating experience...especially for a skinny whisp of a girl. I had no athletic power whatsoever in those wimpy arms and legs and everyone knew it.

Ugh. Talk about a trigger. Being the last one chosen is the same as not being chosen. Think about that for a moment.

The definition for chosen is this ... "called out, and set apart for one's self with a specific purpose."

Set apart. Not set aside. There is a difference.

Get this.

God chose you ... CHOSE YOU ... for a specific purpose and a specific role. He didn't wait until you were the last one to be chosen. He chose you BEFORE YOU EVEN EXISTED!

He set you apart and with LOVE, He claimed you as His own.
​
He. Chose. You.